This month's newsletter topics

Fall Fun- School Pictures-October and November Calendar – Music -Colds and flu and sickness, Oh MY! – Reminders – We are collecting…

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Fall 2020

What a wonderful group of kids and families we have this year.  The teachers are enjoying getting to know everyone and the children have become fast friends. This year we planned to be outside for most of the school day, using all three outdoor spaces for our students.  But like everything else during COVID, we had to make a quick change of plans!  During the wild fires our classes were inside all day without any outdoor activities. Our students are amazing and very adaptable!  We learned that we love outdoor time and fresh air!  But the students really enjoy the opportunity to play inside.  Inside the classroom our students do an excellent job keeping their masks on and social distancing during meal time.  These kids are a joy to spend the days with each week!

 
 

Our Day

Our classes are off to a great start.  The children are learning so many things and we have fun every day!  We start each class on the playground.  The kids enjoy playing with each other, running around, swinging and climbing, playing the “animal game” and cooking in the mud kitchen.  There is also an outdoor classroom in the back left of the playground with toys and puzzles.  These kids are busy!

Then we move along to the courtyard garden wear the kids can play in the “forest”, water and care or our plants, or hang out and read stories on the grass.

From there we go to the secret garden which is a perfect place to play soccer, basketball, scavenger hunts and other games.

Then it is off to explore the classroom.  Children keep busy with daily projects at the tables, building in the Lego and blocks area, dressing up and playing in the kitchen and working on the daily art project.

Once all the students have done their art projects we gather as a big group to sing our songs and do our listening and learning time and circle time work.
Ask your child to sing one of our songs, “The leaves are falling down” or “I am raking the leaves!”
During circle time we do our daily jobs, such as updating the calendar, giving a weather report, and learning the letter and number of the day.  We also learn numbers and letters through activities and games.  Last month we used acorns and squirrels to help with our math games. Other times we practice reading or listening to stories or even having an impromptu show and tell!  The children love the small groups and enjoy being able to learn and play with their friends.  Ask your child what job they had in school today.

 
Then we have our meal, lunch for morning cohort and snack for the afternoon groups.  When we are done we play games or work at the tables until all of our friends are ready to go.  Then we are off to the playground for more fun before our school day ends! Rain or shine, so make sure to bring a coat!

Teachers

This year we have 4 daily teachers, 2 teachers in each cohort and 1 substitute teacher.  Each month we will feature a teacher so you can get to know them better.  This month we are excited to introduce you to our substitute , Teacher Sandy!

Jennifer Founder/Teacher,  2000

  Kathy,  Hands On Teacher since 2003

 Julie, Hands On Teacher since 2005

Andrew, Hands On Teacher since 2019

Sandy, Hands On Substitute Teacher 2020

Sandy Hodge is a credentialed educator who has worked for over 30 years with children. Her experience includes teaching in a variety of settings, such as a Head Start preschool, a program for children with special needs, and classrooms in both public and private schools. For the past several years, Sandy served as the Educational Director and teacher of the 4-year old class at Hancock Street Co-op Preschool. Sandy lives in SE Portland with her husband Malcolm and her goofy dog Cocoa. She has two adult children who live in San Diego CA and on Bainbridge Island WA, and they both also work with kids! Sandy loves to be outside, and you might find her walking with her dog, riding her bike or getting messy in her garden. She believes that kids and adults are life-long learners, and Sandy states that she is currently fumbling her way through learning to knit and to play guitar 😊. Sandy says that she can’t wait to spend time with our Hands-On community and that she is excited to be back in the classroom with the kids and the fun!

School Pictures

It is that time again!  School pictures will be Wednesday and  Thursday, October 20th and 21st.  Douglas Frierott is a former Hands On parent and has been doing our class pictures for the last few years.
Here is some information from Douglas:
Hands On Art & Play Class Photos
Hello parents! It’s time for the annual fall class photos…
Yes, things are a bit different this year, in all our lives, but some simple things still go
on.
Here are the details for this year’s photos:
– The dates for this year’s photos are Tuesday, Oct. 20, and Wednesday, Oct. 21.
– As usual, the class groups will have their photos taken together, and then I will
spend a short time with each child capturing individual photos.
– The cost for a 5×7 print of the class group photo is $25.
– The cost for the group photo AND a 5×7 print OR hi-res digital file of your child, is
$35.
– Additional 5×7 prints or hi-res digital files of your child are $25 each.
– ALL the hi-res digital files of your child, both a color and a sepia-toned version of
each image, can be purchased for $125.
– All of the kids’ individual photos will be put up on the web for viewing and ordering
following the photo shoot.
A payment drop envelope will be provided prior to the days of the photo shoots.
Payment is due on the day of the photo shoots.
Any questions can be directed to me via email: douglas@douglasfrierott.com
I look forward to photographing your kids this year and capturing their myriad
personalities for you!
Thanks,
Douglas Frierott
Website: douglasfrierott.com
Please let us know if you would like to have your child’s siblings photos taken, as well. If your child does not attend school on Wednesday or Thursday you can still join us for photos but only during your child’s cohort.
 
