Preschool News
May 9, 2021
Link for Translation
Message from Mrs. Kilday
Happy Mother's Day to all of our Mom's out there and those that fill a motherly role. We love you and are so grateful to have you in our lives.
Remember there is no school on Monday, May 17th.
We have so many things growing in our school as we learn about life cycles. We have plants sprouting, seeds germinating in windows and caterpillars making cocoons! It is so exciting. Be sure to ask your child about it and find things around your home that are growing!
Have a wonderful evening.
Donna
Updated Protocols for Identifying Close Contact and Quarantining
The following language outlines the recently updated DESE guidance, and the Canton Public Schools COVID-19 Protocols have been revised to reflect the change.
Close contacts who were exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom or on the bus while both individuals were masked do not have to quarantine unless they were within 3 feet of the distance of the COVID-19 positive individual for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. This does not apply if someone was identified as a close contact outside of the classroom or bus (e.g., in sports, extracurriculars, lunch, etc.) or if masks are not worn by both persons at the time of the exposure. All other close contacts must follow the standard protocol for when a close contact may return to school.
In collaboration with the Canton Health Department, the CPS Nursing Team will work with school staff to determine if students meet this revised definition for quarantine.
Social Emotional Screening Data Summary
Thank you to all of the families who participated in our first Social Emotional screening process. Just under half of all families responded to the survey, along with all teachers.As a reminder, this survey was designed to look for behaviors associated with future social emotional risk factors. In addition, we hope to use this data to reflect and improve upon our prorgram’s social emotional curriculum. The survey looked for three types of behaviors associated with social emotional difficulties: externalizing behavior, internalizing behavior, and adaptive skills. Externalizing behavior includes “acting out” behavior, such as aggression or tantrums. Internalizing behavior refers to actions directed towards oneself, such as worrying or negativity. Finally adaptive skills are practical, everyday skills, such as following directions and making friends.
The results of our surveys show much similarity between behaviors observed at home and at school. In particular, reports of externalizing behavior were reported at a consistent rate between parents and teachers. Parents reported slightly more difficulties with adaptive skills, while our teachers reported slightly more internalizing behaviors. Based on these results, our school psychologist, Anna Russo, has been working to help teachers determine which classrooms and students may need more social emotional support. Simultaneously, we are looking at resources to further supplement our curricula with more material about feelings and coping skills. We would also like to continue to provide social emotional resources to our parents, so stay tuned for more information about a SEL lending library and parent meetings!
Planning for Next Year- District Message
Hello Parents/Guardians,
These past 15 months have been unlike anything we have experienced before in education, and we are excited to continue our movement closer to what feels ‘normal’ for our students, families, and staff. You may have concerns about your child’s ability to access the next grade level. We understand and we hope to ease your concerns.
Your child will be okay! Every child, at every grade level, across the country is experiencing unfinished learning; and here in Canton, we are making plans to address that. In nearly every instance, we are confident that retention is not what students need to address what is ‘unfinished’. While there may appear to be short-term benefits to retention, research has shown that there are often longer-term negative outcomes.
Our students are more than just their academic achievement, and we need to consider the whole child. Social-emotional development is crucial and retention can have a negative impact on this. Your child needs ‘normalcy’. Keeping them with peers that are familiar will help. It is important that we allow students the opportunity to progress toward grade level standards and hold high expectations for them despite their experiences during the pandemic.
Teachers and school staff have done an absolutely amazing job supporting students during this unprecedented time in education, and we will continue to adjust our instruction and practice to support the needs of all students in the fall. Our instructional practices and curriculum are designed so that our teachers can adjust their teaching to meet students where they are, so that they can continue to make progress. Helping students recover from their unfinished learning requires a long term approach, and can not be solved in one summer or one school year. We will be using various data to help us identify learning needs and possible gaps in learning. Lacking some skills now does not mean your child has a learning disability and it does not mean that they will not acquire these skills in the next school year. We will continue to use formal and informal data sources to inform our work with each student supporting their growth and development as a learner.
It’s worth restating...your child will be okay! The Canton Public Schools are committed to helping all of our students as they transition to their next grade level in the Fall, and as always please do not hesitate to reach out to your building Principal with any questions.
Preschool in Pictures
Rodman Early Childhood Program
Email: kildayd@cantonma.org
Website: www.cantonma.org
Location: 960 Washington Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781-821-5060
Twitter: @CPS_ECC