Clyde’s Corner | October 2025

Monthly Updates:

THANK YOU TEACHERS!
- Thank you for loving your kiddos and for helping Ashley bring her dream to life ❤️ Finding passionate teachers is hard enough....but finding passionate teachers who are willing to learn, grow, and be apart of a work family is rare...but we found you all 🙂 Thank you for striving to bring Conscious Discipline into your classrooms and for making the barn a home for us all ❤️
GroupMe:
- Please make sure you are checking your GroupMe messages EVERYDAY! We are sending important information that all teachers need to be aware of.
Doors:
- Please only use the downstairs door by the laundry room in emergencies.
- When you exit through the office, please LOCK THE DOOR BEHIND YOU to keep our BRB family safe.
- If you knock on the back office door and no one answers, please do not knock again and go around, most likely we are in a meeting or on the phone.
This is a reminder to make sure you are keeping up with your kiddos portfolios and checklists! Teachers will have time during our teacher training day to finish these up. Conferences will begin at the end of the month!
Accidents:
- Please make sure to document EVERY accident on Bright Wheel so that families know when they have dirty clothes!
- If a child has dirty clothes (from an accident or just wet/messy clothes) please use white tape and a sharpie to write their first AND last name along with the date on the bag.
- When a kid has an accident or has dirty clothes, please place a "Accident Card" in that child's cubby so their parents know to get their dirty clothes.
Cell Phones/Air pods:
- The ONLY reason for staff to be on their phones while students are active is if they have access to B.W! (Only 2 teachers do at the moment) When you get on your phone, you take yourself out of ratio....your #1 priority is the safety of your kids......that starts with your full attention 🙂
- Per Colorado Licensing, air pods/headphones are not allowed when you are with children--This includes during nap time. If you are with children you need all of your senses and attention focused on keeping your kids safe.
  - If you see Ms. Jenny wearing air pods, that is because she is listening for the walkie talkie app to ensure an admin hears every call teachers make! She will never be wearing them if she is a ratio teacher in the classroom, as the same licensing rules apply to admin.
Shift Times
- Please make sure to show up to your shift on time. On time means 5 minutes early so you can get situated and be ready in your classroom before or at 7 am (or whenever you start). On time does NOT mean pulling into the parking lot at 7 am. Students get dropped off starting at 7am----teachers MUST be ready before students arrive!
- We do keep track of all late arrivals and call-outs!
Staff Snacks and Drinks:
- The snacks found in the black baskets in the staff room and the drinks in the door of the fridge are up for grabs for teachers! Please be courteous and only take one snack or drink a day.
- DO NOT take snacks or drinks from the storage room--those are NOT for teachers
- Teachers should NOT be eating the school provided snacks--they are for students only.
Storage Room/Classroom Materials
- Teachers are in charge of returning storage room materials back in their designated spots before the end of each day. There should not be any shared materials in the classrooms by the end of the night. Please do not leave materials on the counter in the storage room.
- Toddler Teachers: Please return Frog Street materials to their designated containers at the end of everyday (toddler materials overlap with different themes so please be courteous of the other class!)
Conscious Discipline Implementation Plan
- We will be introducing our NEW Conscious Discipline Implementation Plan to get the BRB fully immersed in Conscious Discipline on 10/13 during our Teacher Planning/Prep Day. This is a 4 year implementation plan that will help our teachers and administration to act with more grace and love towards each other and our kiddos through Conscious Discipline.
- For a sneak peak of what this month's C.D. implementation is all about, click the links below 🙂
  - Conscious Discipline Venn Diagram
  - Traditional Discipline VS. Conscious Discipline
Admin Date Days:
- Your admin team is actively working on joining teachers in their classrooms more and will start having "Admin Date Days" in each classroom. During these days, Jenny, Ashley, and/or Alicia will sub in different classrooms. We want to see our teachers in action and to see how each teacher uniquely loves and supports our BRB students. ❤️ This is also being put in place because your administrators are still teachers at heart and we all miss the bring in the classroom!❤️
Closing and Admin Checks
- Before you mop a classroom at the end of the night, please make sure an Administrator checks the room
Please draw a picture of Ashley (GET CREATIVE....hehe) and give it to Alicia or Jenny to prove that you read this month's newsletters. Staff who return a drawing by 10/3 will receive a special sweet treat, please don't cheat!
Outdoor Areas:
- We have had too many students slip on the sand outside of the sandbox (on the stones). From now on, please sweep the excess sand back into the sandbox BEFORE leaving the grassy field.
Deep Cleaning Toys:
- When you send toys down to be deep cleaned, please make sure you send down the toys AND the bin to be washed.
- Only send down ONE set of toys per day
- When you put clean toys away in the mornings, please use white tape and a sharpie to label the bin with the date in which they were put away. This way, teachers can ensure that all toys (not including wooden toys) are being deep cleaned regularly
'Tis the Season for Sweaters and Sniffles!
- Fall is here!! Please make sure BOTH you and your kiddos are properly prepared and dressed! If students do not have proper clothing, we have extra jackets/coats and pants so that your class can still enjoy the opportunity to explore and play in all types of weather!
  - Please be very aware of what clothing parents bring for their kiddos. If parents bring warm clothing, rain gear, or snow gear they expect their kiddo to be wearing that clothing! We ask parents to bring their kiddos fully prepared for all weather and it is only fair if we put in the effort to ensure they are wearing the clothing that parents bring.
    - Even if students are independently getting ready to go outside, please make sure a teacher is checking to see if they have all provided clothing on (including rainboots/snow boots, hats, gloves, layered jackets, hoodies, etc.)
Teacher Coupons
- Your admin team will start giving out Teacher Coupons to teachers this month to celebrate the big and little accomplishments you have 🙂
Snowy Weather Prep❄️: As a reminder, we follow Jeffco public schools for weather related closures. If Jeffco is closed, so are we. If they have a late start we open at 9:00 am and if they have an early release we close at 3:30 pm.

