Still looking for a preschool program?

We do have room in our classes for a new friends. All prospective students need to be 3 years old but can start at any time throughtout the school year. To schedule a free class or a visit, please call our preschool at (780) 464-3217 or send us an email: briarpatchkids@shaw.ca. Registrations are also being accepted for the following years:

2010/2011

&

2011/2012

We have several babies on our waiting list who haven't even been born yet. We can't wait to meet them, when they finally arrive!

Fall Open Houses

We have 2 Open Houses coming up for new students to register & future families to visit. Come out to the preschool on the following dates to take a tour & meet our staff:

Thursday, August 27th, 2009 @ 7 p.m.

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 @ 7 p.m.

The preschool is located at #100A ~ 50 Brentwood Boulevard in Sherwood Park. Children are very welcome to attend. Bring them along to explore their new classroom & see first hand how they react to the environment. The BriarPatch will continue to accept registrations into our preschool well after the beginning of the school year, until all classes are full. If you have a child who is turning 3 part way thru the year, they can start preschool in our program after their 3rd birthday. And they don't have to wait until next fall. Contact our office for more details. Not sure about the preschool experience? Join us for a free class to see what preschool is all about.

Got Bottles?

We're holding our first "bottle drive" for the preschool. But there's a catch!

There's no drive!

Unless of course, you count the "drive" over to the preschool.

Here's how ours will work:

If you have bottles that you would like to donate to our preschool, bring them to us, when we're open. We'll store them in our storage room. When there is enough to fill the back of our truck, we'll take them over to the bottle depot for exchange into cash.

Sounds easy enough. Please make sure that the bottles are rinsed. If they are sorted, our job is even easier.

Thank you for helping us to continue to help our environment by sending the bottles for recycling, instead of sending them to the landfill. The proceeds will go to supporting our year end family celebration.

Child Care Conference.

We are so excited that our teacher is attending the 2009 Child Care Conference at McEwan Community College this weekend. What is particularly fascinating is that several of the sessions are focused on the Reggio Emilia Method that we use concepts of for our preschool. One of our board members is also attending. Between the two of them, we should have some interesting new ideas to hear about & implement into the centre.

http://www.childcare.macewan.ca/

Update on our Open House.

Our Open House on April 23rd went so well, we've decided to hold another one. Here's the date:

Thursday, May 21st, 2009 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Please pass this along to families you may know who are looking for a really neat preschool program in Sherwood Park.

Maybe we should be in the real estate business, with our expertise shining thru during open house nights!!

Q & A about our Open House.

1. Can I bring my children to the Open House?

Yes, we welcome families to attend together to our Open Houses. The best way to see if a child will feel comfortable in their preschool setting is to have them visit before they start a class.

2. Can I bring a friend to the Open House?

Yes, we'd love you to bring a friend or two or ten along! Please spread the word that our preschool has spaces for current programs as well as for the Fall of 2009. We also maintain an active waiting list for future years, all the way up to 2012.

3. Do I have to register that night?

If you feel sure that our preschool program is right for your family, we encourage you to secure a spot for the class day & time that you would like for your child. We cannot guarantee that spots will be available once the Open House is over.

4. If I do register, do I have to pay that night?

The only way a spot is totally secured for your child is when the deposit is paid in full. You may register to hold a spot for your child without the deposit but if another family wishes to register, we will give you first opportunity to pay the deposit first to secure that spot for your child.

5. Will there be another Open House if I cannot attend this one?

We plan to hold an Open House once a month until our preschool is full. We also encourage families to attend a free class to get a real feel for the program. Call or email us to arrange a class time.

6. Who will attend the Open House from the preschool staff/board members?

Our teacher will attend, as well as at least two directors from the board & our administrator.

Gratitude Notes.

A special Thank You to the following individuals & families for their recent contributions:

* Sharon S.H. for donating the Lacing Bead set for our Discovery Centres. This has been a popular new addition to the preschool.

* Kim M. for researching locations & contact information for our field trips. This was a big task & very helpful for future adventures.

* Sarah & Steve H. for the construction supplies, art supplies & the science table for our Discovery Centres.

* Ryan M. for support in helping us to develop a website. Your expertise was greatly appreciated.

* All the recent parent helpers who have been spending time in our classroom. The children are really enjoying getting to know the parents in the program.

We hope we haven't missed anyone but please know that every contribution (big or small) is greatly appreciated & will be noted in the newsletter & on our blog as efficiently as possible.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all the families in our preschool. We are grateful for your support & dedication to our program & to your children.

Open House.

The BriarPatch Community Preschool will hold an Open House on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tour the bright facility, meet the teacher & register for programs.

When: Thursday, April 23, 2009

Time: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Where: #100A ~ 50 Brentwood Boulevard

Sherwood Park, Alberta

For more information, email our office: briarpatchkids@shaw.ca.

Images from the BriarPatch.

Puzzles in the quiet area where the class starts & ends each day.

Bouncing our "sound friends" in the parachute.

Colorful toy sitting on top of one of the storage units.

Our literacy bookshelf. New books are added every month.

Spring Program.

The BriarPatch Community Preschool has introduced a new Spring Program. Two classes have been added for Mondays & Wednesdays. The first is a small version of our larger program called "Discovery Centres." And the second program is our "Kindergarten Readiness" class.

For more information or to register, please contact the school by email: briarpatchkids@shaw.ca.

Field Trip.

The preschoolers from the BriarPatch attended their first field trip last week to the Strathcona County Museum. Both classes were together & a number of parents were able to assist for the morning. We even had a number of siblings & everyone seemed to really enjoy the tour.

The museum had several interpreters for our group. Starr, who is the director of the site, started out the field trip with a story that ended with everyone participating in a first nations dance. From there, the class was divided into small groups & sent off to explore the museum. The children were able to see what a store in the 1920's looked like. They had an opportunity to explore a kitchen from the same era, even touching real coal & helping to put wood into the oven. The large exhibit room is currently the home of a large toy display that everyone found interesting. One part of the morning the children really enjoyed was the chance to "milk" a pretend cow in the barn.

Our school received a lovely complement from the staff, who were amazed at how well behaved our group was. The Board of Directors & our teacher are equally proud & thank everyone for their support as we organized this field trip. We all look forward to the next adventure!

Our first post!

Welcome to the BriarPatch Community Preschool blog. We have been publishing a monthly newsletter since our preschool opened but have run into software issues & PDF errors. We recently discovered that keeping a blog would be much more efficient. Our plan is to continue to have a newsletter, on a limited basis, complemented by the blog that will be frequently updated.

The blog will have several contributors. We will feature the most current information about the preschool as well as local community news. The blog includes a comments section & we encourage all readers to leave feedback so we can make changes if necessary. Personal notes that require immediate attention should be sent to the director by email: briarpatchkids@shaw.ca.

We hope you enjoy reading the latest adventures from the BriarPatch!