UPCNS JANUARY NEWSLETTER, 2013
Message from the Director: Welcome back! I hope you all had a wondrous holiday season and
enjoyed your vacation time from school. We have several new children starting school here in
January and an additional T/TH morning class beginning in the Neighbor’s classroom. I would
like to welcome all of these new students to our school family!
We are now looking forward to the New Year and to teaching the children about winter animals,
winter activities, winter weather, ice experiments, igloos and our solar system. We will continue to
take the children outside for play daily, even in the snow. Please make sure you send in their boots,
snow pants, jackets, mittens and hats, labeled with their names. We discourage the use of scarves
and gloves at this age. We find that the reusable shopping bags make great bags for carrying all
their snow clothes to and from school, instead of trying to stuff them into their back packs. They
need their back packs for their school work. We have some reusable bags on hand if you need one.
Just ask any teacher and they’d be happy to provide you with one. As always, feel free to stop by
my office anytime with your questions, concerns, comments or just to say hello. You are always
welcome.
Happy New Year,
Sandy Leacu (lay-Q)
Director
For your income tax filing, you may be able to write off some or all of the tuition cost
of preschool. Here is our tax ID # 042-898-540 to help you with that.
Thank you Notes:
Thank you all for your generous donations from our classroom wish lists and for
our holiday parties. The baked goods, beverages and paper products really made
the time festive.
A huge hug goes out to all of you for your assistance with our holiday bazaar. We
had so many of you volunteer your time, your craft items, baked goods or raffle
items. The bazaar was an enormous success for us. We made over $4500 profit!!!
I’d like to say a special thank you to our Parent Board, the group of volunteers
who planned this bazaar, made many phone calls, picked up items and spent many
hours volunteering their time to make this a success. They are: Suzanne Blalock,
Kristen Carr, Alanna Bodio, Christine McShane, Mary Ann Daugherty, Julie
Crawley, Pam Reilly, Heather and Grant Henderson, Patty and Tom Kelly, Molly
Smith, Jenn Calabrese, Renee Drapeau, Justine Larter, Alycia Braga and Jennie
Didio.
Thank you to the teachers, the Advisory board, the Boy Scouts and the National
Honor Society for all their help that day too. “Many hands make light work!”
Snow Policy reminder: If Mendon-Upton School District is closed, we are
closed. For other scenarios, please see below or on our school website.
SNOW CANCELLATION/DELAY POLICY:
We generally follow the Mendon-Upton public school system’s decision
regarding school cancellations. However, school delays and early releases
can sometimes become confusing. Here is an explanation of what to do
under different inclement weather scenarios:
PUBLIC SCHOOL
UNITED PARISH NURSERY
If closed . . .
We are closed
If one hour delay . . .
We are open at normal times
If two hour delay/no AM
Kindergarten…
No morning classes; regular PM
class time meets; Extended day:
meets 11:00-1 unless otherwise
notified.
No lunch bunch or Stay’n play.
If storm starts once school is in
Session/PM Kindergarten cancelled…
PM classes will be cancelled;
we will notify parents. Ext day
will close at 11:30 unless otherwise notified.
No lunch bunch or Stay’n Play.
Please listen to WBZ radio 1030 am or WMRC 1490 am for school closing.
They are also listed on local TV stations or on the Mendon-Upton school
District website.
Please feel free to call the school if you have any questions 529-6382.
REGISTRATION FOR ALL 2013 FALL CLASSES WILL BEGIN
THE LAST WEEK OF JANUARY.
January, 28, 2013 through Feb. 1st is registration for all current students,
their siblings and alumni students. This gives you a chance to register for a
slot before we open them up to the public. Please see Sandy in the school
office if you want a payment plan for the $200 registration fee.
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 from 10:00am to 12:00 noon is our Open House and
begins our public registration. Registrations at this point are taken on a first
come, first served basis.
More information about tuition prices and class options will be given out
that week.
CLASSROOM NEWS: January’s Theme: Deep Freeze
New T/TH Neighbor’s Class News:
 All students need a family photo for our photo board and a change of
clothes to be kept here at school.
 Please label all items: back packs, jackets, mittens, hats, boots etc.
 Jan. 17th: Fire Fighter Bonnie visits our class to discuss safety
 Jan. 31st: Show’n Tell. Please have your child bring in something that
will fit into their cubby. It can be winter related, a special book or
photo, something they’ve made or a gift they were given. Please no
toy weapons.
T/TH Friends class news:
 Jan. 10th: PJ Day, wear your pajamas, slippers and/or robe to school
 Jan. 17th Fire Fighter Bonnie visits
 Jan. 24th: wear black and white for penguin day
 Jan. 31st: Show’n tell
 Letters of the month: Q and S
MTWTH 4 Day class news: Letters Q and S
 Jan. 10th: PJ Day, wear pajamas, slippers and/or robe to school. We
will also make hot cocoa and cinnamon toast for snack.
