August 5, 2019
Dear P.A.W.S. Families,
We hope you are enjoying this beautiful summer and are as excited as we are for a wonderful new school year to begin! A great, big thank you to Isabel Cashman in the preschool office, for working shoulder to shoulder with me throughout the summer, to prepare everything for our new school year! A grand thank you to our custodial staff Andy Sanger, Steve McHale, and Marcos Costa for keeping the school tidy and safe during the summer program and for their hard work making our school sparkling clean and ready for our students and staff when we return to school at the end of August!
We happily welcome everyone to P.A.W.S. at our two locations this year – with 6 classrooms located on the P.A.W.S. main campus, and 2 classrooms located at the Fiske Elementary School. We are looking forward to a PAWSitive and PAWSome school year with all of you!
Please mark your calendars with the important dates in this communication about:
P.A.W.S. ORIENTATION AND VISIT DAY
We will host our Preschool Orientation Days for all P.A.W.S. preschool students and their parents, guardians, and/or caregivers over the course of three days: August 28, 29, and 30. See the schedule below for your child’s specific class visit time.
The P.A.W.S. Orientation and Visit Day is an important opportunity for our preschoolers and their parents to visit the school prior to the first official day of preschool. Families are strongly encouraged to attend. Please be sure to contact the P.A.W.S. Office and your child’s classroom teacher, if you are not able to join us for your child’s visit/orientation day.
P.A.W.S. Orientation and Visit Day Schedule:
On the Orientation visit day, children and parents enjoy the first 15 minutes in the classroom together, exploring the play spaces in the classroom, playing with the toys, meeting their teachers, new friends and their families. Parents are then invited to leave the classroom to attend the P.A.W.S. Parent Information Session, for approximately 30-45 minutes, while the children are given the opportunity to stay and play in the classroom.
At the parent information session, parents will be provided with information and details about the school year, including presentations from the preschool director, the school psychologist, school nurse, and the P.A.W.S. PTO. After the information session, the parents will return to their child’s classroom to pick-up their preschooler and to hear all about the fun they had, while playing at school!
P.A.W.S. Preschool Orientation Days Schedules:
FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL for the P.A.W.S. PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS
BEFORE SCHOOL CARE
The Before School Care option is located at the P.A.W.S. Preschool main campus and will be available to students attending school at both the P.A.W.S. and Fiske campuses. Contact the P.A.W.S. office for more information. Payments for the Before School Care are due at the time of registration.
P.A.W.S. ENRICHMENT CLASSES and LUNCH BUNCH
We offer a Lunch Bunch offering for the Puppy Class, and Enrichment Class options for all P.A.W.S. families who would like their child to have additional social time and extended play and learning experiences at the preschool. Please see the enclosed information sheet about Lunch Bunch and Enrichment Class options available this year.
The Lunch Bunch and Enrichment Classes are filled on a first come first served basis. Payments for all options are due at the time of registration. The Lunch Bunch and Enrichment Classes are designed specifically for our preschoolers and we are therefore not able to support the integrity of the program as a drop-off service. Please complete the attached Lunch Bunch and/or Enrichment Class form and return to P.A.W.S. office at the Preschool Orientation visit day. We will do our best to accommodate requests, however; space is limited in each Enrichment Class.
P.A.W.S. FAMILY WELCOME BACK BULLETIN BOARD
Decorate the enclosed cloud page with a favorite positive quote, a word of welcome, or with a note about your hopes and dreams for the school year for your child! Send or bring in a photo of your family for our P.A.W.S. School Welcome Bulletin Board.
Each year at P.A.W.S. we invite our families to help us create a very special Welcome Back to P.A.W.S. Bulletin Board. We ask each family to decorate a cloud and send in a photo of your family that we can post on the board. We ask for your help in spreading positive messages to get our year off to PAWSitive start!
Help us start the year by celebrating the amazing, special, and wonderful diversity of the P.A.W.S. community and we share the power of positive messages.
We invite the children and their families to decorate a page, share an inspiring quote, or write words of welcome in English or in another language you know! It is amazing to see the many different languages, cultures, and traditions, are represented by our families at P.A.W.S. with all of the pages decorated in unique ways!
Bring your decorated cloud page to your Orientation Visit Day!
This should be a stress-free activity. We hope this will be a fun way for you and your child to start getting excited about coming to P.A.W.S. by doing a fun project together! Please use the attached page, found on the last page of this packet, and help your child decorate it with stickers, crayons, markers, glitter, paint or whatever you like!
We look forward to your support as we help all students to start the year with happy, caring, and confident energy, while recognizing and building upon each other’s strengths. Join us as we celebrate the love we have for our students, families, and for our work together this year! Extra copies of the page are available at the P.A.W.S. front office. Feel free to stop by to pick one up during the week of August 19th!
REQUIRED ONLINE ACCOUNT CREATIONS – WEBTRAC and PowerSchool
All families must create an online WEBTRAC account with the district for each child enrolled in school. Each family must also update their PowerSchool online account.
