FIRST STEP PETITE ACADEMY
SEPTEMBER 2008 NEWSLETTER

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year! Please read this newsletter carefully and keep it as a handy reference throughout the school year.

                                     MEET OUR STAFF

Directors:  Jill Leary & Lynne Baka
Asst. Director:  Jackie Kepniss
Newborns: Clara Burns & Janet Carlson
Babies: Carolyn Scheper, Angela Mannion, Jeannine Adornetto &
Mzia Menabdishvili
Crawlers: Katie Len & Kristen Ward
12-18 Months: Amanda Reper & Jamie Rosenbloom
18-24 Months: Deena Beatty & Donna DaCunha
3 Year OldsTeam: Lauren Schwab & Alison Paine
4 Year Old Team: Tracie Werner & Kim Pfauth
5 Year Old Team: Shanna Gruenewald

                          HEALTHY HABITS AND ROUTINES

First Step is open from 7:00 am - 5:30 pm, Monday - Friday. Upon arrival at school, you will find a sign in/out sheet at the Parent Information Center. Please make sure you sign your children in and out each day. Check the center daily for parent notices, program calendars, lost and found items, licensing information, and timely news. Beginning in October, each team will post monthly newsletters on our website, firststeplc.com to update you on classroom happenings.

Drop off your child directly with his teachers in his/her classroom. Lunch boxes, jackets, sleep bags, extra clothes, and show and tell items should be labeled with your child's name and placed in properly designated areas. A team teacher will be in the classroom to greet you and your child for the morning program at 9 am. If your child attends our extended day program in the morning (7 am-9 am,) please leave your child with our morning staff.

Please pick up and drop off your child according to his confirmed schedule. The morning program begins at 9:00 am. Children who are habitually late miss important social and transitional activities at the beginning of the morning. Pick up times vary from 11:30 am, 12:15 pm, 3 pm, or later. A fee is charged for late pickups after 6:00 pm and is paid directly to staff members staying late for your child. The fee, paid by cash, is $15 plus $1 for each additional minute over 15 minutes. Many First Step staff members are parents with children at home (just like you!) and need to attend to their own families. Thank you for your cooperation.
 
Each child is assigned his/her own cubby. Check your child's cubby each day for their artwork and school notices. Extra clothes may be kept at school in case of an accident. Please provide seasonal clothes in a clearly labeled gallon Ziploc bag and replace them as necessary throughout the school year.

Pack your child's lunch with food you KNOW he will eat! We encourage children to eat their healthy grow food first and then snacks. Please be mindful that our school is a PEANUT FREE school. Morning snack (10am) is provided and afternoon snack (4pm) is typically any leftover food from lunch boxes. Any food that they do not eat will be returned to you in their lunchbox so you know what was eaten. Thermal lunch boxes are required and ice packs are recommended. If you want your child to have a hot lunch, send it in a thermos. We are NOT allowed to heat up lunches of any kind. Also, please remember the napkins and utensils! It is hard to teach proper table manners without the proper tools!

Please direct any requests for schedule changes or extra time requests and payments to Jackie Kepniss. Extra time costs $8 per hour. Requests will be approved based upon First Step's space and staff availability and your reliability and cooperation in following these procedures.

First Step bookkeeping is consolidated into one office located in Whitehouse. ALL TUITION PAYMENTS must be mailed or delivered to: First Step Petite Academy, 2 Lake Drive, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889. Tuition is due on the first of the month and a $30 late fee will be assessed after the third of the month. Please direct any tuition questions to Jill Leary, jilllearv@firststeplc.com or 534-0012

                                  MEDICAL ISSUES

If your child will be absent from school for any reason, please call us in the morning and let us know. If they are sick, please advise us of the symptoms. Remember, children must be "fever free" for 24 hours prior to returning to school.

If your child needs medication to be administered at school, prior written approval is required. Forms are available at the Parent Information Center. Medication must be hi original containers with doctor's name and phone number, if applicable.

Food allergies, especially peanut and nut allergies are a growing concern among schools and children programs. At First Step Petite Academy, we choose to be "allergy responsible" to this possibly life threatening situation. This is the reason we choose to be a NUT FREE school.
Your child's teacher will notify you of any limitations for your child's classroom. Snack donations must be "nut free."
 
Sometimes young children are still mastering toilet training when they begin our program. We will work with you during this process; however, a "diaper rate" will apply until your child is toilet trained. A child is considered toilet trained at First Step when:
*Underwear is worn to school, not pull-ups
*the child is able to verbalize his/her toilet needs
*the child is able to use the child size toilets in our school
*the child is able to take care of his/her personal clean up
*the child is NOT having regular "accidents" (accidents every day)

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions. We look forward to a wonderful new school year!