Staff Shoutout

A BIG shoutout to Ms. Whitney!!🥳 Ms. Whitney was introduced to Conscious Discipline when she joined our team and has gone above and beyond to combine her passions and ideas with her knew knowledge of Conscious Discipline. Ms. Whitney started to use positive affirmations with her kids before and during transitions. This allows students to review expectations before reaching their destination while fueling her kids with positivity and self love before starting certain activities. We are SO proud of you Whitney and can't wait to see what else you do with your classroom, kiddos, and career here at the barn ❤️

New Schedule | 10/6 – 10/17

New Schedule | 9/22 – 10/3

New Schedule | 9/8 – 9/19

Clyde’s Corner | September 2025

Monthly Updates:

We are no longer using Emergency doors for daily access. Please use the front door for all class transitions (please use them in an emergency though)
This is a reminder to make sure you are keeping up with your kiddos portfolios and checklists! We will be hosting parent teacher conferences this Fall between October - November! Jenny and Alicia will be checking in to help you get started starting September 2nd! 🙂
Cell Phones:
- The ONLY reason for staff to be on their phones while students are active is if they have access to B.W! (Only 1 teacher does at the moment) When you get on your phone, you take yourself out of ratio....your #1 priority MUST the safety of your kids......that starts with your full attention 🙂
Shift Times
- Please make sure to show up to your shift on time. On time means 5 minutes early so you can get situated and be ready in your classroom before or at 7 am (or whenever you start).On time does NOT mean pulling into the parking lot at 7 am. Students get dropped off starting at 7am----teachers MUST be ready before students arrive!
We are transitioning to a walkie talkie app on the tablets this month! Ms. Jenny and Alicia will introduce this to all teachers in hopes that our communication throughout the day will be smoother.
As a reminder here are the schoolwide allergies in each classroom. It is everyone's responsibility to know these in order to keep our children as safe as possible.
- Nora Simmons - Peanut, Cashew, Pistachio, Eggs, Mustard, Sesame, Shrimp, Banana *Has EpiPen*
- Kaia Gehlhaus - Peanuts, Eggs, Tree Nuts *Has EpiPen*
Supplies
- Teachers are in charge of notifying Admin. when we are low or out of supplies (art, curriculum, and cleaning materials) If you notice something is getting low... LET ADMIN KNOW!
- Any materials that are taken from the storage room must be put back DAILY! These are shared materials:)
Closing the BRB
- We are a TEAM! Teachers are in charge of the closing the classroom in which they were scheduled to be in. However, closing is a team effort, so whenever you can, help other classrooms close once you are done.
- Please make sure you are trying your best to HUSTLE during closing procedures. Every classroom should be able to be completely closed by 6pm (most days) if teachers are doing proper pre-closing items. Please let admin know if you have any questions or concerns about the closing duties 🙂
New Licensing Rules: To comply with Colorado's new rules and Regulations for the 2025-2026 school year......
- Name-To-Face:
  - We ask that all teachers now document a "Name-To -Face" attendance on B.W. after transitioning to a new location
    - Match a child to their picture on B.W and post a "Name-To-Face" for that child identifying that they are HERE when in the classroom and AWAY when outside
    - For Example:
      - when line up to go outside (in classroom)- identify your students as "HERE"
      - when you get to the playground identify students as "AWAY"
      - when you come back into your classroom identify students as "HERE"
