Dearest Merryhill Families,
Happy New Year and welcome 2022!! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday season with your family. I am sure there were many wonderful memories made during this special time of year. I know I enjoyed every minute of relaxing and recharging my batteries!
Our Toys for Tots was a success again with collecting about 125 toys for the children in need this holiday season. The Marines came and picked up the toys safely from our parking lot. Thank you so much for making our “Giving Project” a success! You made a child in the bay area very happy!
With the New Year upon us, it is the time to look at the brighter New Year ahead and start planning for what we have in store. As you read in my email last week, January is the month that Merryhill School starts priority registration for the new school year. It is hard to believe that we will already start re-registering all of you next week, January 10th, 2022. You will have 2 weeks to save a seat for your child before we open it up to the outside public at our Open House on Saturday, January 22nd. Every family here at Merryhill School will need to re-register to secure a seat for the new school year. You will want to make sure you save your spot before the outside families come to the Open House and take the remaining seats. Last year we filled all the seats in the classrooms and started a waiting list for the upcoming school year AT the Open House. Register before January 22nd to secure your spot.
The priority registration fee is $180.00, and the activity fee is $55.00 for the preschool. If you register after priority registration time the registration fee will go up to $225.00. Don’t miss this opportunity!
The registration process is paperless again this year! You will receive a “DocuSign” email on January 10th with the 2022/2023 Fee Schedule and Tuition Contract attached. Once you digitally sign those forms, the registration fee will be due by credit card at the same time (there will be no credit card fee for the re-enrollment fees) Merryhill School will receive an email letting us know you registered and paid for the 2022/2023 school year. As long as you register and pay before January 22nd your seat will be secured!
This priority registration process is quick and easy for you! Please let me know if you have any questions.
We have started the second half of the school year and there are lots of fantastic learning experiences ahead of us. Every year we have our annual snow day here at Merryhill Preschool and we will do it again this year. Yes, real snow gets delivered to our backyard and the children get to wear their snow gear and play in the snow with their classmates! So far, we have the Snow Day planned for Friday January 14th starting at 9:00 am (weather permitting). Bring your child’s snow outfit, hat and gloves to join in the fun!! There will be 2 tons of real snow dumped in our playground!! Not only will we play in the snow, but we will also learn about it using our Links To Learning Curriculum!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Reminder: Children age 2 years and older are required to wear a mask. We are not allowing face masks with valves.
Reminder: While dropping off or picking up your children you are required to always wear your mask over your nose and chin.
Reminder: What do I do if my child has COVID-19 symptoms?
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle or body aches
- Sore throat
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Step 1:
Seek medical care and have your child tested right away.
If your child’s doctor says that he/she does not need to be tested, provide the preschool office a doctor’s note explaining all three items: 1.) That there is no Covid 19 testing required 2.) explanation for symptoms and 3.) the date your child was seen (can be virtually). They can return to school once they are fever free, medication free for 24 hours AND improvement in their symptoms. If we do not have all three highlighted items included in the Dr. note your child will not be able to return to school until the Dr. note is completed or Covid test results are given.
Step 2:
- If tested, keep your child at home while waiting for their test results.
- Once you get the results, send the child’s test results to the school.
Step 4:
If your child has COVID-19 symptoms, but tests negative, they can return to school once they are fever free, medication free for 24 hours, AND improvement in their symptoms.
Where can I get my child tested?
Testing can be done through your child’s healthcare provider, or through these free testing sites: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/covid19-testing.aspx
As always if you have any questions or concerns my door is always open. We are here to help you and “our” children in any way we can. Everyone at Merryhill is special and important to us. Let us continue to make this a great school year!
“All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds we sow today.”
Heather Bilbro Palmer
Merryhill Preschool Principal
____________________________________________________
Important Note for future Kindergartners from Joan Sousae:
Hello future kindergarten families!
We are so excited that your child will be transitioning into elementary school this coming fall. We are offering personal onsite and virtual tours to all our families by appointment only.
We have January tour dates available, so please be sure to schedule a private onsite or virtual tour by contacting Ms. Christine at christine.van@merryhillschool.com or call our front office team at 408-254-1282. We look forward to meeting each one of you!
