Glendale Community Preschool

Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy the sunshine!! - this is one of the crafts our kids made during their virtual class this week. The materials were packaged up and dropped off to each family. The focus is on activities that help children practice their fine motor skills. Cutting, drawing shapes, and gluing paper in particular spots are all great examples. Best part - the kids have FUN!!

GCP's Virtual Classes are well underway and the response to our new approach (longer class times and craft supply packages), has been a positive one! We cannot thank our teachers enough for all they have done for us in the last few weeks. Not only have they quickly adapted to new forms of teaching with an immense amount of patience and flexibility, but continue to show constant care and love for our preschoolers, that goes above and beyond. And that's what makes GCP so sp...ecial! As always, feel free to contact our teachers via email as well as our Executive Parent Board Members for any concerns, questions, and suggestions. Stay safe, GCP!

Don’t forget: tomorrow is our first round of virtual preschool classes! Times will be as follows: 3 AM CLASS: 10:00am 3 PM CLASS: 11:00am... Our two day programs will start their virtual classes on Tuesday April 7th: 2 AM CLASS: 10:00am 2 PM CLASSS: 11:00am For meeting ID and password access, please see the most recent email from our secretary along with the program plan. Our teachers encourage all families to participate and can’t wait to get this started!

Preschool at Home Activity #1: Improving that Pincer Grasp! Materials Needed: -Ice Cube Tray... -Tweezers or Tongs -Pom poms, cotton balls, small animals, etc. for manipulative use -Pieces of paper with numbers 1-10 written on them Directions - Two Options: 1) Ask your preschooler to sort the objects by number, colour, pattern, etc. using the hand tool provided. They can also be asked to use the cards to lay out the number of objects being requested. 2) Leave it open-ended. See what they do on their own, what they say, what they observe, and more! This activity will promote hand-eye coordination, counting, patterning, and language. Enjoy!

Hi Glendale Families! At a time of uncertainty, we wanted to reach out to our families and check-in on how everyone is coping, as well as provide an update. It is a fair assumption to say that as days go on, mental health is a top priority more than ever, and we hope each of you are well supported during this time. We also hope that everyone in your family is safe, healthy, and practicing safe social distancing when required. Preschool Programming:... Although Glendale Community Preschool remains closed until further notice, Ms. Caroline, in the meantime, has been working on strategies in continuing to bring preschool programming into the home environment. We hope to have some put into motion in the coming week, so please keep an eye on your inbox, as well as on here and our Instagram page. Ms. Caroline has also created and provided a program plan this week full of activities that range from language and literacy to music and movement to arts and crafts. This would have been delivered to your inbox this past weekend. Keeping Your Preschooler Socializing As we all try to navigate this trying time, we can also agree that any form of socializing would be beneficial. One idea is implementing virutal playdates. We encourage you to reach out to your class and set up virtual playdates with your child's fellow peers! Apps such as Zoom, Whats App, or Duo are just some of the programs families have been using to keep in contact, and we encourage you to explore such an exciting experience for you and your preschooler! Additional Ideas for the Home Environment For additional online activity ideas, Sportball has begun Facebook Live sessions to do at home, Calgary Zoo offers scheduled online story times, or starting this week, Golden Acre's Nursery will be hosting GAKidsTV where educational lessons on horticulture online. We will always encourage outdoor time (as long as it is following AHS and City of Calgary's rules of social distancing), especially as the spring weather starts to settle in. While out for a walk, play a game of I SPY or go on a scavenger hunt. Put some rain gear on and find some puddles to splash in! As always, we will continue to provide updates to our families, but please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our board members for any questions or concerns, or more importantly, support. Stay well and stay safe.

Feel free to share with those you may be looking to sign up for the 2020-2021 school year!

Our Fundscrip blitz is almost over! Remember that Fundscrip is the easiest way to fundraise for school - purchase a giftcard and a portion comes back to GCP! All forms need to be submitted by Thursday November 21st and make sure they are being given to your fundraiser rep in your class.