- All teachers must document every time you apply sunscreen to a kiddo on Bright Wheel (B.W.)
  - Post a "Name-To-Face" to each child's B.W. with a note that says "Applied Sunscreen" after you have done so.
Please give a Dad/Corny Joke (on a piece of paper) to Alicia to let your admin team know you read your newsletter!
Conscious Discipline Implementation Plan
- To help everyone learn and customize Conscious Discipline to fit the needs of their class, Ashley and Alicia will be coming in for classroom visits that will help us help you!!! We will focus on implementing Conscious Discipline in Frog Street and throughout your school day. We will also help teachers create and meet their personal goals to bring Conscious Discipline into every aspect of the Big Red Barn!
Class Schedules
- Please follow your class schedules--they are created very specifically to support the BRB values, help the school run smooth school wide, and so classes don't mix in bathrooms and in our outdoor spaces.
  - Give your students time to transition
    - If you are on the grass from 8:00-9:00 but circle time begins at 9 am on your schedule (maybe leave the playground at 8:45 so students are sitting down for circle time at 9)
Extracurriculars:
- We are adjusting our extracurriculars to better fit the needs of the BRB. Please check out the google calendar to see those changes 🙂
FALL IS NEAR!!
- Colorado is about to P.M.S. in regards to weather. Please make sure BOTH you and your kiddos are properly prepared and dressed!
- A HUGE part of who the BRB is how much we get our students outside in rain, snow, or shine! Getting our students outside in various types of weather helps build resilience and help kiddos become more comfortable in the uncomfortable:)
  - When the FEELS LIKE temperature is....
    - BELOW 20 degrees: STAY INSIDE
    - BEWTEEN 20-30 degrees: 15 minutes max outside
    - ABOVE 30 degrees: Go outside for your allotted time
  - We even go outside when it's actively precipitating (Admin will notify you if lightening is too close for outdoor play)
Outdoor Time:
- Please leave your classroom "Tour Ready" before going outside. This goes for the playground too! (All toys must be cleaned up before leaving the outdoor spaces)
- Outdoor time is not for sitting......PLAY...DANCE...SING...RUN!! Your kiddos want you to engage with them...get active and GET SILLY with your students.
  - Being active also helps you keep your students safe because you are able to move around to see all areas of the play spaces.
Payroll update: As a way yo create better flow in our business, we will be switching our payroll schedule from biweekly to semimonthly. This change will occur in October, so please take a look forward and budget accordingly. Beginning in October, you will be paid on the 5th and 20th of every month. If these days fall on a weekend or bank holiday, Ashley will make sure to run payroll early and get you paid the working day prior. Please let me know if you have any questions, below I have laid out what the next month of payment will look like to help you better prepare.
- You will be paid like usual on September 12th for hours worked 8/25-9/7 and on September 26th for hours worked 9/8-9/21
- On October 5th you will be paid for hours worked 9/22-9/30
- On October 20th you will be paid for hours worked 10/1-10/15
- Moving forward from there the pay period will be set up like this:
  - For hours worked on the 1st-15th of each month, you will be paid out on the 2oth of each month
  - For hours worked on the 16th-last day of the month, you will be paid out on the 5th of each month
- We will also be switching our payroll system from Gusto to ADP, so please be on the lookout for needed items to accomplish this.