We are pleased to offer priority registration for our preschool families including a discounted registration fee! Priority registration will be available from January 10th through January 21st. Registration contracts will be sent to your email from DocuSign beginning January 10th.
______________________________________
Calendar of Events:
January 10th – Priority registration begins! Save your spot before it fills up!
*January 14th – @ 9:00 am Snow Day at Merryhill Preschool! Yes, real snow will be dumped in the back yard for all to enjoy! We will send pictures to you through Links2Home.
*January 17th – School Closed for Martin Luther King Holiday!
*February 14th – Valentine’s Day Party at 11:45 am (we will decorate for lunch and pass out the Valentine’s Day Cards)
February 16th – Progress Reports passed out to the parents.
February 18th – School Closed for Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 21st – School Closed for President’s Holiday
February 21st – February 25th Virtual Scholastic Book Fair
March 2nd – Dr. Seuss Birthday (a famous children’s author) Special visitor will read to the children.
March 4th – School Closed for Teacher In-Service Day
**Look on our website to see all events and closure dates for the entire school year** http://capitol.merryhillschool.com
Join us for our next Open House!
January 22nd 2022 10:00 am – 1:00 pm by appointment only. **Tell a friend and if they register you will receive one free week of tuition!**
________________________________________
Extra-Curricular Activities **Postponed at this time**
Tuff Tumblers Class – Held on Wednesday now… For more information go to http://tufftumblers.com or call 925-551-8900
Tuff Tumbers – Gymnastics, Sports, Soccer Classes for Children
tufftumblers.com
Tuff Tumblers, established in 1989, offers gymnastics/sports, and soccer classes for children 2 years old and up.It is our purpose to introduce exciting gross motor development classes to children in a setting that is safe, age appropriate, and fun.
MiniSoccer – **Postponed at this time** Held on Tuesdays For more information go to this link: https://challenger.mycustomevent.com/ShoppingCart.aspx?com=detailview&iid=76592
Merryhill San Jose is proud to offer Challenger Sports NEW MiniKickers Program in association with the Challenger Soccer Academy.
Amazing Athletes– **Postponed at this time** This educational Sports Program is amazing! To get more information go to www.amazingathletes.com/Southbay or you can reach the owner at nicolette@amazingathletes.com and by phone at 408-799-7014, ask for Nicolette.
________________________________________
Parent Referral Program:
If there’s one thing parents love to do, it’s talk about their children’s successes.
When friends ask you about your child’s experiences at Merryhill School, what type of success stories do you share? Do you mention the personal and educational discoveries your child is making thanks to our advanced curriculum? Do you talk about the new levels of self and social confidence your child has gained thanks to our encouraging atmosphere?
*For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive one FREE week of tuition for your child*.
It’s our way of saying thanks for doing what comes naturally – singing the praises of your child and sharing your experiences with the Merryhill School difference!
________________________________________
PARENT INFO
Participate in our Automatic Payment Program
Tired of having to remember weekly tuition payments? Save time and avoid late fees with this program. Contact your school principal for more information on how to join.
________________________________________
From the Education Department
Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. With Your Preschooler
January is a great time to reflect on the important work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Although we explore diversity and inclusion all year, we have many activities planned this month to celebrate his life specifically. We’ll be reading books, making arts and crafts, discussing the importance of acceptance and belonging, and much more.
Continue the fun at home by participating in some of our ideas below.
- Perform an Act of Service
Honor the work of Martin Luther King Jr. by spreading kindness and compassion. Some ideas include donating winter accessories to your local homeless shelter, baking cookies for a neighbor, or making cards for loved ones needing a smile.
- Read About His Accomplishments
Books are a great way to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the theme of equality in a way your child can understand. Age-appropriate titles include, “Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Jean Marzollo, “The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Johnny Ray Moore, and “I am Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Brand Meltzer. After reading, ask your child to discuss their own hopes and dreams.
- Host a Birthday Party
Children love and can relate to birthday parties, so host one to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.! Ask your child to help you bake a birthday cake, talk about kindness, sing songs, make decorations, and watch snippets of the “I Have a Dream Speech.”
