November 2021 Newsletter
Jack & Jill November 2021 Newsletter
November 1, 2021
Dear Jack & Jill Early Childhood Families:
The weather on Friday, October 29th was beautiful! It was amazing to have parents and grandparents participate in the outdoor costume parade. The sense of community and expression of gratitude once again reminded us of how wonderful our Jack & Jill families are! Thank you for your active participation in your child’s fall celebration.
Curbside becomes “doorside” Monday, November 8, 2021
On Monday, November 8, families return to the building in small groups to drop off and pick up their child OUTSIDE of the child’s classroom. Masks are required. No exceptions regarding vaccination status. Parents and guardians are not allowed in the building if they have had symptoms, recent exposure, or positive COVID in the past 14 days of their entrance. Siblings and extra family members will not be allowed in for pick up to help continue to minimize the amount of traffic in the building.
Families may be asked to wait outside during busy drop off and pick up times to allow for traffic control. Families are asked to limit their combined drop off and pick up time to a cumulative 15 minutes or less daily.
Extra staff will be at each door the week of November 8th to help get everyone acclimated into the building, find their child’s locker and classroom, and have a brief opportunity to meet their child’s teacher. This may take some time and we will work together to reduce any glitches in the upcoming weeks.
Families will receive their door entrance code in person next week at the time of morning drop off. We have assigned one new code for each family. The doors will be staffed next week to get everyone adjusted.
Hand sanitizer is placed near the key code pad at each entrance. We highly suggest using it when entering the center.
Many families have requested the continued use of curbside service due to the increase in the Delta variant positivity rate. Please continue to be diligent and err on the side of caution if you or your family members have had symptoms, exposure to COVID, or have tested positive to COVID. Many of you have experienced the domino effects caused by having to quarantine for 7-14 days. As the colder weather sets in, we want to continue our safe guard practices to avoid any unnecessary isolation or quarantine periods in our program.
Limited curbside service will continue for the next few weeks as we adjust to doors re-opening.
In St. Anthony: Curbside drop off service will continue from 7:30 am to 8:30 am at DOOR C ONLY. Pick up from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm at DOOR C ONLY.
In Blaine: Curbside drop off service for the Pre-Kindergarten and Preschool children that have been entering through the Pre-Kindergarten door will continue from 7:00 am to 8:00 am ONLY. Pick up will continue at the Pre-Kindergarten door from 4:30 to 5:30 pm only.
We ask all families to continue to make the best choices to keep Jack & Jill’s environment safe and healthy for our staff, children, and families. Please do not enter the building if you are experiencing any symptoms of any communicable illness.
We would like to share with you an email of gratitude received from one of our families in the past week. This is one of many we have received in the past few weeks. We are grateful for your support and understanding of the decisions made during this pandemic.
“Taking a few minutes to express gratitude for all you've done to help keep families and staff protected against COVID. I work in Public Health and have been very involved in the local COVID response. I have been very impressed with how you implemented mitigation strategies in phases since early 2020. Well done to you and the whole Jack and Jill team!
The FDA met today to approve the Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer COVID vaccine for 5-11 year olds. As we get closer and closer to having younger kids eligible for vaccine, it's important that we all still follow mitigation strategies that we know work, including masking, avoiding gathering indoors, staying home when sick, and vaccinating as soon as possible.
I know it's been a LONG journey throughout the pandemic but now is the time when maintaining the COVID mitigation policies and procedures is as important as ever. I know the staff are emotionally drained and wearing masks all day is getting old. I'm sure everyone wants more physical interactions between parents and staff - I would love to get know my child's teachers more! But if we let our guard down with prevention measures that we know work, there is greater risk of exposure and transmission between staff, parents, and kids at Jack and Jill and a greater risk of transmission means more isolation and quarantine. More isolation and quarantine means more families having to stay home, something no one wants more of!
Making shifts like the ones you have made in the past 20 months is not an easy thing to do and they are absolutely making a difference in keeping COVID out of your buildings. I hope everyone feels proud of how well you've all navigated the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic! Thank you for continuing to prioritize the health and safety of staff and families as we get closer and closer to having more kids vaccinated.”
In solidarity,
Jackie
Parent Teacher Conference
Parent Teacher Conferences begin via Zoom as of December 6! Online registration will be sent this week for Pre-Kindergarten and Preschool conferences set for December 6th through December 14th. Toddler conferences will be set for the weeks of December 13th and 20th. Infant conferences will take place in January.
School Release Registration
School Release Registration for November & December is open! Please see the link below for all the details & email info@jjsjam.com with any questions.
