Welcome!
Dear FUMC PreSchool Community,
I hope your family has had an amazing summer to relax and recharge. The beginning of our FUMC PreSchool year is rapidly approaching. We are so excited to have our classrooms full of laughter and playing.
This letter includes important dates, background check information, school supply lists, tuition amounts, lunch bunch, nursery and paid workday information and MORE. Please read this letter carefully, if you have any questions, please contact me and I would be happy to help.
The entire staff is excited for a fun, new upcoming year. We all believe in the parent cooperative preschool model and are looking forward to partnering with you and your family throughout your Preschooler’s early childhood journey.
Parents Meeting
Our Back-to-School Parent’s Meeting will be held in the FUMC Fellowship Hall on Wednesday, August 31st. The general meeting will begin in Fellowship Hall at 6:15pm for all classes. Please refer to the following schedule:
Mrs. Elliott’s MWF Class arrive at 5:30- meet in classroom for parent workday training, then join general meeting in Fellowship Hall at 6:15pm
Mrs. Elliott TTH Class arrive at 6:15pm go to Fellowship Hall
Ms. Bailey Class & Mrs. Hamilton’s MWF PreK arrive at 6:15pm go to Fellowship Hall
Mrs. Franks 4 Day Class arrive at 6:15pm go to Fellowship Hall
We will meet all together as a community in the Fellowship Hall before (or after in the case of Primary MWF 3’s) you meet in your child’s classroom with his or her teacher’s. This meeting is very important to attend. This is the opportunity for you as a parent to learn about our program, what your child will be learning in preschool, parent helper training, pick up your parent folder, sign up for your first semester of parent workdays and ask any questions. During this meeting, we will walk parents through how to check in your child, discuss snack policies, curriculum, cleaning procedures, covid-19 procedures, Bright Wheel, parent volunteer days, etc. This is also a great opportunity to meet some other parents and learn from some alumni.
Just to note, no childcare offered- This meeting is for PARENTS ONLY!
Orientation & 1st Days of School:
Our first day of preschool will be Classroom Orientation. Students and Parent/s or a loved one will attend together to explore their classrooms, meet their teacher and other students, and begin to feel comfortable in their new environment. There is no nursery available on orientation days.
Orientation Dates/ Times are listed below:
Tuesday September 6th –
Mrs. Elliott’s T/Th 3's class Time 9:00-10:00am
Mrs. Frank’s 4 day Pre-K class Time 9:15am- 10:15am
Wednesday September 7th –
Mrs. Elliott’s MWF 3’s Time 9:00-10:00am
Ms. Bailey’s & Mrs. Hamilton’s Pre-K class Time 9:15- 10:15am
New Updates for 2022-2023 School Year:
Click below to read our updated Parent Handbook and Covid-19 Policies. Please make sure to read it, sign the acknowledgement forms for both documents. Email Ali Gessler, the preschool director at preschooldir@fcfumc.net for questions.
Staggering Start and End Times for Classes:
We will be staggering the start and end times for Primary and PreK to help eliminate large gatherings outside the classroom. Below are the schedules for each class:
Primary MWF and T/TH classes: 9am to 12pm
MWF Pre-K classes: 9:15am to 12:15pm
4 Day Pre-K class: 9:15am-12:15pm
Drop Off /Pick Up Procedures:
We will walk you through this process at the Parent Meeting. We use a digital web-based program called Brightwheel to have parents sign in and out your child. This program also records your child’s health check each day, which will make drop off smoother for everyone involved.
Our Covid-19 policy will be out in a few weeks with further information. We will follow CDC and local Health Department guidelines.
Tuition:
Starting August 1st, we will be collecting tuition monthly through Brightwheel. You will receive a monthly invoice. With this app, each family can set up optional autopay and you have the choice to pay with credit card or debit card/ACH (digital payment from your checking account). Please note that you will be asked to pay the processing fee of 2.9% for credit card payments and/or .6o cents for debit/ACH payments. You can also set up payments with your bank account.
We will also accept cash or check. Tuition will be due the 5th of each month.
Monthly Tuition rates: 4 day - $290 3 day - $220 2 day: $160
Brightwheel:
In addition to using this software for our digital check in/out process, documenting daily health checks/contact tracing and our billing platform, this software allows you as a parent to keep all your students information all together in one app. This will also be used as a communication tool between school, teachers, and parents with messaging capabilities on both sides. Parents will be able to receive whole school and individual class messages, announcements, and reminders. This app will also allow parents to send messages to teachers and administration easily.
School Supply List:
We are asking families to bring in School Supplies for each child. There are about 7-8 items on the list. Please bring these items on Orientation Day labeled with your child’s name. Some of these items will be communal and some will not be shared to help bring down the amount of spreading germs. We are also seeking optional donations of wish list items for the school.
These lists will out at Back to School Night.
Parent Workdays:
We are excited to welcome parents in our classrooms again this year. This provides a wonderful opportunity to engage with our teachers, your children, get to know others in your child’s class and be a part of our community.
Parent Volunteer Background Checks All family members planning on doing workdays during the school year will need to submit a background check through Sterling Volunteers. The fee for the background check is $19 per person. Individuals without a background check will not be allowed to volunteer for a workday. Invitation link will be sent out in end of August through Sterling Volunteers. Keep a look out in your emails. Both parents will receive an email invitation.
Paid Workdays If you are planning to pay for all or some of your Parent Workdays, please click the links below to complete Parent Workday Options. To help with our budgeting and scheduling of workdays this form needs to be returned by August 15th. You will receive an invoice for this payment through Brightwheel. If you are planning on doing all your workdays there is no need to fill out the form
Extra Care:
Nursery The Nursery for younger siblings during parent workdays will be offered 1-2 times per month at fee of $25.00 per nursery visit. Please click below to complete the Nursery Registration form if you will be using the nursery this year. Return by August 17th. You will be granted permission to sign up for your workday on the designated Nursery days offered, which will be the 1st Monday and 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Lunch Bunch- For those families who would like extended care, we will offer Lunch Bunch on Mondays and Wednesdays right after preschool until 1:30pm. You will need to reserve your child’s spot for a month at a time to keep the group of children with staff consistent. The cost of lunch bunch is $15 per day. We will be sending out a link for signups each month. In September you can sign up for October dates and so forth.
Child Forms:
If you still have forms that need to be completed, please Click Here
In the next few weeks, we will be going through each child’s file and contacting you with missing paperwork. Reminder: Health statements must be completed by a physician each year.
Room Parent/ Volunteer:
Have a little time and want to be more involved? This year we are asking for a Classroom Community Parent/Volunteer. This person will help coordinate workday changes, work with supporting your child’s classroom teacher, and arrange any extra volunteer opportunities for your child’s classroom (i.e. playdough making, laundry, special days, etc). Please Click Below if you are interested.
Looking forward to seeing all of you very soon. Please feel free to email Ali Gessler at preschooldir@fcfumc.net with any questions.