- Help Your Child Understand and Respect Differences
Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that everyone, no matter skin color, should be treated equally. Reinforce this message at home by reading some of our favorite stories: “Whoever You Are” by Mem Fox, “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz, and “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold.
January Newsletter
Dearest Merryhill Families,
Happy New Year and welcome 2022!! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday season with your family. I am sure there were many wonderful memories made during this special time of year. I know I enjoyed every minute of relaxing and recharging my batteries!
Our Toys for Tots was a success again with collecting about 125 toys for the children in need this holiday season. The Marines came and picked up the toys safely from our parking lot. Thank you so much for making our “Giving Project” a success! You made a child in the bay area very happy!
With the New Year upon us, it is the time to look at the brighter New Year ahead and start planning for what we have in store. As you read in my email last week, January is the month that Merryhill School starts priority registration for the new school year. It is hard to believe that we will already start re-registering all of you next week, January 10th, 2022. You will have 2 weeks to save a seat for your child before we open it up to the outside public at our Open House on Saturday, January 22nd. Every family here at Merryhill School will need to re-register to secure a seat for the new school year. You will want to make sure you save your spot before the outside families come to the Open House and take the remaining seats. Last year we filled all the seats in the classrooms and started a waiting list for the upcoming school year AT the Open House. Register before January 22nd to secure your spot.
The priority registration fee is $180.00, and the activity fee is $55.00 for the preschool. If you register after priority registration time the registration fee will go up to $225.00. Don’t miss this opportunity!
The registration process is paperless again this year! You will receive a “DocuSign” email on January 10th with the 2022/2023 Fee Schedule and Tuition Contract attached. Once you digitally sign those forms, the registration fee will be due by credit card at the same time (there will be no credit card fee for the re-enrollment fees) Merryhill School will receive an email letting us know you registered and paid for the 2022/2023 school year. As long as you register and pay before January 22nd your seat will be secured!
This priority registration process is quick and easy for you! Please let me know if you have any questions.
We have started the second half of the school year and there are lots of fantastic learning experiences ahead of us. Every year we have our annual snow day here at Merryhill Preschool and we will do it again this year. Yes, real snow gets delivered to our backyard and the children get to wear their snow gear and play in the snow with their classmates! So far, we have the Snow Day planned for Friday January 14th starting at 9:00 am (weather permitting). Bring your child’s snow outfit, hat and gloves to join in the fun!! There will be 2 tons of real snow dumped in our playground!! Not only will we play in the snow, but we will also learn about it using our Links To Learning Curriculum!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Reminder: Children age 2 years and older are required to wear a mask. We are not allowing face masks with valves.
Reminder: While dropping off or picking up your children you are required to always wear your mask over your nose and chin.
Reminder: What do I do if my child has COVID-19 symptoms?
Step 1:
Seek medical care and have your child tested right away.
If your child’s doctor says that he/she does not need to be tested, provide the preschool office a doctor’s note explaining all three items: 1.) That there is no Covid 19 testing required 2.) explanation for symptoms and 3.) the date your child was seen (can be virtually). They can return to school once they are fever free, medication free for 24 hours AND improvement in their symptoms. If we do not have all three highlighted items included in the Dr. note your child will not be able to return to school until the Dr. note is completed or Covid test results are given.
Step 2:
Step 4:
If your child has COVID-19 symptoms, but tests negative, they can return to school once they are fever free, medication free for 24 hours, AND improvement in their symptoms.
Where can I get my child tested?
Testing can be done through your child’s healthcare provider, or through these free testing sites: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/covid19-testing.aspx
As always if you have any questions or concerns my door is always open. We are here to help you and “our” children in any way we can. Everyone at Merryhill is special and important to us. Let us continue to make this a great school year!
“All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds we sow today.”
Heather Bilbro Palmer
Merryhill Preschool Principal
____________________________________________________
Important Note for future Kindergartners from Joan Sousae:
Hello future kindergarten families!
We are so excited that your child will be transitioning into elementary school this coming fall. We are offering personal onsite and virtual tours to all our families by appointment only.
We have January tour dates available, so please be sure to schedule a private onsite or virtual tour by contacting Ms. Christine at christine.van@merryhillschool.com or call our front office team at 408-254-1282. We look forward to meeting each one of you!
