Category Archives: News

Art Show

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Dear Families,

We look forward to seeing you tonight at our school wide ART SHOW!  Our VPP Art Gallery will open at 6:00pm and will close at 7:30pm.  It is Open House style so please feel free to come at the time that works for you and stay as little or as long as you like.  The whole family is invited!

If you are painting a tile, please plan to start painting before 7:15 (earlier is even better!) as you will need to be finished by 7:30.  Tiles are $10 and cash or checks will be accepted.

The children made lemonade and cookies which will be served on the front patio, and tile painting will be in the activity area.  The back yard, as well as all toys, will be closed for the evening.

The children’s art will be displayed by class in the following locations:

MW & TTh Preschool – Block Room

MWF  Pre-K – Library

TThF Pre-K – Math & Science Area

Kinderprep – Kitchen

The children have worked hard preparing for the show and are excited to show you their creations!  We look forward to seeing you tonight!

 

Leslie, Tess, Ashley, Viki, Vinnie and Sarah

painting pallet

This Week in MWF Pre-K!

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Good evening, Families!

What a gorgeous weekend!  I hope you all enjoyed this beautiful weather!

This week we will continue learning about opposites and talking about how to be a good friend.

Monday we will review what we have learned about the caterpillar life cycle and make our own books about it.  We will also finish putting together our huge butterflies!

Wednesday please dress your child in old clothes, as we will be using acrylic paints.  We will be working on our Mother’s Day gifts that day, so if you are working and you don’t want to see your gift, choose yard or block room so you won’t be with our small group.  :)  Wednesday we will also begin talking about birds.

Friday we will make our own bird feeders to take home.   We will also bake cookies and freeze them for the May 2nd Art Show.

This week I will begin sending home “cutting kits.”  These are kits with different types of paper, scissors and glue.  I have four of them and will give each child an opportunity to bring one home to use until the next school day.  Please remember to return them the next school day so everyone gets a chance.  Also, if you do not want your child to bring one home, please email me and let me know.

Please remember to apply sunscreen to your child before school this week.  We’re going to have lots of fun outside!!

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow!

Warmly,
Tess
 
Reminder of upcoming events!
* This Wednesday night (April 24th) is our last General Meeting at the San Ramon Library, 7:00 -8:00. 
* This Saturday  (April 27th) is a Maintenance Day at our school for those that need to do their hours or just come help. 
* Thursday May 2nd is the VPPS Art Show-6:30-8:00
 

The Preschool Class!

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Dear Families,

Last week we had fun learning about hens and eggs, playing parachute games and putting the last finishing touches on our Art Show Project. They look really great!

This coming week our classes will be practicing our scissors skills. We will be cutting out butterflies, decorate them and put them into a chrysalis (toilet paper tubes). We will read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.
We will also read, The Best Nest.” and make a bird feeder, get a close look at a couple real nests and if time allows, go to the big field to do some bird watching.
 
Have a wonderful weekend!

Leslie Szumowski

Summer Camp Registration Now Open

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Open to all VPP students (including incoming and outgoing) and their friends.

See our “Summer Camp” Page, under “Programs and Tuition” for details.

Christmas Costume Party

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Dear Families,

We had SO much fun this morning at the Christmas Costume Party!  The children decorated and made posters during free choice time and their team work led to a lovely school.

Inara’s dad, JP, rocked on the guitar and had everyone jamming to the preschool holiday favorites; Jingle Bells, We Wish you a Merry Christmas and Rudolph.  Of course no Christmas Costume party is complete without celebrating everyone’s birthday and Thanksgiving, so by request, we also sang Happy Birthday and I’m Glad I’m not a Turkey!

You can see the first batch of pictures on the website, and I know there were lots of cameras so I’m sure more will be posted soon!

I truly can’t imagine a more fun place to go to work each day!

Sarah

2013-2014 Registration NOW OPEN

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Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2013-2014 School Year!!!

To register, you must have Toured Our School and received a Registration Form & General Info Policy.  Submit a completed registration form plus your registration fee of $60  and first month’s (September) tuition (we can accept checks or cash).  Families may drop off registration during school hours*. We will begin accepting registration from the general public on February 4. Please note that registration cannot be accepted before the dates listed above.  Please find the registration envelope on the table just outside the front door of the school. You will take the lowest number sticker, put it on your form and place the form, with payment, in the envelope.

