ECDC Newsletter
April 1, 21
A Message from the Principal, "Miss Kelty"
Hello ECDC Families!
What a JOY it has been to have our playground open! And now we are starting to plan our community garden. Lots of fun learning outside, as the weather changes!
Kindergarten Transition:
Leaping Into Kindergarten!
Plans are underway to host our district wide Leaping into Kindergarten presentation for ALL transitioning families early in May. This is a MUST SEE for all families. Principals and Kindergarten teachers from each of our elementary schools, plus district leaders in general education, special education, food services, transportation, nursing and more, will share an overview and answer your important questions.
Although still in the planning stages, typically, our presentation includes:
- Welcome (Superintendent)
- What each "home school" is doing to support families through the transition. If you are unsure of which school would be your child's home school, Miss Laura can help! (Elementary Principals)
- Special Education and Kindergarten Screening (Director of Student Services)
- Safety at School (Elementary Principals)
- Health and Wellness (School Nurse Leader)
- Kindergarten Curriculum, Daily Schedule & Teaching & Learning (Kindergarten Teachers)
- Transportation and Food Service
- Summer "Ready Set Kindergarten" and afterschool care (Solutions) (Directors of Life Long Leader and Solutions)
- Question and answer session: bring your questions--we will answer them!
Special Education:
- Classroom Teachers, Specialists and our Team Chair have began transition planning for students on IEPs
- Parents and teachers will have formal and/or informal conversations about the transition
- Principals and teaching teams from each elementary school are invited to observe/meet students who will transition to their buildings
- All teachers provide a written summary to the K team about each child, including sharing DECA summaries
Pool Testing Update:
- Pool testing has been going very smoothly! As a district, we are picking up positive cases each week. Here at ECDC all our pools, so far, have been negative, which is reassuring.
- Students have been AWESOME at having their noses swabbed! Our team is patient, kind and uses visuals to help students understand what is about to happen. We NEVER force a child to be screened; if they are too anxious, upset or refuse, it is okay for them not to be screened.
- We do hope more families will consent to students participating. The more students who participate, the safer our school will be!
- How can my student participate in the program? To participate in the testing program, you need to sign a consent form for your student. You only need to sign up once to participate in this weekly testing.
Sign up electronically by visiting this link: https://app.beacontesting.com/register/with-code?code=AVPUHN (This link is ONLY for your ECDC student! Each school has their own unique link)
Families can sign up or cancel at any time by contacting the school’s main office.
Please feel free to reach out to me at Kelleyk@franklinps.net , our school nurse, Suzanne Roma (romas@franklinps.net ), our School Psychologist, Jennifer Curry (curryj@franklinps.net) and/or our team chair, Sarah Martin martinsa@franklinps.net , as well your child's class room teaching teams for support and guidance.
Pool Testing--Helping your child understand!
We know it may be a tough decision for some families to let their little ones participate in pooled testing. It is uncomfortable and, for some, could be a little scary. But we are here to help!
Nurse Suzanne and Nurse Mary Beth will be our primary "swabbers," and they know how to help our little ones feel safe. Watch for a video that Nurse Suzanne and I will put together in the next week as a social story!
Here are some other resources to help you learn more about pool testing so you can talk to your child about it with confidence. After all, you know your child and the "just right" amount of information to share with them. As always, reach out to Nurse Suzanne or to me if you have questions:
How the Nose Swab Works, a video from Boston Children's Hospital
Where does your donated food go?
This year, working with ECDC mom and pantry volunteer, Laura Du and the Food Pantry's Communications person, Laura Often, we came up with a plan to make the donating more meaningful for our students!
Over the next week, I will be visiting classrooms and talking about the Food Pantry and sharing this video!
We will continue to collect the following through the end of April:
- canned pasta
- white tuna
- granola bars
- deodorant
- adult or kids toothbrushes
- jello/pudding cups
- Goldfish or Rice Crispy Treats
ECDC Summer Program
Our Summer Program will provide children an opportunity to refresh and reinforce concepts and skills that were introduced over the school year in an encouraging, supportive play-based learning environment. Students will also have a change to help tend our ECDC community garden, planting, weeding, watering and watching things grow!
Current ECDC students with or without special needs can participate
(check with your child's teacher if you are not sure if you should apply
or if it is part of your child's IEP).
July 6th-August 12th
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8-11
Children can attend 1, 2 or 3 of our 2-week sessions!
Cost to attend: $50 per child, per 2-week session
There are a limited number of spots ...so register early!
Click here to register for our summer program!
