Sandbox Chatter April 15-19

*We are now accepting items for our Gently Used Sale, which will take place this Saturday, April 20^th.  Baby clothes and equipment, toys, furniture, sports equipment, DVDs, CDs, books, small appliances, etc…  All proceeds from the sale will be used to fix/replace our AC units in time for the warm weather!

*Our Family Literacy and Math Night will take place on Thursday, April 25^th from 6:30-8pm.  We will be reading “If You Give a Moose a Muffin.”  There will be 9 stations for you and your child to participate in.  The cost is $5 per family.  We will also have a book exchange; if you’d like to participate, just bring a book in good condition, and take another book home for your child.

*We will be having a week long Open House for prospective families from Monday, April 22^nd to Friday, April 26^th.  Open House times are from 9:30-11am and 4-6pm.  If you know anyone that might be looking for a preschool for the summer or fall programs, please tell them to stop in and see us!

*This Wednesday and Thursday, April 17^th and 18^th, Lifetouch will be here to take class pictures. Our 5 and 3 day Preschool students will have their group pictures taken on Wednesday, and the Pre-K and 2 day Preschool students are scheduled for Thursday (5 day Preschoolers will be in both pictures).  Payment envelopes are due by Wednesday, April 17^th.

*Pre-K Extended Care Day: There is a sign up sheet at the front desk for our last Pre-K EC day on Wednesday, April 24^th.  If you would like your child to attend (there is a $30 fee for that day), please sign up no later than Friday, April 19^th.

Sandbox Chatter February 25-March 1

*Thanks to everyone who joined us for our McTeachers Night. We had an amazing turnout, and everyone had a great time!  We don’t have our final numbers yet on funds raised, but we will let you know as soon as we hear!

Our raffle winners are Casey Welsh (free week of camp) and Cindy Kindred (weekend at Tybrisa).

*Our “Lucky to Have You” project will kick off on March 6^th. This is our second time of doing this event in honor of our deployed military personnel. This year, we will be focusing on our own school families who are currently affected by deployment.  We will be collecting items (you will be provided a list of ideas) to send to our deployed parents and their units overseas.  Please keep your eye out for a memo/email next week with all of the details!

*Our Pre-K program is in need of old laptops that you are no longer using. We would like to have one or two more for our computer center! They can be old and slow…we would just be using them for a few games J

*If you have any old picture frames 8x10 or bigger, we would love to have them. All we need is the frame, no glass needed!

*The Tara Feis, an outdoor family friendly music event, is taking place in Emmett Park on Bay Street on Saturday, March 9^th.  It is free and open to the public.  And, of course, yours truly will be performing (at around 3:15pm)…so come on out for some music, dancing, food, and fun as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Sandbox Chatter February 11-15

*Please don’t forget to turn in your NAEYC family surveys! I still need about 30 more to meet the required number of returned surveys.  Please be as honest as possible when filling out the survey as it is an important tool in program improvement. I will share the results of the surveys when I have compiled all of the responses.  To those of you who have already returned your survey, thank you!

*Reminder: School will be closed on Monday, February 18 for Presidents’ Day.

*We’d like to send out a huge thank you to Kevin Morris for replacing our cabinets and sinks in the Threes classroom.  The teachers and children love them!

*The 6^th annual Savannah Book Festival is taking place this weekend, February 14-16.  More than 40 authors will be on hand, and there is a full day of author presentations that are free and open to the public. Visit savannahbookfestival.org for more information.

Sandbox Chatter February 4-8

*Security update: Thanks to Steven Berwitz and Dan Welch (and a few of their friends), we now have locks on all of our classroom doors to be used in the event of an emergency situation. Our next step will be to install an intercom system at our front door…does anyone have any knowledge about this, or know anyone who might be able to help/advise us??

*Get Your Rear in Gear! Join other runners and walkers to promote awareness and funds to fight colon cancer. The 5K Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, March 2 at the Nancy N. and JC Lewis Cancer and Research Pavillion. For registration and more information, go to fleetfeetsavannah.com/rearingear.

