Center Closed
December 24th & 25th: Christmas
December 31st & January 1st: New Year
Monthly Calendar:
Click here to view December events.
December 7: First Friday
December 10: Holiday Sing-A-Long
December 12: Board Meeting
December 24: Christmas Eve, Closed
December 25: Christmas Day, Closed
December 31: New Years Eve, Closed
January 1: New Years, Closed
Holiday Happenings:
Holiday Sing Along:
Our Annual Holiday-Sing-A-Long is Monday, December 10th. Each year Growing Tree gathers together to listen to the children sing. All classrooms from our Seedlings to our staff perform a few holiday favorites. So please put on your holiday sweater and join us for an evening of magic. Unfortunately Santa and Mrs Clause are not able to attend this year as they are nursing a few of the reindeers but promise to be back with us next year. Therefore we will get started with the program promtly at 630pm so please plan to arrive by 615pm to drop your children off with their teachers.
What: Sing-A-Long
Where: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
61980 Skyline Ranch Rd, Bend, OR 97703
Time: 615pm
Why: To enjoy the season
Letters to Santa:
Santa's mailbox is located at the front desk for fast delivery to the North Pole. Who knows maybe Santa will even reply. HoHoHo
Elf on the Shelf:
The Elf on the Shelf arrives in the Bud, Branch, and Blossom rooms on December 3rd. This mischievious elf watches over the classrooms by day and returns to the North Pole at night to report to Santa all the amazing activities going on in their classroom. You never know where that silly elf will be watching from each day. Remember DON'T TOUCH the elf or he will lose his magical power to return to Santa!
Poinsettias:
Thank you for supporting our Poinsettia fund raiser. Togethr we sold 571 plants! I will have some extra plants to sell if you would like to purchase one. For every 2 plants sold you receive 1 volunteer hour
Winter Gloves:
Having a couple pairs of gloves at school allows for dry warm gloves at each outdoor time. Also, please make sure your winter clothes are in your child's cubby at all times.
Volunteer Hours:
2018 volunteer hours need to be completed by December 31st. Please see the front desk if you need clarification regarding your hours.
Accounting:
2019 Annual Registration fees and 2018 Volunteer hours not completed will be billed to your account on January 1st. For your convenience these fees are due by March 1st.
Many of you have small credits or balances on your account. In January you will receive a "Statement" instead of an invoice. This statement reflects the total amount due on your account through January. Our goal is to get everyone to a "0" balance to start off the new year.
Year end statements will be available on January 31st.
Inclement Weather/Emergency Closure Policy
For your review prior to the weather going south, our Inclement Weather/Emergency Closure Policy is as follows: - Growing Tree does NOT follow the public school schedule for snow/weather days or 2-hour delays. It is our goal to remain open as usual.
- On these days when the public schools have closures I do try to send out an early email/text confirming our status
- If we need to close the center because of weather or an emergency, we will contact you first via text/email and then post closure information on Facebook.
- In the event of an emergency, if the situation allows we will the contact you via phone.
Please friend us on Facebook so that you may receive notifications of all the happenings at Growing Tree: https://www.facebook.com/growing.tree.bend
Dressing for the Weather
Winter will arrive this month. We have found that storing your child's winter gear in a reusable bag that can be hung in their cubby minimizes the chances of misplaced items and enables your child to take care of their own clothes.
Please make sure your child has:
- A complete change of weather appropriate clothes in their cubby at all times (please label all items)
- A jacket to wear as needed
- Hat & gloves
- Boots & snowsuits
- PS: Teachers appreciate clothes that are labeled
- PSS: Mixed Bags has a great poly grocery bag that folds up to the size of a wallet when not being used.
Naptime
With winter approaching and cubbies bulging at the seams with winter clothes, the teachers are requesting that you limit what your child brings for naptime.
- child sized blanket to lay on/ to cover up with. Please do not send bed sized blankets
- small pillow - optional
- one (1) small stuffy
Mixed Bags
Ready to do some guilt-free shopping for a great cause? We need your support - Mixed Bag Designs is helping Growing Tree Children's Center reach our fundraising goals this year.
To support our fundraiser, shop our custom web store:
www.mixedbagdesigns.com/growing-tree-childrens-center
We get 40% of your purchase, plus get free shipping on orders $75 and up.
Thank you for your support and make sure to forward this email on to your friends and family too, we need all the help we can get.
To support our fundraiser, shop our custom web store:
www.mixedbagdesigns.com/
We get 40% of your purchase, plus get free shipping on orders $75 and up.
Thank you for your support and make sure to forward this email on to your friends and family too, we need all the help we can get.
Schedule of Events
Did you know you can find the dates and locations for all of the Growing Tree special events under the SCHEDULE tab on our website?
Volunteer Hours
The following are volunteer opportunities:
- Volunteer hours are not pro-rated in the event you withdraw from the Center prior to December 31st.
Board Meeting:
Our next Growing Tree Board Meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 12th 600pm @ Tetherow
Donate Button:
We have added a donate button to our website and Facebook page. Feel free to pass it along or use it yourself.
Family Resources:
Healthy Beginnings
Family Resource Network
Call 211
Amazon Smile
When you are shopping for those holiday gifts online, please remember our AmazonSmile program!
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Growing Tree every time you shop, at no cost to you. You will find the exact same prices, selection and convenient shopping experience as amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Growing Tree!
Head to smile.amazon.com to get started.
Head to smile.amazon.com to get started.
First Friday:
First Friday will be held on Friday, December 7th. Cost is $20 per child. Next month First Friday will be on January 4th. Please pay prior to Friday night, so that we may pay the teachers in a timely manner. Just a reminder, if you cancel after signing up, you will still be responsible for First Friday fees.
Birthdays
None this month
Anniversaries
None this month