Parker Press
Week of January 14th, 2024
Dear Parker Road Preschool Families,
I hope that you are all enjoying your long weekend! Some of your children may ask you why we do not have school on Monday. Remembering the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a very important part of celebrating this day. In my opinion, this youngest population of learners, our children, are in need of this education the most. It can be so challenging to take the scary, messy and sometimes hurtful messages of the world and put them into a context for our children to understand and process. However, this work is important for us to do, as educators and parents, to ensure that our children continue to advance equity and anti-racism within themselves and the world around them. To help support you in this work, please check out these picture books as well as this article from Scholastic.com. Please know that even at the earliest stage of a child’s education, in response to age-appropriate experiences (i.e. taking a toy from a friend without asking, pushing on the playground, etc.) our teachers and support staff are committed to promoting messages of positive moral choices (“making a good choice vs. not-so-good choice”). This type of education is the building block upon which more difficult conversations of racism and social inequity can take hold (as is appropriate for your child). If you have any questions regarding how to support your child through some of these issues or how your child’s teacher is addressing it in the classroom through books, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
As you prepare for the week ahead, please read below for information on student report cards and progress reports as well as important reminders about our NEED for Classroom Parent Representatives, the 24-25 preschool lottery application and an upcoming event from SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council). I would also like to wish our families celebrating the Hindu festival of Pongal a joyous celebration. We hope that it fills your days ahead with happiness!
Have a great week and stay well,
Bridget
A few pictures from the week...
Report Cards and PowerSchool
Since returning from December break teachers and related service providers have been assessing preschoolers for the first Report Card of the 23-24 school year and/or progress reporting for Individual Education Programs (IEPs). Data collected from preschool assessments since the beginning of the school year or your child’s start date will be analyzed and summarized for reporting progress relative to preschool learning standards, such as Habits of Mind, Mathematics, Science, Language and Early Literacy Development, and Motor Development. As was done last year, your child’s report card will be ready for you to view after 5:00pm on Friday, January 19th through the Parent Portal on PowerSchool. For families receiving their child’s January Progress Report, you can expect an email by Friday at 5:00pm with an electronic copy attached. Paper copies of your child’s report card and/or progress report will not be coming home in backpacks. If you have any difficulty connecting to your Parent Portal, you may send an email to powerschoolaccounts@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us for assistance.
While you are reviewing your child's report card, please be sure to click on "Account Balance" to ensure that your child's account is up to date. Under this tab, families will see if they have any outstanding tuition or snack fees that need to be paid. It is important to note that students who are transitioning to Kindergarten in September and have any outstanding balance will NOT be able to register for school transportation in Kindergarten. If you have any questions regarding your child's account, please reach out to us at 508-841-8646.
The Federation for Children with Special Needs will present its online workshop, "Basic Rights: Understanding the IEP," via Zoom on Thursday February 1, 2024 from 6:30-8:30 pm. Topics covered will include: Why the IEP is important, Who is Eligible, and How the IEP is Developed. All caregivers are welcome and pre-registration is required at the following link:
https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqf-6pqzgsGNwblxogRSp36XtnXHYHkbIc
Please Note – 2024-2025 Preschool Lottery Application and Survey Now Open
The 2024-2025 Shrewsbury Public Schools Preschool Lottery Application and Survey opened on Tuesday, January 3rd. All students who will be at least 3 years old by August 31st 2024 and who are NOT current students, are eligible to apply. We encourage all age-eligible families to complete the linked SURVEY if they do not plan to send their child to preschool with Shrewsbury Public Schools for the 2024-2025 school year, as this is valuable information for us.
Please click here to complete the form. The application closes at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 24th. For more information, please visit our registration webpage.
Outdoor Recess during the Winter months
As the winter months are upon us it is important to share, especially with our new families, how we will continue to provide your children with essential play time outside. Outdoor play is a critical component to our preschool curriculum and the development of all young children. As suggested in this article, there are numerous benefits that playing outdoors can provide to a child’s overall development – cognitive skills, social/emotional learning and gross motor to name a few. As a parent, I especially like #5 in this article that describes the benefit of better sleep! Our teachers know the value of outdoor play and make every effort to take your children outside when the weather is cooperative. We use a “real feel” temperature of 30 degrees or above as our gauge for going outside. So, making sure that your child has a hat (or ear warmers), gloves and a winter coat everyday will ensure your child is prepared to have fun outdoors. When there is snow in the field, we will utilize that play space as well, so please be sure to send in winter boots and snow pants. While this may feel like a lot of gear to be sending in for your child(ren), please remember that it also provides a natural learning opportunity for practicing self-care tasks such as dressing and undressing (another developmental benefit)! If you need assistance providing any of these winter clothes for your child(ren), please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or Miss Brenda, our school nurse, at bfiliere@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us.
Getting Connected
Are you looking for an opportunity to learn more about what your preschool child is doing while at school? Are you curious about what your preschool child is learning and how our classroom teachers are able to coordinate instruction for a group of 10+ 3 to 5 year olds??? Did you happen to make a New Year's Resolution to be more involved in your preschool child's classroom?
