UPDATED by Joyce Handran, Preschool Director - 09.03.21
Messiah Preschool Families:
The preschool was buzzing with activity this week as the staff busied themselves preparing their classrooms for the upcoming Meet 'n Greets and the start of the new school year. The Messiah Preschool team is very excited to welcome your preschooler into their classroom!
First Day of Preschool—Sept. 13
Morning classes run from 8:45-11:30 a.m., except for the Extended Pre-K class which runs from 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
This coming week at the preschool…
Meet 'n Greets:
By now you should have received an email from your child's teacher inviting you to attend a Meet 'n Greet opportunity this coming week. Please reply to this email if, after checking your junk folder, you still don't see a welcome email from your child's teacher. It should come from a messiahvancouver.org email address.
Each class has their own specified time on the playground for their Meet 'n Greet. Please join us by entering through the gate leading into the north playground. All participants will be invited to play on the playground while the classroom teacher and assistant give each child and their accompanying adult their own sneak peek of the classroom. If time allows, your child is welcome to resume play on the playground after visiting the classroom.
In an effort to limit exposure and allow for physical distancing, we encourage families to plan for just one adult to accompany their preschooler to this event. Of course, siblings are welcome if childcare is not readily available. This is a masked event for all participants age 3 and older.
Meet 'n Greet schedule:
Sept. 7, 9-10:30am: 3-day Pre-K Class (Mrs. Bogart & Mrs. Albright):
Sept. 7, 11am-12pm: 3-day Beginner Class (Miss Cheyenne & Mrs. Haywood)
Sept. 8, 9-10:30am: 4-day Pre-K Class (Mrs. Van Buskirk & Mrs. Parish)
Sept. 8, 11am-12pm: Extended Pre-K Class (Mrs. McCollum & Mrs. Sollenberger)
New Parent Orientation—September 9, 2021
A 30-45 minute New Parent Orientation is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 9 in the church sanctuary. This meeting, while not mandatory, will cover important preschool policies and procedures. Returning families desiring a refresher course are also welcome to attend. Please make arrangements for childcare.
Tuition Payments
Tuition is usually due the first day of each month. A $10 late fee is assessed for payments received after the 5th. September's tuition, however, isn't due until September 17th and may be paid via the following methods:
--Cash/check (payable to Messiah Preschool) mailed to the preschool or hand-delivered to the Preschool Director or the Church's Office Administrator. If paying with cash, please get a receipt at the time of payment.
--Online via HeadMaster (user names & passwords were mailed out August 30). Check with the preschool office if you've misplaced yours. Click hereto pay online via HeadMaster (mobile app available). View rates. (Note: Church members receive a 5% discount on each child's tuition as do families with multiple children enrolled at one time. Sibling and church member discounts may not be combined).
Messiah Preschool's Covid-19 Protocols
- Conduct a daily health screen of your child before bringing them to preschool. We trust that if they, or anyone in your household, is exhibiting any signs of illness, you will keep them home.
- If a child appears ill, we will call you and expect that they will be picked up within 30 minutes.
- Messiah Preschool will be requiring all staff, families and preschoolers age 3 and older to wear a face covering while on school grounds.
- Students must wear a cloth or surgical face mask at all times, except during snack/lunch and mask breaks. Students must have a back-up mask in their backpack/bag. Since many children at this young age are still learning to respect the personal space of others, masks will be required while playing outdoors.
- Please respect a minimum of 3-feet physical distancing while on the preschool grounds.
- Only staff and students will be admitted inside the preschool--please take your child to the restroom before coming to school.
- Students will be dropped off and picked up outside at the external door to their classroom. Markers will be present on the walkways to assist with physical distancing. The 4-day classes will enter and exit through the north playground gate. The 3-day classes will enter and exit through the south playground gates. Please keep your child with you at all times; the playground equipment is off-limits during drop-off and pick-up times.
- Late arrivals: If the gates are closed upon arrival, please ring the doorbell at the preschool's main entrance. A staff member will assist you with signing your child in and then walk them to their classroom.
- Finally, many of us are new to "doing preschool" under the current circumstances. The word of this season continues to be "grace." As always, we appreciate your patience, understanding and grace as we travel this adventure together.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend!