We are pleased to offer priority registration for our preschool families including a discounted registration fee! Priority registration will be available from January 10th through January 21st. Registration contracts will be sent to your email from DocuSign beginning January 10th.
______________________________________
Calendar of Events:
January 10th – Priority registration begins! Save your spot before it fills up!
*January 14th – @ 9:00 am Snow Day at Merryhill Preschool! Yes, real snow will be dumped in the back yard for all to enjoy! We will send pictures to you through Links2Home.
*January 17th – School Closed for Martin Luther King Holiday!
*February 14th – Valentine’s Day Party at 11:45 am (we will decorate for lunch and pass out the Valentine’s Day Cards)
February 16th – Progress Reports passed out to the parents.
February 18th – School Closed for Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 21st – School Closed for President’s Holiday
February 21st – February 25th Virtual Scholastic Book Fair
March 2nd – Dr. Seuss Birthday (a famous children’s author) Special visitor will read to the children.
March 4th – School Closed for Teacher In-Service Day
**Look on our website to see all events and closure dates for the entire school year** http://capitol.merryhillschool.com
Join us for our next Open House!
January 22nd 2022 10:00 am – 1:00 pm by appointment only. **Tell a friend and if they register you will receive one free week of tuition!**
________________________________________
Extra-Curricular Activities **Postponed at this time**
Tuff Tumblers Class – Held on Wednesday now… For more information go to http://tufftumblers.com or call 925-551-8900
Tuff Tumbers – Gymnastics, Sports, Soccer Classes for Children
tufftumblers.com
Tuff Tumblers, established in 1989, offers gymnastics/sports, and soccer classes for children 2 years old and up.It is our purpose to introduce exciting gross motor development classes to children in a setting that is safe, age appropriate, and fun.
MiniSoccer – **Postponed at this time** Held on Tuesdays For more information go to this link: https://challenger.mycustomevent.com/ShoppingCart.aspx?com=detailview&iid=76592
Merryhill San Jose is proud to offer Challenger Sports NEW MiniKickers Program in association with the Challenger Soccer Academy.
Amazing Athletes– **Postponed at this time** This educational Sports Program is amazing! To get more information go to www.amazingathletes.com/Southbay or you can reach the owner at nicolette@amazingathletes.com and by phone at 408-799-7014, ask for Nicolette.
________________________________________
Parent Referral Program:
If there’s one thing parents love to do, it’s talk about their children’s successes.
When friends ask you about your child’s experiences at Merryhill School, what type of success stories do you share? Do you mention the personal and educational discoveries your child is making thanks to our advanced curriculum? Do you talk about the new levels of self and social confidence your child has gained thanks to our encouraging atmosphere?
*For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive one FREE week of tuition for your child*.
It’s our way of saying thanks for doing what comes naturally – singing the praises of your child and sharing your experiences with the Merryhill School difference!
________________________________________
PARENT INFO
Participate in our Automatic Payment Program
Tired of having to remember weekly tuition payments? Save time and avoid late fees with this program. Contact your school principal for more information on how to join.
________________________________________
From the Education Department
Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. With Your Preschooler
January is a great time to reflect on the important work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Although we explore diversity and inclusion all year, we have many activities planned this month to celebrate his life specifically. We’ll be reading books, making arts and crafts, discussing the importance of acceptance and belonging, and much more.
Continue the fun at home by participating in some of our ideas below.
Honor the work of Martin Luther King Jr. by spreading kindness and compassion. Some ideas include donating winter accessories to your local homeless shelter, baking cookies for a neighbor, or making cards for loved ones needing a smile.
Books are a great way to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the theme of equality in a way your child can understand. Age-appropriate titles include, “Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Jean Marzollo, “The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Johnny Ray Moore, and “I am Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Brand Meltzer. After reading, ask your child to discuss their own hopes and dreams.
Children love and can relate to birthday parties, so host one to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.! Ask your child to help you bake a birthday cake, talk about kindness, sing songs, make decorations, and watch snippets of the “I Have a Dream Speech.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that everyone, no matter skin color, should be treated equally. Reinforce this message at home by reading some of our favorite stories: “Whoever You Are” by Mem Fox, “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz, and “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold.