A Message From the Principal:
Welcome to December!
We hope that you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with your loved ones. One of the many things that I am thankful for this season and throughout the year is the strong sense of family and community that we have here at our school. Thank you all for your participation and for being a very important part of the Merryhill family.
Over the last year we have established many changes in protocol to ensure the health and safety of our Merryhill community. With those changes we have and will continue to connect our families with the great things that are taking place inside of our school and each classroom. The heart of our school remains the same. We are fully dedicated to the education and wellbeing of our students. As the winter holidays approach, we have many special activities planned for our students and look forward to spending the season with them. We are committed to making extra efforts to find creative ways to have our families be part of some of the great things happening in the classroom without actually entering the classroom setting.
This month we have adopted 2 organizations for our Community Holiday Giving Drives:
#1 – Annual Holiday Book Drive for the Pediatric Ward of St. Joseph’s Medical Center. We are currently collecting a variety of new books for children 0-18 who will be spending the holidays in the hospital. This also includes coloring and activity books as well as the supplies to accompany them. You are welcome to drop off donated books through Wednesday, December 8th.
#2 – Warm and Fuzzy Blanket and Towel Drive for the rescued animals of Pal Haven of Lodi. We will be collecting both new and used towels and blankets through December 8th.
Our weekly fun themed dress up days will continue as planned and your children and their teachers will be working on a few fun surprises for all of you this month.(More information coming your way soon) Many classrooms will have their own holiday celebrations. Please check your Links to Home Account frequently for important communication from your teachers as well as a questionnaire about the holidays and traditions that your family participates in.
December is upon us with the spirit of the holidays in the air. Everywhere I go, I hear holiday music, see cheery decorations and sense the excitement that is generated during this special time of year. Time seems to pass very quickly during this season. I encourage all of you to take some time out of your busy day and see the world through the eyes of your children. Every experience through a child’s eyes is full of wonder and delight. Sharing in these experiences is sure to warm your hearts, slow down and help you to fully enjoy the season.
Please read below for important dates to remember.
We wish you an amazing holiday season!
Sincerely, Tammy Wells
Principal
Special Events/Theme Days* (Every Tuesday is Merryhill Spirit Day -Wear a Merryhill Shirt**)
- Wednesday, December 1st – Community Giving Drives Begin – Please bring new books, gently used towels and blankets to support our Community Giving Drives.
- Thursday, December 2nd – Silly Sweater Day
- Wednesday, December 8th – Dress as your Favorite Animal Day
- Wednesday, December 8th – Community Giving Drives End
- Thursday, December 16th – Pajama Day and Polar Express Experience
- Wednesday, December 22nd – Holiday Spirit Day
- Friday, December 24th- School Closed for Winter Break
- Thursday, December 30th Crazy Hat Day
- Friday, December 31st – School Closed. Happy New Year!
*Events/Visitors will be added as they are confirmed. Please check the online calendar, e-mail reminders and the front window for events.
Reminders:
Parent Surveys: Our Parent Survey has now closed. Thank you to all who took the time to provide us with your wonderful comments, feedback, and opportunities for us to improve. Over the next few weeks, we will review our comments and begin our next steps in providing you and your children with the best possible care and early childhood education. Again, thank you so much for your continued support for our school.
RSVP: To help us plan activities and staffing accordingly, we will be posting attendance tracking sheets on the doors for you to indicate if your children will be out for any time during the holidays. Please note this is only an indicator of your schedule. The Tuition Charges do not change for the holidays/closures and by marking your child out on the form it is simply indicating that they are not going to be there on their normally scheduled day.
Vacation Policy: I would like to take a moment to remind you of our Vacation Time Request Policy. We offer 1 week of Vacation Credit per school year. This week is inclusive/reflective of your child’s schedule. We require 30 days advance notice to process the Vacation Request, which includes auditing the records to make sure a previous Vacation Credit has not been issued this school year. Please submit all vacation requests in writing or via e-mail a minimum of 30 days prior to your requested Vacation Time. Your child must be enrolled a minimum of 6 months to qualify for the Vacation Credit.
Enrollment Schedules: Our 5 full day schedule gives your child access to every project and event at our school. We encourage our students to attend school on a 5 day a week program to gain the highest benefit from our Links to Learning curriculum. Switching days, so your child may participate in special activities or events may not always be accommodated. If you have previously signed up for a part time schedule and would like to increase your schedule, please notify the office as soon as possible. Spaces are extremely limited!
