Grace United Methodist Preschool

Lets Have Fun Learning Together

The Bubble GUM Gazette

September 2016

Welcome to GUMP!
Mark Your
Calendars
Library Story Time
with Miss Kelly
9/15
9:30 - 3s Class
10:00 - 4s Class
10:30 - 5s Class
Scholastic Book Club
Orders Due
9/16
Pumpkin Patch Trip
10/3 - 3s Class
10/4 - 4s Class
10/5- 5s Class
Church Rummage Sale
Preschool and
Extended Care Closed
10/7

We are so glad that you have chosen to send your child

to our preschool! We are anticipating a wonderful and
exciting year of fun, faith, learning and making friends.
To get everyone off to a successful start, here are some of
the ins and outs of our routine at GUMP:

The 3-year-old class meets on the ground floor, all

other classes meet on the lower level.

We expect parents or caregivers to come to the classroom during drop-off and pickup times.

All morning classes begin at 9:00 AM. Preschool classes end at 11:30 AM and
Kindergarten ends at 3:00 PM.

Please do not bring your child any earlier than 8:55 AM for the morning classes
unless your child is in extended care. Our teachers are preparing for morning activities and are not able to care for children.

If you need to drop-off earlier than 8:55 AM, please contact Mrs. Martin to
make arrangements.

Any children who are scheduled for early drop-off should be brought down to
the 4-year-old classroom when they arrive in the morning.

If your child participates in before care, bringing breakfast along is acceptable.

Our Afternoon Kindergarten Enrichment Class meets Monday, Wednesday, and

Friday from 12:30-3:00PM and offers additional instruction to children who attend morning kindergarten. Parents are asked to arrive no earlier than 12:25 PM
for this class.

We request that parents who arrive before dismissal time wait quietly in the hall
until the teacher dismisses the class. Often, if your child sees you, he or she will
want to leave immediately rather than finishing the days activities.

If someone other than a parent will be picking up

your child, that person must be designated on your
childs emergency card. Inform the teacher of any
changes to the pickup routine and have your designee prepared to show photo ID.

Brick-or-Treat
10/8
Columbus Day and
In-Service Training
Preschool and
Extended Care Closed
10/10
Individual and Class
Photos
11/14 and 11/15
Thanksgiving Break
Preschool and
Extended Care Closed
11/23-28
Christmas Vacation
12/23/2016-1/2/2017
Classes Resume
1/3/2017
FreezeFest
1/21

Thank you for your cooperation!

Lunch Club
Once again this year we are
pleased to offer our Lunch
Club.

children enjoy their meals and

then get to play with their classmates.

This is an event offered two days

per month, when children from
the three and four-year-old
classes can stay and have lunch
with their classmates in the 4s
classroom.

This is a very popular program

and the children really love it!

Parents should pack a bag lunch

and drink for their child. The
This month, Miss Kelly
will join us on
Thursday,
September 15th

The charge for this fun time is

$6.25.
Students from the three-year-old
class will be escorted downstairs
for the program, and that is
where parents can pickup their

children
You do not need to pay the
Lunch Club fee on the day your
child had lunch with us. The
treasurer will bill you later.
The first Lunch Club will be in
October, so check the next Bubble Gum Gazette for the dates for
both classes.

Story Time with Miss Kelly

Miss Kelly Horner from Hanovers Guthrie Memorial Public Library will treat us to some wonderful stories on the 3rd Thursday of
each month.
She will begin her story time with
us at 9:30 AM in the 3-year-old
classroom.
At approximately 10 AM, Miss Kelly
will read in the 4-year-old class-

room, followed by the 5-year-old/

Kindergarten class at 10:30 AM.
All children are invited to come for
this fun time, even it is not a regularly scheduled day.
Just come with your child to the age
group that is appropriate and plan
to stay with him or her for the program.

Extended Care
If at any time in the year you
need your child to stay during
our extended hours before or after class, please talk to your
childs teacher or call Mrs. Martin to ensure there is space.
For all morning classes, your
child may arrive at 7 AM and if
need be, stay until 6 PM.
Children attending the Kindergarten Enrichment class may
come at 11:30 AM for our lunch
period and then begin class and
stay until 6 PM if necessary.
During the afternoon, the chil-

dren have a rest period to lie quietly on a mat, they play outside
or in the gym, and participate in
many fun activities.
A snack is also provided.
Extended care is held in the 4year-old classroom.
If your child is staying for rest
time, we request that you bring a
special stuffed animal, a blanket
and pillow.
Please put all of your childs belongings in a plastic bag or mark
each item with his or her name.
We also request that you bring an

extra set of clothing also labeled

for extended care.
You will be billed for extended
care separately.
If your childs schedule changes
and you need to utilize our allday rate on a regular basis, please
contact Mrs. Martin and she will
notify the treasurer.
If your child only needs full day
care occasionally, then you will
be billed after he or she stays
during extended hours.

Snacks and Birthdays

For the 1st Day of School...

Your childs teacher will let you know

when and what to bring in for snacks and
birthdays to best fit in with the routine of
the class.

Please bring:

a large box of tissues

a container of Lysol or Clorox Wipes

a change of clothing marked with your childs name

permission cards and releases from the Welcome Picnic

your childs Health Assessment (if not already turned in)

Thanks for your help!

Fruit and other nutritious snacks are encouraged.

We will serve either water or juice for
class.
See your childs teacher with any further
questions.

Communication
If you have anything to
give to your childs
teacher, please make sure
it is in the child's cubby
or mailbox rather than in
a backpack.
We want to make sure
that no message is
missed!

When your child is ill,

please call us at (717)6323140 to let your childs
teacher know.
We are concerned about
your childs health and
the health of the other
children, so please keep
us informed.

When you have concerns

about your child or something has happened in your
childs life that may be upsetting, please inform your
childs teacher so that we
can be more sensitive to
the situation or perhaps
give suggestions as to how
to deal with a problem.

The more
communication
you have with
your childs
teacher, the
better it is for all
concerned.

Dealing with Separation Anxiety

Starting a new adventure, such as
attending preschool, is sometimes quite an adjustment for
children and parents alike.
If your child is having difficulty
saying goodbye, here are a few
ideas that work:
Keep goodbyes brief and
positive. Ask your child for one

last hug and kiss and tell him or

her that you will be back very
soon and to have good time.
If you child is clinging to you,
ask the teacher or aide for
help. When she comes over,
hand your child to the teacher or
aide and say a brief goodbye and
leave.

If your goodbye
was extra hard and
youre worried that your child
may continue to be unhappy,
please feel free to call the
school for a report. We know
how hard it is to concentrate on
anything else when you are worried about your child!

One More ReminderPlease do not arrive more than 5 minutes before your childs class begins or ends.
The doors open at 7 AM for extended care children only. Please wait quietly in the hallway until your
childs teacher or aide tells you that it is OK to come in. This will make drop-off and pickup time much less
confusing for your child and he or she will learn the routine more easily.
We thank you for your cooperation!

Grace United Methodist Preschool

Lets Have Fun Learning Together

55 Albright Drive, Hanover, PA 17331

(717) 632-3140
gump3k@embarqmail.com
Preschool website: http://gumpreschool.weebly.com
Church website: ww.mygracechurch.org

Again, thank you for choosing Grace United Methodist Preschool. We are sure that you will be
pleased with our school. We know that your child will have a wonderful year with lots of fun, faith,
learning, and making friends! May God bless you and your family! If you have any questions or
concerns, please call the Preschool at (717) 632-3140.
Sincerely,
The Staff of Grace United Methodist Weekday Preschool and Kindergarten