New Schedule | 8/25 – 9/5

Clyde’s Corner | August 2025

Monthly Updates:

The new 2025-2026 school year calendar items have been placed on our employee calendar! You can access this on the staff portal and every staff member has been invited to add it to your personal google calendar. It is the lead teachers' responsibility to make sure they are keep up to date with deadlines listed on the is calendar. Please become familiar with using this calendar as a resource!
Our new drop off policy of 8:30 am has been going well for the most part. Please let administration know if there are families that are consistently late and if it is effecting you class in any way
This is a reminder to make sure you are keeping up with your kiddos portfolios and checklists! We will be hosting parent teacher conferences this Fall between October - November!
Please make sure you are using your admin text groups for all communication. This helps our administrative team stay organized and helps us better know how to support you.
Shit Times and Clocking In and Out:
- Please make sure to show up to your shift on time. We have had way too many staff members arriving between 10-30 minutes late everyday which is unacceptable. On time means in your classrooms ready for children at your allotted time, not clocking in and making coffee at your allotted time.
- Staff members are not allowed to clock in more than 5 minutes prior to their shift unless explicitly okayed by administration.
- 15 minute breaks mean 15 minutes! We have had a lot of staff members extend these by 5 minutes which pushes our breaker back and sometimes limits other staff members for their breaks. Please help us stay on track by taking only 15 minutes.
- Please also make sure you are taking your full hour lunch break and not clocking in early, you deserve the break and need the time so take it!
We are no longer allowing staff members to release children from the playground unless their parent is present. This means no allowing children to run up the stairs to their parents. Parents must come down to physically take their child.
Please make sure you always have your walkie talkie on you! We will be phasing these out over the next few weeks and moving to a walkie talkie app, but in the meantime these are important in case of an emergency!
Now that we have run out of our initial smaller paint bottles Ashley will be purchasing large gallons. These are not to be taken into the classrooms as they are shared by all classrooms. Please use the dixie cups stored on the same shelf to take what you need and try not to over pour as we want this paint to last as long as we can. Thank you!
As a reminder here are the schoolwide allergies in each classroom. It is everyone's responsibility to know these in order to keep our children as safe as possible.
- Cohen Rogers🐓 - Dairy Intolerance
- Colin Johnson🦙 - Peanut, Cashew, Pistachio, Milk, Eggs *Has EpiPen*
- Nora Simmons 🦙 - Peanut, Cashew, Pistachio, Eggs, Mustard, Sesame, Shrimp, Banana *Has EpiPen*
- Kaia Gehlhaus 🐤 - Peanuts, Eggs, Tree Nuts *Has EpiPen*
Storage Room:
- Ashley spent a good chunk of time over the last few weeks and during the break to reorganize and clean up the storage room! Please make sure to help keep it looking clean and organized
- Any materials that are taken from the storage room must be put back DAILY! These are shared materials and it is too often that we can not find something because it hasn't been placed back in its spot
- If you don't know where something goes ASK! Please do not just throw materials in places if you do not know where they go because that is how the storage room becomes cluttered and disorganized.
- All bin materials on the East wall are in alphabetical order so it is easier to find things. Please put materials back in this same way.
The 2025-2026 School Year Employee Handbook has been updated. Please make sure to read over the new handbook and once complete please see Jenny or Alicia to sign off that you acknowledge the changes! To make it easier since I know the handbook is quite long I have broke out the specific changes that were made. Please let us know if you have any questions!
- Section 1.5 | Classroom & Ratios - We are officially relicensed to have 9 toddlers aged 1-3 years old in the Duckling classroom!
- Section 3.1 | Required Trainings - All staff are now required to be trained on how to use a fire extinguisher and must have 1 credit hour in child development.
  - Please watch this short video on how to use an extinguisher and tell either Alicia or Jenny the acronym used to remember the proper steps of using an extinguisher.
- Section 5.2.3 | Paid Holidays and School Breaks
  - Our summer break will now be scheduled annually for the weeks prior to Jeffco Public Schools. These dates will be released annually and are now posted on the Employee Calendar.
  - Moving forward, beginning with the 2025 Winter Break, staff will now be paid 50% of their salary for our 2 week closures (summer and winter breaks). In full transparency, I can no longer afford to pay out full salaries without significant impacts on the business. Please make sure to plan accordingly for these week breaks! However, as a benefit to longevity with the company, once you hit 3 years with us you will recieve 100% of your salary for these weeks off.
  - We have also added 2 teacher planning and prep days into our school closure list🥳 These will be days where children are not attending, but staff are required to be in person for training, deep cleaning, classroom and curriculum prep and planning, etc. For the 2025-2026 school year these dates are October 13th and February 16th.