Reminder!

Just a reminder that the Center will be closed on Thursday, December 23rd, and Friday, December 24th in observance of the Christmas holiday.
We will also be closed Thursday, December 30th, and Friday, December 31st in observance of New Year's.

Two Hour Delay

Oakhurst Child Development Center will operate on a two-hour delay on Friday, December 17th, 2010. We will open at 9 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.

CENTER CLOSED

Oakhurst Child Development Center will be CLOSED Monday, December 13th, 2010 due to inclement weather.

November Already?!

Wow! We can't believe how quickly it seems that September and October have flown by! We all had a great time at our Halloween parties, and the little ones had a great day Trick-or-Treating at Pitney Bowes and the offices at the church.
With Thanksgiving over, the holidays are quickly approaching. This is a busy time around the Center and for most families as well, so here are some upcoming events and reminders!

• Christmas pictures will be taken on Wednesday, November 10th starting at 10:30 a.m. If you have a special outfit that you would like for your child to wear, please SEND it with him or her and the teachers will change your child. This way the students will not get special outfits messy at breakfast!
• The CDC's annual Thanksgiving luncheon will be Thursday, November 18th at 11:30 a.m. All families are invited to attend. There are sign-up sheets for each class; please take the time to let us know how many will be attending so that we may plan accordingly.
• The Center will be CLOSED Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th in observance of Thanksgiving.
• The Center will be CLOSED Thursday, December 23rd and Friday, December 24th in observance of Christmas.
• The Center will be CLOSED Thursday, December 30th and Friday, December 31st in observance of the New Year holiday.

Christmas Pictures

Christmas Pictures will be taken on Wednesday, November 10th. Pictures will start at 9 a.m. on this day. Please send your child's clothes for pictures with them- this will ensure they do not get their outfits messy during breakfast or play prior to the pictures.

Another new bus- and another grant!

There is a lot of excitement around the Center lately! On Thursday we picked up our new bus that we received through a grant from the MountainHeart Community Services. This was the second grant we received from this organization- the first was used to pay off the remainder of the first bus we purchased. The children are very excited that they will all be transported using the new buses, and the Center is very excited to be in compliance with new Department of Transportation guidelines well ahead of the 2012 deadline.

We also received word last week that we were given another grant through the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation to enhance the playground! The grant, for $8,450, will be used to install an outdoor water fountain, purchase a storage shed, and make other updates.

Labor Day and September Reminders!

Just a reminder for all parents that the Center will be CLOSED on Monday, September 6th in observance of Labor Day!

For parents of children in the Threes Room (Mrs. Tiffany's and Mrs. Haley's Giraffes), please remember to bring in a family snapshot on Thursday, September 2nd! Also, once a week this class will be asked to dress in the color that they are learning about that week. On September 8th, please wear red; on September 15th, wear blue; and on September 22nd, wear yellow! On Friday, September 17th the Giraffes will be having a pajama party- everyone is asked to wear their PJs and bring in a snack to share with their class.

For Pre-K parents, please note that Kanawha County Schools Pre-K does not meet on Fridays. Daycare still meets for those children who are enrolled in that program. Additionally, Pre-K will not meet on Thursday, September 2nd due to a KCS Early Out. If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Dana!

Schoolers parents, please remember to call in advance if your child will not be riding the van to the center after school. Parents who do not call will be charged $10.00 for every no-call no-show on the van.

All students should be picked up promptly by 6:00 p.m. every day. Parents will be charged $1.00 per minute per child if students are picked up past this time.

The security system cameras are now up and running for all locations and the new doors have been installed! We are currently working on painting the doors and the security and door companies are in the process of completing the installation of all components. The card entry system should be operational in the next couple of weeks and when this occurs, each family will receive more information about how the system will work.

We are looking forward to a great fall! If you have any questions or concerns, please see Ms. Bonnie or your child's teacher!

Wishlists!

With the start of the school year, the classroom teachers have many exciting and fun projects planned for all students. These projects will expand each child's learning and creativity, and parents can help make these projects even better! Teachers have posted wishlists for their classrooms of items that will enhance their lessons and activities this year. Feel free to donate any items listed, but please do not feel obligated!

Twos Room- Ms. Tracey

• Glue sticks
• Glue bottles
• Moon sand
• Play Doh
• Crayola markers
• Cray0la "fat" crayons
• Wooden puzzles
• Gently used board books
• Gently used toys and dress-up clothes
• Construction paper
• Finger paint
• Stickers

Threes Room- Ms. Tiffany

• Crayola jumbo crayons
• Crayola washable markers
• Glue sticks
• Glue bottles
• Lysol
• Clorox wipes
• Baby wipes
• Velcro dots
• Tissue paper
• Contact paper
• Construction paper

Pre-K- Ms. Dana

• Crayola jumbo crayons
• Crayola jumbo markers
• Glue sticks
• Bottle glue
• Lysol
• Clorox wipes
• Stickers
• Envelopes
• Writing supplies (for use in writing center)
• Clothes pins
• Old men's long sleeve dress shirts (to use while painting)
• Old newspaper

Another Autumn Begins!

