Friday, 15 May 2020

Year End Newsletter

Dear Parents,

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this last Newsletter for the current school year. As you probably know, all schools and preschools will remain closed for the rest of this summer due to the current COVID 19 pandemic. The good news is, we found a way to keep in touch with our families through face time calls, text messages, driveway visits and “YouTube Story Time with Hase and Frau Hecker”.
As sad as we all are that our preschool year was cut short, this Newsletter is going to be a reminder of all the “Happy Times” and memorable moments of an incredible preschool year.
Thank you to all parents for entrusting your child to us. It has been an absolute pleasure and joy teaching your children and we want you to know that each one of them has left footprints in our hearts!

ONE YEAR OF BUCKET FILLING
W e hope we filled our children’s buckets by teaching them new things every day (we always cheered for them along the way). Besides teaching letters and numbers, we also taught our children about the value of friendship, love and kindness. We supported them in developing important academic and social skills. The most rewarding part was that all children made new friends and developed long lasting friendships. Throughout the year we watched our children grow and blossom and fill buckets every day! I am so happy to hear that many of our parents use the “bucket filler theme” at home too. Some families even have a little bucket sitting on a table as a friendly reminder to always be mindful and kind to one another. 

HOW DID OUR STUDENTS FILL OUR BUCKET?
Larissa and I can’t think of a better job than being preschool teachers!
Our students have filled our buckets with their smiles and giggles and their funny wiggles! They have touched our hearts with their unconditional trust and their curiosity for the world around them.
We loved playing with our children, listening to them and learning from them every day. They have opened our eyes for what truly matters to their little hearts. Snack time was one of my favorite parts of the day, all of us sitting around the table, chit chatting away, sharing stories and at times being quite silly.
Very rarely did we see little tears rolling on a sad day. When that happened, our snuggles and cuddles helped to wash them away.
Hopefully, one thing that your child will remember about their preschool year will be the many days that we spent outside in the park and in our “little forest”. Allowing children to learn through exploration has created a unique bond with nature and has fostered a true love for learning. Moments that made our day were times like watching our kids building hibernation caves with sticks, counting dots on lady bugs, closing their eyes and listening to birds or simply running down the hill while holding hands. Many of our children have realized that nature is the biggest classroom of all. Even dirt and snow turned into “works sheets” when children printed letters with sticks or traced numbers in the snow. We encourage all of you to take your children outside as much as you can. The outdoors are a wonderful exploration ground for little people!

SPECIAL THANKS TO
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our amazing parents, grandparents and care givers who have supported us throughout the year by making it possible for your child to join and enjoy our program.

  • Thank you to Brevoort Park School for always inviting us to special school assemblies and events.
  • Thank you to our care partners from grade 3/4 who bonded with our 4-year-olds by doing fun activities throughout the year.
  • Thank you to our Funding Organizations (SGC & Sask Culture) for supporting our Non -Profit Preschool.
  • Thank you to SPF for subsidizing families in need.
  • A BIG Thank you goes to Marylin Stehr who volunteered her time to help in our Tuesday-Thursday class every week!!!
  • Thank you to Wendy Schneider, the president of our board of directors and all volunteer board members; Miranda Lettrari, Brianne Semenchuk, Becky Bradley, Shannon McLean-Pound and Dana Giesbrecht who have helped to run our preschool smoothly!
  • Thank you to Larissa Lorenz for investing countless hours to put together a year end slideshow and a picture album that holds together all the great memories that we have created.
Some of our students will move on to Kindergarten this Fall. We wish them all the best for this exciting new chapter in their life! Please make sure you come back and visit us as we will miss you very much!!!
Please keep checking your email or text messages for our Hansel & Gretel Preschool story time links (this will be the only way to access our preschool videos) or check the SGC website for “Kinderzimmer” English-German story time (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1P4BUASik8UaTKRoxHf8ug?view_as=subscriber). I was very touched to hear that some of our preschoolers watch the little videos for a “bedtime story”. Hase, our bunny in the hat, will continue to send you little messages as well! He is always thrilled to hear back from you as he misses you very much!

FAREWELL VISIT
Frau Lorenz and I would like to come to your house/apartment for a brief farewell visit. We will meet you outside (safe distance) to sing some of our favourite songs and deliver a picture album that holds many precious memories.
Visits will start this upcoming Tuesday and based on weather forecast, continue throughout the next two weeks. We would rather see sunshine than rain when we meet with you outside! 
We all hope that schools will reopen in September and that we will see our returning students for another year of FUN & LEARNING!
We wish you and your families a fantastic summer. Please stay happy and safe!!
Children, please remember that, even though it’s time to part, YOU will always have a special place in our heart!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Lots of Love

Uli Hecker & Larissa Lorenz

Monday, 23 March 2020

Checking In

Please click here to view the latest update from Hansel and Gretel Preschool!

