It was wonderful to see so many of you at Open House last night! A huge thank you to Fire Captain Don Ellis for bringing a fire truck for kids and families to explore! If you weren't able to make it, please check in with your child's teacher to schedule a parent teacher conference for November!

Our Eaglets continue to work on routines, focusing attention, and exploring classroom materials with curiosity and questioning!

A few reminders:

• Masking is now optional at SELC.

• There is no school for students on Monday October 10th or Tuesday October 11th.

• Health and safety are top priorities and I thank you for doing your part! Nurse Jen and I are overwhelmed with how incredibly diligent all of you have been in regards to monitoring your child for illness and asking questions as they arise!

• Thank you for your dedication to parking lot safety! Being mindful of your speed and careful attention will keep our little ones safe!

KITE and EPS loved bringing Family Day Back this year, and now we need your feedback! If you attended Family Day, we would love to know what you liked and what can be improved to make the experience stronger next year!

With September coming to an end it is time to get ready for the Head Start Policy Committee Meetings for the 2022-2023 school year.

We will be meeting the first FRIDAY of each month via the KITE Zoom link (listed below).

You can access the meeting each month using the same link or the QR CODE also listed below. The meetings will take place at 11:00am.

Our first meeting will be held on next Friday OCTOBER 7th at 11:00am. I look forward to seeing you then.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84764964852?pwd=VHRDSS9SM3RRUnJhZWJxMDhrVHZqdz09

Meeting ID: 847 6496 4852
Passcode: 904360

Message of the Day occurs during large group time. The teacher leads the activity which helps children develop a variety of literacy concepts throughout the year. While doing this activity children practice pre-reading and pre-writing skills. This strategy helps children develop literacy skills and model the thinking of a plan, writing/drawing that plan and then following through with that plan.

How we do it…

The teacher starts by first drawing a picture of what the message is about, children predict what the message will be. The teacher then says the message out loud…”We are going to read a book!” Then we say the message together and make lines for each word. Next the teacher points to the blank lines while the teacher and the class say the message aloud. The actual writing of the sentence comes next followed by a final pointing to each word and line.

What are children learning?:

• They can make a plan and follow through.

• That what you say can be written down.

• Concepts of print

• That a picture that helps them remember can be a simple one

• Children learn that they can represent and remember what they want to say.

This activity focuses on the following Executive Function skills:

• Inhibitory control of actions and attention by matching the lines and words while speaking the sentence

• Working memory by remember the message and the steps that are followed

• Cognitive Flexibility by seeing a picture that might not exactly represent what the items look like

Joining a new school community can sometimes feel like learning a new language as you acclimate to the procedures, environment, people, and lingo. See below to begin learning about all things Stowe:

• SELC=Stowe Early Learning Center
• SELC=our mascot (the eaglet featured above)
• FEO=Family Educator Organization
• ECDC=Enfield Child Development Center
• EPS=Enfield Public Schools
• FRC=Family Resource Center
• IPS=Integrated Pre-K
• HS=Head Start
• KITE=Key Initiatives to Early Education
• PKS=PK STEAM Academy
• Eaglets=all children taking part in any program at SELC

IMPORTANT NUMBERS:

• Main Office=860-253-4741
• Head Start Family Support=860-253-4717
• Nurse=860-763-8858
• FRC=860-253-6580
• KITE=860-253-6502

Our building is quite unique in that we house 4 PK programs, a Family Resource Center, and KITE.