*There will be a free screening of the documentary “The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia” on Wednesday, February 27^th at 7pm. The screening will take place at the Andrews Assembly Room at Savannah Country Day Middle School. For more information, contact Lori Barlow at 912-661-4934.

*The Savannah Irish Festival, now in its 21^st year, will take place at the Savannah Civic Center February 16^th and 17^th.  There are 4 entertainment stages featuring music, dancing, storytelling, and more. Most importantly, yours truly will be performing on Saturday at 11:45am and Sunday at 12:00pm J  Visit savannahirish.org for information.

*Hugs all around: 60% of dads hug their children every day.  Here’s why that number should be 100%...hugs help you get closer to your little ones, and it’s been proven that they boost the immune system while reducing blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones in adults and children!

Sandbox Chatter January 21-25

*If you haven’t already joined our Facebook group, Maggie’s Morning School Families and Alumni, please consider doing so. It’s a great way to share information/events, post pictures from school events, and keep up with teachers and alumni!

*Our Parent/Teacher work day is this Saturday beginning at 9am. We are focusing on two main projects: installing new sinks and cabinets in our Threes room, and installing slide locks on our classroom doors. Please let us know if you can lend a hand!

*Don’t forget! Open enrollment begins for outside families on February 2^nd. If you haven’t returned your registration paperwork yet, please do so!

*Our next PTO meeting is next Thursday, January 31^st. Barbara Grimm will be here to tell us about the new Savannah Classical Academy, and our parent topic presentation will be “Tips on Preparing for Kindergarten.” We will also be discussing our upcoming family events (Literacy Night, Gently Used Sale, Art and Music Show).

Sandbox Chatter January 14-18

*While we have had many reports of MMS parents suffering from the flu, we have only had two confirmed cases for our students. One child’s parents did say, however, that the child did not exhibit typical flu symptoms; it really just seemed like a bad cold. So, please keep a close on your child’s symptoms, and don’t assume it’s just a cold or allergies! We will continue to disinfect classroom materials and furniture as much as possible, and have the children wash their hands as often as possible.

*Reminder: Our Parent/Teacher work day is scheduled for Saturday, January 26^th beginning at 9am. We have two volunteers to work on our sinks and cabinets in the Threes room, and will have smaller tasks that need to be completed, as well.  Stop by if you can help out!

*School will be closed this Monday, January 21^st for MLK, Jr. Day.

*We are still collecting empty cereal/food boxes. If you have any to donate, please drop them off at the front desk.

*For the last several years, we have had a wonderful partnership with Savannah Technical College. Many of their Early Education students do observations, practicum courses, and internships in our program. This semester, we have a total of 9 students working in our classrooms, some of them on a full time basis. Interviews and background checks are done for all students. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about any of the students working in our classrooms!

Sandbox Chatter January 7-11

*All Preschool parents have received registration paperwork for the 2013-2014 school year.  Registration forms should be returned as soon as possible, especially for the state funded Pre-K program. We open up enrollment to all outside families for all classes on February 2^nd (when all remaining Pre-K spaces will be filled).

*Please plan to attend our PTO meeting on Thursday, January 31^st at 6:15pm.  Our parent topic presentation will be “Tips On Preparing For Kindergarten.”  We also will have a short presentation from Barbara Grimm, a founding member of Savannah Classical Academy. This tuition free public charter elementary school (a liberal arts curriculum with a focus on civics) is going to open in August. Lastly, we will finalize specific dates and volunteers for our remaining school events. The Gently Used Sale, Family Literacy Night, and the Art and Music Show are all in need of parent help.

*On Saturday, January 26^th (beginning at 9am) we are having a Parent/Staff Work Day for a Three year old classroom facelift!  We will need volunteers that can assist in removing and replacing the cabinets, sinks, and countertops.  We also hope to get exit doors painted (weather permitting), classroom door locks installed, and other odds and ends.  Beverages and snacks will be provided. Please let us know if you can help and what specific tasks you are interested in.

*We are collecting cereal boxes for a class project. Please drop off your empty boxes in the front office. Thanks!