Dear Families,
Welcome to our fifth month of the 2017-2018 Schoolyear!
There is still time to register for the 2017-2018 school year if you have friends or other family members to enroll. There is a referral fee of one free weeks tuition! Please see details below.
Please see the office as spaces are filling up quickly!
Holidays- upcoming
November 10, 23, 24, 2017-closed
December 25, 26, 2017- closed
January 1, 2, 15, 2018-closed
February 19, 2018- closed
March 09, 2017- closed
May 28, 2018- closed
June 01, 2018- closed
Links to Learning Curriculum
October 2017 Monthly Themes
- Community helpers (Fireman/Policeman)
- Doctors/Dentist/Skeletons
- Autumn
- Apples/Pumpkins/Squash/Corn
- Harvest
- Dressup Costumes
- Pumpkin Patches
- Problem Solving using Mathematics
- Safety Skills
- Fall Festival/Parades
- Pledge of Allegiance/Flags
- Healthy Foods
- Spiders
Exciting Upcoming Events until Dec 2017 to look forward to:
November- Operation Christmas Child, Thanksgiving Dinner, Eye Exams (tentatively)
December- Christmas in the Park Tree, Christmas Performance/Party with Santa Claus
Snack Menu
Our “Wellness” curriculum component is using the following website at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/ to ensure the nutrition of our students. Please look for our snack menu please let us know if you have any suggestions for our snack menu or would like recipes for home use.
Celebrations
Celebrations help our students meet our learning component in “Community and Environment”. If you would like to share a family tradition with our students, please let us know. Embracing diversity is a social skill that will help our students in the long run when traveling or building friendships.
“PUMPKIN PATCH”
This month we will have our annual “PUMPKIN PATCH” event on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 10:30 am. All students are welcomed to join us regardless of their schedules! We will be having order forms available by October 4, 2017 so we can have a final count on how many pumpkins we will need. Students will be able to decorate them afterwards.
Beginners Classrooms- 9:15 am to 10 am (they will paint their pumpkins outside)
Intermediates/Prek2- 9:00 am to 10:00 am (Painting pumpkins inside classrooms at 9:15 am)
“FALL FESTIVAL/PARADE“
On Tuesday, October 31, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. We will have a carnival along with a parade. Students are welcomed to dress up in their favorite make believe costumes. No blood, weapons, or scary costumes please. Parents are also encouraged to dress up. There will be a prize for the most creative costume! Our parade will be outside and parents will be passing out candy to students. This is a safe place to our students to enjoy. Parents are encouraged to bring candy to pass out and treats. No peanut butter please.
The Parade will start promptly at 3:30 pm for all the classrooms.
Oct 2017 News
Dear Families,
Welcome to our fifth month of the 2017-2018 Schoolyear!
There is still time to register for the 2017-2018 school year if you have friends or other family members to enroll. There is a referral fee of one free weeks tuition! Please see details below.
Please see the office as spaces are filling up quickly!
Holidays- upcoming
November 10, 23, 24, 2017-closed
December 25, 26, 2017- closed
January 1, 2, 15, 2018-closed
February 19, 2018- closed
March 09, 2017- closed
May 28, 2018- closed
June 01, 2018- closed
Links to Learning Curriculum
October 2017 Monthly Themes
Exciting Upcoming Events until Dec 2017 to look forward to:
November- Operation Christmas Child, Thanksgiving Dinner, Eye Exams (tentatively)
December- Christmas in the Park Tree, Christmas Performance/Party with Santa Claus
Snack Menu
Our “Wellness” curriculum component is using the following website at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/ to ensure the nutrition of our students. Please look for our snack menu please let us know if you have any suggestions for our snack menu or would like recipes for home use.
Celebrations
Celebrations help our students meet our learning component in “Community and Environment”. If you would like to share a family tradition with our students, please let us know. Embracing diversity is a social skill that will help our students in the long run when traveling or building friendships.
“PUMPKIN PATCH”
This month we will have our annual “PUMPKIN PATCH” event on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 10:30 am. All students are welcomed to join us regardless of their schedules! We will be having order forms available by October 4, 2017 so we can have a final count on how many pumpkins we will need. Students will be able to decorate them afterwards.