Each and every new and returning P.A.W.S. family must create an online WEBTRAC account with the district. You must register each child in this online system. Please visit the P.A.W.S. website to access the link to the site.
Please note:
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You must register your child for the classroom your child has been assigned to. If you are not sure of your child’s classroom placement, please contact the P.A.W.S. office and we will assist you.
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If you have questions regarding tuition or fees, please contact the P.A.W.S. office.
POWERSCHOOL PORTAL
The PowerSchool Parent Portal is another online database that every family needs to login, register and/or update. If you have not set up a PowerSchool account, you’ll need to sign-up for an account. Please visit the P.A.W.S. website for the link to PowerSchool. If you have an existing account, please visit the link to update all information such as: emergency contacts, media permissions, and permission for the PTO directory. At the end of your registration and updates, you will be provided with the name of your child’s classroom teacher.
Please be sure to add three (3) emergency contacts (other than you) in your PowerSchool profile. In case of an emergency, rare as it may seem, having another person to contact is very important!
Contact the P.A.W.S. office with any questions you have. We will have some computers available at the Orientation visit days to help walk you through the process if you have questions or need assistance.
PowerSchool Parent Portal & Classroom Assignments
The Wellesley Public Schools use PowerSchool, an online platform, to maintain the emergency contact information, directory information, and other important permissions for each of our students. The PowerSchool Parent Portal will be open August 5 at 12 Noon- August 30, 2019. We ask that all of our parents/guardians login during this time and update/confirm this important information. Home Room information for Grades K-8 will be available after you complete the parent portal forms for each student in your family. Grade 9-12 Schedules will be available on August 22 after parent portal forms are completed. As in prior years, you will not be receiving a class list due to security and privacy laws (see MGL 603 CMR 23.00 for more information).
District approved parent and community partners such as our PTOs, Wellesley Education Foundation, etc. request contact information for our families to produce school directories, which we recognize are a valued resource for our families. In accordance with our Student Records Policy (JRA, JRA-R) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents may opt out/customize the information released through the Powerschool Parent Portal. Please note that directory information shared with parent organizations is done so with the understanding that this information will not be used for commercial, political, or other third party uses.
To find out more and access the Powerschool Parent Portal please click here: https://wellesleyps.org/students-families/parent-portal-info/powerschool-parent-portal/
P.A.W.S. TUITION – A Note From the District Business Office:
If you have a tuition bill for your student, half of your tuition is due August 15, 2019 and the second half of your tuition will be due January 1, 2020. (Enrichment, Lunch Bunch and Before School Care must be paid in full by August 15) Your child cannot attend until your account is in good standing and full payments are made. Your slot will not be held beyond 9/1. You may make additional payments online, at any time, up to January 1, 2020 or you may opt to pay your tuition bills all at once if you wish. Please make all tuition payments on the Wellesley Public School website at: https://schoolpay.wellesleyma.gov/wbwsc/school.wsc/splash.html
If you have questions about tuition, please email questions to pawsoffice@wellesleyps.org.
QUESTIONS:
Please feel free to contact the P.A.W.S. office with any questions you may have. If for any reason, you are not able to join us for the Orientation Visit Days, please leave a message at the school office. To reach us by phone, please call the P.A.W.S. office at 781-446-6222 or send an email to pawsoffice@wellesleyps.org.
We are excited and ready to get the new school year started! Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we will see you see you at the Orientation Visit Days and at the start of school!
Sincerely,
‘Becca Z.
Rebecca Zieminski, Director of Early Childhood
PAWS Class Offerings & Tuition 2019-2020
The first half of tuition is due on August 15, 2019 and the second half of tuition is due on January 1, 2020. Please plan accordingly.
P.A.W.S. 2019-2020 CALENDAR OF EVENTS & IMPORTANT DATES
Wed Aug 15 First Half of Tuition Due
Wed Aug 28 9:00-10:15 Orientation for ~ PK7 @ Fiske, Parents & Children
10:45-12:00 Orientation for ~ PK5 & PK6.2 @P.A.W.S., Parents &
Children
Thurs Aug 29 9:00-10:15 Orientation for ~ PK4 & PK6.3 @P.A.W.S., Parents & Children
10:45-12:00 Orientation for ~ PK8 @ Fiske, Parents & Children
Fri Aug 30 9:00-10:15 Orientation for ~ PK1.2 & PK3 @P.A.W.S., Parents &
Children
10:45-12:00 Orientation for ~ PK1.3 & PK2 @P.A.W.S., Parents & Children
Mon Sept 2 Labor Day No School
Tues Sept 3 Preschool Starts For students who attend preschool on Tuesdays
Wed Sept 4 Preschool Starts For students who attend preschool on Wednesdays
Wed Sept 18 PK 7& PK8 Back to School Night @ Fiske Campus 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Wed Sept 25 Back to School Night @ PAWS 6:00 pm – 7:30pm
Mon Sept 30 Rosh Hashanah, No School
Wed Oct 9 Yom Kippur, No School
Mon Oct 14 Columbus Day, No School
Tues Nov 5 Early Release PreK- 5, Parent-Teacher Conference
Mon Nov 11 Veterans’ Day, No School
Thurs/Fri Nov 28-29 Thanksgiving Recess, No School
Mon Dec 2 Professional Day, No School
Dec 23 – Jan 1, 2020 Year-end Vacation, No School
2020
Wed Jan 1 Second Half of Tuition Due
Wed Jan 2 School Reopens
Mon Jan 20 Martin Luther King Jr Day, No School
Feb 17-21 February Vacation, No School
Tues April 2 Early Release PreK- 5 Parent-Teacher Conference
Fri April 10 Good Friday, No School
April 20-24 April Vacation, No School
Mon May 25 Memorial Day, No School
Thur June 22 Last Day- ½ day assuming 5 snow days
P.A.W.S. ENRICHMENT CLASS SIGN-UP FORM
Dear Parents/Guardians,
P.A.W.S will provide an Enrichment Class option for P.A.W.S. families who would like their child to have additional time and experiences at school. The Enrichment Classes are designed to nurture creativity, enhance socialization skills, provide opportunities for extended play and exploration of materials, and offer new learning experiences for our preschoolers.
