OCTOBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
IMPORTANT DATES
OCTOBER 6th – BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Little Folks will hold its annual Parent – Teacher Back to School Night on Thursday, October 6th from 6 to 7 PM. A few opening statements and introduction of the teachers will take place. Following the introductions and some general information about Little Folks, the individual teachers will explain their programs. All parents are encouraged to attend in order to meet the teachers and discuss any questions, concerns, or expectations you may have regarding this school year. You will also have the opportunity to view some of your child’s art work, etc.
OCTOBER 10th – COLUMBUS DAY
Little Folks will be closed on Monday, October 11th in observance of Columbus Day.
SCHOOL PICTURE DAYS
School pictures will be taken on Tuesday & Wednesday, October 18th and 19th. If your child attends school on both Tuesday & Wednesday, his/her photo will be taken on Tuesday. If your child does not usually attend school on one of these days, he/she is welcome to attend for Picture Day. Order forms will be sent home separately. Please complete them, enclose payment and send them into school before or on Picture Day.
OCTOBER 26th and 27th – HALLOWEEN PARTIES
Halloween Costume Parties will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, October 26th and 27th. Children may dress in a costume. No prizes, no competition. Parents should be sure that the children are comfortable enough to participate in the day’s activities. Please be sure all parts of your child’s costume are labeled with his/her name. If your child stays for lunch on the Halloween Party days, please send in a change of clothes for him/her.
NUT ALLERGY REMINDER
Nut allergies can be life-threatening. Please do not send in any snacks to be shared with your child’s class that contain nuts or peanut butter. If your child’s lunch contains peanut butter/nuts, please let your child’s teacher know in the morning. Additionally, if your child anything containing nuts before he/she comes to school please be sure that you wash their hands and face very well. Thank you for taking the extra time to be sure all of our students are safe.
COVID UPDATE
The most recent information concerning COVID says that if a child should test positive for COVID, they must remain out of school for 5 days and must be free of any symptoms when they return. If a child is exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID, the child should wear a mask in school for 10 days.
BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION
Again, this year Little Folks Day School is participating in the Boxtops for Education Program. This is an easy way to earn supplies and equipment for our school. Just scan your grocery receipt with the items using the Boxtops for Education app and the points will be credited.
CHILDRENS’ RECORDS
All of the children’s records must be updated on an annual basis. Parents must review their child’s records, make any necessary changes, and re-sign and re-date all of the paper work each year. This will take place on Back to School Night or when you pick up your child. We ask that you update them before you leave. If your child started at Little Folks prior to June of 2022, then your child’s records must be updated. Please see one of the teachers as soon as possible. Thank you.
MEDICAL RECORDS
All of the children’s medical records including complete immunization history and date of an annual physical should be on file at the school. If this is your child’s first year at Little Folks and you have not sent in your child’s medical record, it is due immediately! If your child’s current physical is out of date you will be notified by the school and a more recent physical will be needed. All records must be up to date by October 31, 2022 – this is a state law.
SCHOOL CANCELLATION
Little Folks will be following the same school closure policy as the Woburn Public Schools. If the Woburn Public Schools are closed for weather-related issues (snow or ice), Little Folks will also be closed. If the Woburn Public Schools have a weather-related delay, Little Folks will have that same delay in opening. If the public schools have a one hour delay, Little Folks will open at 8 AM. If the public schools have a two hour delay, Little Folks will open at 9 AM. This will apply to weather-related issues that impact driving conditions such as snow or ice storms. If the public school closure is related to something else, such as lack of heat in a building or inability to clear parking lots in time for school openings, the closure will not apply to Little Folks Day School.
In the case of snowstorms or hurricanes, if a storm hits this area with a great deal of force, the governor may declare a State of Emergency. If this occurs, Little Folks will be closed as will most schools and businesses. We are not allowed to operate during a State of Emergency.
If a State of Emergency is declared in the evening or early morning, the answering machine will inform you of any cancellation. If the State of Emergency is declared after we have opened, we are required to close. All parents of children in attendance will be contacted and expected to pick up their child within the hour.
If you call the school in the morning, the answering machine will inform you of any cancellation or delay in opening. You may also log on to http://whdh.com where any closing or delay will be displayed on this website or the WHDH mobile app. You may also log onto the Little Folks Day School website (www.littlefolksdayschool.com) where the information on a closing or delay will be posted.
