OCTOBER 2026 NEWSLETTER!
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Thurs., Oct. 1– TUITION IS DUE.
Thurs., Oct. 1 – Room Parent/ Parent Volunteer Group meeting at 9:15 a.m. in room 201.
Fri., Oct. 2 – School Closed for Staff In-Service.
Wed., Oct. 14 – The Stand Fundraiser 11:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m. Dine in or Take out.
Wed., Oct. 14 – OPEN HOUSE 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. All are Welcome!
Fri., Oct. 16 – EPCC’s Preschool PUMPKIN PATCH on our play yard. Every child will receive a pumpkin.
Sat., Oct. 17 – First Presbyterian Church of Encino Family Game Night. 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 26 – Fri., Oct. 30- SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR.
Wed. Oct. 28 – Halloween Parade in Fellowship Hall. (9:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m.)
Fri., Oct. 30 – In Class Parties.
Fri., Oct. 30 - The children will be Trick or Treating in the school.
Mon., Nov. 2 – TUITION DUE.
Mon., Nov. 2 – Fall ’27 Kindergarten sign-ups begin.
Wed., Nov. 4 – Blaze Pizza Encino Fundraiser 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Thurs., Nov. 5 – Room Parent/Parent Volunteer Group meeting at 9:15 a.m. in room 201.
Wed., Nov. 11 – SCHOOL CLOSED for Veteran’s Day.
Fri., Nov 20 – PS & K Thanksgiving Feast 10:15 a.m. Fellowship Hall.
Wed., Nov. 25, Thurs., Nov., 26 & Fri., Nov 27 – SCHOOL CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday.
Tues., Dec. 1 – TUITION IS DUE.
Thurs., Dec. 3 – Room Parent/ Parent Volunteer Group meeting at 9:15 a.m. in room 201.
Mon., Dec 14 – Holiday Show and Bake Sale in the Sanctuary. More info to come in Dec.
Fri., Dec. 18 – In Class Holiday Parties.
Mon., Dec. 21 – Fri., Jan. 1 – SCHOOL CLOSED for Winter Break.
Mon., Jan. 4 – REGULAR SCHOOL SCHEDULE RESUMES.
MARVELOUS MONTHLY MAXIMS
Be a Good Communicator!
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
CONGRATULATIONS! MS. FRANCESCA FLORINDEZ
Ms. Francesca is our caring, reliable, soft-spoken, creative and fun Preschool Afternoon Teacher. She arrives each day full of enthusiasm with a warm smile and is always ready to begin her day with our students. Since joining the EPCC family this summer, she has quickly become a beloved part of our school community. Ms. Francesca creates a nurturing, and caring environment where our students feel, supported, and excited to learn and explore. She is equally loved by our students, parents, and staff… we feel so lucky to have her as part of our EPCC family! ❤️ Some of Ms. Francesca’s favorites are: The color purple, lilies and sunflowers, traveling, baking, hiking, and shopping at Sephora and Ulta. She also enjoys going to the AMC movies. Her favorite holidays are Valentine’s Day and Halloween. When it comes to food, she loves French fries, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Fish Grill, CAVA, and CPK. For dessert, she enjoys Handel’s ice cream, Porto’s red velvet cake and brown butter chocolate chip cookies! Thank you, Ms. Francesca, for all your hard work. It takes a big heart to teach little minds. ❤️
OCTOBER TEACHER BIRTHDAYS
8 – Ms. Nicole (105 & 201)
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
CHILDREN’S CENTER TELEPHONE EXTENSIONS: The following are our phone extension that might be helpful to you: Directors Cathleen Trapani and Anie Kederian at Ext. 1, Bookkeeper Tracie Cordle at Ext. 2.
TUITION: Please remember that tuition is due on the first of each month unless otherwise arranged with the director. There will be a $25.00 late fee added to your tuition account if payment is not received by the 7th.
ROOM PARENT/PARENT VOLUNTEER GROUP MEETING: Our second meeting will be held on Thurs., Oct. 1st at 9:15 a.m. in room 201 (upstairs). If you are interested in helping with our school events or with classroom parties, please come to the meeting to find out what you can do. The room parents for this year are:
101: Jessica- Noa’s mommy
Vanessa- Presley’s mommy
102: Shannon-Calvin’s mommy
103: Emily- Cassius’s Mommy
Maxwell- Cassius daddy
105: Jessica- Gianna’s mommy
106: Lara- Lyla’s mommy
K: Nazanin- Aydin’s mommy
BENEFITS OF BEING ACTIVE: When kids are active, their bodies can do the things they want and need them to do. Why? Because regular exercise provides these benefits:
Strong muscles and bones
Weight control
Decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Better sleep
A better outlook on life
Healthy, physical active kids also are more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. And physical competence builds self-esteem at every age.
HERE'S SOME AGE-BASED ADVICE: Preschoolers: Preschoolers need play and exercise that helps them continue to develop important motor skills-kicking or throwing a ball, playing tag or follow the leader, hopping on one foot, riding a trike or bike with training wheels, freeze dancing, or running obstacle courses. Although some sports leagues may be open to kids as young as 4, organized and team sports are not recommended until they’re a little older. Preschoolers can’t understand complex rules and often lack the attention span, skills, and coordination needed to play sports. Instead of learning to play a sport, they should work on fundamental skills.
*Experts taken from “Motivating Kids to be Activ”- KidsHealth. (www.kidshealth.org).
ILLNESS POLICY: As expected, colds and viruses are already going around. Thank you for keeping your children home when they are sick. By doing so, we can stop the spread of illness a little bit faster. Check our Illness Policies for more information.
NUT FREE SCHOOL: Due to severe, life-threatening allergies, we are a “nut free” school. A nut is a fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, which is generally edible. At E.P.C.C. this includes: peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, candlenuts, beechnuts, filberts. Our “nut free” policy is in place to ensure the health and safety of the children under our care. When you drop off your child each day, we want you to feel comfortable leaving, knowing that we are doing our best to keep all of the children under our care safe and healthy.
Please note: Nutella is a cocoa and hazelnut spread, and therefore not allowed at school. Sunflower or cookie butter are acceptable alternatives and can be found at Target, Trader Joes and other markets.
HEALTHY SNACKS AND LUNCHES: Please remember that children are required to bring their own ready to eat lunch, 2 snacks and water bottle. Please keep snacks healthy. Fruits, veggies, cereal bars, string cheese and crackers are always popular choices. Remember to send utensils with your child’s lunch if he/she needs them. Teachers cannot leave the classroom to get spoons and forks for the children. Additionally, be sure that all snacks and lunches are sent to school” ready to serve.”
CLOTHING: Please be sure to adhere to our clothing policy as outlined in the Parent Handbook. We have noticed many children at school wearing sandals. Remember, shoes must cover toes and heels and have non-slip soles. This is for the safety of your children.
EMERGENCY DRILLS: Each month we will be practicing fire and earthquake drills as part of our curriculum. These drills are required by the state and are not meant to frighten the children. Take a moment to ask your child how these drills are carried out in their classrooms.
FUNDRAISERS: We will have a few fundraisers throughout the school year. Our first fundraiser for the month of September was held at McDonald’s on Sept. 17th. Our October fundraisers will be The Stand in Encino on Wed., October 14th and November we will have Blaze Pizza Encino and See’s Candies fundraisers; we will send more information in few weeks. Although you are not required to participate, we appreciate any and all participation.
We raise funds for:
Our E.P.C.C. Pumpkin Patch (all Children receive a pumpkin).
Replacing, repairing and purchasing new equipment for our classrooms and play ground. Examples . . . balance bikes, water table, basketball hoops, etc.
Snow Day.
HELP OUR SCHOOL GROW!!! We still have space available for enrollment for this school year. If you recommend us to your friends and they enroll their child/children have them, write your name on their child's application as a referral then...after their child enrolls and attends for 3 months, we will credit you $100.00 toward your child's tuition as a big THANK YOU for recommending us.
WORSHIP: For any families interested in finding a church home, First Presbyterian Church Encino, offers a worship service at 10:00 a.m. including Sunday school program for all children. All are welcome. For more information you can contact the church’s office @ 818-788-1147 and ask for Greg.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Come and Join the Fun! First Presbyterian Church of Encino is hosting its FIRST Family Game Night! Saturday, October 17th 6:00–9:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall Everyone is welcome! Come enjoy a fun evening together with complimentary pizza and drinks, games, and lots of family fun! The church will be providing
Childcare for kiddos under 3 if needed or desired. ❤️
EPCC WEBSITE: Please be sure to check out our website epcckids.info and our Instagram account @ epcc_kids to see activities, art projects and more.
OPEN HOUSE: On Wed., Oct. 14th. We will host an Open House from 6:30-7:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to come in and meet the teachers in an informal setting. The children love to show off their class work to friends and relatives so invite the whole gang. This also gives parents of our Pre-K kids a chance to check our exceptional Kindergarten program. Don’t miss this great night. Invite the whole family! Don’t forget to support EPCC by enjoying dinner at The Stand-Encino.
E.P.C.C.’S PUMPKIN PATCH: Friday, Oct, 16th will be our annual E.P.C.C. Pumpkin Patch Day all the children will receive a pumpkin of their choice during their outside time. For more information check out Peeking Over the Fence with Mrs. Gael on the last page.
HALLOWEEN PARADE, BAKE SALE & BOOK FAIR: On Wed., Oct. 28th, we will host our annual Halloween Parade and Sing-A-Long in Fellowship Hall from 9:15 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Children are encouraged to wear costumes to school; however, masks and weapons are not allowed. Be sure to send a change of clothes for after the parade. Plan on joining us for this fun parade. The children will be practicing the songs all month long. Tues./Thurs. children are welcome to join in the parade, but we kindly ask that parents stay for the event.
BAKE SALE: There will be a sign-up in your child’s classroom for you to bake and donate some yummy festively wrapped goodies for our bake sale on Wed., Oct. 28th. All the homemade baked goods will be available for purchase during our Halloween Parade you can shop for festively wrapped delicious treats to eat, share or take to work. We appreciate your support!
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR: Get ready for the holidays! Join us for the Scholastic Book Fair Mon. Oct. 26 – Fri. Oct. 30. Give the gift of knowledge and spark a love for reading in your children. We can’t wait to see you there! Happy reading!
HALLOWEEN PARTIES: Friday October 30th- Rooms 101, 102, 103, 105 &106.
TRICK or TREAT!!! Fri., Oct. 30th the children will be Trick or Treating in the school.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION: On Mon., Nov. 2nd priority registration will begin for our Fantastic Kindergarten program for Fall 2027. Registration will be open only to families currently enrolled in our preschool program and will be on a first come first served basis. Only 24 spaces will be available for the upcoming school year. You can check out our Kindergarten between 6:30- 7:30 p.m. on the night of Open House. You can also schedule a tour by emailing or calling the school to make an appointment to check out our fabulous Kindergarten program.
PARKING LOT SAFETY:
Please enter through the Balboa entrance and exit onto Paso Robles. Our parking lot is a one-way lot. Our parking lot can be a busy place at certain times of the day. Please help keep it as safe as possible for your child. We offer the following tips and ask for your cooperation:
- Please hold your child’s hand in the parking lot.
- Please make sure your child doesn’t run ahead of or behind you upon arrival and pick up.
- Please drive slowly in the parking lot.
- Enter the parking through the Balboa entrance (closest to the church building).
- Exit under the apartment building onto Paso Robles.
If you park on the street, please note the following:
- Parking is limited on specific days – note the street signs for times and street cleaning.
SOME GENTLE REMINDERS
Please pick up your child on time as teachers have other commitments elsewhere.
Each day, please clean out your child’s lunch box. Soft-sided lunch boxes get especially dirty and tend to absorb odors if not washed out daily.
Please drive slowly and cautiously in our parking lot.
TEACHER TALK:
ROOM 101: We are off to a great start! Everyone is adjusting beautifully to our schedule and routine. We are busy recognizing our names and learning our initials. We are reviewing our shapes and colors and having fun making collages, practicing our cutting and working our small muscles. We are also discussing our emotions and appropriate ways to deal with them. We are encouraging good manners always, especially during snack and lunch time. We have also been practicing our earthquake and fire drills. Soon we will be cutting out pumpkins, ghosts and bats. Just a reminder our Open House will be on Wed., Oct. 14th from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. hope to see everyone there! Our annual Halloween parade, and sing-a long will be Wed., October 28th from 9:15 a.m.- 9:45 a.m. in the fellowship Hall and our class party and trick or treating will be on Fri., October 30th. Remember, the children may bring books to class every day, but share day is only on Friday. Please send a Ziploc bag with extra clothes labeled with your child’s name to stay inside their cubby and if you would like to donate Clorox wipes, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your help and cooperation.
