November Newsletter
Dear Families,
We have so many activities scheduled for our community – I hope you will read this newsletter to stay in the loop!
Happy Thanksgiving to all. We are thankful for our Peppermint Tree families!
Sincerely,
Miss Val
Valerie Frost-Lewis, MS Ed.
Owner/Director
Our next Parent Group Meeting will be held on Thursday, 11/12/24, at 8:00 p.m. via Zoom.
We will continue to discuss the workshops for parents and activities for families that we are planning, as well as other services we can provide our community. It’s a chance to connect with each other and help to make Peppermint Tree the warm and nurturing community that we all want for our children. The Zoom link will be sent out when the date gets closer. Please mark your calendar now.
So far, our Parent Group has the following activities “in the works”:
Parent Workshops:
Promoting Literacy in Early Childhood (evening of 1/23/25-via Zoom or in-person-still TBD) - presented by Peppermint Tree parent, Jessica Dunne, who also has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and is a Certified Parenting Coach
Working with Picky Eaters (2/20/25, 8:00 p.m. via Zoom) - presented by Colleen Delaney, Nutritionist and former Peppermint Tree parent
Pyramid Model Approaches for Home - stay tuned, we are working with our coach at Montclair State University to get this one booked
Kindergarten Readiness - (March 2025, date TBD) presented by our PreK Teachers, Meredith Hamilton, Kelly Marmolejo, our Assistant Director Caren Meehan and our Director, Valerie Frost-Lewis
Family Events and Activities:
Parent Committee forming now to plan a "Peppermint Tree Prom"- for all families from Early Learners, Preschool and PreK classes. This event will be outdoors, most likely on a weekend evening in May. Some of the ideas for this event so far include: lawn games, a curated playlist of music of our families' favorite songs, a photo booth with props, snacks and more!
Family Garden Planting Party - April 12, 2025, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (details to follow as it gets closer)
Toy Swap, Mr Scott the Music Man and Ice Cream Party - May 12, 2025 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
We are launching an online Fundraiser this month. Please look out for the flier in your child’s backpack.
This is a completely virtual fundraiser – with a variety of items you can purchase to fill your holiday gift list, food items, etc. All orders are placed online, and shipped to you. You are also able to share a special link with your friends and family who may live far away – to ask for their support. We will use the proceeds to help offset the cost of our Spring “chick hatching” event. We are asking for your support!
We are running a Food Drive for Local Families in Need
Please consider donating non-perishable food items (No Glass please), please also tell your child about your donation, you can give the items to your child’s teacher right at drop off. The food drive ends on November 15th. Thank you for contributing to our community, and helping us to teach our children about the importance of giving to those in need. (We donate to the Toms River non-profit organization, “Your Grandmother’s Cupboard”, that distributes food to local needy families.)
NO CLASSES November 7 & 8, Toms River Schools are closed.
We will be open for childcare only, for those children who have signed up for the “Peppermint Tree Calendar” which includes school holidays. If your child follows the Toms River calendar and you need care on those days, please contact the office to arrange it. This is available first come first serve on a space available basis, and there will be an extra cost for those who don’t have these days already worked in to their monthly tuition. Please prepare your child that they may have different teachers and be in a different room on these days, as we combine Preschool with Early Learners in one room, and both PreK’s and School Agers in another room on these days.
PreK Field Trip to Johnson’s Corner Farm is scheduled for November 15th.
Permission slips and payments are due November 1st, and parents are invited to sign up to chaperone. This is for Mrs. Hamilton’s and Miss Kelly’s PreK classes. Chaperones are on a space available basis and we will be letting parents know during the first week of November about chaperoning.
We will be CLOSED for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Thursday and Friday, November 28th & 29th. No classes or childcare offered.
Enjoy yourselves!!
The Fun Bus is coming back! This is an optional activity for Wednesday afternoons at 2:00 p.m.
Soccer Shots will be ending for the season, just in time for the Fun Bus to roll in and provide Wednesday afternoon exercise and fun! (The bus does not move while the children are inside.) It is basically a gym in a bus! They do all kinds of activities and practice many skills, and it is so much fun!! Sign up information is being sent home by email.
Pyramid Model Connection
Each month we will be adding a section to our newsletter devoted to a new skill or activity we are introducing to the children through our Pyramid Model implementation. At school, we focus on our “Overall Expectations”, so everyone knows how to be a good member of the class. These are our overall expectations:
We are safe
We are kind
We are respectful
We are problem solvers
All of our rules tie back to these expectations. (“We use walking feet in the classroom, because we are safe. “ Maybe they will be helpful at your home, as well! (“We take turns with our brother/sister, because we are kind.”)
Speaking of taking turns, we are emailing home a resource for you on how to teach your child how to take turns. This is a foundational skill that many children are working on, especially if this is their first year in school.
Has your child had a flu shot yet this season?
All children in preschool under the age of five MUST get a Flu shot after September 1 and before December 31 each school year, as per the State of NJ. Please send in the updated immunization record after the shot is given. The Ocean County Health Department inspects our records each year, so we must have the updated record for each child.
Inclement Weather
In case of snowy or icy conditions, please check for a text from us through the ProCare App, or your email box for updates about school opening on these days. We also provide this information to WOBM radio “Storm Watch” program and change our outgoing phone message. We make every effort to be open, however the safety of our staff and families are our first concern. As a guideline, if The Toms River Public Schools have a delayed opening or are closed due to inclement weather, the earliest we will open is 8:30 a.m. This will give us time to get our driveway and walkways plowed, salted and sanded and determine if we will delay further or have to close for the day. There are no refunds or credits for inclement weather closings. Toms River Schools has not built in extra snow days, so we also have not. There is room in the calendar to extend up to 3 days at the end of the year for possible snow days. There will be no additional make-ups for snow days if there are more than three.
Parent Reminders:
Check backpacks daily for information from the office or your child’s teacher and art projects from your child.
Label everything, especially backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets and sweatshirts!
Please change the extra set of clothes in your child’s backpack for the cooler weather. We play outside every day as long as it is not raining or snowing or below 32 degrees F.
When dropping off and picking up your child, please do not park by the yellow curb, as we are an active school bus stop, and also please take care not to block our across the street neighbor’s mailbox. When dropping off from our driveway to the front of the building, do not pull up past the front edge of the building. Please leave the front of the driveway clear for people pulling in and out.
Please download the BoxTops App onto your phone, select Peppermint Tree as your school, and scan your Grocery Store, Target, BJ’s, and Costco receipts. Peppermint Tree receives funds for school materials through this program. (This replaces the clipping of “BoxTops” from boxes and labels. )