It's hard to believe that summer is over- it definitely flew by for everyone here at Oakhurst CDC! School is back in session for the older kids, kindergarten has started for our former Pre-K students, and the younger children at the center are moving up to their new classes as well. It's a big time of transition for everyone, which can be especially hard on younger ones, so be prepared for some tears or hesitation on occasion! Just remember our little saying- "Even if your child is tearful, keep the good-bye short and cheerful!" Most children calm down within minutes of being dropped off!

As the school year starts, here are a few reminders for parents from the staff at Oakhurst:

• All classes are now meeting in Ms. Tiffany's room in the mornings for drop-off. This is the first door on your left upstairs.
• Kanawha County Pre-K will begin Wednesday, August 25th at 8:30 a.m. KCS Pre-K will run from 8:30 to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Daycare will be available before Pre-K, after Pre-K, and on Fridays for those families who have registered. Please remember that on Kanawha County Pre-K days, tardies will be counted on your child's permanent record and that each child is allowed a certain number of excused absences per year. Ms. Dana can offer parents more information on the attendance policy as well.
• All schoolers who ride the van for morning drop off must be here no later than 7:05 a.m. This allows us time to drop children off at three schools in plenty of time. If a child arrives later than 7:05 a.m., his or her parents will be responsible for transporting their child to school.

Also, congratulations to Mrs. Haley- she was married this weekend! :)

August Odds-N-Ends

• Thank you to all the parents and community members who supported the schoolers' lemonade stand, bake sale, and hot dog sale! The schoolers had a great time participating in these activities and learned a lot! The money raised will go towards the schoolers' end-of-year carnival.
• If your child will be attending elementary school next year and will need transportation to or from their school, please be sure that you have signed up on the sheets available in the schoolers and pre-k rooms. This will allow us to have an accurate count for the buses for the coming school year. Oakhurst offers transportation to Montrose, Richmond, and Bridgeview schools in the morning and transporation from Montrose, Richmond, Kenna, and Bridgeview schools in the afternoon.
• Please be sure to visit your child's calendar page on our website (http://www.oakhurstkids.com) to see upcoming events for your child's class. Our summer schedules are winding down, but several classes have special events or parties coming up.

Security System Update

We are very excited that our security system is in the process of being installed. NewTech Systems is currently working on installing cameras for the front, back, and side doors as well as the field area, bike path, and playground. These cameras will work in conjunction with a card reader system that will be installed shortly. After new front doors are installed, the sytem will be put in into place and each family will be given an entry card for the front door. When dropping off or picking up a child, the family member will swipe the card to unlock the front door. If a family member does not have a card or forgets it, he or she will ring the buzzer and the church secretary or CDC director will buzz him or her in.

2010 Federal Food Program Forms

This is a reminder for all parents and guardians that the 2010 Applications for Free and Reduced Price Meals were distributed to all students on Tuesday. These were attached to sign-in/sign-out sheets or put in your child's pocket in the hallway. These forms must be returned to your child's teacher by Friday, July 30th. If your family does not qualify and you do not wish to provide financial information, you may write "N/A" in the corresponding space. You must, however, provide your child(ren)'s name(s) and your social security number and sign the form. Thank you for your cooperation!

Summer fun!

It's hard to believe that summer is almost halfway over! With all the fun our students (and teachers!) have been having, the past few weeks have flown by. Our 2's and 3's classes are learning lots of new information about the rain forest and outer space, respectively. Feel free to stop by Mrs. Tiffany's room to see the moon rocks and lunar rovers the students have been working on, or stop by Mrs. Tracey's room to ask the kids what a "bromeliad" is. We've learned a lot this summer and are eager to share our new knowledge!

Mrs. Dana's Pre-K class is having a busy summer as well! The students have been learning about all about the ocean and have been busy with field trips as well. Pre-K takes a walking field trip to the library for the summer reading program every week, plus they have been to the pool and the movies. They will be heading to Chuck-E-Cheese today! They will be squeezing in as much fun as possible before heading off to kindergarten next month.

