ECDC Newsletter
February 14, 2019
ECDC Important Dates and Upcoming Events
To learn more about ECDC Happenings, please visit the Important Dates and Upcoming Events section on the ECDC Principal Page!
Awesome Animals!
What can you do with 10 Black Dots?
Students then created pictures with "10 Black Dots!" Some of the cool things they made included balloons, people, raindrops and a circus.
ECDC Spreads the LOVE this Valentine Season!
ECDC School Council Update
2018-19 School Council Members:
Linda Cournoyer, Speech and Language Pathologist
Chandra Juncker, Parent
Kelty Kelley, ECDC Principal
Aracely Lee, Parent
Elizabeth Reynard, Special Educator/Early Childhood Teacher
2018-19 Meeting Schedule
(all meetings held at 1:45 in the ECDC Conference Room)
January 28, 2019
March 18, 2019
May 6, 2019
ECDC awarded a grant from THE BIG Y!
Jen Curry (School Psychologist), Sandra Wong (OT), and I wrote a grant to support their work to create “Chill Zones” in each of our 7 classrooms! “Chill Zones” are small, quiet spaces with a myriad of tools that students can use to calm themselves down and get ready to learn.
Why “Chill Zones”:
The Franklin Public Schools and ECDC are invested in fostering the Social Emotional development of each and every student, and that begins with providing our preschoolers a solid foundation in Social Emotional Learning. This year we are focusing on teaching Self-Regulation skills.
At ECDC we are working on teaching our preschoolers strategies for self-regulation and how being calm and self-regulated at school will allow them to be ready for learning. Our wish is to provide strategies and tools in each classroom so every student can access them throughout the day.
When our students are dysregulated they are not able to access what is being taught. They are unable to focus on lessons, participate in activities, socialize, and play. All of which are critical to their development and future success.
We believe that with the use of purposeful self-regulation strategies and tools, all of our students will be able to access the preschool curriculum, be able to navigate challenges they may face, and will more easily transition to the rigors of kindergarten.
We have seen first hand how self-regulation tools help our students when they are feeling out of control. After using such tools, students become more calm, relaxed, self-confident, self-aware, and happy. The additional materials purchased with this grant will compliment items already in use, making our “Chill Zones” more impactful for more students.
We are so grateful to the BIG Y for supporting our vision for Social Emotional Learning!
Do you shop at the Big Y?
We are part of Big Y’s EDUCATION EXPRESS!
Select FRANKLIN ECDC and help us earn points!
"In 1993 Big Y introduced Education Express, a program committed to helping local schools get the supplies they need. Education Express is an innovative program that takes the burden off the individual schools and teachers and allows the community to provide support. Since 1993, with our customers’ help, over 2,000 local schools received approximately 14 million dollars of much-needed supplies and equipment through the Education Express program!" https://www.bigy.com/educationexpress/FAQ
A Message from your PCC
The new laminator has arrived!!! We are so excited to have been able to do this for our teachers, it arrived just in the nick of time as the old one was near it's end...and they are loving it! This was all due to the support of ongoing fundraisers over last school year and this current year, so many thanks to all of the parents.
We also want to say thank you to all who contributed to our holiday donation to the Santa Foundation in lieu of teacher gifts. We were able to make a donation of $735 which will directly benefit families in need right here in Franklin.
Our Giving Clothesline is under way and will be wrapping up at the end of this week, so please send in any new hats and/or mittens of any size for our collection by Friday 2/15. These will also be donated to The Santa Foundation as winter is not quite over yet!
We are getting into full swing to start preparing for Teacher Appreciation week in May and the June fun fair. If you are interested in helping with either of these events please consider attending our upcoming PCC meeting March 11th @ 9:30am, or getting in touch with Jenn Markham, jenniferbasiliere@hotmail.com.
Following school vacation week here are some of the upcoming things we have to look forward to! Be sure to mark your calendars, and more info will follow:
As always, thanks for your participation in the ECDC PCC!
- 2/25-3/08 - Yankee Candle fundraiser - get all those lovely Spring scents and basket-fillers for Easter and Mother's Day! Packets are coming home at the end of this week
- 4/1 - 4/15 - Spirit Wear fundraiser; get your ECDC gear in time for the Spring, our June Fun Fair and for next fall!
- April 5 - UNO's "Dough Raiser" - It's a half-day of school district wide (no school at ECDC). Wondering what do do with the kids all afternoon? Why not head to lunch with some friends?!?!
Can't do lunch, but don't feel like cooking dinner on a Friday night? This fundraiser is all day long, so head out for dinner after work while the kids play with the pizza dough! - Mid-May - Teacher Appreciation week. The ECDC PCC sets up food and goodies for our amazing teachers all week, we will be looking for volunteers to help set up and bring in goodies.