 

October and November Calendar

Halloween

October is a busy month. Children and families are settling in to their new schedules and the holidays are just around the corner. Preschool children love to celebrate and have parties. Our first party will be Halloween!
Because Hands On children attend our school on different schedules, we try to make sure that we include some sort of celebration each day so that all the children get to participate in something special and do not feel that they are missing out.  During the week of Halloween your child is invited to wear, or bring, their costume to school Wednesday- Friday and we will have some sort of party each day.
Look for a sign-up sheet on the check in table to see how you can help.
 
 

Talk About Trees

Each month we look forward to a visit from “Talk About Trees”.  Talk About Trees is an interactive, science-based program for preschool through eighth grade students. This program brings the forest into schools and helps to encourage awareness and appreciation for the value of trees and forests in our daily lives. The program also encourages an understanding about the protection, management and conservation of the renewable forest. Joan, a former Hands On parent, leads the Talk About Trees program and works with all of our students outside on a nature talk and walk. We will learn about trees with needles and trees with leaves, look at fruit and nuts that come from trees, as well as all different types of cones.

Fall Calendar

October

Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 7, 8 –
Talk About Trees Oregon Forest Program
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20th and 21st-
School Pictures 9:30 AM morning classes, 1:15 PM afternoon class.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Oct. 28,29,30 – 
Halloween Party! Children can wear or bring costumes to school and we will have a Halloween party!  Look for a sign-up sheet on the check in table to see how you can help.
 

November

Monday, November 2nd – 
Pajama Day! You are probably tired from all that trick or treating, so wear pajamas to school and have breakfast for lunch! Look for a sign-up sheet on the check in table to see how you can help.
November 4th & 5th-
Talk About Trees nature walk
Wednesday, November 11-
No School, Veteran’s Day.
Mon-Friday, Nov. 23-27  –
No School, enjoy Thanksgiving vacation!
 

Colds, flu and sickness, Oh MY!

It is the season of germs!

A school must exclude staff and children for COVID-19 symptoms or cases as follows: The adult or child has had an illness with fever, unusual cough, or shortness of breath in the last 10 days. • Unusual cough means out of the ordinary for this person – e.g., not usual asthma, allergies, common cold. • Fever means 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or more, without the use of fever reducing medication. • The individual must stay away from child care for 10 days after onset of symptoms and 24 hours after both fever and cough resolve, without the use of a fever reducing medication. • The 10-day rule for exclusion applies if the persons tests positive, or does not get tested. • If a child or staff member with symptoms of COVID-19 tests negative, they may return 24 hours after resolution of cough and fever without the use of fever-reducing medication. • If a child or staff member with symptoms of COVID-19 is advised by a medical professional they can return to care (e.g., diagnosed with something else and given antibiotics), they are allowed return to care. Documentation from the medical professional is required. The person must be fever-free for at least 24 hours. If a child or staff member has symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, headache, sore throat, or rash, they must be excluded and advised to consult a medical professional. • If seen by a medical professional and is cleared, they can remain in or return to the program following the documented direction of the medical professional. • If not seen by a medical professional, they may return 24 hours after resolution of symptoms. The adult or child has been exposed to someone with a current presumptive or positive COVID-19 case. • An exposure is defined as an individual who has close contact (less than six feet) for longer than 15 minutes with a COVID-19 case. • A presumptive case is defined as a person who was exposed to a positive COVID-19 case and developed symptoms. • The exposed person must quarantine for 14 days. Start counting 14 days from the last time they had contact with the person with the presumptive or positive COVID-19 case. • For presumptive cases only, if the exposure was to a presumptive case of COVID-19, exclusion is required only if the adult or child was exposed in the 10 days after the COVID-19 presumptive person started having symptoms. This is the period they would be infectious. If a person develops these symptoms while at the facility or learns they have been exposed to a positive case while at the facility, send them home as soon as possible, and separate them until they can leave the facility.
 

 
 

Reminders

• Tuition payments are due on the 1^st and late after the 5^th of each month.
• Morning preschool starts at 9 AM and ends at 12:30 PM.  Drop-off  begins at 8:45 AM.
• Afternoon preschool begins at 1 PM and ends at 3:30 PM. Drop-off begins at 12:45 PM.
• Please send your child to school with a coat and make sure it has the child’s name in it. Some children will have the same coat and this makes it easier for them to find if they take it off on the playground.
• Don’t forget to pack extra clothes for your child to leave at school.  We have some, but often kids are more comfortable in their own extra clothes.
• Please pack non-breakable dishes in lunches.

We are collecting:

Please help us collect items we need for some of our projects this year. Here is a list of what we are looking for currently:

• Picture frames, any size, old or new.
• Shoe boxes, any size.
• Gift bags, all sizes.