We hope that you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with your loved ones. As the winter holidays approach, we have many special activities planned for our students and look forward to spending the season with them. Keep an eye out for additional information sent via L2H or flyers posted on the classroom door.
Holidays are one of the most important ways to celebrate people, history, traditions, and events we care about. All our celebrations are important expressions of culture, faith, and family connections. Each holiday is special in its own way for each of our families. There are so many different ways we can celebrate the holidays by supporting our community and helping people in need. Giving either through donations or volunteering is a great way to celebrate and create new family traditions this holiday season. This year we continue our tradition to donate by running a collection of toys for the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Donations will be collected from now up until December 13th.
We kindly ask that you inform the admin team via the Links2Home of any school absences during the holiday weeks and to review our tuition policies regarding absences and vacation time. Please let a member of the admin team should any questions come to mind.
I wish you all a lovely Holiday Season!
Yvonne Valenzuela
Principal
Important Dates to remember:
22-23 School Year
December 23 – School closes at 12:00 PM
December 26 – Closed for Winter Holiday
December 30 – School closes at 3:00 PM
January 2 – Closed for New Year Holiday
January 16 – Closed for MLK Day
February 20 – Closed for President’s Day
March 10 – Closed for Teacher Professional Development
May 24-25 – Lifetouch picture day
May 29 – Closed Memorial Day
News From our Education Department
November, 2022
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Topics: Social Emotional
The holidays are a wonderful time of year for many reasons. We enjoy spending this time with our students as we reflect on the past year, learn about different traditions, and give back to those in need. Our annual holiday giving initiative is a way for students to build the[.....]
Read More »
Keep in mind…. *
Home-Based Symptom Screening:
All children MUST be pre-screened at home for Covid Symptoms prior to attending school.
It is recommended that all students, parents, and other individuals who are two years and older wear a face mask when on school premises.
Ancillary Classes at Merryhill Karitsa!
Amazing Athletes 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 front 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.
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 72 hours if they display any of the following:
- Fever of 100.4 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:
- There is a 5 miles per hour speed limit at all times while on school property.
- Park in designated parking spaces only.
- While on school grounds, pedestrians always have the right of way.
- Vehicle ignitions MUST be turned off, and the keys removed, while parked on school grounds.
- Children may NOT be left unattended in a vehicle at any time or for any reason.
- 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 6:00 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!
December 2022 Newsletter
Dear Merryhill Families,
We hope that you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with your loved ones. As the winter holidays approach, we have many special activities planned for our students and look forward to spending the season with them. Keep an eye out for additional information sent via L2H or flyers posted on the classroom door.
Holidays are one of the most important ways to celebrate people, history, traditions, and events we care about. All our celebrations are important expressions of culture, faith, and family connections. Each holiday is special in its own way for each of our families. There are so many different ways we can celebrate the holidays by supporting our community and helping people in need. Giving either through donations or volunteering is a great way to celebrate and create new family traditions this holiday season. This year we continue our tradition to donate by running a collection of toys for the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Donations will be collected from now up until December 13th.
We kindly ask that you inform the admin team via the Links2Home of any school absences during the holiday weeks and to review our tuition policies regarding absences and vacation time. Please let a member of the admin team should any questions come to mind.
I wish you all a lovely Holiday Season!
Yvonne Valenzuela
Principal
Important Dates to remember:
22-23 School Year
December 23 – School closes at 12:00 PM
December 26 – Closed for Winter Holiday
December 30 – School closes at 3:00 PM
January 2 – Closed for New Year Holiday
January 16 – Closed for MLK Day
February 20 – Closed for President’s Day
March 10 – Closed for Teacher Professional Development
May 24-25 – Lifetouch picture day
May 29 – Closed Memorial Day
News From our Education Department
The Gift of Giving: Teaching Students the Importance of Generosity and Compassion
Read More »
Keep in mind…. *
Home-Based Symptom Screening:
All children MUST be pre-screened at home for Covid Symptoms prior to attending school.
It is recommended that all students, parents, and other individuals who are two years and older wear a face mask when on school premises.
Ancillary Classes at Merryhill Karitsa!
Amazing Athletes 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 front 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.
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 72 hours if they display any of the following:
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:
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.
Additional Reminders:
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!