SNACKS
Little Folks provides morning and afternoon snacks for all of the children. Typically, we serve them milk, juice or water (whatever they prefer) and different types of crackers, pretzels, or fruits. Some parents have expressed an interest in sending in snacks for the children and they are welcome to do so. This year any snacks sent in by parents for the class must be packaged – nothing home-made this year! If you would like to provide a snack for the class on any day, please just check with your child’s teacher.
BIRTHDAYS
We will celebrate all of the children’s birthdays. Parents are welcome to send in packaged cookies, brownies (no nuts), or small cupcakes, etc. for their child’s birthday.
BLANKETS
Blankets are required for all children who nap or rest during rest time. Parents may purchase a blanket from the school for the one time price of $10.00. The school will launder this blanket each week and you may keep it when your child leaves the school. If you wish to send in your own blanket, that is fine, the blanket will have to be brought in on a daily basis in a back pack or bag.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN – MS SARAH, MRS. DONAGHEY, MS LINDA, MS ANGELEE and MS PAM
The past month has been exciting for the children – making new friends, meeting new teachers, and for those who have never been in school before, experiencing this type of environment. Our theme for September was apples. The children learned how apple orchards were started by Johnny Appleseed (Chapman). He planted sprouts along his journey, so that travelers would have fruit for food. We also learned how apples grow. Did you know that they start as a flower and that there is a certain way to pick them off the tree? (twist and pull). We conducted a taste test between three different varieties of apples: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Macintosh. Using our taste test graph, Granny Smith won! One of the books we read this month was called, “The Little Red House”. This house was very unusual. It had no windows or doors, but something special was inside. Ask your child what it was. I’ll give you a hint, we used it to make our apple prints. Some of the other books we read this month included: A Day At the Apple Orchard, How Do Apples Grow?, Apple Trouble and Under the Apple Tree.
It’s hard to believe that the spooky month of October is already here and Halloween is just around the corner. We will be decorating our room with pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, bats, Frankenstein and black cats. The leaves on our tree will be changing colors. We will also learn about Christopher Columbus and how pumpkins grow.
Academics This Month: SHAPE: Triangle; COLOR: Orange; NUMBER: 7; LETTERS: Bb, Cc, Dd and Ee.
Our Halloween Parties will be on Wednesday and Thursday, October 26th and 27th. Children may wear their costumes to school. Please be sure that all costumes are labeled with your child’s name. If your child stays for lunch, please be sure that they bring a change of clothing. Wrapped treats to send home in goodie bags are always appreciated.
Happy October Birthday to Alice on the 9th and Audrina on the 10th!!
PRESCHOOL – MS. STEPHANIE, MRS. LILLEY and MS SYDNEY
The spooky month of October is here! September went by so fast. The preschoolers were busy meeting their new teachers and making new friends. We have been working really hard also. We have been learning to recognize the color red and the circle shape. The numbers 1 to 10 are being introduced. We are also starting to recognize the letters of the alphabet. Each week the teachers will introduce a new letter. We learned the letters Aa for Airplane and Tt for Tractor. We also learned the number 1. We have been busy learning about Fall. We have talked about the leaves changing colors and the weather turning cooler.
We are looking forward to October! The color for October is orange and the shape is the triangle. We cannot wait to start decorating for Halloween! We have some great activities planned – candy corn, pumpkins, bats, spiders, witches, vampires, mummies and ghosts. We will also be making some prints using our Halloween cookie cutters. We will be learning two spooky Halloween poems: “Jack-o- Lantern” and “Five Little Goblins”. There will still be a strong emphasis on curriculum. We will continue with our letter recognition. We might even carve and paint some pumpkins. Some special Halloween books we will be reading are: Where’s the Halloween Treat?; Popcorn; The Spooky Old Tree; Witches Four; and Clifford’s First Halloween.
Our Halloween parties will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, October 26th and 27th. Children may wear their costumes to school. Please be sure that all costumes are labeled with your child’s name. If your child stays for lunch, please be sure that they bring a change of clothing for the afternoon. If any parents would like to send in some goodies for our parties, please let Ms. Stephanie know. Wrapped treats to send home in goodie bags are always appreciated.
Just A Reminder—– With the cooler weather approaching, please make sure that all coats, hats, mittens, boots, backpacks, etc. are labeled with your child’s name so they can be returned to you if left behind. Thank you!
Happy Hauntings!!!
