March 20, 2020
Hello P.A.W.S. Families,
As an early childhood educator, Mr. Rogers has always been my hero. I appreciate the wisdom and caring he imparted to the world, especially when helping children and families manage challenging times. He is known to have said, “When I was a child and I would see scary things in the news, my mom would say, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” In the week since we were last in school together, teams of educators, specialists, administrators, and technology staff across Wellesley have been working tirelessly behind-the-scenes, collaborating and helping each other to develop ways to address our ever changing landscape. We have been working to help our families and students as we think about the weeks ahead.
Yesterday, you received an informative email from Superintendent David Lussier outlining some of the important ways the district has been working to help support all of the students in Wellesley. We have a new website with links to many ideas, suggestions and resources that we hope will support your time at home with your children. There is an overview with FAQs for your review and today the WPS website is open for you to explore!
While countless hours have gone into preparing this new website with what we hope will be a really fun and useful space for our families to access and enjoy great ideas and resources; not everything that is posted there will be the right fit for you and your child. Take a look at all it has to offer and then use what feels helpful and leave the rest.
We are all learning new routines and are establishing new rhythms within each day. Try to enjoy this time at home with your preschooler. Break up activities into little chunks of time and see what feel fun for your preschooler. Take and use what you need and leave what does not serve you and be sure to check in with Terry Weksel, Nurse Ann, your child’s teacher or me, if you need support. Know that the P.A.W.S. Village is here working to connect with you and help as we are able.
Yesterday, I had the great joy of meeting remotely with the P.A.W.S. faculty via Google Meet. I enjoyed seeing the faces of the wonderful P.A.W.S. teachers who bring magic, skill and love to their teaching! They all miss their students! We all miss seeing you and your children at P.A.W.S each day and we are thinking of you all.
Beginning today, each teacher will send out a daily “Morning Message” to her class. We hope these daily check-ins will feel fun and will help your children feel connected to their P.A.W.S. teachers. When you have a chance, reach out and let us know what you are up to, too! We have loved the photos and videos you have shared already. Keep them coming!
Be well, stay healthy, practice safe physical distancing while retaining or establishing some remote social connections. Let us know what you are doing to help others and let us know where we can help you.
Best to you all,
‘Becca Z.