Stay heathy, stay postitive, stay calm,
Uli Hecker & Lariss Lorenz

Monday, 16 March 2020

Update


Dear Parents,

During these unprecedented times, we the staff and board of directors want to keep you updated and informed of the status of Hansel & Gretel Preschool. As we are located in a public school we follow the policies and guidelines of Saskatoon Public Schools. In some provinces schools have been closed due to the corona virus with  the intention to stop the spread early. Currently Saskatoon Schools still remain open.

We as a preschool  are monitoring the situation closely as circumstances change. In case Saskatoon Schools should close, we would follow suit and communicate the closure to you immediately.

At this point, we leave it up to our families to make the best choice for your child  based on your individual  decision. 
If you should decide to keep your child home, we kindly ask you to communicate that  to  us,  as you would for any other absence.
We will continue to update you and will continue to  take extra measures to disinfect surfaces and toys to  keep our preschool a healthy and happy place!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns!

Warmly,

Wendy Schneider (President of Board of Directors)
Uli Hecker (Coordinator/Teacher)

Friday, 7 February 2020

February News


Dear Parents,

Having talked about ocean and having scared winter away with our “Fasching” songs has worked! The temperatures have started to climb up and we are finally able to play outside again!


FEBRUARY THEME: 5 SENSES
This month we will be exploring the 5 senses. Children naturally perceive the world around them by using their five senses. This month we will provide our students with a variety of activities that allows them to explore and learn about the different senses that help us to better understand the world around us.
Here are the five senses that of our umbrella unit:
          -Feel
        -See
        -Hear
        -Smell
        -Taste
It will be a fun unit, and we look forward to exploring one sense at a time with our little ones.

Outdoor Fun with Care Partners: February 14th (M-W-F class)

We are planning another fun filled morning with our care partners on Friday, February 14th. We will take the children outside to the small hill for some winter fun. Our little ones will have a chance to toboggan with their care partners, explore in the snow, and afterwards enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate. We will make a friendship card to give to our care partners on this day. Sleds will be provided by our care partners.

Valentine Cards:
Any families wishing to bring Valentine Cards to preschool are welcome to bring them to school. In case you are planning to do so, we kindly ask you to please ensure your child has a card for ALL students of our class. If you are in need of an updated class list please let us know, we are happy to provide one for you. (Tuesday/Thursday class is invited to wear pink or red on Thursday Feb. 13th)


FRIENDLY REMINDERS

- Dress for the weather
As our lovely Saskatchewan weather continues to warm up off and on, we would like to be outside each day. Please ensure your child has all the cozy, warm and water proof clothing items and foot wear they may need for these days.
This may affect our daily routine for Sharing times. On your childs scheduled day, please let us know if your able to stay a few extra minutes in the morning, and we will start the day with your childs sharing! If you're not able to stay at 9 a.m.  but would like to watch later, we will come back inside and have sharing at our usual 11:35 time. Just let us know, prior to your child’s show and tell date.

-Frau Hecker Away (February 6-25)
Frau Hecker will be away visiting family in Germany February 6-25th. During her absence Frau Lorenz will be team teaching with Frau Skinner. Mrs. Skinner has worked as a preschool teacher at our school in the past.  She also does special story time, and our little ones are in for a treat.

For any questions, reported absences or concerns while Uli Hecker will be gone please call or text:
Larissa Lorenz: 306 -220-4830 email: riss@sasktel.net
We ask parents to only contact the front office of Brevoort Park School if you can’t get a hold of the teacher.


DATES & REMINDERS

Feb 13      Students are welcome to wear red and pink
Feb 14         M-W-F class: Care Partner activities outside
Feb 17-21   Winter Break (school will resume Monday 24)
Feb 26         Scholastic Book orders are due
                     Frau Hecker will be back from Germany
Feb 28      Last day to return order forms for Mom’s pantry fundraiser forms

A special Thank You goes out to Kira’s dad who visited our MWF class to tell us all about Chinese New Year! Your special visit was greatly appreciated!



SCHOLASTIC BOOKS: ONLINE ORDERS

For any families wishing to order books for the month of February:
The deadline to order for this month is Wednesday Feb. 26th. If you need any help to set up an account, please don't hesitate to contact Frau Lorenz. As of now, we will only be using the online ordering system and no longer sending home the paper flyers. If you need another copy of the steps to create an account, please let us know.