Mrs. Geni & Ms. Jazmin
ROOM 102: What a pleasure it is to see the children settled in their new classes. In September, we read lots of books and explored many different forms of art. We also had fun learning about apples and shapes. In October, we will be preparing for Open House and learning about nocturnal animals, pumpkins and Halloween. We will also learn lots of songs for our Halloween Parade. Our classroom is working hard to get ready for Open House. Be sure to invite family and friends to this very special night. We will be picking pumpkins from our own pumpkin patch this month. Just a few reminders: be sure to label all of your child’s belongings, make sure shoes cover toes and heels. if you would like to donate Clorox wipes, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at Open House!
Mrs. Asma & Ms. Cyntia
ROOM 103: We are so excited to move into Autumn and see the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground all round us. We are busy decorating for the fall season and the Halloween Holiday. We will be learning several Halloween songs. Our Open House is on October 14th from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. We have been busy making friends, sharing, following directions, and working on our good manners. As we learn more about Halloween, we will discuss "fantasy" being “considerate” and "nocturnal" animals. If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes or baby wipes to our class, we would greatly appreciate it! This will help us keep away the germs.
Mrs. Jennifer & Mrs. Vanessa
ROOM 105: It is such a joy for us to see how well the children are adjusting to their new class, new teachers and new friends. This month we will be learning about Fall, spiders, bats, skeletons, owls, pumpkins and witches. Ask your little goblins about our “spooky town.” This will surely put you in a Halloween fright! Our Open House is on Wednesday, October 14th, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. EPCC pumpkin patch is on Friday, October 16th, Halloween parade and sing-a-long is on Wednesday, October 28th and trick or treating and class parties are on Friday, October 30th. Children who attend three days are invited to join the celebration! Please take a moment to welcome Emiliano Peri and his family to our classroom!!!If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes and baby wipes to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you
Mrs. Sossi, Miss Ana & Ms. Nicole
ROOM 106: October is here!!! This month we will talk about our feelings and help our youngest friends learn how to express themselves. We can’t wait to start our fall and Halloween art projects. We will be singing lots of Halloween songs. Our Open House is on Wednesday, October 14th, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Halloween Parade and sing-a-long is on Wednesday, October 28th, the class party and trick or treating will be on Friday, October 30th. Remember to check your child’s backpack for important papers and projects that are sent home. Also, please bring extra clothes including socks and shoes and please label everything. Please take a moment to welcome Mia Schmeltzer and Elizabeth Abanonu and their families to our classroom!!! If you would like to donate baby wipes and disinfecting wipes, we would greatly appreciate it! This will help us keep away the germs. Trick or treat!!!
Mrs. Karine, Ms. Paula & Ms. Vianey
PEEKING OVER THE FENCE WITH MRS. GAEL: Friday, October 16th will be our annual E.P.C.C. Pumpkin Patch! Our play yard will be transformed into a festive area of face painting, tattoos, bean bag toss and activities. The court yard will be set up with a “Patch” of pumpkins, one for each child to choose for their own. The children will participate during their regular outside time, 106, 105, 103 from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. 102, 101 from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Parent volunteers are welcome to set up at 9:00 a.m., assist with activities and clean up at 11:30 a.m. It’s a very FUN day for our children.
AFTER NAP: October is here, and we are happy to see how fast the children are adjusting. Our October theme will be Halloween and Fall. We will be busy learning new songs and dance moves, lots of arts and crafts such as spiders, ghosts, bats and Jack-O-Lanterns. Leaves are falling and the weather is cooling. Please provide your children with jackets, extra clothes, socks and pair of shoes. Don’t forget to label all their belongings to avoid any confusion. Be sure to check out our art boards in the hallways, as they are full of beautiful art work handmade by your little artists.
Thanks! Mrs. Narine, Miss Vianey Miss Ana, Mrs. Tamara, Miss Marissa, Miss Gianna & Miss Francesca
KINDERGARTEN:
Mrs. Lori, Ms. Danielle & Ms. Kim