Beginners Classrooms- 9:15 am to 10 am (they will paint their pumpkins outside)
Intermediates/Prek2- 9:00 am to 10:00 am (Painting pumpkins inside classrooms at 9:15 am)
“FALL FESTIVAL/PARADE“
On Tuesday, October 31, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. We will have a carnival along with a parade. Students are welcomed to dress up in their favorite make believe costumes. No blood, weapons, or scary costumes please. Parents are also encouraged to dress up. There will be a prize for the most creative costume! Our parade will be outside and parents will be passing out candy to students. This is a safe place to our students to enjoy. Parents are encouraged to bring candy to pass out and treats. No peanut butter please.
The Parade will start promptly at 3:30 pm for all the classrooms.
School Pictures
School pictures are here! We will distribute them from October 2-6, 2017. We have an easy way to distribute the pictures. Bring a deposit of $70 for 1 packet, $105 for 2 packets and take the pictures home. View them at a convenient time throughout the week. You bring back to the pictures you don’t want by Friday, October 6, 2017 and get your deposit back. You can adjust the deposit check for the lesser amount or bring a new check. If you want to keep the entire packet you don’t have to do anything else.
Please see more details on the door and parent sign in/out binders.
Yankee Candle Fundraiser
The Yankee Candle Fundraiser will start on October 9-October 23, 2017. More details to come on the brochure when we pass it out on October 9, 2017. Please be on the look out for the brochure.
Reading Program/Homework
Reading Program/Homework will start on June 12, 2017 for the Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, and Prek2 classrooms. This is meant to be a positive experience for your child. Its not mandatory to do the homework. The program was created for a social emotional development experience. Setting aside a specific time daily for your children reduces behavioral issues in the long run. We are just giving parents some activities to do during this time. Please set aside a 20-30 minutes per night for your Prek or Prek2 child and 10-20 minutes for Intermediates. If your child is refusing to practice writing, there are other alternatives; playdough, legos, setting up the table, folding laundry, helping to wash dishes, or clean off the dinner table. All these activities use their small motor skills and they are still building their muscles in their fingers. The book does not need to be read per verbatim. Have your child try and guess what is happening in the book. If your children want to talk with you about something this is also a good time to do so. Let us know if you are needing support.
Merryhill’s Facebook Page
Our students are continuously posted on our Facebook page! Please share with your friends and family.
https://www.facebook.com/merryhillschool
Contact Dave Evans for more information
devans@challengersports.com
(916) 262-7542
News from the Education Department
Jump into Fall with These Festive Activities
Read More »
Kind Regards,
Lucy Nunez,
Principal
Reminders:
Parent Videos & Photos
If you are video-taping or taking pictures at our school they must be only of your child. Please do not post videos or pictures of other children as it is a violation of their privacy. If you have accidentally posted pictures or videos of other children, please remove them immediately. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Nut-free School
We have a nut-free policy at our school. Please keep all peanut items at home. We have children with severe allergies.
Medication and Sunscreen Policy Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that our medication policy states that we can only administer medicine that has been prescribed by a doctor. We cannot administer over the counter medication without a doctor’s note with explicit instructions on how to administer it.
Regarding sunscreen, if you would like your child’s teacher to apply sunscreen throughout the summer months, please complete the “Sunscreen Authorization Form” located in the front office. We ask that you bring your child in their own sunscreen and apply a coat of sunscreen before they come to school. All sunscreen will be applied after nap unless noted differently by a parent.
Referral Program
Refer a Family, Get a Week Free!* Do you have friends with children in the area? If you refer your friends to Merryhill and they enroll, you could be eligible to get a free week of tuition! *After three months of enrollment. Only applicable for full time students.
Automatic Withdrawal
No checks necessary! Enroll in our Automatic Payment Program and never write another check for your monthly tuition or pay another late payment. Tuition can be automatically deducted from your checking account. You can find more information about ACH in the front office. Let us help you sign up today!
Credit Cards
We NOW take credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover) at Merryhill school. A consent form have been emailed to all parents. Please return them if you are interested.
