The Ocean Courant Staff Newsletter
Carelot Children's Center ~ August 2018
A message from Holly Bevilacqua, COO
Wow! Can you believe it is August already? We have had a great summer here at Carelot so far!
We want to thank you for sharing the great photos of your summer activities and programs. The children are clearly having a blast this summer and it is thanks to our wonderful, dedicated team of educators! You are the core of our programs and help make them so successful!
It may be hard to believe but our Killingly Center is starting to gear up for Harvest Festival in October. Stay tuned for more details to follow next month!
Carelot as you can see is committed to our staff, families and community! Please spread the word about our programs and remember our staff bonus referral program! It is peak enrollment time and the success of our programs stems from the families that choose Carelot! (as well as our staff)
Thanks to all the staff who came to our Bowling Event- Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this great get together. We are looking for more ideas and planners for Staff Night Out aka: "SNO events" If you would like to plan something or have an idea- please email us at HR@carelot.net. You won't have to plan alone- we can offer lots of help and resources!!!!
Thank you for your dedication!
Mimi- Waterford Center- 18 YEARS!!!!! YAHOO!!!
Shannon- Clubhouse- 9 years!
Oma- Waterford- 6 years!
Cassie- Clubhouse- 5 years!
Adam L, Allison and Tess- Clubhouse- 3 years!
Connor and Leon- Clubhouse - 2 years!
Stephanie- Chaplin- 2 years!
Courtney- Thompson, Hollis- East Lyme, Curtis-Waterford - Happy 1 year!
Celebrate you!
8/5- Shannon- East Lyme
8/8- Oma- Waterford
8/9- Lisa- Waterford
8/12- Crissy- Clubhouse
8/13- Katelin- Clubhouse
8/14- Krista- Killingly
8/15- Larry- CEO
8/16- Clifford- Maintenance
8/17- Ebony- Killingly
8/21- Danielle- Executive Director
A little humor for the week!
Reminders
- Please do your best to keep the playground clean and tidy. Toys should always be put away in their proper places, garbage should be picked up, water jugs should be taken inside at the end of every night, and wood chips and rocks should be swept and cleaned up to provide a safe environment for the children.
- We know that it is very hot outside during these last summer months, so please be sure that you and your class are staying hydrated. Bring a spray bottle with water outside to cool off and don’t forget to be using the hose and sprinkler to engage in some fun water play. It is recommended that you bring a pitcher with cold water and some cups outside so that both you and the children are staying hydrated while running around in the heat.
Many children will be transitioning at the end of this month. Please be sure you are passing everything to the next classroom (portfolio, assessments, extra clothing, etc.) and be sure you are prepared for new children by having cubbies, mailboxes, and diaper areas labeled.
Please make sure you keep up with the center cleaning and decorating. I know that it is summer, but remember that fall enrollment is right around the corner and first impressions are everything! Please be sure your rooms are cleaned up before going outside, taking a walk, etc. You never know when a tour will walk in. Thank you for your help.
Hot News
"What event would you like to see Carelot Host this coming school year?"
Submit answers to HR@carelot.net or on our staff facebook page by August 25th!
Last Month's Entries:
What is my favorite thing about Carelot?
Vanessa: My favorite thing is that I feel comfortable enough to talk to my supervisor when I have an issue that needs to be addressed, together we find a solution. Also, the portfolios that start from the childs first day and follows them until they leave, not only does it track skills developed but serves as a great memory keepsake for parents.
WINNER: We had some great entries and I am so excited! The winner is: Vanessa from Brooklyn- The only one who sent in an answer!!! Congratulations and thanks everyone for sharing!
NAEYC NEWS...
You may have noticed questions on our staff facebook page this week related to classrooms and curriculum. These are actually criteria for your classroom portfolios. So please share your ideas and you will be able to utilize these to put right into your classroom portfolios. They will be done before you know it!
Current CLASSROOM portfolios- You can dismantle the buckets and either discard or utilize items in them within your classroom/centers. We will be starting them completely from scratch in binders!
Continuing Education for August
This month you have an article and also a video- You will receive 45 min for the article and 1.25 hours for the video
Take Pride!
Some fun dates for the month of August
The month of August has many days and dates to celebrate. Here's a rundown of August festivities you might want to include in your classroom:
August 3– Watermelon Day
August 11– Play in the Sand Day
August 22- Blue Day- WEAR BLUE TODAY!
August 24– Strange Music Day
August 30– National Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31- National Eat Outside Day- Have a picnic on the playground today
This month's incentive- Win !!!
