OCTOBER Parent Meeting

See our work in progress---kids building an igloo out of 490 Milk Cartons.  This project is worth bragging about. 

WVC CDC OCTOBER Parents Meeting Notes:

1st Topic Discussed:  PLAY

Shelley shared on an article about "The Importance of Play" by Mills College.  She shared on the importance of both structured and unstructured play.  Children have to play to function.  It keeps them focused and engaged.  They learn to problem solve when they play and it helps them to become creative thinkers.  Please take the time to read the article.  Our preschools shares this philosophy.  Shelley reminded us that the jobs in our children's future have not been created yet.  So our teachers at our preschool help prepare them by becoming creative thinkers.  Play is joy and active engagement.  Kids have to control their play otherwise it's an "activity."  Now a days the trend is to entertain our kids.  Here atWVC Child Development Center it is about playing, problem solving with the freedom to explore their choices.

What are we up to at school:

Cooking with kids:

• Making applesauce
• Apple Chips
• Bread.  The kids will get to grind the wheat.
• Making things with pumpkins like bread and muffins.

Teacher Projects with kids:

1. Make a cookbook with the kids.  The kids will give reviews in the cookbook and this project will also become a little fundraiser.  
2. Elisa will teach on the composition of the pumpkins and all of its stages.
3. Juliette is teaching music scales, rhythm and playing with instruments.
4. Completed teaching on mixing colors and now working toward representation.
5. More problem solving activities.  The dominos idea came to a quick ending when the kids unwrapped the boxes like presents and realized they were cereal boxes not gifts.  Elisa and the kids have moved on to create marble runs, building them, creating and observing.  Empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls are now on the supply wish list.
6. Assembling and making scarecrows are all designed and created by the kids.  See them here!  (sorry to be sideways)

Upcoming

• Number & letter bingo
• Measuring pumpkins-bigger, smaller and taller...
• Planning the garden

SAVE THE DATE to be announced 

for our Harvest Lunch-the kids will be preparing this for you.

SUPPLY WISH LIST

Pumpkins

Fall Leaves

Empty toilet paper roll tubes

still need MIlk Gallon Containers but in pretty good shape thanks to Starbucks.

Parent Teacher Conference COMING SOON!  They begin the week after Thanksgiving.

WVC CDC is state funded and requires the school to provide developmental profiles and set goals.  Theses will be included.  The conference will just take around 15 minutes.  If you can't make the times on the sign up see Shelley and she will find something that will work.  Sign ups have started.

NOTE:  Did you notice the decks were refinished?  

Thanks to grants received from Saratoga Rotary for $1500 and $700 from the Parent Association. 

RESOURCES NEEDED: 

Decomposed Granite for a tricycle windy but circular path for the kids to ride on.  Do you know of a resource for this?  See Shelley.  

Materials at the center are environmentally friendly and so other ideas for the path are welcome but please keep them green.

Plants for the Garden are needed.  

SCHOOL FUND RAISING GOAL this year is $10,000

Pizza My Heart on October 18th made a couple hundred dollars.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  Can you help with our garden?  Sign up to help.

PRESCHOOL BUDGET UPDATE:

$2600 over 1st Qtr which is normal

September broke even

Salary went up in salary due to workman's comp

Still hoping for two more "full time equivalent" preschool enrollments this year.

HELP OUR SCHOOL Parents have signed up to help.  The last meeting we had a little time to brainstorm ideas on how we can work together to Save Our School.   

• Marketing Parent Team
• Fundraising Parent Team
• Facilities Parent Team
• Garden Parent Team
• Enrollment Parent Team

***We are going to put together an online group and send out an invite this month.  It will either come from Shelley or a parent.  It's hard to connect everyone so hopefully this might offer a good solution.  Hopefully, I didn't miss one of the groups listed above but if I did I will know soon and adjust it for the online parent connection..  In the meantime, Helen Myers recommended yahoogroups- and Nicole Williams is looking into this.