This month's newsletter topics

Happy New Year – January 2020 – January and February Events  – Summer Camps and Fall Preschool Registration

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Happy New Year!

We are looking forward to seeing all the students again and hearing about their holiday vacations. It seems like we have been out of school for so long.  Last month was short but we packed so many fun things in to it.  We enjoyed visits from Tallulah’s Daddy, Azteca, Members of Huecha Omeyocan, and some holiday ornament helpers!   Our students learned more about the programs in our building, the kitchen library was especially fun!  Thank you to everyone that contributed supplies for the little red wagons.  Our students felt proud to contribute items to the homeless in our community.

 
 
This month our students will be learning about Alaska, polar animals and the story of Balto, the sled dog. We have some fun science experiments planned to help us learn how polar animals stay warm as well as many art projects.  We will also learn about Martin Luther King JR. and be talking about kindness, dreams and peace. In circle time we will work on learning the names of our parents, our addresses and write some letters.  Please bring in a stamped envelope, with your(parents) name and address on the envelope.  Keep an eye out for something special delivered by mail in early February.


Last month we learned about coins and the names and values of the coins.  The students loved learning  about pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.  We took turns counting them and doing simple math with pennies then we would introduce a nickel and talk about how it is worth 5 pennies.  When the group had the concept of value we would increase our math skills by adding 2 pennies to a nickel and ask the children how much is it worth.  They had so much fun learning and working towards “buying” a mini candy cane at the end of the month.

Afternoon enrichment classes start again the week of the 6th.  New this winter is a Monday music class with Tallulah’s Daddy, and a Thursday dance class with Dance with Joy!  We will continue to have Northwest Children’s Theater, but on Tuesdays this winter and Spanish remains the same on Wednesdays.  To sign up for Spanish contact, www.portlandearlylearning.com.  To register for all of the other classes contact Hands On. 
Are you missing Soccer Shots?  Don’t worry, they will be offering a soccer class upstairs on Saturdays! Contact https://www.soccershots.org/pdx/

January 2019

Themes this month

• Alaska
• Balto
• Polar Animals
• Martin Luther King, Jr.

January and February Events

Monday, Jan. 20 – NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King JR.’s Birthday
Wednesday, January 22-Chinese New Year Lunch with Loann –
We are so excited that Loann will join us again this year to help us learn about Lunar New Year and to make us a beautiful lunch! Every year the kids help Loann in the kitchen and we serve up a New Year’s feast. Parents are welcome to come and have lunch with us at noon.
Valentine’s Day Parties –
Thursday and Friday,Feb. 13 & 14th.  All the children will enjoy taking part in a party and celebration of friendships!
Monday, Feb. 17  – NO SCHOOL – President’s Day
 
Parent/Teacher conferences –
Dates will be available if you would like to meet with the teachers. This is a great time to ask questions and celebrate your child’s accomplishments.  Look for a sign up sheet on the classroom door January 21st for February conferences.

Summer Camps and Fall Preschool Registration

Fall 2020 preschool and summer camp registration materials will be available online January 6th, and at our open house. Hands On will accept registrations from current families, younger siblings included, January 6th and begin accepting new students for fall and summer January 11th.  New students are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Please register early to get your first choice of days.  
Summer camps are open to all preschool children even if they do not attend Hands On during the school year.  Hands On will offer 10 weeks of summer camps.  Each camp is offered 9 AM to 12:30 Monday -Thursday, and you can sign up by the day you want to attend.  So your child can attend any number of days during the summer without committing to an entire week or month.

Some people may not know, but our building is also home to Portland Drama Club.  They have after school programs during the school year and summer camps during the summer.  Our summer campers absolutely loved watching the plays they put on last summer! And many of the children in the plays are Hands On graduates!  This summer Portland Drama Club has many camps for children K-8th grade here in the building.  If you have older siblings, you may want to coordinate camps.  Registration opens January 12th at 9 AM and camps fill up fast!  To learn more visit https://www.portlanddramaclub.org/

 

Valentine Party

 
Our students love to celebrate Valentine’s Day! The kids have so much fun opening big beautifully decorated box full of cards from their friends! We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day Feb.13 & 14.
Please have your child bring in Valentine cards on, or before, Feb. 10th. Cards can be homemade or store bought. Cards should be signed from your child, but do not have to be addressed to specific children.

Hands On follows the Portland Public Schools decisions on when to close school due to weather. 

If PPS is closed, or opening late, then Hands On will be closed.  Make up days will be available for school missed due to snow.  

Hands On will email families as soon as we know of a closure and we will put a message on our answering machine.