Schoolers have been on the go almost every day over the past few weeks. On Mondays and Fridays they go to Shawnee park and pool for swimming and lunch. The lifeguards have been wonderful at this pool and know our students and their swimming levels well- THANK YOU to all of the lifeguards! Schoolers have also been to the movies to see "The Karate Kid" and the free movie "Astro Boy", the Clay Center, the Popcorn Store, Risin' Dough Bakery, the Dairy Bar, and to Ms. Bonnie's farm to ride her horses. Upcoming field trips include Pump Up the Fun, the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", the WCHS news station, and ice skating.

If you are a parent considering enrolling your child for the fall, please be sure to call as soon as possible. We only have a few spots left in the twos and threes rooms and the Pre-K class, and the schoolers room is full. If you have a school-age child that you wish to enroll, however, please call us to see if we have had any openings or to put your child on the waitlist.

Schooler Reminders!

Here are a few reminder for schoolers and their parents from Ms. Lynn and Mrs. Karen:

• Please make sure your child has a water bottle and sunscreen marked with his or her name. Also, your child must have a signed sunscreen permission form in order to have sunscreen applied. This is a licensing regulation.
• If your daughter is wearing a skirt, please make sure she wears shorts underneath so that she may play comfortably.
• All schoolers must wear shoes with backs- preferably tennis shoes! NO FLIP FLOPS!
• Silly Bandz and all other shape bracelets are NOT allowed. These were being lost and traded and in order to keep problems to a minimum, we ask that you keep these bracelets at home.

Please see the Schoolers' teachers if you have any questions.

News and Updates!

Wow! Time has flown by, spring is gone, and we are heading full-speed into SUMMER! Our summer programs are kicking off this week for all ages and we are anticipating three months of fun for everyone! We also have some staffing changes and additions, so here is the news for each of our rooms:

• Two's Room: Ms. Tracey will be leading the Two's room into a rain forest adventure this summer! The little ones will be learning all about the plants and animals that can be found in this environment. Mrs. Amanda will be back this summer to help in the Two's Room, and a new summer helper named Ms. Natalie will be an afternoon teacher as well.
• Three's Room: Mrs. Tiffany and Ms. Haley will be blasting off with the Giraffes for an outer space adventure this summer. The threes will be having a great time learning about the stars, moon, sun and planets for their summer learning adventure.
• Pre-K: Ms. Dana and Ms. Monica will be diving in with the kids for an underwater adventure this summer. The Pre-K class will be taking their field trips on Tuesdays, to places such as the movies and the pool. Water Day and Toy Day will be each Friday, so each child needs to bring a swinsuit, towel, dry clothes and underwear, and shoes for water day- NO FLIP FLOPS, please! Water day is held in the field and shoes ensure no bee stings or bruises from stepping on a stray rock.
• Schoolers: Ms. Lynn and Mrs. Karen, along with a new teacher Ms. Amanda, will be keeping the schoolers busy all summer long. Lots of field trips are planned for this group on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Currently scheduled for the month of June are trips to Ms. Bonnie's farm, the pool, Safety City, Kanawha State Forest for fishing, and bowling. Reminder: The cost of field trips is included in tuition for private pay students. Parents of Connect students are responsible for the cost of field trips.

In other news, we have received two grants from the WV Department of Health and Human Resources and Mountain Heart Community Services that total almost $80,000! These grants will be used to pay off the loan on our new bus and receive another bus to replace the White Van. We are very excited about this, as we will now be in compliance with transportation regulations for 2012 ahead of time!

Closing Early!

Oakhurst CDC will be closing at 2 pm today, Tuesday, February 16th. All children should be picked up by this time. Please call the center at (304) 746-0099 if you have any questions.

Busy Week!

It's only 9 a.m. and things are already buzzing around the Center today! All of our classes are having their Valentine's Day parties today, so we are seeing lots of red, pink, and purple on lots of excited children (and teachers)! The students are particularly excited about pizza for lunch in the Threes room and the Pre-K room (and pizza bites in the Twos room) and about exchanging Valentines with their classmates.
In addition to our Valentines Day party, Ms. Pam from the South Charleston Public Library came to the preschool and Pre-K classes for library time on Monday. This week our lesson was all about one of our favorite animals- pigs! We read books about pigs, sang songs, and did a pink piggy art project.
Although the Center was closed due to the bad weather on Wednesday, Ms. Tracey and the Twos room still had their Chinese New Year party on Thursday. The Twos learned about different kinds of foods, the color red, and ate a good-luck snack- tangerines! They also made paper lanterns to celebrate this holiday.

Pre-K parents, please note that Monday, February 15th will be a make-up day for Pre-K due to the snow days we have had recently. Kanawha County Pre-K will be held from 9 to noon on that day.

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to the Oakhurst Child Development Center blog! We will update this page regularly with news and information about the center and updates from our classrooms. Parents can also view this page for closing information in case of inclement weather!