February 2022 Newsletter
Jack & Jill February 2022 Newsletter
January 28th, 2022
Dear Jack & Jill Early Childhood Families:
I’m sure all of us wish that 2022 had gotten off to a smoother start. It has been a difficult past few weeks and I know many of us have been left feeling fatigued. The stress and pressure of being a parent mixed with the demands of work have made life difficult. Watching fully vaccinated and boosted teachers who have worked so hard for the past 2 ½ years become very ill with this omicron variant is disheartening. We are grateful to have been able to adequately staff our programs so that we can continue to serve the needs of our families during this recent surge.
We are very appreciative of our teachers and want to involve you in recognizing their role in your child’s education and caretaking. We are beginning an Employee of the Month Recognition program. An employee at both the Blaine and St Anthony sites will be chosen monthly from each age group: Infant, Toddler, Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. More information regarding how to submit your input will follow next week.
Valentine’s Day Celebration – Monday, February 14th
Valentine’s Day will be celebrated with our children on Monday, February 14th. The kids will have a Valentine’s exchange within their classroom POD. The celebration consists of some fun friendship games and a Valentine card and treat exchange if you like. If you want to bring a treat to share in your child’s classroom, please bring a pre-packaged, peanut and tree-nut free item if possible. No treats will be consumed at the time of the party and will be sent home to be enjoyed with your family.
To keep things simple, classroom treat exchange quantities are as follows:
Preschool: (Fish, Frogs and Tree Frogs – both locations): Each child should bring 12 Valentines to Exchange
Pre-Kindergarten: St Anthony Ms. Vanessa’s and Ms. Patty’s POD each child should bring 12
Pre-Kindergarten: St Anthony Ms. Jenny’s POD each child brings 16
Pre-Kindergarten: Blaine Ms. Lori’s, Ms. Cory’s, & Ms. Paige’s POD each child brings 12
Toddler Classrooms: (Penguins and Ladybugs) Each child brings 14
Infant Classrooms: (All Bebe and Baby Bear rooms) Each child brings 12
Please have the Valentine’s signed with your child’s name and sent to school in your child’s backpack or given to the staff at drop off.
We encourage all kids to dress in red, pink, white or their favorite color for the day.
Upcoming Theme Dress Days
Wednesday, February 2nd:
It’s Ground Hog Day – Wear Your Pajamas to School…and shoes please, no slippers!
Friday, February 11th:
The staff will be having a Superbowl lunch celebration – everyone is invited to wear their favorite sports gear or jersey!
Monday, February 14th:
Red, Pink & White or your child’s favorite color for the day
Thursday, March 3rd:
Crazy Socks Day
Thursday, March 17th:
Everything is Green!
School Photos
School photos are scheduled as follows:
St Anthony:
Tuesday, April 5th Infant & Toddler Picture Day
Wednesday, April 6th Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten (Graduation photos)
Blaine:
Wednesday, April 13th Infant & Toddler Picture Day
Thursday, April 14th Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten (Graduation photos)
Upcoming Upgrades at Jack & Jill
We are excited to share that we will soon be upgrading to center wide WiFi through access points. This will allow us to integrate these iPads into the classrooms over the course of the year. We will be able to use these iPads to provide supplemental books, music, and other educational activities for the kids! More details will follow on this later in the year.
Jack & Jill Texting System
Thank you to everyone who signed up for Jack & Jill’s texting system. Next week, we will be sending out a text to test this system. If you still need to sign up, please text the following codewords below to (833) 222-3029 for your location:
St Anthony: jandj
Blaine: blaine
JJ’s Jam Summer Camp Registration-
Deadlines & Dates for Summer 2022:
Early February: Brochure Reveal with more details about on-site & off-site programming along with pricing & tons more info!
February 16: The registration form is sent out via email.
February 17: Registration opens! Forms can be handed in at Jack & Jill or emailed to info@jjsjam.com. Registration fills up quickly!
Early March: Calendar Reveal! We are excited to reveal our calendar full of fun both on-site & off-site.
June 2-3, 2022: Pre-K Graduation
June 6, 2022: Kickoff to Summer!
Highlights for JJ's Jam Summer 2022:
Consistency & Professionalism! Many of the same staff will be back including Ms. Cory, Ms. Paige, Ms. Vanessa, Ms. Nicole, Mr. Giles & more! Most of our staff are licensed early childhood teachers & have four-year degrees. All our staff are trained extensively & have CPR and First Aid certification. We are also a fully licensed childcare through the state of Minnesota.
Community: At Jack & Jill, we pride ourselves on the community we build over the course of your child growing up at our program. This continues with JJ's Jam. Children who return each summer are excited to catch up with friends who they have grown up with.
Facilities: Each location contains multiple rooms dedicated as school age rooms for the summer that are fully stocked with toys, games, art supplies, and many fun projects! We also have enclosed outdoor playgrounds at both sites for the kids to stay active!
All-Inclusive Program! Meals, field trips, and more are all included in the price for JJ's Jam. All you need to bring is you!
JJ's Jam Art Program: We have worked hard to develop new art projects where we learn about different techniques and artists and the history behind them before delving into our own projects. Projects this year will include a focus on artists such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, Winslow Homer, and more!
Maker Space & STEM Curriculum: We are also excited to announce an updated maker space & STEM curriculum for 2022!
This year our theme is Level Up! Questions regarding summer camp should be directed to: info@jjsjam.com. Giles will respond to any questions you may have. More information will follow on the summer camp details and registration.
Pre-Kindergarten Screening
Early Childhood Screening is a quick and simple check of your child’s development, based upon their age. Minnesota State Law requires that all preschool aged children be screened before entering public, and some private, kindergartens. The ideal age for screening is three and a half years old, or before a child turns four.
Each school district has a specific location where screenings are held. Below you will find a link to your school district’s early childhood screening website and their contact information.
Warm Regards,
Carol L. Arens,
Owner/Administrator
carol@jackandjilledu.com