Parents have asked if they can bring their child to an Enrichment Class on a day when their child is not in school. Yes! All children are welcome to sign-up to attend an enrichment class at the times listed below. The enrichment classes are filled on a first come first served basis. Payments for the Enrichment Classes are due in full at the time of registration. The Enrichment Class is designed as a special learning time for our preschoolers and we are therefore not able to support the the program as a drop-off service.
Once you decide which day(s) you would like your child to stay for an Enrichment Class, please complete this Enrichment Class sign-up form and return it to the P.A.W.S. office. We will do our best to accommodate your requests for the classes you select, however; space is limited in each Enrichment Class. Once approved of the availability in an Enrichment Class, you will be able to make your payment online.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
Name of Student: ______________________________________ Classroom______________
Parent Name_______________________________ Email ____________________________
|
|
Number of Sessions the Enrichment Class Meets Throughout the Year |
Cost per Year for Each Enrichment Class |
My child will participate in the following Enrichment Class Sessions (Please check all that apply.) |
|
|
Monday Afternoon |
1:00pm-2:45pm |
31 |
$813.75 |
|
|
Tuesday Afternoon |
1:00pm – 2:45pm |
35 |
$ 918.75 |
|
|
Thursday Afternoon |
1:00pm – 2:45pm |
37 |
$ 971.25 |
|
|
Friday Afternoon |
1:00pm – 2:45pm |
36 |
$945.00 |
|
|
Friday Morning |
8:45am – 11:45am |
36 |
$1620.00 |
Office Notes: Date Request Received__________________________
Email Sent to Confirm _____________ Placement______________________
TOTAL DUE ___________________
P.A.W.S. Lunch Bunch SIGN-UP FORM
Dear Preschool 4 Parents/Guardians,
P.A.W.S will provide a Lunch Bunch option for P.A.W.S. families who would like their child to stay at school to eat their lunch.
The Lunch-Bunch options are filled on a first come first served basis. Payments for the Lunch Bunch are due in full at the time of registration.
Once you decide which day(s) you would like your child to stay for a Lunch Bunch, please complete this sign-up form and return it to the P.A.W.S. office. We will do our best to accommodate your requests for the days you select, however; space is limited. Once approved of the availability in the Lunch-Bunch, you will be able to make your payment online.
————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Name of Student: ______________________________________ Classroom______________
Parent Name_______________________________ Email ____________________________
|
Students in PK4 |
Number of Sessions the Lunch Bunch Meets Throughout the Year |
Cost per Year for Each Lunch Bunch |
My child will participate in the following Lunch Bunch Sessions (Please check all that apply.) |
|
|
Monday |
11:00am -11:45am |
31 |
$348.75 |
|
|
Wednesday |
11:00am -11:45am |
37 |
$416.25 |
Office Notes: Date Request Received__________________________
Email Sent to Confirm _____________
Placement______________________
TOTAL DUE _____________________
P.A.W.S. Family Welcome Bulletin Board
Each year we invite every family at P.A.W.S. to help us create a beautiful bulletin board by asking each family to share a family photo, a positive message of welcome, and wishes for a wonderful year! Help us celebrate the culturally rich, linguistically diverse community at P.A.W.S. and write a message of welcome in your first language, if you have or know a language other than English. One year we had 18 different languages represented! Write your message on the page below. You might write about something that brings your family joy, a note of welcome, or include an inspiring quote you love. Please be sure to include the translation of your message, and state the language and country of origin, too! Please be sure to put your family name on the page and on the back of your family photo. Thank you in advance for your help with this special project!
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Help your child decorate the attached P.A.W.S Page in whichever way he or she would like!
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Use crayons, markers, paint, glitter, stickers, stamps or whatever you have! This should be a fun, stress-free activity for you and your child.
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Bring your decorated cloud page on your Orientation and Visit Day.
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Copies of the cloud are available at the P.A.W.S. office, open the week of August 19-23.
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Example:
Please print out and decorate this cloud. Bring it to school on your Orientation Visit Day!
