A Message From The Principal:

Dear Merryhill families,

February known as the month of love and friendship, and we will take the opportunity to encourage friendship, love, and appreciation to all our students and families. We believe that love extends farther than the love we have for our friends and family as it can extend to depths we don’t know and to those in need. Our students will be learning about different ways to help others and we encourage them to show kindness and appreciation to all.

And speaking of love and appreciation… we consider ourselves so blessed to have the chance to get to know each of you and to care for your little ones.  We cherish the time we get to spend with the children in our school, and that would not be possible without the trust and kindness of our families.  You all truly make a difference in each of our lives!

This month we will also incorporate activities that include learning about our Presidents and the role they play in our daily lives. The month of February brings multiple opportunities for us to incorporate the community, family, and school to create a wonderful learning environment. We will celebrate Black History Month through song, reading, and hands-on activities. We will also teach the children how to care for their hearts and teeth in honor of American Heart and Dental Health Month.

I wanted to remind you all that I will be out of the office starting January 31 and returning February 22. Our wonderful admin team will always be ready and available should you need anything.

Yvonne Valenzuela
Principal

School Closure Dates & Reminders for the 2021-2022 School Year

February 18 – Last day to register for 22/23 school year with 75% discount

February 21 –  School Closed for President’s Day

March 4 – School Closed for Teacher in-Service Day

May 30 – School Closed for Memorial Day

June 17 – End of the 21-22 School Year

News From our Education Department

4 Easy Hands-On Valentine’s Day Activities for Your Preschooler

January, 2022   |   Topics: Social Emotional

Holidays are great opportunities to make new traditions and memories with your family. This month, we’ve compiled four of our favorite Valentine’s Day themed activities perfect for children of all ages. 1. Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin Grab a bin and fill it with items found around your home or at[.....]
Read More »

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Keep in mind…. *

Ancillary Classes Coming to Merryhill Karitsa!

Tiny Tykes Soccer class, Hip Hop dance class, and Music Matt music class are in full swing now here at Karitsa!   Information regarding the sign up for these classes is available at the fron desk.

Extra Clothing Reminder
If you’ve not already done so, please send in an extra set of weather appropriate clothes for your child. Extra clothing must be brought to school in a ziplock bag. No loose items can be stored in your child’s cubby.

Links 2 Home
If you’re not currently receiving photos and daily reports for your child, you can easily change this by downloading the Links 2 Home app on your phone. Just type ‘Links 2 Home’ in the search bar for the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. After downloading, you can register with the same email address that you used to enroll your child in our school.

Online Parent Communication
In addition to our newsletter the ‘For Parents’ section of our website also includes links to our menu, monthly calendar and school year calendar. We update these items frequently to ensure you’re always in the know. Though we send information through Links 2 Home, our calendar can be printed or even downloaded directly to your device. Our menu and school year calendar can be printed or saved for easy reference as well.

• Monthly Calendar
• Menu
• School Year Calendar

Updating your Information in Alma
Do you have a different email address or phone number? Need to add or remove an emergency contact? You can do this at any time in Alma. If you need help logging in or accessing the system please let us know.

A few friendly reminders …….

Illness Policy Reminder:

Our parents are vital partners in helping us to maintain a safe and healthy environment for the students in our school. The most important thing you can do to assist us in creating a healthy environment is to keep your child home if they are ill. This reduces the spread of illness and allows your child to fully recuperate. Children may not attend school until they have been symptom free for 24 hours if they display any of the following:

• Fever of 100 degrees of more—must be fever free for 72 hours with no fever-reducing medicine before returning to school
• Vomiting, diarrhea or stomach upset
• Heavy nasal discharge requiring wiping every 3-5 minutes
• Persistent, non-productive or barking cough
• Sore throat
• Skin rash, including diaper rash
• Head lice
• Symptoms of a communicable disease
• Fussy, cranky behavior unlike child’s normal demeanor that may indicate illness
  For more information please see our Parent Handbook or reach out to a member of our administrative team.

Parking Lot Safety

Please remember not to leave any valuables in your car (including your children) when entering our building or any other location. With the slump in the economy, thieves are getting BOLD! They are taking part in a practice  refer as “Smash and Grab”. They target mostly women’s cars who leave without a purse in hand who have left their purses, lap tops, etc. sitting in plain view in their locked vehicles! The “locked vehicle” does not stop them as they come prepared with a special glass breaking tool! They break your window, grab what they want and speed away!

Rules for Vehicles While On School Grounds:
Because the safety of our children is of paramount concern to us, we require all parents to adhere to the following rules of the road while on campus:

1. There is a 5 miles per hour speed limit at all times while on school property.
2. Park in designated parking spaces only.
3. While on school grounds, pedestrians always have the right of way.
4. Vehicle ignitions MUST be turned off, and the keys removed, while parked on school grounds.
5. Children may NOT be left unattended in a vehicle at any time or for any reason.
6. Violations of these rules may result in a warning. If a violation is serious, or if violations continue, school personnel are authorized to take a tag number for a report to the local police.

Tuition Policy Reminder:

• Tuition is due no later than Friday prior to the week of attendance. Tuition is considered delinquent at 12:00 PM on Monday. A $25 late fee charge will be assessed at that time and should be included in your payment. Tuition is continuous throughout the year. There are no deductions in tuition for absences, illness, or the holidays that are observed throughout the year. Each child is entitled to one week of vacation credit for each school year after attending school for six months. Requests for vacation credit must be presented in writing to the office at least two weeks in advance.
• A charge of $1 per minute will be assessed for children picked-up after 12:00 PM for half-day students, and 5:30 PM for full-day students.
• Sign up for our Automatic Payment Program and avoid late fee charges via your parent portal, ALMA! You can also use this portal to submit payments via credit card.
• We encourage you all parents to sign into your parent portal, ALMA, to view your account, print statements, make payments, and update contact information.  ALMA is an online platform that can be reached from this website from the “For Parents” tab.  Please see an administrative staff member if you need help setting up your account or a password reset.

Additional Reminders:

• Please make sure that your child has a crib-sized fitted sheet to cover his/her mat, a blanket, and at least two spare set of clothing in his/her cubby. On Fridays, you must take blankets and sheets home to be laundered and return them on Mondays. Please check your child’s cubby everyday for soiled clothing or other items that may need to be taken home. Please also make sure all items are clearly marked with your child’s name (clothing, sheets, blankets, sweaters and jackets, towels and bathing suits, etc.).
• We ask that your child wear appropriate shoes to School in order to protect them for potential injuries. Flip Flops are not permitted at school.
• Merryhill School is a NUT FREE environment, we ask that you not bring any food items into the school that contain nut products.

Love Our School? Review Us!
In today’s connected world, many families turn to online reviews to learn more about the reputation of schools. Just a reminder that you can find our school on Facebook, Google, Yelp and other online directories. We’d love more families like yours, so please consider spreading the word about our school.