Priority is given to applications received by April 30th
Notes from Nurse Suzanne
Snacks and Lunches:
The variety of snacks and lunches consumed by the students here at ECDC is pretty incredible. From peanut butter and fluff sandwiches to fruit, homemade bread, and shrimp stir-fry, the different foods we see our little ones eating are amazing!
As a parent, it can be difficult to decide what to pack your child for lunch, especially when they appear to have a limited interest in food. The good news is that exposing your child to a variety of foods at a young age can set them up for healthy eating choices as they grow. The more foods a child tries and finds out they like, the wider their palette becomes and the more well-rounded their diet. If there are foods you wish your child would eat, now is the time to introduce them.
Try sending some of those foods in for lunch! Chances are, they are watching their classmates eat them and enjoy them. Even if the food comes back uneaten, don’t give up- try it a few more times. Here are some ideas for snacks and lunches- the Bento box is optional but this website has some great ideas:https://www.thekitchn.com/lunch-box-ideas-for-young-kids-260391
Seasonal Allergies:
As we head into allergy season it is important to remember that some allergy symptoms (for example runny nose, congestion, and cough) are the same symptoms seen with the common cold and Covid-19. If your child has seasonal allergies, it is important to make sure they are documented in the health office here at school with a note from your child’s primary care provider (PCP). The ongoing Covid pandemic is complicating this allergy season. If your child has allergy symptoms while at school, and they do not have documented allergies, they will be sent home to follow up with their PCP for clearance to return to school.
Travel:
The Franklin Public Schools recently changed the travel policy for students so that it aligns with the current Massachusetts state travel advisory. Please find the details at the link here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18Q0nQD8n74cDXiaUMhMltffD3jO_O8mn/view
If you have any questions at all, please reach out to me anytime. You can send me an email at romas@franklinps.net, or call me in the office at 508.541.8166 ext. 2940.
Coffee and Conversation with Miss Kelty
Please join Principal Kelty Kelley for a virtual
conversation about all things ECDC.
You can connect with other families,
as well as share your thoughts, joys and concerns.
April 29th @ 10 am
Special Guest: Dr. Ahern, Superintendent
Google Meet Link:
Please RSVP to Laura in the main office by calling
508-541-8166
or by emailing flanaganla@franklinps.net
Leaping Into Kindergarten!
May, 2021
Join district and school educators and administrators to how we are preparing your child (with and without special education needs) for their transition to kindergarten!
Much more info to follow!
Do you have questions for us, please email them to Miss Laura at flanaganla@franklinps.net
Weekend Food Program Available
All children in the Franklin Elementary Schools and ECDC are eligible, all you have to do is sign up.
For more information or to sign up, please contact Nurse Suzanne at Romas@franklinps.net .
ECDC Parent Communication Council (PCC)
Quick Bits from your PCC
Fundraising:
Thank you to everyone who participated in last month's restaurant fundraiser at The Chateau. We made $80.27. Our April restaurant fundraiser will be at Spruce Pond Creamery. A date will be confirmed soon. We will post the flier to our ECDC PCC Facebook page,
Staff Snack Station
Next week, we will be setting up a Grab and Go Snack Station for our fabulous teachers. We are asking for donations from parents via the sign up genius link to keep this station stocked each week. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4AACAF2DA1FB6-ecdc
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 5th--an ECDC PLAYDATE!
Not only will we be having our restaurant fundraiser at Uno's in Bellingham, but we will also be hosting an ECDC playdate at Altitude Trampoline Park at 10AM during their Junior Jump Time. Altitude Trampoline Park has kindly donated a free jump pass for each ECDC family. These can either be used during their entire 10-2 Junior Jump time on any weekday or for 60 minutes any other time. If you would like to use this pass to meetup with other ECDC children and families, make sure to use your free pass at our May 5th playdate! These passes will be emailed to you soon.
PCC MEETING
Please join us for our next virtual PCC meeting being held this coming Monday, April 5th at 7pm. We could use your help with planning teacher appreciation week! We are also looking to fill some open board positions for next year.
Your ECDC PCC Board Members
Lindsay and Heather
Are you new to ECDC, or haven't yet subscribed to our PCC Newsletter? Click here to opt-in and stay in the know! https://franklin-ecdc.groupvine.com/subscribe
Shop with SCRIP--an raise money for ECDC!
What is Scrip? Scrip is a WIN – WIN for you and for our school.
Our school makes money on your gift card purchases which goes towards enrichment activities for our kids!
