Thoughts for a successful year, brought to you by the teachers of Riverview Nursery School. 

TIPS FOR PARENTS

PARENT PARTICIPATION  
We love to have parents participate in the 3s and 4s classroom. Parents are welcome to share family holidays and traditions, read books, play musical instruments, share what they do at work, etc. These are all wonderful opportunities to celebrate each child's specialness in our school community, We also invite parents to volunteer for our care projects. 

ARRIVING ON TIME  
The school day goes by quickly and missing part of the scheduled activities is difficult for children who arrive late.  It can also be intimidating to enter a classroom after their friends are already absorbed in play.

SAYING GOOD-BYE  
We encourage all parents to immediately form a pattern of dropping your child off in his classroom and leaving very soon thereafter, once you have adequately said good-bye and assured him that you will be back soon.  Establishing a short routine provides security in this transition.  It communicates to your child that you know he is safe, that you know where he is and that you will be back.  

SEPARATING (ANXIETY)  
In the summer months, begin initiating conversations about school. You can talk about some fun activities, such as riding bikes, painting, reading books, building with blocks and playing outdoors.  You can also provide your child with other experiences where there are short good-byes.  If she experiences separation anxiety in the initial days of school, the teachers are experienced in comforting children and helping them through the process of adjusting to school.  Our two year old program schedules shorter days in September to help children make the transition to school.

DIAPERING  AND TOILET TRAINING
Most Two’s are still wearing diapers, especially at the beginning of the school year.  We promptly change soiled diapers.  Please bring them to school wearing a dry diaper and bring a clean diaper in your child’s tote bag each day.

We are thrilled to assist in the toilet training process for any two-year old interested and ready for this important step.  We invite children to use the toilet several times during our time together each day. Once a child has begun toilet training, it is a good idea to discontinue diaper usage and switch to Pull-ups, if not to training pants or underwear.  This makes using the toilet easier and communicates an awareness that your child is growing up. 

Children entering the Three’s program must be toilet trained by September.  Pull-ups are acceptable to wear at the beginning of school but quickly change to underwear during October. We will call parents of three and four year olds to assist in changing soiled underwear. 

PACIFIERS  
Children develop language skills and communicate more effectively when they have graduated from pacifiers. 

BITING AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR  
It is our desire to create a safe environment for all children.  Knowing that biting is not always a sign of aggression, we want to address it sensitively and directly on a personal basis with any child who bites.  If you are aware that your child does have biting tendencies, or any aggressive behaviors, please bring this to our attention.  We can be on the lookout for it, try to head off incidents, and, most importantly, we can partner with you towards eliminating this behavior and maintaining a safe environment.

BRINGING THINGS FROM HOME TO SCHOOL  
From the first day of nursery school in September to the last in June, it is our desire to contribute to your child’s independence and security.  We do not allow pacifiers, bottles or sippy cups for sanitary reasons.  They are always an open invitation for other children to use as their own.  We also exclude blankets, stuffed animals or other security items as they tend to inhibit a child from being immersed in classroom activities and social interactions.  Toys from home create sharing issues and can be lost or broken.  On the other hand, books are wonderful things from home to share with friends at school.

SNACKS  
Snack time is an important part of our day. This time is a wonderful time to develop social eating habits as we share our snack time together. We welcome fruit, vegetables, cheese, crackers, yogurt, muffins, etc. We will always serve water but you may choose to bring in 1% milk. All parents will be informed of any allergies in a class and we request that children bring snacks free of these allergens. We ask for high sugar and sugary fruit snacks to be left at home as we use this time to encourage healthy eating.

NEWSLETTERS  
Expect monthly newsletters to be mailed out at the beginning of each month.  Without exception, each newsletter contains information that you need to know, such as classroom events, conferences, field trips, etc.  Please take a few minutes to read each one and be sure that we have a current email address.