Dear P.A.W.S. Community,
I hope you will join us for a P.A.W.S. Cares Team kick-off meeting on Monday morning at 10:30 in the P.A.W.S. faculty room. This is our first meeting at P.A.W.S. to talk about establishing the P.A.W.S. Cares Team. All are welcome and encouraged to attend! Please read on for more updates!
Monday, February 12, 2018 – CARE Team Coffee – 10:30-11:15
We all have found times in our lives when we have needed a little extra support from those around us. This could be anything from needing a meal during a major life event, a family member becoming ill, or just needing a helping hand to get by. The P.A.W.S. CARE Team is being established to support all in our preschool community. Please RSVP to join us on February 12th at 10:30 for a coffee and light refreshments to find out about the needs of our community, and how you can help. If you would like to join the meeting, but cannot come to P.A.W.S., please join us virtually from your computer or phone. Email Isabel Cashman cashmani@wellesleyps.org for technical assistance to join the meeting.
Special Education Transition to Kindergarten Night 6:00pm – 7:00pm in the Fiske Library
If you have a child with an IEP who will transition to kindergarten in September, we invite you to attend this information night with preschool and elementary special education staff, to learn about the special education process designed to help provide a smooth transition between preschool and elementary school.
February 14, 2018
Happy Valentine’s Day and Friendship Day! We invite your child to wear something red, white, purple or pink for Valentine’s Day! Your child’s classroom teacher will be sending specific information about how and when Friendship Day/Valentine’s Day will be observed in each classroom.
Please remember that if your child decides to share cards on Valentine’s Day, that all students from the classroom are included, and that there is one card for every member of the class. Also, if you decide to include a small gift bag or special toy or treasure with the Valentine card, please be sure there is NO FOOD or candy. There are many students with allergies and dietary restrictions. For the safety and wellbeing of all students, we cannot allow food items to be shared or sent home. Thank you for your help in keeping everyone safe and happy during the celebration of love and friendship, by keeping all candy and food treats at home.
General Reminders and Safety Reminders
Save Adult Conversations for Adults Only
Please be mindful and refrain from having conversations with staff about your child, in front of your child or other children. A quick yes or no answer for some types of questions may be fine, but for some children, even a few moments of parental attention focused on talking with another adult can be a stimulus for a child’s unexpected behavior, especially during transitions. We are all working to build student success, and request that you speak about topics with the school nurse, classroom teacher or specialist when your child and other children are not present.
Building Independence During Arrival
You may have noticed that teachers are now working with helping children manage all of their own belongings at drop off time by requesting that you drop your child off at the classroom door. The STOP signs outside of some of the classrooms are helpful visual reminders for the children to know what they need to do. We kindly request that after your child enters the classroom, it is your turn to say a cheerful goodbye and leave the area, allowing for your child’s successful transition into school. Dropping off at the door will help all of the children build confidence in their newly developing skills without feeling conflicted or distracted if you remain outside of the classroom door. The teaching staff will provide assistance should children need support.
Cell Phone Chat Zone
We understand how busy you are and that you may be multitasking for much of the day. If you are arriving at school to pick up your child, please end your phone call by the front entryway of the school and enter the school fully able to attend to your child. We will gladly wait for an extra minute for you to end your phone call by the front walkway, to ensure you are available to attend completely to your child at pick-up time.
For safety and confidentiality, we request that cellphones are not used in the building.Your child receives our full attention each day, please be sure to share this message with your child’s caregivers, to ensure your child receives yours and their undivided attention as well. Please see the Director if you have any questions.
Hold Hands in the Parking Lot
Please hold your child’s hand when coming into the building and when leaving the building, and especially while walking in the parking lot. With all of the cars coming and going at arrival and dismissal times, it is important to be sure your child is close by. Walking into and out of school can be a teachable moment for you with your child as you practice expected and safe parking lot behavior, such as: hold hands with an adult, have a calm body, and use walking feet.
Walk Safely Into the Building
Many children are very excited to come to school, and we are thrilled to have such happy and eager students! Please remind your child to use safe, walking feet upon entering the school building, including a calm body and an inside voice. Please let your child’s classroom teacher know if you need support with this and she will be happy to work on a plan to support you and your child.
“Putting it All Together” Workshop – March 14, 2018 from 6:00-7:30
If your child has an IEP, we welcome you to join us at a parent make-and-take workshop called, “Putting it All Together”! This workshop is lead by parent, Rose Nolan and P.A.W.S. Director, Rebecca Zieminski. We offer this opportunity to all parents of students with an Individual Education Program (IEP) to gather at P.A.W.S. for what parents called, “An AWESOME workshop!” At this workshop, you will be given a binder, page protectors, and an insider’s guide to special education. At this workshop, you will gain insight into the special education process, connect with other parents, and learn helpful tips to help you organize all of the special education paperwork you collect for your child.
You may register for the evening workshop by clicking on this LINK to the Evite for the evening workshop. Child care is provided for this workshop through the generosity of the P.A.W.S. PTO. Indicate in the Evite how many children you will bring, to help us plan accordingly.
February Vacation – February 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
We wish you all a wonderful February vacation next week! You may enjoy a vacation or a staycation; no matter how you spend your week, we hope you have fun family time together creating happy memories! We look forward to seeing you when we return on Monday, February 26, 2018.
Best,
‘Becca Z.