Mini Miners Preschool Post

Dear Preschool Parents,

We hope this newsletter finds you and your little ones well. Whew, September was a busy, but fun month. Our classrooms are doing fantastic work providing fun academic learning opportunities. Fall has officially arrived, and we have some exciting updates and information to share with you as we embrace the season's change.

We have a fun-filled season ahead with plenty of fall-themed activities planned for your children.

As we enter the holiday season, I encourage you to remember to take care of yourselves as parents, especially during our cold and flu season. Special activities and events are wonderful and it's important to remember to carve out time for rest and relaxation.

We look forward to a wonderful fall season filled with growth, learning, and fun. Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education and care. 🥰 Here's a poem one of my professors shared with me that always speaks to me. Enjoy.

We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have.

We cannot control the beauty of our face, but we can control the expression on it.

We cannot control life's difficult moments, but we can choose to make life less difficult.

We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world, but we can control the atmosphere of our minds.

Too often, we try to choose and control things we cannot. Too seldom, we choose to control what we can.....our attitude.

As we prepare to enjoy fun dressing up in costumes, here are some important guidelines for children's costumes at school.

· No scary, bloody, goory costumes or weapons.

· Masks can be worn only during the class party.

· Children will be playing outside and having a regular learning day, please know that we are not able to put costumes on children and we are not responsible if anything should happen to the costume during natural play times or art.

· Please remind your child not to act out the costume character (dinosaurs, super heros, etc.).

Parties / Treats

· Healthy treats only. No sugary treats.

· No candy, please send healthy gifts for classmates or novelty items (stickers, spider rings, crayons, crafts, etc.).

· Please connect with your child's teacher for classroom party details.

With cooler weather, we encourage you to plan nutritious meals and snacks that provide warmth and comfort. Some ideas include apple slices with peanut butter, warm oatmeal, or vegetable soups.

Chicken Soup

70 Minutes 9 Ingredients 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 1 (4-5 pound) whole chicken
• 14 cups water
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 cups leafy greens, such as kale, spinach or chard
• 2 medium carrots
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta

Materials

• Colander
• Cutting board
• Large pot
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Mixing spoon
• Sharp knife
• Vegetable peeler

Instructions

1. Peel and rinse onion. Cut into quarters.
2. In a large pot, cover onion and chicken with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Lift chicken from pot and set aside to cool. In a colander, strain broth. Refrigerate broth until ready to make soup. Discard onions, as they will be too overcooked to eat.
4. When chicken is cool, pull meat from the bones. Shred or chop it, discarding any skin or bone. Refrigerate until ready to add to soup.

1. Rinse celery and leafy greens. Remove any tough stems from greens. Tear leaves into bite-sized pieces.
2. Rinse and peel carrots. Dice carrots and celery.
3. In a large pot, add carrots, celery, greens, salt, pepper, and strained broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Add pasta. Keep simmering until pasta is tender, about 8 minutes.
5. Add cooked chicken. Simmer 1-2 minutes more.

Chef’s Notes

• Use 1 cup of any pre-cooked whole grains you like. Try barley, quinoa, or brown rice. If you do this, skip step 8. Add grains with chicken in step 9.
• Rinse and thinly slice root veggies such as turnips and parsnips. Add to broth along with carrots, celery and leafy greens.
• To decrease fat, remove most of chicken skin while it is still raw. Or, skim fat from top of broth.
• Spinach is a fast-cooking leafy green. Wait and add during the last 5 minutes of cooking time, so it does not overcook.Serves 8, 1½ cups per serving.

Did you know the Care Clinic has School Based Health Centers in your school?

Offering medical, dental, and behavioral health services, the Care Clinic provides sports physicals, well child checks, adult annual exams, immunizations, dental cleanings, counseling services, and more! Students,

Families of students, and School Staff Members can schedule appointments. The Care Clinic accepts private insurance, Medicaid, CHP+, and Summit Community Care Clinic's Care Cards. Uninsured students have access to a sliding fee scale.

The Care Clinic spans Summit, Lake, and Park Counties with School Based Health Center locations in Summit High School, Summit Middle School, Silverthorne Elementary, Dillon Valley Elementary, Upper Blue Elementary, Lake County High School, and Park County RE-2 School District.

Please visit the School Based Health Center page on summitclinic.org to fill out an enrollment form or call 970-710-5049 for more information.

Wed., October 18: Early Release Day

Thurs., October 26: Picture Retakes

Wed., October 31: Class Halloween parties - please talk to your child's teacher for details