Julia's Garden Welcomes Your Child to Fall Semester 2018!

Dear Parent,

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the Garden for Fall 2018.  We have so many wonderful things in store for your child and can’t wait to share the upcoming semester together.  Below are some points to note, we appreciate your attention:

We will be utilizing our Julia’s Garden tote bags daily.  If you have misplaced your tote, or have not yet been issued one, please contact administration at juliasgarden@icloud.com.  Each child will carry only a tote (with his/her water bottle inside) and a lunch box to school each day. Please save backpacks and any other bags/luggage for home enjoyment.

Join our Facebook Group!  If you have not received an invitation in your inbox to join our secret facebook group, please let administration know.  Our private group is a great way to keep in touch with other parents and view updates in between bi-montly newsletters.

Label everything, including clothing and lunch box supplies.  So many items can become lost at school so labeling your child’s items with Mabel’s Labels, or a similar brand, is a great way to ensure every piece of your property is returned to you.

If your child is napping, please bring his/her nap supplies to school ahead of time so that we may prepare his/her bin for the first day of school.  Nap House children will be cared for by Ms. Savanna Ramirez and you may reach her on the House Phone at 512-468-6053 starting at 1:00 PM, via email at jgnaphouse@gmail.com after 4:00 PM.  Pick up for napping children is at 4:00 at the Main Gate of 1700 S. 3rd Street. 

Nap House Supplies:

• to be kept at school: 1 small pillow, 1 blanket, 1 nap mat and 1 lovie or stuffed animal; pacifiers and soothers are also permitted as long as they can be kept at school.  Nappers still training will also need a labeled package of diapers or pull-ups to keep at school.  Please note that nap bedding will be send home for washing the last weekend of each month. 
• a labeled snack inside of his/her lunch box

If your child is in Clubhouse, please include an afternoon snack inside of his/her lunchbox.  Clubhouse is led by Ms. Elisabeth McAllister of Shine Your Light Yoga.  She can be reached at jgclubhouse@gmail.com after 4:00 PM or the House Phone at 512-468-6053 during class hours.  Clubhouse dismisses from the gate at 1702 S. 3rd Street at 4:00 PM.  If you are interested in participating in Clubhouse there is still space for fall, contact juliasgarden@icloud.com to enroll.

More exciting things!
Foreign Languages: We will continue with our emphasis on foreign language studies this year. Each child enrolled in our primary morning program will receive weekly lessons in Spanish and Mandarin from Ms. Courtney & Ms. Siu Gi during the morning work period included in tuition costs.  
Music & Gardening: Ms. Natalie returns this fall as our Music & Gardening director, offering enrichment in these subjects during the work period weekly to our children. She will also continue to lead our monthly Community Singalongs on the last Thursday of each month.  We can’t wait to make music together again!
Fundraisers: Julia’s Garden will host one fundraiser per semester, giving families more ways to get involved throughout the year. Please take into consideration these three opportunities and give as generously as you can to the funds that ignite your passions.  We couldn’t have this amazing school without the support of our parent community and we are grateful for each and every contribution.  Donate to the Julia’s Garden Summer Scholarship Campaign  

• Our Fall Fundraiser will take place from early October to late November and is an opportunity for everyone, including staff, to bind together and raise funds to keep our grounds in tip-top shape, build our scholarship fund for the following year and replenish worn/broken classroom materials so that our children are offered the best quality work possible on the shelves. 
• Our Spring Book Drive will continue to enhance our school library so that we have a beautiful space for our teachers to resource books for lessons and story times.  
• Our Summer Scholarship Drive, now in full swing, will take place throughout the summer months so that we can offer financial aid and scholarships to low-income children in our community.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our annual Community Wide Meet n’ Greet on August 31st from 9:30 - 11:00 AM.  This is a casual, come-and-go-as-you-please event where you and your child will have the opportunity to visit his/her classroom and chat with the Guides.  It will be a warm day, so please dress cool and comfortably.  We have found that people stay 20-30 minutes at this open house event.

Attached you will find a welcome letter from your child’s guide for Fall 2018.  We hope that everyone is enjoying the summer break,  see you back in the Garden August 31st! 

Sincerely,

Katherine