What a wonderful and busy month it has been! We’ve spent September getting to know one another, building friendships, and learning each other’s names. Our classes are now beginning to settle, and the children are learning to care for both their classroom environment and their personal belongings.
We’ve also reviewed playground safety and enjoyed discovering new games out in the meadow. A special shout-out to all the children for doing exceptionally well during our first fire drill of the year — they lined up quietly, followed teacher instructions to our designated area, and confidently shouted “Here I am!” during roll call. We will continue practicing emergency procedures each month and look forward to our annual earthquake drill in October.
Building Independence at Home and School:
Children learn best through active involvement, and daily routines at home can offer great opportunities for learning and growth. Tasks like putting away toys, choosing their own clothes, brushing hair, or making simple choices help build confidence and independence.
• Over the next nine months, we encourage you to:
• Set aside a little time each day to help your child work on self-help skills
• Set clear expectations
• Add one new step to a task or make it slightly more challenging each month
• Offer support after your child has made an attempt
• Use positive language and encouragement
• We’re excited to see these growing skills reflected in the classroom!
October Focus: Leaves & Pumpkins
Throughout October, we’ll be learning all about leaves, pumpkins, and the changing season. To celebrate fall, we’re inviting families to join us on a field trip to Laity Pumpkin Patch! It will be a fun and educational day filled with exploration and play.
Permission forms will be sent home next week. Please return them by October 17.
More details will be shared with the forms.
Thank You!
A big thank you to all our families for your continued support. You've been fantastic with:
• Smooth drop-offs and pick-ups
• Submitting emergency cards and outstanding forms
• Completing the Family Activity Sheet
If you haven’t handed in your Family Activity Sheet yet, please do so along with a family photo, as we’ll be sharing these during group time soon.
We appreciate all you do and look forward to a great month ahead!
FALL BOTTLE DRIVE
Parkcrest Children’s Centre is a non-profit organization that has been providing quality child care for nearly 30 years to families in the North Burnaby community, as well as nearby areas like Coquitlam and Vancouver.
As a non-profit, we rely on fundraising to help run our programs — and we aim to do so with minimal pressure on our families.
This month, we’re excited to launch a Bottle Drive to raise funds for our Centre!
Here’s how you can help:
We’re asking each child to bring in 20 empty, rinsed beverage containers.
Our goal is to collect 1,000 bottles, and extra donations are always welcome!
Drop-off Options:
At the Preschool-Please place your rinsed containers in or around our blue bin at the preschool.
At the Kensington Return-It Depot-They’ve made it easy! Go to the kiosk near the entrance. Type in 604-294-6224. Attach the printed labels to each bag. Drop the bags into the large blue bins just past the cashier. The depot will sort the containers and deposit the refund directly into our account.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
Scholastic Canada offers a fantastic selection of books at affordable prices for home reading and gifts. We have been a part of this book club for many years. For every purchase, we receive a credit and use it towards the purchase of new books and supplies for our Centre. Please use our class code when placing your order RC174102.
Families who chose to order books can view the Digi-flyer at https://classroomessentials.scholastic.ca/s/cec-ca/en/digital-catalogues
There is an easy Pay online system. All paid orders will be forwarded to the preschool and combined for free shipping. Upon delivery, teachers will hand out your order.
There is absolutely no obligation to order books – just an opportunity if you wish.
LAITY PUMPKIN PATCH
We’re excited to announce our upcoming field trip to Laity Pumpkin Patch for a fun-filled morning of outdoor activities, exploration, and fall festivities! We warmly invite all children and their families to join us for this special event. We will be meeting everyone at the pumpkin patch! Please return forms and payment by Friday, October 17th.
Schedule:
Wednesday, October 29 for the 3 day class @ 9:50am
Thursday, October 30 for the 2 day class @ 9:50am
PICK UP/DROP OFF
Just a reminder to share our pick up and drop off procedures with anyone who will be picking up children from the preschool. We appreciate that parents/guardians/alternate persons arrive on time.
DONATIONS NEEDED!
It takes a lot to keep our preschool classes running. Before you toss it away, please consider dropping them off to us. We are looking for the following items:
- buttons - stickers - paper - cardboard boxes of all sizes - beads - jewels -bottle caps -coloured masking tape -empty paper towel roll (not toilet rolls) -plastic table cloths (white) -paper bags -small clear cellophane bags -glue sticks
SNACK
Snack time has quickly become a favourite part of our day! The children have been really enjoying the fresh fruit that our families have so kindly been sharing. It’s been wonderful to see them trying new things and enjoying the variety together.
A big thank you to all the families who have been contributing!
Please continue bringing in fruit on Mondays and Tuesdays—the children look forward to the colorful selection each day, and it’s a lovely way to build community and healthy habits!
We appreciate your support in helping make snack time a happy (and delicious!) part of our program.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS REMINDER
As we move through cold and flu season, a gentle reminder to please keep your child home if they are showing cold or flu symptoms. This helps keep everyone in our classroom community healthy and safe.
We understand that some symptoms—like a runny nose or low-grade fever—can sometimes be caused by things like teething or seasonal allergies. In these cases, it’s important to consider what’s typical for your child.
If you’re unsure whether your child should attend, we encourage you to contact your health care provider, or call 8-1-1 to speak with a nurse for guidance.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for all!
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
If your child has a communicable disease such as pink eye, strep throat, hand foot and mouth disease, etc., please notify the Centre immediately. If you are not sure, have it reviewed by a physician.
Your notification is very important and is always confidential. Remember, if you think your child is ill, please keep them at home.
PARENT BOARD & ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Parkcrest Child Care Society has proudly served the Burnaby North community for nearly 30 years, providing quality preschool and out-of-school care programs to local families.
Strong communities are built on strong local support—and Parkcrest is a vibrant, evolving Centre that continues to grow and adapt to meet the needs of our families. One of the ways you can help shape this growth is by getting involved.
Interested in making a difference?
Consider becoming a Board Member! It’s a meaningful way to:
Share your ideas and energy, help identify and meet community needs, contribute to the development of our Centre and support local children and families
Save the Date: Virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Tuesday, November 25 at 7:30 PM
Details to follow.
We warmly invite all families to attend. The AGM is a great opportunity to stay informed, get involved, and connect with our vision for the future. Keep an eye out for this year’s special presentation topic—coming soon!
A signup sheet will be posted next month to reserve your spot!
Important Dates to Remember:
Bottle Drive All month!
Scholastic online orders October 10
Thanksgiving Day October 13 – No Preschool
Professional Day October 24 - No Preschool
Laity Pumpkin Patch October 29 & 30
All notices will be available on our website. info@parkcrestchildcaresociety.ca
Subscribe to” Up to” on our events page and get reminders and notifications for important dates