Send a photo of your math or writing center to hr@carelot.net or post on our staff facebook page to be entered to win a summer prize pack valued at $50. All entries must be submitted by June 30th! NO ENTRIES! :(
Best 3D bulletin board- send photos to HR@carelot.net by July 31st! NO ENTRIES :(
AUGUST INCENTIVE:
- Best Rainforest themed dramatic play - share on the facebook staff page by Aug. 10th- winner will receive a $50 supply gift certificate for you classroom.
- Post or comment on our staff facebook page- each time you post or comment for the month of August you will earn a point. The person with the most points will be awarded a paid day off!
Have you completed your STATE REQUIRED TRAINING?
Policy Reminder:
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Social networking is growing rapidly in today’s society. It is expected that all Carelot employees will behave professionally and exercise responsibility whenever they use social media and electronic communications. Social networking and electronic communications include, but are not limited to: email, text messaging, instant messaging, online forums, media sharing sites, and social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, WikiSpaces, SnapChat etc. All employees will receive a detailed guideline on Social Networking and Electronic Communications upon hire.
PERSONAL CELL PHONES
Personal cell phones are prohibited in the classrooms/playgrounds. Personal cell phones are permitted in the staff room when an employee is on a scheduled break. If a cell phone is found being used or on, the phone will be held in the office until the employees next scheduled break or end of shift. This includes Texting!
Dramatic Play idea
Rainforest
Scavenger hunt idea for Aug. 21st. activity
Social Media
Carelot Children’s Centers, Inc.
Social Networking & Electronic Communications Guidelines
The rapidly growing phenomenon of social networking and electronic communications is emerging as an unprecedented opportunity for outreach, information sharing, new product development, enhanced service delivery and advocacy. For purposes of these guidelines, social networking and electronic communications include, but are not limited to e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, online forums, media sharing sites, and social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, WikiSpaces, Live Journal and MySpace.
Many of our employees are currently communicating online and many more will do so in the future. Carelot expects that all its employees will behave professionally and exercise personal responsibility whenever they use social media and electronic communications. We always encourage our employees to be advocates for Carelot, our member districts, and the communities we serve. Social networking and other electronic communications provides a powerful tool for doing so.
Even when employee use of social networking and electronic communications takes place completely outside of work, as personal activities should, what is communicated may have an effect on an employee’s ability to perform his/her job, on their colleagues’ abilities to do their jobs, and on Carelot’s interests.
Carelot acknowledges that employees have the right, in certain circumstances, to speak out on matters of public concern. However, Carelot will regulate the use of social networking and electronic communications by employees, including employees’ personal use of such media, when such use:
• Disrupts and/or interferes with the work of Carelot;
• Is used to harass coworkers or other members of the Carelot community;
• Creates a hostile work environment;
• Breaches confidentiality obligations of Carelot employees; or
• Harms the goodwill and reputation of Carelot in the community
Nothing in these guidelines should be construed as implicit permission to represent Carelot online.
No employee has the authority to represent or speak on behalf of Carelot unless they have been officially designated to do so.
Official online communications on behalf of Carelot, including the establishment of wikis, blogs, social networking pages, and other online sites representing Carelot or any Carelot organization, must be approved. All such work-related online sites must be authorized in writing by, and coordinated with, the Department Director and/or Executive Director, prior to being published. All online content will be reviewed and approved before it is published, unless a different arrangement has been approved in writing by the Executive Director.
Disciplinary Consequences: Violation of any of these guidelines and/or rules may lead to discipline up to and including the termination of employment.
A. Guidelines Concerning PERSONAL Social Networking and Electronic Communications
Introduction: These guidelines apply to social networking and electronic communications that employees are engaging in for personal, non-work-related purposes
1. Employees may not mention, discuss or reference Carelot, its schools, its programs and/or services on personal social networking sites, unless the employee also states that the post is the personal communication of an employee of Carelot and that the views published are the employee’s alone and do not represent the views of Carelot. Employees are expected to use a disclaimer like, “The postings on this site are my own and do not represent the views of Carelot.”
2. Employees may not publish or cite personal information about, including images of, Carelot students/participants, colleagues, partners, collaborators, vendors or competitors without such individual’s express consent, unless the employee is addressing an issue of public concern and the employee’s speech falls under applicable constitutional protections pertaining to same.
3. Employees are required to maintain appropriate professional boundaries. For example, it is not appropriate for an employee to “friend” a student/client or his/her parent/guardian or otherwise establish special relationships with selected students/clients through personal social media, such as Facebook, or other electronic communications, and it is not appropriate for an employee to give students/clients or parents/guardians access to personal postings unrelated to Carelot.
