2024 Important Dates

Jan 15 — Enrollment applications due for 2024-2025 School Year
Jan 15 — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, No School
Jan 23 — Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30pm via Zoom. All are welcome!
Jan 27 — Open House at school for prospective families, 10:30am-12:30pm
Feb TBA — Open House at school for prospective families, spread the word!
Feb 14 — Valentine’s Day celebration, more info to come
Feb 19 & 20 — Presidents Day Holidays, No School
Feb 23 — Lunar New Year Parade at school, more info to come
Mar 16 — BCSO School Community Social and Fundraiser

Enrollment for the Fall: Enrollment applications for the 2023-2024 school year are due for all classes Monday, January 15th. There are no application fees for returning students, but we do need you to complete an application form. Yay, get your forms in!

Open Houses for Prospective Families: We’re having an Open House to welcome new families to come see what Broadway Children’s School is all about on Saturday, January 27, 10:30-12:30, with more dates coming in February and March. These events have been tremendously helpful in increasing enrollment — please keep sparking fresh interest in BCSO by spreading the news about these dates!

SAVE THE DATE: Take a moment right now to be sure Broadway’s Annual School Community Social and Fundraiser is on your calendar: Saturday evening, March 16, at Piedmont Community Hall! The countdown begins: 63 Days!

BCSO Board of Trustees: There are openings on our Board. We invite you to submit your bio asap to the current Board Chair, Rob Smith, robsmith_rs@hotmail.com. This is a supportive and fun group of parents; everyone has something to give and all voices are valued and appreciated! We’re learning together—all experience levels welcome.

Annual Fund: If you haven’t yet donated to BCSO’s 2023-2024 Annual Fund, please consider doing so. Your support helps ensure Broadway is here for you and your children, and for generations to come. Every gift is truly appreciated! Thank you for considering a gift to Broadway, and our heartfelt gratitude to those who have already supported us so generously. https://givebutter.com/broadway

Food Drive: Thank you to all who contributed to our winter food drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank accfb.org, and special thanks to Erica Smith (Joshua’s mom, Sunshine Room) for facilitating this event for us and personally delivering our barrel of food to ACCFB! It is wonderful to see this tradition resume!

Gentle Reminders

Rainy days, Cold Days Clothing Checklist: rain boots, rain coats, shoes, extra socks, warm coats/jackets, maybe even gloves! We love rain boots and coats for rainy days! Sending in a pair of shoes on those days is really helpful as well. Some children are not comfortable wearing their boots all day, or sometimes their exuberant and inquisitive play (aka “they jumped in a big muddy puddle 15 times” 😉 leaves boots wet on the inside and little feet in need of dry socks and shoes. Warm coats are a must for our well-shaded yard, especially when the temperatures drops or the wind picks up. Gloves are helpful, too, especially for kids are particularly temperature sensitive.

Food Safety at Lunch time: For the safety of all our students, lunches should have no nuts of any kind, no peanut butter, no grapes, no popcorn, no hotdogs. If you send sunflower butter or soy butter, it is helpful to include a post-it that lets us know, so that we don’t end up trying to “sniff test” your child’s lunch. And please save chocolate, fruit gummies, cookies, and other sweets for home. Thanks!

Lost & Found: We have a designated “Lost and Found” spot—it’s a green tub on top of cubbies near the front door. Give a check there if you are missing something.

From the Classrooms: While January in the adult world may come with plans for new goals or habits, in the preschool world it is the time to return to pre-existing routines and expectations. In all our classrooms, the teachers will be working with the children to reinforce drop off routines, hand washing routines, daily schedules, and practicing how to interact with our classmates, teachers, toys, and school materials. The predictability of routines and expectations builds children’s feelings of security, comfort, and confidence. Some children will resume these activities smoothly; others may feel more conflicted, or feel a stronger tug to stay at home after a couple weeks with no school. Regression on separation can be common after a long break—it will pass. Your child is readjusting to the school routine. The teachers will be watchful for those who need extra support (be they parents or children 🙂 at morning drop off.

Later in the month we will begin our celebrations of the Lunar New Year; this year is the Year of the Dragon. Our school parade is in the works; we’ll keep you posted!

Best wishes,
Jennifer McManus
Assistant Director