Joyce Handran, Preschool Director
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INFORMATION POSTED EARLIER
With preschool starting up shortly, it is time to share with you some important dates and bring you up to speed regarding our plans for the fall.
First Day of Preschool
The first day of preschool for the 2021-22 school year will be as follows:
Monday, Sept. 13 for all 3 and 4-day classes
All classes will be in the morning and Beginner and Pre-K will run from 8:45-11:30 a.m.
Extended Pre-K 4-day class runs from 8:45-12:45 p.m.
3-day morning Beginner
3-day morning Pre-K
4-day morning Pre-K
4-day morning Extended Pre-K
Enrollment
Many preschools, Messiah Preschool included, have been hit hard by COVID and are struggling to build back up its enrollment. We have a few classes that need more students to be able to run in the fall. We have been in touch with the families in those classes and have established back-up plans should their class be phased out due to low enrollment. We have decided to offer four classes this year: 3-day morning Beginner, 3-day morning Pre-K, 4-day morning Pre-K, 4-day morning Extended Pre-K. The only class that is currently full is the 4-day morning Pre-K class (not the Extended Pre-K class). All other classes have openings. We greatly appreciate your referrals!
New Parent Orientation—September 9, 2021
A 30-45 minute New Parent Orientation is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 9 in the church sanctuary. This meeting, while not mandatory, will cover important preschool policies and procedures. Please make arrangements for childcare.
Fall Plans
Messiah Preschool appreciates your patience as we monitor the health and safety guidelines recommended by the Washington State Dept. of Health, CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and those implemented by the local school district. We have put a plan in place that we feel best serves our preschool community, one based upon keeping our classes in cohorts with safety precautions in place that protect the students but still promotes play and socialization.
This plan includes most of the routines and protocols Messiah had in place when we opened this past January, routines that served us well. Thanks to the efforts of our preschool families and staff, we had no Covid exposures and were able to provide five months of uninterrupted, stimulating learning experiences for our preschoolers.
We plan to begin the school year with the following Covid protocols in place:
Face Masks
Messiah Preschool will be requiring all staff, families and preschoolers age 2 and older to wear a cloth or surgical face mask, except for when eating.
Meet 'n Greets
Each class will be offering families an opportunity to visit the classroom during the week of September 6-10. Your child's teacher will notify you later this month of the date and time of your child's Meet 'n Greet. The current plan is to schedule a 1.5 hour Meet 'n Greet for your child's entire class. All participants will be invited to play on the playground while the classroom teacher and assistant give each child and their accompanying adult their own sneak peek of the classroom.
Student drop-off/pick-up
Students will be dropped off and picked up outside at the external door to their classroom. Markers will be present on the walkways to assist with physical distancing. Please keep your child with you at all times; the playground equipment is off-limits during drop-off and pick-up times.
Health Screenings & Temperature Checks
While on-site health screenings and temperature checks will no longer be required prior to entry, please keep your child home if they are running a fever or experiencing other symptoms of illness.
Volunteering in the Classroom
Because of our overall goal of reducing contact with shared spaces, we are limiting access to the preschool building to staff and children. We will re-evaluate having volunteers in the classroom over the course of the year in accordance with the health and safety guidelines at that time.
Chapel
In-person chapel will start a few weeks into the school year. Families are invited to attend chapel while adhering to mask and distancing guidelines. More details to follow.
Friday Footnotes
The preschool office will be sending out weekly emails on Fridays during the school year. Everyone receiving this email should receive all preschool-wide correspondence. If only one parent is receiving this email and the other would like to be included, please reply to this email with the name and email address you would like to add. Please add
Required Paperwork
If you have pages from your child's registration packet left to fill out, please do so and return them to the church office as soon as possible (summer office hours: Mon.-Thurs., 9-12pm).Your child's teacher will be reviewing these forms prior to the start of school. Also required is a copy of your child's immunization form or a Certificate of Exemption signed by a physician. Please have this form ready to submit the first week of school. Forms may also be faxed to the church office at 360.571.7779 or scanned and emailed to
Should you know of anyone looking for a preschool program, please encourage them to call the preschool at 360.574.2686 or send an
Please don't hesitate to
We look forward to seeing you in September!
Joyce Handran, Preschool Director