March Newsletter
Dear Families,
The children are excited that the weather is warming, and we look forward to a lot more outdoor time on the playground during March! Our Earth Friends curriculum continues with Janna Hockenjos on Tuesdays in the Preschool and PreK classrooms, bringing more attention to our natural and made world. As the planet wakes up for the coming Spring, so do our minds, to it’s amazing gifts.
During March, we will also have our monthly exciting visit from Mr. Scott the Music Man on March 28th.
Looking forward to a fun and enriching month together! We have so much planned in March, and for the rest of the school year. Please use this newsletter as a guide to mark your calendar! Thank you for being a part of the Peppermint Tree community.
Sincerely,
Valerie Frost-Lewis, MS Ed
Owner/Director
Dental Hygienist Visit: Thursday, March 14th - a dental hygienist will be visiting to provide a presentation for the children on caring for their teeth. We love our community visitors!
NJ Swim visit: Monday, March 18th - the children will have a presentation on water safety. This is so important for a life of safety living on the Jersey Shore!
Our next Parent Group Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 19th, at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. We will be planning our April “Family Gardening Party”, as well as our other upcoming events, so please plan to join us!
All parents/guardians and staff are welcome to help us plan events and activities that benefit The Peppermint Tree children and families. Come and meet your fellow Peppermint Tree parents and help us continue to bring great experiences to our kids and families. March is an important planning month, as we have many activities planned for our families in the warmer months (see the event list below)! Please join us at our meeting to help make these events a success! We will be sending out the Zoom link via email.
Soccer Shots will be back for the Spring Season! Watch for signups soon.
Soccer Shots will be offered as an optional Wednesday afternoon activity beginning after Spring Break. They will be offering a FREE Demo to all children in attendance at school on Wednesday, March 27th during the morning session on school.
Registration for Summer Camp 2024 and 2024-25 School Year are now in Full Swing - and we full for some age groups. If you have not yet registered-please contact the office ASAP to see if we have room in your child’s age group.
If you have not yet registered your child, please do so as soon as possible, as space is limited, and we are filling up quickly. (Please call first if you are registering – as some groups are full with a waitlist already). When you are ready to register, go to: https://www.pepperminttree.com/registration/ or by filling out the paper application we sent home recently.
Please keep in mind that there is a $150.00 family registration fee to reserve your spot for the 2024-25 school year and a $100.00 family registration fee for Summer Camp. A separate fee is required for each session, however, one fee covers all children in your family for that session. If you have any questions, just call us at 732-929-2500.
A quick reminder about Summer Camp tuition: The first payment for summer camp is due on June 1, as is your last payment for school tuition (unless you get your security deposit applied). Some families choose to begin paying for Summer Camp in advance by making partial payments to offset the extra tuition due in June. We will gladly work out a payment plan that will work for you. Just call the office.
$25.00 Referral Tuition Credit – for each family you refer to Peppermint Tree (once they register)
Is your family enjoying all of The Peppermint Tree activities? Is your child benefiting from the loving care and enriching education we offer? If so, please spread the word about Peppermint Tree! We will reward you, if you do!
“Word of Mouth” is our best form of advertising! And, we truly appreciate your spreading the word about Peppermint Tree to your friends, family and neighbors. We offer all of our current families a tuition credit of $25.00 for each new family you refer to Peppermint Tree. Once they pay their registration fee, we credit your account $25.00. There is no limit to the number of credits you can earn!
We will be CLOSED on Friday March 29th - There will be no classes or child care. Spring Break is the week of April 1st. There are no classes held. During that week we provide childcare for those following the Peppermint Tree calendar. If your child follows the Toms River Schools calendar, and you will need child care that week, please contact the office so we may save a space for your child on a space available basis. For those following The Peppermint Tree calendar, we will expect your child - but if they will NOT be attending, please let us know so we may prepare for appropriate staffing.
Please collect recyclables for making musical instruments at the upcoming Ocean County Children’s Festival (see below event list for more details). You can bring them into school and we will bring them to the festival for all to use. Here is a list of the CLEAN and DRY recyclables we need:
1. Plastic bottles
2. Bottle caps
3. Jar lids
4. Cardboard tubes
5. Formula canisters
6. Coffee cans ( with no sharp edges )
7. Tissue boxes
8. Buttons
Thank you!
Upcoming Family Events in April, May & June – Mark your calendars!
Kindergarten Readiness Parent Workshop via Zoom, Wednesday, April 17th at 8:00 p.m. via Zoom - this is a chance to learn how to best help your child feel ready to start kindergarten.
Ocean County Children’s Festival “What a Wonderful World”: Saturday, April 20th, 11:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m., at Toms River Library (both indoors in Mancini Hall, and outdoors in the courtyard)– mark your calendars! This is a rain or shine event. This will be a fabulous free family event including children’s activities, crafts, a children’s art show, performances by local dance and karate studios, and children will have the opportunity to make their own musical instruments and then participate in an interactive music and movement performance. This event is in celebration of the National “Week of the Young Child”. Miss Val is proud to be the organizing chairperson of this community event, and our staff also volunteers to make it a great day for all. We hope to see you there! More details to come.
Budding Artists Gallery – at Toms River Library -on display during the Children’s Festival on April 20, 2024. Peppermint Tree will be submitting a selection of our student’s artwork for the show.
Family Garden Planting Party- Saturday, April 27th during the morning - save the date! More details to follow. The parent group is planning this fun event!
Toy Swap, Ice Cream Social and Mr. Scott the Music Man show, Monday May 13th, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Plan to bring a toy and get a toy at this fun end of the school year celebration!
Multicultural Morning Fair, Saturday morning, June 1st, outdoors on the Peppermint Tree playground. The parent group will be planning this event to allow us to share our many rich cultural backgrounds. Families can share foods, music, make a cultural display, or share any tradition or cultural activity with our community. More information will follow!
PreK End of Year Celebration, Thursday, June 6th at 10:00 a.m. outdoors at Peppermint Tree (Rain date: Friday, June 7th) Families of our PreK students (Miss Kelly and Mrs. Hamilton’s classes will celebrate together) are invited to celebrate their progress and celebrate the end of the PreK year. (Bring your own folding chairs.)
Parent Notes
· When you drop off or pick up from one of the front classrooms, please do not park at the end of the driveway. There is not enough room to accommodate your car and another pulling in, and we do not want your car to be accidentally hit by someone swinging into the driveway. If you are coming to the front door, you may park on the street either before or after the yellow curb, or in our driveway, behind the front edge of the building. Do not park next to the front lawn. Thank you!
· When dropping off or picking up from school please hold your child by the hand. We have a very busy driveway and parking lot, and Partridge Street is also quite a busy street.
· Afternoon Snack: Many full day children come to the end of the day and find they have nothing left in their lunch box by the 2:00 p.m. snack time, and the 5:00 p.m. snack time. (4:00 p.m. for school aged children). Please send in a labeled snack meant for the afternoon, or two afternoon snacks if your child is here after 5:00 p.m. Label it “Afternoon Snack”. Please remember that a healthy snack includes two food groups, so whole grain crackers and peanut butter, or apple slices and cheese, for example would constitute a healthy and complete snack.
· “Boxtops for Education”: Remember to download the app and scan your receipts. This is an important fundraiser for us! Thank you!
Let’s have a wonderful March together!
Sincerely,
Valerie Frost-Lewis, MS Ed.
Owner/Director