Links 2 Home App Usage
We know that summer is a busy time for our families and want to communicate school happenings as clearly as possible to ensure that no one is left out. Daily reports are sent via email each day, but our Links 2 Home app keeps all school communications in one place and is always accessible. The app also allows to you communicate absences to your child’s teacher, leave drop-off notes, and read teacher and administrative notes in detail.
If you’re not a current app user, we encourage you to visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download the app today. You will need to login with the email address you use for Alma. Please let us know if you have issues logging into Links 2 Home!
Change of Seasons: With the change of seasons please remember to update your child’s back up clothing supply. Many children have difficulties keeping their jackets on while outside. If your child is one that always seems to be searching for their jacket after school, we recommend bringing a pullover sweatshirt or sweater. Also, please label all of their items so lost items can be returned to their owners. All children are required to have a fitted sheet for their nap mats as well as a blanket. The sheets and blankets must be taken home each Friday and laundered and then returned on Monday.
Safety First: We would like to remind you of a few security measures that we need your assistance with in regards to school safety.
- If you know in advance that someone other than your normal approved designated pick up person will be picking up, please complete a Pick Up Notification Form at the front desk or call/e-mail us to notify us of the change.
- If you change your cell phone number, please update this on your child’s Emergency Card.
Parking Lot Safety: Please remember not to leave any valuables in your car (including your children) when entering our building or any other location. Please do not leave anything of value or that resembles a purse or bag in plain view in your car, for any amount of time! This includes your children!
Illnesses: As you know there are a lot of illnesses in the community right now. I would like to remind you to please follow Merryhill’s illness policies. Please help us by notifying us when your child or a member of your household has been diagnosed or has symptoms of an illness so we can be aware and pro-active on our end. Thank you for working with us to keep everyone in our Merryhill Community safe and healthy! We are being vigilant about our cleaning and disinfection practices in every classroom and all common areas.
On Time Tuition Payments / Late Payment Fees / Payment Options: I would like to thank all of you for paying your Tuition each week in advance. As you are all aware, Tuition payments are due at the beginning of each week. Any payments received after your child’s first day of attendance each week will be charged an additional late fee of $25. To save you time and the headache of having to remember your checkbook every Monday, it is now possible to set up an automatic payment program. This can be set up online through ALMA or through us. Please speak with Ms. Tammy or Ms. Pauline and they will assist you in registering for this convenient program.
We Are a Nut-Free School: Please do not send your child to school with items that contain nuts. We will have to return the items to you at the end of the day. Thank you for being considerate of our children who have nut allergies and working with us to keep our school safe for everyone.
November, 2021
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Topics: Parent Resources
Are you still searching for the perfect gift for the little ones in your life this holiday season? If so, look no further! We’ve compiled three of our favorite educational subscription boxes that you’ll enjoy with your child month after month. 1. KiwiCo’s Koala Crate (ages 2-4 years) The Koala[.....]
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Merryhill December News
A Message From the Principal:
Welcome to December!
We hope that you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with your loved ones. One of the many things that I am thankful for this season and throughout the year is the strong sense of family and community that we have here at our school. Thank you all for your participation and for being a very important part of the Merryhill family.
Over the last year we have established many changes in protocol to ensure the health and safety of our Merryhill community. With those changes we have and will continue to connect our families with the great things that are taking place inside of our school and each classroom. The heart of our school remains the same. We are fully dedicated to the education and wellbeing of our students. As the winter holidays approach, we have many special activities planned for our students and look forward to spending the season with them. We are committed to making extra efforts to find creative ways to have our families be part of some of the great things happening in the classroom without actually entering the classroom setting.
This month we have adopted 2 organizations for our Community Holiday Giving Drives:
#1 – Annual Holiday Book Drive for the Pediatric Ward of St. Joseph’s Medical Center. We are currently collecting a variety of new books for children 0-18 who will be spending the holidays in the hospital. This also includes coloring and activity books as well as the supplies to accompany them. You are welcome to drop off donated books through Wednesday, December 8th.
#2 – Warm and Fuzzy Blanket and Towel Drive for the rescued animals of Pal Haven of Lodi. We will be collecting both new and used towels and blankets through December 8th.
Our weekly fun themed dress up days will continue as planned and your children and their teachers will be working on a few fun surprises for all of you this month.(More information coming your way soon) Many classrooms will have their own holiday celebrations. Please check your Links to Home Account frequently for important communication from your teachers as well as a questionnaire about the holidays and traditions that your family participates in.