 Jan. 16th: Fire fighter Bonnie
 Jan. 24th: wear black and white for penguin day
 Jan 31st: Show ‘n Tell and Rocket day!
Mixed Age MWF class news:
Throughout the month, we will be learning through discussions, projects and
science experiments all about artic animals, the ice age, Eskimos/igloos,
snowflakes and penguins. The last week of the month will be our space unit.
We will have many exciting and fun activities about the phases of the moon,
planets, the space shuttle and rockets. We will end the unit with a fun
“rocket day” in the vestry with the extended day class.
 Jan. 9th: PJ Day, wear pajamas, slippers and/or robes to school. We
will also make hot cocoa and cinnamon toast for our snack.
 Jan. 11th: Silly day, practice a joke or riddle at home to share with the
class at circle time and wear silly socks.
 Jan. 16th: Fire fighter Bonnie visits
 Jan. 21st No School (Martin Luther King Jr. day)
 Jan. 23rd: wear black and white for Emperor Penguin day.
 Jan. 30th: Show’n Tell
 Feb. 1st: Rocket day
Extended Day class news:
 Jan. 9th: PJ Day: wear your Pajamas to school. We will also have a
special snack of cinnamon toast and hot cocoa.
 Jan. 11th: Silly day. Help your child learn to tell one joke or riddle that
they can share with their class. Dress silly if they want to.
 Jan. 16th: Fire Fighter Bonnie visits
 Jan. 30th: Show’n Tell and wear black and white.
 Feb. 1st: Rocket day with the mixed age class.
 “QUOTES OF THE MONTH”
When asked “What is the shape of the Presidents office . . . it’s a shape?
Lorelai said “It’s a triangle office”
Greyson asked Mrs. McGrath what her favorite color was. She answered
“pink.” “That’s kind of a girlie color” he said.
Mrs. Lavin explained to the students about the cost of each snowman
part for a project. After telling them that what eyes cost, buttons cost
etc, Mary asked “How much for a piece of coal?”
While Brayden was playing with a pile of real coins he said “this is for Mrs.
Pierce to buy a car!”
John K. called his candy cane a “handy cane.”
Kate told Mrs. McCormick: “I’m on the good list!” Then everyone else
said they were on the good list too!
At circle, Mrs. McGrath was teaching about Hanukkah. She asked the
class “What holiday is happening this week. It begins with an “H sound”
John yelled “Harmonica!”
Mrs. McGrath to Brayden: “How’d you get to be so smart?” “I eat
smarties” said Brayden.
The T/TH class was dancing to the “Freeze” song, where you have to stay
in place whenever the music stops. Lucia said “I’m freezed in ice!”
Travis was sitting at the top of the yellow slide pretending he was Santa
on his sleigh. He yelled to his reindeer “Come on! If you don’t move-you’re
fired!”
Maya told us that she plans to kiss her nutcracker so much he’ll turn into
a real prince!
While coming into class on the day of our sing-a-long, Molly said “It’s
raining on my prettiness.” She was in a pretty dress.
Evan D. told Mrs. McCormick that we have angels watch over us
because we can’t fly.
I thought you’d all enjoy reading the Extended days class “Snowball
Story.” A snowball story is a story where you go around the circle and each person
adds a few lines to it. The teacher usually starts it and then writes down whatever
each child states. You never know what you’ll get until you’re finished. I hope you
enjoy it as much as I did.
“Our Snowman Snowball Story” by the Extended day class of 2012-2013
Mrs. Lavin: Once upon a time, in the deep, deep woods, there was a very lonely little
snowman.
Molly: He slid down the hill, through the forest and met a hollow tree that talked.
Jack M.: The tree said “Awkward” because he was surprised to see a snowman.
Evan M.: Then the tree and the snowman went down the road and found a person that
could love them. The person got a seed for the same kind of tree and more snow for the
snowman. The person grew another tree and snowman.
Brayden: The person said “Oh my, the snowman is magic!”
Lily: One snowman found a gingerbread house. The other made hot chocolate. Then they
all shared the gingerbread.
Maya: When they were done, they found a little door in the woods. They opened the door
and there was a fairy inside!
Mary: Then they found two more snowmen, one was a Mom and one was a Dad.
Marina: and all the snowmen were good friends.
Kyleigh: Then they found a gingerbread man and they became friends. They all found a
Christmas tree and brought it home. Santa came when they brought the tree home.
Lorelai: The snowman, tree, gingerbread man and the fairy woke up and went into town
to get all the people to come to see Santa Claus.
Ava: In the town, there was a princess and she was a Christmas cake princess!
Savannah: The princess found a king and they got married.
Mrs. McGrath: and they all lived happily ever after and the snowman was never lonely
again. The End
HAPPY NEW YEAR!