Events & Reminders

Birthdays

Our Nursery School celebrates birthdays. The children enjoy celebrating their special day with all their school friends. If you would like, you may bring in a birthday cake or nut-free snacks (such as cupcakes or cookies) on your child’s birthday. Please notify a teacher if you plan to do this.

Special Events

At Building Blocks, we also have a few special events for you to remember:

  • The first trip of the year is always to an Apple Orchard. This is a lovely trip and we know both the children and adults enjoy it.
  • We have a Hallowe’en Party at the end of October (please see calendar for date). We all dress up for this. We do ask for no masks, please, as this does scare some children. There will be a parade, so come with your camera.
  • Our Parent Interactive Day is in December. We do ask that an adult attend with each child, as they will both participate in a number of seasonal activities together. Each year we all have a great time. No siblings please. Watch your calendar for more details.
  • Our Christmas Concert will be held on your child’s last day of school in December. This is a celebration that all the family is invited to. We do ask that at least one adult attend, as this is a short class. More information to follow on your calendar.
  • We celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving cards to all our school friends, so please watch out for more details.
  • All Mommies are invited to our Mother’s Day Tea Party that is held on your child’s school day right before Mother’s Day. If you are a Mom that works outside of the home, please try to attend this or have another special person take your place. No siblings please.
  • Each year in June, we go on an End of Year Trip. This is great fun as we usually try to go on a school bus. Look for more details in May. No siblings please.
  • All Daddies are invited to our Father’s Day Beer & Ale Bash! (rootbeer and gingerale)  Held on your child’s school day right before Father’s Day.  Enjoy time with your child playing outdoor games half an hour before school ends.
  • Our last day to remember is our June Graduation that is held on your child’s last day of school in June. This is another celebration that all the family is invited to. Once again, an adult must be present.
  • What a busy year to look forward to!

Staying up to Date

We keep a daily activity sheet posted in the foyer. Please take the time to read this, as it will keep you informed about our days. Monthly calendars are given out to keep you up to date with what is going on.

Accidents

Accidents sometimes do happen, therefore please bring a change of clothing for your child to school each day. We do recommend that you take your child to the bathroom before entering the classroom.

Starting your Day

Please undress your child upon arrival at school, as this is a busy time for us all. All sweaters, jackets, coats, snow suits, runners, shoes, boots, hats, scarves and mittens must be labelled with your child’s name.

School starts at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Please keep children in the foyer area until a teacher opens the door. Pickup is at 11:30/12:00 and 3:30/4:00. Please note if there is a reoccurring late pickup, a late penalty fee of $1.00 per 5 minutes will have to be charged.

Cheques

Cheques are to be post-dated for the first of each month (August – May) for Preschool children and (June- March) for Kindergarten children and all remaining cheques should be submitted during the first week of school. If you have not already given them to us, please put them in an envelope with your child’s name and the number of cheques enclosed. Receipts for school fees are issued in December and June for each year’s tax claims. Only ONE copy of each receipt will be given out; any duplicates will have a $5.00 handling charge.

Please see our Fees page for more information about our fee policies.

Withdrawal

Please note that Building Blocks Nursery School requires a one-month withdrawal notice for preschool children and a three month withdrawal notice for kindergarten children, as we have already budgeted for your child being with us. After August 1st, September’s fees are non-refundable. After March 1st, fees for the remainder of the school year are non-refundable, as spots are too difficult to fill at this time of year.

Please see our Fees page for more information about our refund policy.

Contact Information

If you’re moving or changing your telephone number or any relevant details, please be sure to notify the school.

Other Stuff

Please try to keep toys, gum and candy at home, as these can be very disruptive to the other children.

Please ensure to take your child’s artwork home each day as, due to our limited storage space at school, we are unable to keep it here. Our emphasis during art is on the process and not the product. Artwork pickup is in the hallway after class.

Don’t forget to save your “Beautiful Junk”, as the children get a lot of pleasure from boxes, yarn, fabric, computer paper etc. Be on the lookout for creative junk even in your workplace – this is an excellent way to recycle.

If you, or anyone you know, has a profession that would be interesting to the children (such as a police officer, firefighter, etc.) and would be willing to come in and talk to them, please let us know.

The school telephone number is 905-846-3305. If your child will be unable to attend school on a particular day, please let us know. We also have an answering machine that is always on. However, while we are teaching, we try to get to the phone if at all possible. If we don’t, please don’t hang up – leave your name and number, and we will get back to you.

A Heads Up

It is not unusual for children to be upset upon leaving their parents when starting school, and sometimes this can go on for weeks. Please remember that the children are in a warm and loving environment, and our experience has shown that this behaviour eventually stops when a positive attitude is shown by all. If you are apprehensive, your child will be so as well.

We also remind all parents that they are free to come in and visit our program. However, joining in halfway through the circle times can be counterproductive. We have an open-door policy. Please feel free to share any ideas or suggestions you may have that can be incorporated into our themes.

If you have any problems or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to any one of us.

Thank you,

Joanne Freer RECE, Owner
Karen Sanger RECE, Owner