EC Hubs Family Newsletter
Winter 2023
Check in with Cherek: It's a Great Time to Choose an SPPS School for Kindergarten!
Warm winter greetings to you all!
If you just joined our Early Childhood Community in January, Welcome to the EC Hubs! This is an all new program this year and we hope that you’ve been enjoying your experience so far!
Each quarter, you can expect to receive the EC Hubs Family Newsletter that is full of great information about what is going on at school and support for your family as you prepare for Kindergarten!
Our theme for rest of the year will be "Getting Ready for the Transition to Kindergarten" Our hope is that the information we share with you will help and support you through the next steps in deciding on a school for Kindergarten, and beyond!
No matter which program you are involved with at the EC Hubs, we are here to help and support you!
As always, don't hesitate to call/text/email us for anything you might need!
Ms. Cherek, Principal
651-249-6422
Getting Ready for Kindergarten! Apply by February 3rd!
Friday, February 3rd is the priority deadline for submitting your application for Kindergarten.
To apply for kindergarten in St. Paul Public Schools, visit the district’s enrollment site (www.spps.org/apply), and hit the red “Apply Now” button on the left.
Tips for Getting Ready for K
It’s not too early to think about preparing your child for kindergarten! Consider these tips (from the Center of Excellence for Children, Families, and the Law) as your child gets ready to make the transition to kindergarten.
- Think about how much advance preparation your child usually needs for big life changes. Some children need a lot more preparation than others. And children address big issues in little bits and pieces spread out over time-a few sentences here, a few questions there-and not in one big conversation.
- Use your child's imagination. Play school. Read books about kindergarten. Make up your own stories or create a puppet show about going to school.
- Acknowledge and support feelings, especially mixed feelings. Tell your own stories about your kindergarten and early school experiences. Stay positive, but don't be afraid to share anecdotes about minor missteps that ended well. You may also acknowledge your own mixed feelings about the transition: "You've grown up so fast, it's hard for me to believe that you're not a little baby anymore. You're ready for big-kid school!"
- Encourage self-care skills. Being able to wash hands, use the bathroom successfully, dress, zip up a jacket, and so on not only increases your child's self-esteem; feeling secure about these skills will give him/her one less thing to worry about in kindergarten.
For more tips on supporting this transition, read the rest of the article at this link.
Here are some great teacher-recommended books about the transition to kindergarten. All of them should be available at your local library.
· Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
· This is a School by John Schu
· The Pigeon HAS to Go to School by Mo Willems
· Mae’s First Day of School by Kate Berube
· Never, Not Ever! by Beatrice Alemagna
· Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anne Dewdney
NEW: Parent Education for Pre-K Families with ECFE!
Join other caregivers of students in PreK for this new class! In this parent-only ECFE class, a licensed Parent Educator will facilitate conversations with caregivers about the unique developmental needs of children 3-5 and the transition children experience to a school setting.
Early Childhood Hub East
Mondays, Jan 30-May 22
9:30-11:00
Room 1304
Early Childhood Hub West
Wednesdays, Feb 1-May 24
9:30-11:00
Room 2253
Register Here or visit spps.org/ecfe.
Register by January 27th.
NEW: Parent Child Area in the Library at EC Hub West
We invite all of our EC Hub West Families to check out the new Family area in the library! It is available for all families that come to the EC Hubs. It is a space for families AND children and we ask that all chidlren using the space are supervised. A special thanks to ECFE Administration for creating this cool space full of chairs, bean bags, and cozy spaces so you can spend some time with your child and read a book, have a chat, or just hang out! We hope to see you there!
NEW: Safety Drills at the EC Hubs
This year, (and every year), students and staff practice safety drills in school. We practice so we all know what to do in case there is an emergency at school. In SPPS, all schools are required to do Fire, Severe Weather, Lockout, and Lockdown drills.
So far this year, we have practiced fire drills and lockout drills at both Hub buildings. We will practice severe weather (tornado) drills in April during severe weather awareness month.
On Friday, January 20th, we will practice a LockDOWN drill. Please read below to learn about the difference between a lockOUT and a lockDOWN, as defined by SPPS:
Lockout: There is something (potentially) unsafe happening outside of school. Some examples of when we call a lock out might be police activity in the neighborhood or a wild animal on the school grounds. In a lock out, no one goes in/goes out of the school. Activities inside the school carry on as usual.
Lockdown: There is something unsafe happening inside of the school building. An example of this might be an unauthorized person is in the building or a fight has broken out. All students and staff move to a safe space in the building (usually in the classroom) And in the day and age that we live in, we have to practice what to do in case of this type of emergency.
On Jan 20th, we will practice our first lockdown drill. We will give a 5 min warning over the loudspeaker, BEFORE we call the lockdown drill and then students and teachers will practice moving to a safe space. Over the next week, our teachers will be talking to the children about what to do during a lockdown drill.
As a parent myself, I recognize that this might be distressing for you and/or for your child. This is why we want to give you notice about this drill so that you can talk to your child about what to do if there is an emergency, in the way that your family talks about emergencies, and before the teachers begin talking about it the week of Jan 16-20!
We also understand if you would prefer to keep your child home or pick them up before the end of the day on Jan 20th. Please call the office before 2:00pm to let us know. Our drill will be at 3:00pm.
REMINDER: Volunteering at EC Hubs!
We would LOVE to have you help at school and visit the classroom to see all of the awesome things your kids do at school!
SPPS policy requires that all adults that would like to volunteer at the EC Hubs (or any SPPS school) complete a background check. This must be completed so that you can be in the classroom, go on a field trip, etc…
Please scan this QR code (below) or click this link to sign up to volunteer.
Once you've given us some basic information on the form above, you will receive an email with a link to fill out the background check. After we hear back from SPPS Human Resources, we will contact you to come in for a short volunteering orientation before you begin working in the classroom.
REMINDER: Food & Celebrations at School
One more reminder that St Paul Public Schools (SPPS) schools are sweets-free schools to promote student health and wellness. SPPS serves whole-grain and healthy proteins for breakfast and lunch each day. We serve water and milk at school for children at meals. At EC Hubs East & West, we follow the SPPS policies and encourage families to support our sweets-free school!
We encourage families to send healthy foods and a labeled water bottle to school with children each day. If you do send food to school with your child, please send heathy & individual sized food/snacks (not large bags). If you need a water bottle, please talk with your child’s teacher and one will be provided.
Please do not send the following high-sugar/salt food items to school with your child: cookies, candy, chips, juice boxes pouches, soda/Gatorade/Powerade, or baby bottles, etc…, or any nuts/nut butters.
Holidays/Treats:
SPPS serves all students & families with rich & diverse beliefs/backgrounds. Therefore, SPPS schools do not celebrate holidays at school. As a school, we will have some fun celebrations that are not holiday-related. Please click here for some fun ways to rethink celebrations!
+++ Please do not send holiday treats/bags/cards to school with your children. Students cannot pass or receive treats for holidays +++
If you have questions, please contact Ms. Cherek, call/text 651-249-6422 or elizabeth.cherek@spps.org