4. Employees may not use Carelot’s logo in their personal electronic communications unless written consent has been obtained in advance from the Department Director and/or the Executive Director. This prohibition extends to the use of logos or trademarks associated with individual schools, programs, products and/or services of Carelot.
5. Employees should not engage in any conduct that would not be appropriate in the workplace, and are expected to refrain from harassing, defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, threatening or other inappropriate communications.
6. Employees are individually responsible for their personal electronic communications. Employees may be sued by other employees, parents or others, and any individual who views an employee’s electronic posts as defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, being a violation of copyright, creating a hostile work environment or otherwise being unlawful. Employees should keep in mind that they may be personally liable for claims related to activities outside the scope of their employment.
7. Employees are required to comply with all Carelot policies and procedures with respect to the use of computer equipment, cellular telephones, networks or other electronic devices when accessing social networking sites and/or communicating electronically. Any access to personal social media activities when in any Carelot facility or program site, whether using Carelot or other equipment, must comply with such policies and may not interfere with an employee’s duties at work.
8. Carelot reserves the right to monitor all employee use of Carelot computers, cellular telephones, and other electronic devices, including employee texting, blogging, and social networking activity.
Employees should have no expectation of personal privacy in any personal communication or post made through electronic communications devices while using Carelot computers, cellular telephones or other data devices.
9. All posts on personal social media must comply with Carelot policies concerning confidentiality, including the confidentiality of student information. If an employee is unsure about the confidential nature of information that he/she is considering posting, the employee shall consult with his/her supervisor prior to making the post.
10. Employees may not link a personal social media site or other Web page to the Carelot Web site or the Web sites of individual schools, programs, products, or services, or post Carelot material on a social media site or Web page without the permission of his/her supervisor and the approval of the Department Director and/or the Executive Director, prior to posting. Any such permission must be in writing.
11. All Carelot policies that regulate off-duty conduct apply to social media activity, including, but not limited to, policies related to public trust, illegal harassment, code of conduct and protecting confidential information.
12. No photos shall be shared online in any forms that were taken at a Carelot facility or Carelot sponsored event or function. This is a violation of their privacy and Carelot’s confidentiality policy!
B. Guidelines Concerning Carelot-SPONSORED Social Networking and Other Electronic Communications
Introduction: These guidelines apply to any social networking and/or electronic communications that employees engage in for any Carelot-related purposes.
1. If an employee seeks to use online sites as a tool to enhance or expand the delivery of programs and services, the employee must obtain the permission in writing of his/her supervisor, prior to setting up the site. All work-related online sites must be coordinated with the Department Director and/or Executive Director, prior to being published.
2. If an employee wishes to use social networking or other electronic communications to communicate about a Carelot program, product or service, he/she must first seek and obtain the permission of his/her supervisor and then work in collaboration with Carelot Marketing & Communications in the creation and publication of the site, as well as the publication of any content thereafter.
3. Employees are required to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in the establishment and maintenance of any Carelot-sponsored social networking or other electronic communications.
4. Employees are required to use appropriately respectful speech in their online posts on Carelot-sponsored sites, and to refrain from harassing, defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, threatening or other inappropriate communications.
5. Employees are required to comply with all Carelot policies and procedures and all applicable laws with respect to the use of computer equipment, cellular telephones, networks or other electronic devices when accessing Carelot-sponsored social networking or other electronic communications.
6. Carelot reserves the right to monitor all employee use of Carelot computers, cellular telephones, and other electronic devices, including employee e-mail, texting, blogging and social networking activity.
An employee should have no expectation of personal privacy in any communication or post made through electronic media while using Carelot computers, cellular telephones or other data devices.
7. All posts on Carelot-sponsored social media must comply with Carelot policies regarding confidentiality, including the confidentiality of student information. If an employee is unsure about the confidential nature of information he/she is considering posting, the employee shall consult with his/her supervisor, prior to making the posting.
8. Employees must follow copyright and fair use laws in the creation of online content.
9. Employees may not link a Carelot-sponsored social media site or Web page to any personal social media sites or sites not sponsored or preapproved by Carelot.
10. Employees may not use Carelot-sponsored social networking or other electronic communications in a manner that misrepresents personal views as those of Carelot, or any individual Carelot school, program, department, or in a manner that could be construed as such.
— Portions have been excerpted from a model Social Media Policy provided by Shipman & Goodwin, LLP, Hartford, CT.
Social Networking and Electronic Communications Guidelines-HR 11/26/2013
Carelot Children's Center
Email: hr@carelot.net
Website: www.carelot.net
Location: 315 Flanders Road, East Lyme, CT, United States
Phone: 860-739-1993
Facebook: facebook.com/carelotctr