December is upon us with the spirit of the holidays in the air. Everywhere I go, I hear holiday music, see cheery decorations and sense the excitement that is generated during this special time of year. Time seems to pass very quickly during this season. I encourage all of you to take some time out of your busy day and see the world through the eyes of your children. Every experience through a child’s eyes is full of wonder and delight. Sharing in these experiences is sure to warm your hearts, slow down and help you to fully enjoy the season.
Please read below for important dates to remember.
We wish you an amazing holiday season!
Sincerely, Tammy Wells
Principal
Special Events/Theme Days* (Every Tuesday is Merryhill Spirit Day -Wear a Merryhill Shirt**)
*Events/Visitors will be added as they are confirmed. Please check the online calendar, e-mail reminders and the front window for events.
Reminders:
Parent Surveys: Our Parent Survey has now closed. Thank you to all who took the time to provide us with your wonderful comments, feedback, and opportunities for us to improve. Over the next few weeks, we will review our comments and begin our next steps in providing you and your children with the best possible care and early childhood education. Again, thank you so much for your continued support for our school.
RSVP: To help us plan activities and staffing accordingly, we will be posting attendance tracking sheets on the doors for you to indicate if your children will be out for any time during the holidays. Please note this is only an indicator of your schedule. The Tuition Charges do not change for the holidays/closures and by marking your child out on the form it is simply indicating that they are not going to be there on their normally scheduled day.
Vacation Policy: I would like to take a moment to remind you of our Vacation Time Request Policy. We offer 1 week of Vacation Credit per school year. This week is inclusive/reflective of your child’s schedule. We require 30 days advance notice to process the Vacation Request, which includes auditing the records to make sure a previous Vacation Credit has not been issued this school year. Please submit all vacation requests in writing or via e-mail a minimum of 30 days prior to your requested Vacation Time. Your child must be enrolled a minimum of 6 months to qualify for the Vacation Credit.
Enrollment Schedules: Our 5 full day schedule gives your child access to every project and event at our school. We encourage our students to attend school on a 5 day a week program to gain the highest benefit from our Links to Learning curriculum. Switching days, so your child may participate in special activities or events may not always be accommodated. If you have previously signed up for a part time schedule and would like to increase your schedule, please notify the office as soon as possible. Spaces are extremely limited!
Links 2 Home App Usage
We know that summer is a busy time for our families and want to communicate school happenings as clearly as possible to ensure that no one is left out. Daily reports are sent via email each day, but our Links 2 Home app keeps all school communications in one place and is always accessible. The app also allows to you communicate absences to your child’s teacher, leave drop-off notes, and read teacher and administrative notes in detail.
If you’re not a current app user, we encourage you to visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download the app today. You will need to login with the email address you use for Alma. Please let us know if you have issues logging into Links 2 Home!
Change of Seasons: With the change of seasons please remember to update your child’s back up clothing supply. Many children have difficulties keeping their jackets on while outside. If your child is one that always seems to be searching for their jacket after school, we recommend bringing a pullover sweatshirt or sweater. Also, please label all of their items so lost items can be returned to their owners. All children are required to have a fitted sheet for their nap mats as well as a blanket. The sheets and blankets must be taken home each Friday and laundered and then returned on Monday.
Safety First: We would like to remind you of a few security measures that we need your assistance with in regards to school safety.
Parking Lot Safety: Please remember not to leave any valuables in your car (including your children) when entering our building or any other location. Please do not leave anything of value or that resembles a purse or bag in plain view in your car, for any amount of time! This includes your children!
Illnesses: As you know there are a lot of illnesses in the community right now. I would like to remind you to please follow Merryhill’s illness policies. Please help us by notifying us when your child or a member of your household has been diagnosed or has symptoms of an illness so we can be aware and pro-active on our end. Thank you for working with us to keep everyone in our Merryhill Community safe and healthy! We are being vigilant about our cleaning and disinfection practices in every classroom and all common areas.
On Time Tuition Payments / Late Payment Fees / Payment Options: I would like to thank all of you for paying your Tuition each week in advance. As you are all aware, Tuition payments are due at the beginning of each week. Any payments received after your child’s first day of attendance each week will be charged an additional late fee of $25. To save you time and the headache of having to remember your checkbook every Monday, it is now possible to set up an automatic payment program. This can be set up online through ALMA or through us. Please speak with Ms. Tammy or Ms. Pauline and they will assist you in registering for this convenient program.
We Are a Nut-Free School: Please do not send your child to school with items that contain nuts. We will have to return the items to you at the end of the day. Thank you for being considerate of our children who have nut allergies and working with us to keep our school safe for everyone.
Last Minute Educational Gift Ideas for Children
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