School Release Registration & Info
Absence, Late Drop-Off, and Sick Days
Kindly remember to email info@jackandjilledu.com if your child will be absent for the day. Children over the age of 16 months should be dropped off by 9:00 am daily. Drop-off requests after the start of the learning time of 9:00 am should be sent in advance to the info@jackandjilledu.com.
If a child does not arrive as expected for the day, and notice is not received of the child’s absence, the child will be marked absent for the day. Morning drop-offs after 9:00 am for toddler and preschool children make for a difficult transition and possibly our inability to accommodate the curbside staffing. With the winter weather upon us, we appreciate your understanding. Most importantly, arriving routinely after 9:00 am daily does not allow your child to participate in the majority of the daily educational learning program.
Winter Celebration & Teddy Bear Workshop!
Like our fall harvest event, the Winter Celebration and Teddy Bear Workshop will take place! Your children will celebrate the season with holiday games and activities in their individual classroom PODS.
Our Teddy Bear Workshop returns where wishes come true and new friends are made! Children will be able to choose from a variety of stuffed animals, go to the stuffing station and fill their new pal with fluff and love and add a magical wishing star! Your child’s teachers will help the kids “snap” up the stuffed animals and they will be ready for your child to take home. Staff will help make a stuffed animal for the babies that may not be able to do this on their own!
Hours: 9:00 AM to Noon
St Anthony Location:
Wednesday, December 15th
Blaine Location:
Thursday, December 16th
Upcoming Theme Dress Up Days!
Thursday, November 4th:Beach Day!
Wednesday, November 10th: Royalty Day
Friday, November 19th: Minnesota/Wisconsin Border Battle
Friday, December 10th: Flannel Friday
Tuesday, December 14th: Favorite Jeans & Sweatshirt
Getting Ready for Winter Outdoor Play
Did you see the first snowflakes this morning?
Here is a checklist of items your child should bring to and from school daily in their backpack:
Winter Coat
Snow Pants
Boots
Hat
Waterproof Gloves or Mittens (extra pairs are great for afternoon play to keep our fingers dry!)
***Kindly remember mittens and hats have to be free of strings to prevent any injuries during outside play.
All winter gear will be required to go to and from school daily to allow our nightly sanitation process.
Toddler and Preschool Dramatic Play – Getting Dressed for Winter
In the upcoming weeks you will begin to see winter gear added to the dress up and pretend areas of our classroom. This will allow children to practice independently putting on boots and snow pants, and practice zippers. Our goal is that each child can do some part of their winter gear independently. Please talk with your child’s teacher about what is an appropriate expectation for your child to do at their age. We will even share some tricks that we use here at school to get everyone dressed, including THE MAGIC COAT FLIP!
Magic Flip!
Step 1: Put your child’s jacket on the floor upside down with hood by the feet.
Step 2: Have your child push their arms down into the sleeves or “through the tunnel.”
Step 3: When hands are down to the opening of the sleeves, have your child flip their jacket up and over their head.
Step 4: Your child’s jacket is on and they are ready to go outside and play!
2021 Pajama Drive
An annual tradition at Jack & Jill Childcare, it is now the 11th year of our annual holiday Pajama Drive.
All School Pajama Wearing Days this year will be:
Wednesday, November 24th
Wednesday, December 1st
Wednesday, December 8th
Wednesday, December 15th
Please send your child to school in pajamas with closed toed school shoes. No slippers please. Winter gear will be needed on our pajama wearing days.
Please drop your pajamas in the designated area at the curbside entrance of each center. Donations will be accepted on the mornings and afternoons of the All School Pajama Wearing Days above. Our goal is to collect 200 pairs of pajamas at each of the Blaine and St. Anthony centers. Pajamas must be newly store bought. Pajamas in all sizes are needed from newborn to school age.
Pajama donations will go to community crisis centers and children in need. Thank you for the gift of sharing!
Looking Ahead…Closed Center Days
November 2021
Thursday, November 25, 2021 Thanksgiving Holiday
Friday, November 26, 2021 Thanksgiving Holiday
December 2021
Thursday, December 23, 2021 Winter Holiday Break
Friday, December 24, 2021 Christmas Holiday
Thursday, December 30, 2021 Winter Holiday Break
Friday, December 31, 2021 New Year’s Holiday
Please email info@jackandjilledu.com if your child will be absent any days near the holidays. Note your child’s name and classroom. You may simply cut and paste the calendars below and submit via email.
We appreciate your continued support.
Warm Regards,
Carol L. Arens,
Owner/Administrator
carol@jackandjilledu.com