When you purchase your gift cards through our Scrip account instead of at your grocery/drug store, your purchases help raise money for ECDC. This is a great opportunity to help our school by shopping at the places you normally do! Don't just think of gift cards as a gift, buy them for yourself to use as payment where you shop/spend anyways! Most are reloadable if you purchase an actual card (not an eGift card) so you only pay for shipping once!
Are you a regular shopper at Stop & Shop, by bulk S&S gift cards to use to pay for your groceries! Do you like your Dunk's or Starbucks Coffee? Buy and/or reload a gift card through Scrip and we earn a percentage back for no more out of your pocket than you'd be spending anyway!
If you have not already enrolled in the ShopWithScrip program, now is the perfect time to do so. To enroll, please visit www.shopwithscrip.com, select "Join a Program," and use our enrollment code: D7C3LC7D76279
You can purchase gift cards online or in the NEW very convenient mobile app (look for RaiseRight in the Google Play Store or App Store). We would love for you to take advantage of this program and also to let your family and friends know that they can participate, as well!
Miss Marsha's Update
Wow, March is over, and we are heading toward April which bring us warmer weather and everything is growing!
April is also a time when we celebrate Brain Building in Progress! a Massachusetts initiative to raise awareness and involvement in young children’s healthy development and early learning.
Created in 2010, this campaign promotes the important role everyone can play in building young children's brains. You can find out more about Brain building in Progress by going to www.brainbuilding inprogress.org.
Did you know that Self Help CFCE celebrates Brain Building every year during April with a special community-based activity for children and their families of all ages? This year we are doing a special Zoom edition of our Brain Building event! Each family who registers will receive a pdf of an event map.
The Brain Building in Progress! map will allow families to choose from a variety of activities culminating in a special puppet show by Tom Knight puppets at the end of the event. Here is more information about this special event! And of course, it is FREE of Charge!
Brain Building In Progress!
TUESDAY, APRIL 13th
4:00-5:15 PM on ZOOM!
CFCE staff in partnership with the MA Audubon, and Blue Hills Regional Technical School (Early Education Program) will be hosting the first part of the zoom program with songs, stories, science and plenty of brain building opportunities! Then stay for the finale from entertainer Tom Knight who will delight the children with his songs, stories and puppets!
KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED....for complete details and registration information in the next week or so...
Miss Marsha
If you have any questions or would like more information about Self Help CFCE please send me an email: mwright@selfhelpinc.org
ECDC School Council 20-21
The ECDC School Council is a group of educators and parents who work together with the principal to provide guidance and input into such processes as the development of a School Improvement Plan and the articulation of a school budget and operating in the time of COVID-19.
20-21 Members:
Miss Elizabeth (Reynard)
Miss Linda (Cournoyer)
Sarah Parmenter, Parent
Nicole Irabor, Parent
Miss Suzanne (Roma) , School Nurse
Open Parent Position--please reach out for information on joining our team!
School Council Meeting Schedule
All meetings for the 20-21 year will be held virtually
on Mondays from 1:45-3pm
February 22nd: Meeting Notes Linked Here
March 22nd
May 10th
The council met on February 22nd (rescheduled due to snow on February 1st), virtually via Google Meet and the minutes are linked above.
We still have ONE OPEN position for a parent/guardian, so please reach out if you would like to join our team, for the rest of this year and/or next year!
Keeping the Learning Alive During Quarantine (or any time)
- Visit the ECDC Keep the Learning Alive! site that was set up last spring. Each teacher has great lessons, activities, games and more. In this example, Miss Meg made some videos of how to draw some AWESOME ANIMALS! Check it out!
- Visit the FRANKLIN ECDC Youtube page to see ECDC’s wonderful teachers and staff and join them in wonderfully silly & fun activities, reading stories, making crafts and sharing their love and kindness
Stock up on your ECDC Spirit Wear!
You can now purchase shirts, sweatshirt, blankets, and even masks with the ECDC Logo right here! COVID friendly shipping, Items ship directly to you.
You can pick from many different styles and colors!
This year we have added fleece jackets for adults and base ball caps, both of which have a bit different logo as they are embroidered on!
Port Authority Fleece Jacket (adult )
Sweatshirt (youth and adult)
Baseball Cap
F.X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center
Kelty Kelley, Principal, M.Ed.
"There is no hand so small that it cannot leave an imprint on the world!" Klub Kidz
Visit our YouTube Channel @FranklinECDC
Email: kelleyk@franklinps.net
Website: https://www.franklinps.net/ecdc
Location: 224 Oak Street, Franklin, MA, USA
Phone: 508-541-8166
Twitter: @FranklinECDC