S P R I N G H I L L J u n i o r K i n d e r g a r t e n
10925-87 Avenue, Rooms 7 & 8, Garneau School, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 0X4 (780) 433-4224

Fall 2003 Program

We are having our Fall 2003 Open House from 4:00pm – 7:30pm on Wednesday, April 23rd. Our teaching team and parent representatives will be available to answer your questions at that time. Before that date, enrollments for the fall semester can only be confirmed for returning Springhill families. New families are encouraged to submit registration requests prior to that date, but we cannot confirm the availability of spots until the day of the Open House.

If parents have any questions, or would like to make an appointment to visit the classroom prior to the Open House, they are welcome to leave a voice message for our Registrar, Samantha Parks, by calling 433-4224. Drop-in visits are also welcome, but please understand that staff cannot give tours or answer questions during classtimes. During a visit, parents are welcome to observe the classroom dynamic but they are responsible for supervising their own child(ren).

At the moment, we anticipate having room in all days of both our 2-year-old and 4&5-year-old programs. We may also have some room in our 3-year-old program, but the choice of days may be limited. (If a specific class turns out to be full, we do keep a waitlist of interested families.) Fall registration forms are available on the bulletin board in the hallway outside our classroom. We hope to have the forms available online in the near future. Registrations are accepted throughout the school year, and part-time registrations will be considered (i.e. children do not have to register for all days of a program).

Fall 2003 Program Schedule

2 year-olds	3 year-olds	4 and 5 year-olds
Tuesday & Thursday mornings	Monday, Wednesday, & Friday mornings	Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday afternoons
9:15am - 11:15pm	9:15am - 11.45pm	1:00pm - 4:00pm
maximum 8 students	maximum 12 students	maximum 16 students
cut-off date: must be two by first class	cut-off date: must be three by October 31st, 2003	cut-off date: must be four by December 31st, 2003
Does not need to be toilet-trained	Must be at least in pull-ups and not having bowel movements in them	Must be fully toilet-trained

Note that Springhill's teacher, Debra Wingrove, will not be teaching Monday afternoon sessions as she uses that time for curriculum planning and development. We are currently in the process of hiring a highly qualified (minimum: Level III) teacher to take her place on Monday afternoons. This new teacher will also be supported by our Teaching Partner.

As Springhill employs both a highly qualified Teacher and a Teaching Partner, there are no "duty days" for parents.

Fees

Below is a list of cheques that are required when registering in the Fall 2003 program which runs from September 2003 - June 2004. When submitting the completed forms to the school, parents MUST include the following cheques made payable to SPRINGHILL JR. KINDERGARTEN.

Monthly fees for our school are as follows (determined on a family basis by combining the number of classes attended by all the children in the family):

In addition to the $25.00 non-refundable registration fee and the post-dated monthly fees, the following cheques are required:

• two $50.00 cheques, postdated February 1st, 2004 and June 1st, 2004 (to be cashed if cleaning parties are not attended);

• one $100.00 fundraising donation cheque, postdated October 15th, 2003. Our parents have indicated that they would prefer to not participate in smaller fundraisers, such as raffles and silent auctions. In lieu of running a fundraiser in the first term, we have opted to just collect a $100.00 fundraising donation cheque from each family.

• one $250.00 fundraising deposit cheque, postdated March 15th, 2004 (to be cashed if casino committments are not met). Our casino will take place sometime in the early months of 2004. Our casino represents nearly thirty-five percent of our total income and is what allows us to hire a full-time Teaching Partner. Parents generally work two shifts during our casino weekend. Participation in the casino is a requirement of registration at Springhill. Deposit cheques are returned when the family has worked their casino shifts.

Parental Involvement

Springhill Jr. Kindergarten is a parent co-operative, non-profit organization. We therefore require that all parents contribute to the operation of the school. Volunteer positions do not require any experience - just enthusiastic and energetic people who are willing to make a commitment to running a first-class Junior Kindergarten for our children.

As a condition of registration, each family must:

• Attend the Parent Information Meeting in June (or August for families registering later in the summer).

• Commit to a volunteer position. While Springhill does not have "duty days", parents must be willing to serve in some volunteer capacity. They may select from the positions listed in the Parent Handbook that will be distributed at the Parent Information Meeting. Choice of positions is on a first-come-first-served basis.
  
  

• Work a two-hour shift during each term's cleaning week, or forfeit the $50 per term cleaning deposit.
  
  

• Provide a $100 cheque to the school in the first term, as a tax-deductible fundraising donation. Our parents have indicated that they would prefer not to participate in smaller fundraisers, such as raffles and silent auctions. This donation is in lieu of such fundraising activities.
  
  

• Participate in Springhill's casino in early 2004. The school runs at a deficit, as the monthly tuition fees cover less than half our expenses. Springhill's primary source of fundraising is the casino, and without it the school would not be able to function. The casino, which runs every second year, earns Springhill more than $50,000. Any family which has a child registered in a term when our casino is held must volunteer a parent (or a family representative who is 18-years or older) to work the casino as a condition of registration. Families who do not fulfill their casino obligation will forfeit the $250 casino deposit.
  
  

Withdrawals

If a place for a child is reserved before school commences in September, any cancellation must be made before August 1st to ensure the return of September's fees. If no notice of withdrawal is given before August 1st, the cheque for September's fees will be cashed and these are not refundable. Once school commences, the Registrar must be notified in writing at least one month in advance of withdrawal from the program. Should this withdrawal be mid-month, the next month's fees will be cashed and a portion refunded. (For example, if the child is withdrawn during the month of September, the cheque for October's fees will be cashed and a portion will be refunded). The child may attend classes during the notice period. If a child is withdrawn at anytime before October 15th, the fundraising donation cheque will be returned as well.

How to Register

In order to be considered for registration, families must complete one registration form for each child they wish to register, and return them to the Registrar along with one $25.00 non-refundable registration fee. (We do not cash this cheque until there is actually a space available.) Once we have determined there is room for a child, we will inform the family of the other cheques which need to be submitted to reserve that space. Please make all cheques payable to "Springhill Jr. Kindergarten". Completed registration forms and registration fees can be returned to the school in person or by mail, Attention: Registrar.