Earth Day Celebration
For Earth Day our students focused on sustainability and were challenged to find a fruit or a vegetable that they could re-grow. Our Students took the challenge and tried to regrow carrots, onions, tomatoes, celery, and sweet potatoes. They were also to create a planter box to replant the fruit or vegetable made out of recycled materials. The Intermediate1 used half gallons of milk cartons, the Intermediates2 used water bottles, and the Prek2 used legos. They all made their own vertical gardens that are hanging in the back yard.
They have been documenting to report their findings to the media. We will let you know as soon as their post comes up. Here are some pictures.
Operation Christmas Child- UPDATE
Here is the link to the news media: http://patch.com/california/milpitas/students-merryhill-preschool-milpitas-collect-donations-send-children-need
An update on our progress for Operation Christmas Child 2016. Our students were able to put together 100 boxes in November for children who have never received a gift. The boxes shipped to the following countries: Philippines, Indonesia Ukraine, Aruba, and the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar . Thank you so much for all of your donations. The students learned so much during this project.
Lifelong Learning Skills:
Earth Day 2016
Students planted fruits and vegetables after discovering that plastic terrariums are best for growing plants and conserving water
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/05/09/milpitas-merryhills-preschoolers-learn-to-conserve-on-earth-day/
MILPITAS, Calif. (April XX, 2016) – On April 22, students at Merryhill Preschool on Corning Avenue in Milpitas celebrated Earth Day by planting a garden of fruits and vegetables using a gardening method that conserves water. Leading up to Earth Day, students tested which environment – soil, sand or a plastic terrarium – uses less water to grow plants. For 20 days, they watched seeds sprout and measured plant growth and the amount of water used. Students learned that the terrarium, which was made from a plastic bottle with cloth, was the most effective as it re-used water from condensation within the bottle. On Earth Day, students planted more seeds in homemade terrariums for the school’s garden. Merryhill Preschool teaches the importance of community and exploring nature at a young age.
MILPITAS, Calif. (FEB. 1, 2016) – Pre-kindergarten students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas donated non-perishable food items to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. The students learned about hunger awareness and what kinds of items were appropriate to donate through story time with the Second Harvest Food Bank turkey mascot. Following the event, students donated the bin full of food to the organization, which will benefit members of the community.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to nearly a quarter of a million people each month. The Food Bank mobilizes individuals, companies and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need.
Students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas Collect Donations and Prepare Gifts for Children in Other Countries
http://www.mercurynews.com/milpitas/ci_29238008/milpitas-students-send-holiday-gift-boxes-needy-children
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students assemble donated gifts and write letters to children in need around the world
MILPITAS, Calif. (Nov. 2015) – On Nov. 20, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students at Merryhill Preschool on Corning Avenue in Milpitas prepared 80 gift packages of toys, art supplies, books, school supplies and more to send to children around the world as a part of Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is an international humanitarian organization that sends care packages to children in third world countries. The packages, along with handwritten letters from the students, will be sent to children in countries including Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The gifts were donated during the school’s Operation Christmas Child drive this month. In the classroom, students have been exploring global citizenship and working to create friendships in other parts of the world. Through this experience, they will learn the importance of helping children in need during the holiday season.
Milpitas students send holiday gift boxes to needy children around the world
http://www.mercurynews.com/milpitas/ci_29238008/milpitas-students-send-holiday-gift-boxes-needy-children
Milpitas Post
Students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas prepared 80 gift packages of toys, art supplies, books and more on Nov. 20 to send to children around the world through an international humanitarian organization.
The group, called Operation Christmas Child, delivers care packages to children in Third World countries. The packages, along with handwritten letters from the students, will go to children in countries including Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The gifts were donated during the school’s Operation Christmas Child drive in November.
In the classroom, students have been exploring global citizenship and working to create friendships in other parts of the world. Through this experience, they will learn the importance of helping children in need during the holiday season.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org.
Water Conservation Project
http://patch.com/california/milpitas/students-merryhill-preschool-milpitas-participated-water-conservation-project-earth-day
Please join us in congratulating our students on their Water Conservation Project which made the Milpitas Patch on April 30, 2015. Our teachers are constantly challenging our students to find solutions to our community problems. This helps our students become productive members of society. Please click on the link below to see the post.