- June - Froyo "night" fundraiser (date tbd)
- June - End of school year FUN FAIR! Many hands will be needed to help make this a success, so please consider volunteering to organize!
Also, look out for a list that the PCC has put together of students who will be entering Kindergarten which has been sorted by elementary school so that we can start making connections within those communities as well.
The ECDC PCC
Autism & Creating a Fulfilling Life for the Family and Child with Special Needs
Franklin SEPAC presents:
Join us as we welcome author, journalist, public speaker and special needs parent Susan Senator. Susan is the mother of three boys, the oldest of whom has severe autism. Using her experiences and speaking from the heart, Susan speaks about the impact that autism has had on her family.
She has authored books including: Making Peace with Autism, Autism Adulthood, and The Autism Mom's Survival Guide. Susan speaks around the country and maintains a blog and website, www.susansenator.com.
When: Thursday, February 28 at 7:00 PM
Where: Third floor Training Room of the Franklin Municipal Building, 255 East Central Street, Franklin, MA.
This event is free and open to the public.
If you have any suggestions for workshops or social events for the kids, please send us an email at franklinsepac@gmail.com .
April 1st and April 2nd
Dress for the Weather
Coffee with the Principal
Coffee with the Principal is an opportunity for informal conversations with Miss Kelty about all things ECDC.
Please bring your coffee or tea and I will bring some goodies!
Our next meeting will be on March 7th here at ECDC @ 9:30-10:30!
NEWS FROM THE NURSE---A REMINDER!
The cold weather is here and unfortunately it is also the time of year we see more illnesses! Knowing when to keep a child home from school and when to call the school nurse is not always easy. Below is the criteria used by Franklin Public Schools.
When to Keep Your Child Home from School:
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Fever > 100 degrees
- Cold and cough with thick colored nasal drainage
- Itchy or reddened eyes with drainage (possible conjunctivitis)
- Moderate to severe pain
- Unusual rash
- A poor night’s sleep due to illness, cough, etc.
When to Send Your Child Back to School:
- When fever free for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or Motrin
- 24 hours after the start of antibiotic therapy for a bacterial infection
- 24 hours without vomiting or diarrhea
When to Call the School Nurse:
- A change in your child's health status
- Newly prescribed medication or Changes in current medication
- A fracture, sprain, stitches, cast or brace
- Serious injury, illness or hospitalization
- When your child scheduled for surgery
- Contagious disease such as strep throat, conjunctivitis, flu, chicken pox, whooping cough etc.
- For any questions or concerns
Following these guidelines will help to prevent an illness cycle and keep everyone healthy! Remember good handwashing is one of the easiest ways to help prevent the spread of disease. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.
Mary Nuzzo, RN
Don't Miss this PARENT WORKSHOP on APRIL 1st!
Different Children, Different Needs
With Jeanine Fitzgerald
Monday, April 1 6:30-8:30 pm
ECDC
224 Oak Street, REAR Franklin, MA
ALL ARE WELCOME!
RSVP to Laura: flanaganla@franklinps.net
This workshop is designed to meet the needs of parents of young children, caregivers and early childhood professionals.
Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded. This session is designed to reveal the essence of every child and what nurtures their greatness. Understanding the seven major influences on behavior and development is critical to ensuring that every child we relate to and interact with is visible, valued and supported in their own way. Together, we will discover the layers of possibilities waiting to unfold and the strengths each child brings to this world. These will be revealed through a research-based model of temperament that honors the differences among us.
Adults only please—and feel free to bring a friend!
Is your child going to Kindergarten in the fall of 2019? If yes, please attend!
LEAPING into KINDERGARTEN!
A program for Franklin Public School families with children eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall of 2019 (5 years old by August 31st, 2019).
DATE: Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
TIME: 7-8 PM; Q&A Session from 8:00-8:30 PM
LOCATION: Horace Mann/Oak St. School Auditorium
Members of the Franklin school community, including kindergarten teachers, principals, the school nurse leader and the Director of Student Services, will provide helpful information to families on:
Health Information, Safety, Teaching & Learning, Kindergarten Screening, Kindergarten Orientation, Transportation, Extended Day, and MORE!
ECDC Enrollment for the FALL is STILL OPEN---Tell Your Friends About us!
We had a great response to the ECDC lottery, but we still have a few spots for next year!
Tell your friends and family about ECDC!
For NEW students to ECDC, please click here
F.X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center
Kelty Kelley, Principal, M.Ed.
"There is no hand so small that it cannot leave an imprint on the world!" Klub Kidz
Email: kelleyk@franklinps.net
Website: https://www.franklinps.net/ecdc
Location: 224 Oak Street, Franklin, MA, USA
Phone: 508-541-8166
Twitter: @FranklinECDC