If you have any questions please contact Molly Matthews at info [at] valleyparent [dot] org

* School Hours: Mon-Thurs 9-3:30; Fridays 9-12

License # 073400683

Food Drive Project and Invitation

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Dear VPPS Families,

Please join us in collecting food for our food drive. We are collecting food for the Contra Costa County Food Bank.

In talking recently about our dreams for the world, we came up with lots of good and thoughtful ideas. Collecting food for the food bank is a way we can incorporate all of our dreams in one project. We wished for everybody to be nice (like Frankenstein!), to be friends and hold hands, for no more sickness, to be brave (like Merrida from Brave!), that everyone has good dreams, that everyone gets to have a unicorn, and that everyone has enough food to eat. …… You have to be brave to move forward and help out in the world. It is nice to be a good friend to those in need. Having healthy food in their bellies will help children avoid illness, have good dreams, and play and imagine things that children imagine – like unicorns! ….. Wow, a food drive can solve a lot of problems!

Food collection barrels will be out from tomorrow until February 15. There are also bags at the sign in table which list needed foods.

Thank you for your support!

Love,
MWF Pre-K

This Week in Pre-K!

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Good evening!

It’s very late, but I just wanted to give a quick summary of what we will be doing this week.

First, some background information – which I guess isn’t so quick!

As you know, the children have been talking a lot about dreams and are interested in that subject. When we talked about Martin Luther King, we talked about “awake dreams” – how Martin Luther King had a dream for the world – like wishes. (This is a big concept, but we talk and they are catching on.) We then thought about our wishes for the world. They are hanging on the window above the play table near the science area. There are wishes for everybody to be nice (like Frankenstein!), to be friends and hold hands, for no more sickness, to be brave (like Merrida from Brave!), that everyone has good dreams, that everyone gets to have a unicorn, that everyone has food to eat, etc. Last Friday we talked about how we can make our dreams for the world come true. With the common thread, we decided to have a food drive for the Contra Costa Food Bank. (…… You have to be brave to move forward and help out in the world. It is nice to be a good friend to those in need. Having healthy food in their bellies will help children avoid illness, have good dreams, and play and imagine things that children imagine – like unicorns!) Wow, a food drive could solve a lot of problems!

Our food drive will officially start Thursday, as the bins are being delivered some time tomorrow. Tomorrow in our small groups, we will make posters to hang out by the bins, and later tomorrow I will send an email inviting the whole school to join us in our food drive. Please don’t bring any food tomorrow, as we need to get the posters done and everything ready first. Then they will be excited to bring food on Friday – or any time until the 15th of February, when the bins will be picked up. …… We will also read a really fun book tomorrow – a new one that Sarah brought in after the break. They take part in the story – super fun!

Friday we will read The Mitten Tree, a book about acts of kindness. Then we will make paper mittens with dictation about kind things we can do. We will also do a fun activity with our names!

I hope you all are doing well. We have been blowing get well wishes to all of our sick friends – and our lucky friends on vacation!

See you in the morning!
Tess

Preschool Next week!

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Dear Parents,


There is no school on Monday because of Martin Luther King’s Birthday. 
Next week our class will start learning about babies!
We will learn how to change a diaper (great fine motor and cognitive skills) and swaddle a baby. The children will have dolls to practice with.Then we will wash the babies.
 I have a few Monday/Wednesday parents bringing their babies in to demonstrate. I need real babies for Tuesday and Thursday at group time if anyone wants to share their baby with us-E-mail me if would.
We will also do some science experiments using diapers and water- testing how many cups of water a diaper can hold and how much it will weigh- Also what holds more water a sponge or a diaper. 
I will be reading, Everyone Poops. and Sam’s Potty.These books usually lead to some interesting discussions and can be inspiring to the children working on their potty training skills.
I’m still missing a few baby pictures of your children. I don’t want to start that game until everyone has one. Please send a picture in if you haven’t.
 
Some of you have asked about Valentine’s Day. We have a party at school and the children will deliver Valentines to their class and the Pre-K class. So approximately 30 valentines will be needed. I will send more information on that as it gets closer.
 
Thank you to the people who came in on Maintenance Day last weekend! The school looks great. I love the new gate locks in front.
Today I am going to see the Elephant Seals today at Ano Nuevo Reserve-near Half Moon Bay. The elephant seals come every year to have their babies at that spot. The link to make reservations is AnoNuevo.ReserveAmerica.com
If you want to make reservations or learn more about it.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Miss Leslie