03

Sep
2020

September 2020

Newsletters, Past School Years

September 2020

 
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Hello everyone,
The year 2020 is an exciting milestone for our school, because this year Hands On Art and Play is excited to be celebrating our 20th school year! Hands On started in my home in SE Portland with 6 children, my youngest daughter included, all the way back in 2000! Since then, we have added more teachers over the years and moved into classroom spaces in a neighborhood church before finally settling into our current space at St.Davids about 17 years ago. Teacher Kathy joined me in 2003 and Teacher Julie joined us in 2005. This is Teacher Andrew’s second year with us, and we are happy to have him on our team!
It is wonderful to see how Hands On has progressed from a small two-day-a-week class, into what we offer now: morning and afternoon preschool programs, summer camps, after-school arts classes and so much more. Together as a community we have grown so much!
With the current COVID pandemic, there are many things that will be different this year, but also many things that will be the same.  We have always prioritized having small class sizes as they allow us to give kids the attention they deserve, and this year will be no different. Our students will have the opportunity to play, learn, create art, listen to stories and enjoy the school day with their friends and teachers.  We are excited about all of our new outdoor play spaces and we are continuing to add new outdoor components to our school day.
As a school and an educational community, we want to affirm our on-going commitment to creating an inclusive environment where all students, families, and teachers feel valued and respected. Our goal is to nurture a more diverse and inclusive generation of young children who thrive through their experience of equitable learning opportunities in preschool programs. Thank you for your commitment, as parents and community members, in helping us reach this goal! Hands On is what it is today because of each and every one of you. Thank you for being a part of the Hands On community!
We are excited to welcome back returning students and looking forward to getting to know our new class of students and families.  Hands On is looking forward to a great school year!
Cheers to 20 years of Hands On!
– Teacher Jennifer


 

Back to School!

Wednesday, September 9th –
First day of the school year. School begins at 9 am.
 
 

First Day of School

Our first day of school is Wednesday, September 9th. School begins at 9 AM and ends at 12:30. Drop-off and check in for morning preschool begins at 8 :45 AM. Afternoon preschool starts 1 PM and ends at 3:30 PM.    Drop-off begins at 12:45 PM for the afternoon class.
If your child attended afternoon preschool last year, please note the new 1 PM start time.
If your child is the in the morning class make sure to send along a water bottle and a lunch from home each day. Afternoon preschoolers can bring a snack along with their water bottle. Cloth, steel, or any non-breakable food containers are the best for preschoolers as glass containers break too often. Many water bottles, lunch boxes and coats look the same, please have your child’s name on their things.
It is also a good idea to have an extra set of clothes to leave at school, and a coat or sweater for outside play. We play outside every day, even in the rain, so feel free to leave boots or gloves in your child’s cubby.
Our students are not required to wear face masks while playing outside, but in an effort to keep all students, their families and our teachers safe we will ask children to wear a mask or face shield while indoors.  Children may leave a face shield, or an extra mask in their cubby for convenience.

 

September Tuition and Billing

Your first tuition payment is due no later than September 1. This will secure your child’s space in the preschool. If you need to make special payment arrangements, email Jennifer.
All other tuition payments are due by the 1st of each month and late after the 5th. You will be charged a $25 late fee if you haven’t paid by the 5th. A $25 return check fee will be applied to all returned checks.

Monthly tuition for fall quarter:
Morning Cohort, 9 AM to 12:30 PM, drop-off begins at 8:45 AM
 
1 day per week=$180/mo., 2 days per week=$300/mo., 3 days per week=$424/mo., 4 days per week=$548/mo., and 5 days per week=$667/mo.
Afternoon Cohort, 1 PM to 3:30 PM, drop-off begins at 12:45 PM
 
1 day per week=$128/mo., 2 days per week=$230/mo., and *3 days per week=$330/mo. * A 3rd day may be added if enough children are interested.
 
This school year, we are offering flexibility for our families in a number of ways. One example is that instead of splitting our annual tuition into nine equal monthly payments, we will be dividing the school year into sessions or quarters and billing accordingly. The monthly tuition prices listed refers to the fall quarter which runs from September 9th through November 20th for both the morning and afternoon sessions. We have adjusted our prices slightly to what they were pre-COVID, but families will continue to pay equal monthly payments as we did before. The tuition rates were adjusted due to smaller cohort sizes and other limitations due to COVID precautions. If you need to make a change in your child’s schedule (i.e.- add days or take a leave of absence), you will be able to do so at any time.

Drop-Off

This year dropping off your kids will be a little different than it has in the past. Adults must wears masks and wait with their children in the parking lot until it is your turn to check in.  Please keep a responsible distance between your family and others.  Please wait for kids to play together until after their daily health check.   Our classes will start each day on the playground.  You are welcome to connect with other parents/caregivers in the parking lot before and after school, but please remember to wear your mask and keep a responsible distance from each other.

Pick-Up

You will pick up your children from the same location in the parking lot as you checked them in.  The morning group will be in the garden and when you arrive a teacher will bring your child to you.
With different cohorts of children it is really important parents be on time to limit any exposure and allow us extra time for cleaning.   If your child is not picked up on time, you will be charged a late fee. $15 for the first 15 minutes you are late and $40 if you are later than 15 minutes. If you are 15 minutes late teachers will begin calling your emergency contact numbers to arrange for someone to pick up your child.

Drop In Days

You may add an occasional drop in day if there is space in your child’s cohort.  Children will not be allowed in to another group other than their own. The best way to check for availability is to text or email Jennifer. Drop in days and credits will show up on the invoices following the month of use. A drop in day is $40 for the morning and $30 for the afternoon class.
If Hands On is closed due to bad weather you will receive a make-up day.
 

Immunization Form

Oregon law states that all children in school or day care (including preschool and Head Start) must have the required immunizations or a medical or religious exemption. Here is a link to the immunization form for you to print, fill out and bring to school.
If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer.
Download the Immunization form here.
 

See You Soon!

We are all very excited to start another great year of preschool!
Please feel free to call or email us with any questions you have before the beginning of the school year.

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