Pommes de Reinette Newsletter July 2014 Dear parents, We are already mid-July and the sun continues to shine. It is so nice to take advantage of the nice weather. Over the last few weeks, some changes have taken place. To start, since we no longer have any infants, the staff have rearranged the room to take advantage of the entire space and create some new centers. The children seem to be particularly enjoying the gross motor space. Marie-Ève has adjusted to the singes and seems to be having fun with them. Marie-Ève Tremblay, who has had the opportunity to teach in a Francophone school, will be leaving us on July 25 th to start her new project. We wish her good luck. Maryse will replace her for the weeks following her departure. The children registered in the summer camp seem to be taking full advantage of their days playing together. According to the comments collected, the children seem to have enjoyed the outings they have been on so far. Many exciting activities and outings are still to come. As for the outings for the 3 to 5 year old group, they start today with a visit to Telus Sparks Science Centre. Over the last few months, the board of directors and I have been looking at different options to ease the administrative workload as over the last 5 years we have gradually increased our capacity to provide services to a greater number of families. We have gone from 75 to 180 children. After several analyses, we have finally opted for a computerized system that will facilitate the management of the children’s files as well as the accounting of the children’s and staff’s timesheets. You will sign your child in and out using a touchscreen. This system will be installed over the next few weeks and an email with all the details regarding the new system will be sent to you. I truly believe that this new system will please all of you after a small period of adjustment. The Stampede breakfast was a success again this year. Thank you to all the parents that came to eat breakfast with their children wearing their cowboy hats and boots. Also, as many of you already know, we were subject to acts of vandalism a few weeks ago. Several of the windows on the daycare side were smashed. I would like to thank all the parents for their cooperation during this event. The police have been advised of the situation. Unfortunately, as nothing was left on site, they did not come to verify the situation. Last weekend, graffiti were done on the outside wall of the daycare. We are currently working with the Constable assigned to the community of Martindale to attempt to end the acts of vandalism. For my part, I am looking into installing surveillance cameras at night as these acts appear to be committed in the evening or at night as the cleaning company that comes in the evening has confirmed that they have not witnessed anything. As soon as I have more details, I will communicate them to you. Lastly, hoping that the sun stays with us for many weeks, I would like to wish you a great rest of July. Isabelle Christmas Closure The daycare will close at 3 PM on December 24th, 2014 and will re-open on January 2nd, 2015 at 7 AM. Closure The daycare will be closed on Monday, August 4th, 2014 for Heritage Day. Reference Program For the first year since it open, the NE location operated at full capacity for all of 2013-2014. However, many children have left or will be leaving the daycare for September 2014. In order to assist the NE daycare in filling its vacancies for September 2014, the Board of Directors has put in place a Reference Program. Every family that refers a new family to the NE location whose children will start at the daycare will receive a one-time $100 credit on their child’s monthly fees. The credit will be applied once the new family has completed their first month of services. This program is currently in effect. Nut-Free Environment A little reminder that the daycare is a nut-free environment. It is very important to remember that any foods containing nuts or traces of nuts are prohibited at the daycare. Do not be surprised to find a note in your child’s lunchbox that an item was not given to your child because it may contain traces of nuts. Information Evening for New Families An information evening for all parents with children that have started the daycare or out-of-school programs since April 2014 will take place on August 21st at 6:30 PM. This information session is mandatory. We ask that at least one parent per family be present. Your Child’s Health Because children are not always able to tell us how they are feeling, it is important for the staff to know how they are feeling. Please let the educators know if your child had a good night or if he/she did not sleep well or refused to eat, etc. This way it is easier for us to understand your child and better respond to his/her needs. A reminder that it is vital that you keep your child home if he/she displays any of the following: - Your child has a temperature of 38 Co or higher Your child has 1 diarrhea Your child vomits Your child has reddish eyes with discharge Your child has unexplained rash on his/her body Or simply that your child is not feeling well enough to participate in normal daily activities. Also, it is very important that you come immediately to pick up your child if a staff member calls to advise you that your child has had the above-mentioned symptoms, this is to minimize the risk of contagion. If your child has been sent home for one of the above-mentioned symptoms, he/she must stay home for a period of no less than 24 hours following the last exhibited symptoms. For example, if we call you to pick up your child at 2 pm, your child can come back to the centre only after 24 hours have elapsed following the exhibited symptoms. The staff will refuse your child if he/she returns the next morning. We understand that it is difficult to miss work, but we work with 34 children and the level of contamination between the children is quick, and it is important to keep sick children away from the group so that we may have a healthy centre. Spare Clothing Because children sometimes get wet or dirty while playing, or have an accident, it is very important to ensure that your child has at least two sets of spare clothing at all times. The clothing is kept in a plastic bag in the playrooms. Please make sure that if you bring soiled clothing home that you return another set to the daycare. We will call you to bring spare clothing to the daycare if there is none here. Accident Reports The accident reports that you find in your child’s locker must be read, signed and return it to the staff. You may not take them home. However, if you would like to have a copy, it will be our pleasure to provide you with one once the document has been signed. Indoor/Outdoor Shoes A reminder that every child at the daycare requires a pair of indoor shoes as well as outdoor footwear. In order to minimize confusion and the mix up of the indoor and outdoor footwear, we ask that you indicate which is which by writing ‘I’ for indoor shoes and an ‘E’ for outdoor shoes inside the shoes. We also ask that parents remove their outdoor shoes before entering the playrooms. Please note that for safety reasons, sandals or shoes that have no support at the heel are not permitted inside or outside the program, and ‘croc’ type footwear is not allowed for outdoor purposes. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to discuss them with your child’s educator or the administration. Thank you, Isabelle, Audrey and the daycare team.