If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, you are in luck! The PTO and our Parker Road community would like to help organize at least 1 parent representative per classroom. This parent representative may be asked to send emails on behalf of classroom families, relay information regarding special learning opportunities at school and/or check in with the classroom teacher regarding help they may need inside and outside of the classroom. This parent representative will NOT be mandated to attend PTO meetings or be required to give additional time at our PTO events. Please reach out to our PTO at parkeroadpto@gmail.com, your chid's classroom teacher and/or myself with any interest and questions. If we happen to have more than 2 volunteers per classroom, we will look to share responsibility between members. Thank you for your consideration and continued commitment to our learning and growing community.
Young Athletes BINGO game!
I am excited to announce that this spring, we will be incorporating the Special Olympics Young Athletes program into our curriculum at Parker Road Preschool. The Young Athletes play program is designed for children with and without intellectual disabilities, ages 2-7. The program introduces basic sport skills, like running, kicking and throwing, and offers families, teachers, and caregivers the chance to share the joy of sports with all children.1 It also serves as a great foundation for the wonderful unified sports we have at the middle and high school level in Shrewsbury!
Young Athletes provides children of all abilities the same opportunities to advance in core developmental milestones. Children learn how to play with others and develop important skills for learning. Children also learn to share, take turns and follow directions.1
Young Athletes is a fun way for children to stay active and establish healthy habits for the future. It is a great program which emcompasses motor skills, social emotional learning skills, sport readiness, and acceptance.1
Included with this week’s Parker Press is a link to a Bingo sheet (found here) that is a fun whole school activity to participate in. In partnership with the Special Olympics, we will be doing these activities within the classrooms and also encourage you to do them at home as well. I would love to see how many boxes you could complete throughout the month of January! Checking off completed activities and sending back a digital or printed copy will be a great way for us to track engagement.
I am looking forward to the start of this program in March!
-Brittany
Car Seat Safety
We recognize that the looping one can be a busy and sometimes stressful place. When we find ourselves having to wait with anxious children to drop off or when we are processing big feelings with our children at the end of the day, we can feel rushed. When this happens, we sometimes take safety shortcuts and remove children from their car seats too soon or forget to buckle them in before leaving. Please know that if you find yourself overwhelmed or rushing to move out of the loping line, we encourage you to pull into one of the parking spots at the side of the building (at the end of the looping line) and buckle your child(red) before exiting the parking lot. As always, we are happy to help you if you get stuck, so please ask us (we may also offer our assistance, too:). Thank you!
Looping Line Reminders
* All children should remain seated and buckled inside of their car seats until the car has stopped.
* Please remember to turn off your car and take your keys with you before removing your child(ren) from his/her/their seat.
* Please pull up as close to the front of the line as possible to ensure we have all drop-off/pick-up spots available.
* At 15 Parker Road, the school bells that you can hear outside will indicate the start and end of our looping lines. You will also see an orange retractable fence across the line by the playground signaling that you will need to turn around and head to the Front Office to drop off your child.
* At Beal, if you arrive after 9:05 am or 12:50 pm, you will need to walk your child into the main office so that your child's teacher can be notified they have arrived.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Corner
Family Challenge: Make time for fun!
Who has recently turned the music on and had a dance party in the kitchen for no reason?
Whose kids love jokes or funny stories? Does your family like to play games together? This
week your challenge is to make time for FUN! Whether that is playing a game of Monopoly
Junior after dinner or watching a funny movie on Friday night, set aside some time in your
busy lives to laugh together and enjoy each other's company. This not only increases
connection but creates lovely memories that will inspire more to come.
Who's Who at Parker Road?
With some new faces at Parker Road Preschool, we feel it is important for you to get to know who is part of your child(ren)'s school community. This week we interviewed Mr. Sean, our most favorite custodian who keeps our school a happy, healthy and beautiful place!
1) Why did you want to come to Parker Road Preschool?
I was excited for the opportunity to work with the great staff, students and be a part of the Parker Rd family.
2) Who is part of your family? Any children or pets?
My wife Paula, my two sons Colin & Aiden, our dog Geri, and our two cats Kramer & Newman.
3) What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a jet pilot.
4)What do you like to do when you are not at Parker Road Preschool?
Spend time with my family, practice playing the drums, and go snowmobiling.
5)What is your favorite movie or book?
Jaws is my favorite movie.
6) What is your favorite restaurant or food?
Reuben's Deli in Montreal.
7) What is your favorite store?
Online shopping at Amazon.
8) If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Super strength like the Hulk.
Upcoming Important Dates
Monday, January 15th, 2024: NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Monday, January 15th, 2024: Pongal/Makara Sankranti begins
Thursday, January 18th, 2024: PTO General Meeting - 15 Parker Road and ZOOM
Friday, January 19th, 2024: Report Cards and Progress Reports become available online
Tuesday, February 6th, 2024: District Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL AFTERNOON SESSION
Monday, February 19th - Friday, February 23rd, 2024: February Vacation
Contact Information
Email: brnichols@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Location: 15 Parker Road
Phone: 508-841-8646