LABELING:
Make sure labels are on the inside of all personal belongings,
with both first and last names (jackets, sweaters, boots,
mittens, books, backpacks, sharing objects, etc.) This also
includes spare clothing that is kept in the classroom.
BACKPACKS:
Each child must bring a bag or backpack daily
for transportation of the Communication Notebook, notices
and projects. A lunch box is not acceptable due to its weight
and limited capacity to hold large paintings. Make sure
to put your child’s name and address on the inside.
If your child forgets his/her backpack at school, it will
remain in his/her cubby and be sent home the next day.
COMMUNICATION NOTEBOOKS: A communication
notebook is provided for each child. It should be brought
to school each day in the backpack. If we need to let you
know anything, we will use the book to write our notes.
You should also feel free to correspond with us through
the book. We ask that you check the book daily and initial
a note after you have read it. There have been occurrences
when unnecessary distress was caused to a child because
his or her parent did not check the communication notebook.
You should not expect a note every day. That is impossible
given our time limits and the number of students.
PARENT TRANSPORTATION: Please remember
that our sessions have a limited amount of time, and we
want to begin our day promptly. Please limit conversations
with the staff at drop off and pick up times. Important
information can be relayed through the communication books
which are checked everyday, by leaving a message on your
child’s teacher’s voice mail, or by calling before
or after school hours.
Late drop offs and late pick-ups must be done via the intercom.
For security reasons, parents are not permitted to accompany
their children directly to the classroom or into the building
without checking in at the office first. Our staff is ready
to receive the children as they arrive. We will only dismiss
your child to you or to someone identified to us in writing
by you.
BUS
TRANSPORTATION: At the beginning of the year, you
will be notified of your child’s bus schedule. Please
be sure your child wears his/her bus tag until we indicate
otherwise (generally by the end of September). If you have
a transportation difficulty involving a school bus, please
inform us of the situation. However, please be aware that
you must contact the transportation coordinator for the
Canton Public Schools to resolve any issue involving a bus
or its driver. We do not set the routes, pick-up or drop-off
times. If your child takes a school-authorized van or taxi
to school and you are having a problem, please inform one
of the early childhood staff members or the Student Services
office at 781-821-5060 ext. 135
ABSENCE:
If your child is going to be absent, please let us know
by leaving a message with our nurse, Janet Donelly at 781-821-5060
ext. 508. Do not call the main school office. Upon return
to school, your child must return with a note explaining
the absence. This is a policy established by the Canton
Public Schools.
EXTRA
CLOTHES: Toileting accidents and spills happen,
and we like to be prepared. Each child is required to keep
a complete set of extra clothing at school, including a
shirt, pants, undershirt, underwear, diapers (if needed)
and socks. The clothing should be brought in during the
first week of school. Please label each item, and send them
in a clear, labeled Ziploc bag. If the spare clothing is
needed, please remember to clean them and send them back
to school as soon as possible.
APPROPRIATE CLOTHING: Sneakers and pants
should be worn on all physical education and sensory motor
days. We will notify you as to what days these will be for
your child.
SNACK: We serve a daily mid-morning or mid-afternoon
snack, with juice. We ask that every parent periodically
send in snack or juice to share with the class. Please remember
us on your grocery list! Appropriate snacks include assorted
crackers, peanut butter, finger cereal, pretzels, raisins,
cookies, etc. Snacks should be able to be served individually
and should be nutritious. The non-refrigerated juice concentrates
work best for us, although any juice in a plastic bottle
is acceptable. No glass please! We will also need napkins,
cups and small paper bowls and paper plates. If everyone
remembers to contribute something every now and then, the
children will feel that they are sharing with their friends.
Hopefully, our snack cabinets will remain stocked throughout
the year with your help, and we will let you know if we
are running low. Please be sure to inform us of any food
allergies (i.e. chocolate, sugar, milk, eggs, etc.) Parents
are welcome to send special snacks to be shared with the
class at any time. Your child will routinely have the opportunity
to cook or otherwise prepare special foods at school for
snack time
BIRTHDAYS: Individual birthdays are celebrated with
a song and a crown. You may send in a special snack for
that day if you wish. Please make sure that the snack has
individual portions, such as cupcakes, brownies, cookies,
twinkies, etc. Summer birthdays are celebrated in late May
or June. Please, no presents during a school birthday celebration.
The staff is not permitted to give out addresses or phone
numbers of students. If you would like to invite some of
your child’s school friends to a home birthday party,
we will put the invitations in the student’s backpacks
for them.
DISCIPLINE POLICIES: The terminologies most frequently
used in the preschool classrooms are the following phrases:
Hands to yourself; Thinking Chair/Time Out. (After
three warnings, a child will be removed from an activity
and placed in a thinking chair if they have inflicted bodily
harm or property damage. A time out is generally 30 seconds
to 1 minute).
SPECIAL DAY EVENTS: Each classroom
has a stuffed animal mascot. The children take turns bringing
it home on their special day. You are asked to write a brief
narrative about the animal’s adventures while it was
with your child. We prefer adventures in your home or neighborhood
surroundings. Please make sure to return the mascot and
its journal the next day. Remember, another child will be
waiting to take a turn. (In the event that a mascot is damaged
or misplaced, don’t worry; we have spares in the closet!
However, the children are usually able to distinguish the
difference!)
PAPERWORK:
Please make sure that you return the following forms promptly:
General Information Sheet (we like to get
to know each child as quickly as possible); Video
Release (we need your permission to tape for various
reasons); Therapy Consult (we need your permission
for your child to work informally with the speech, occupational
or physical therapist should we have a concern or question
in the fine or gross motor domains. We would request further
permission if an evaluation is found to be appropriate.)
PROGRESS
REPORTS: Written progress reports are distributed for
all children twice a year, in late January and early June.
Conferences are scheduled in the fall and spring. However,
we are always available to meet with a parent if a particular
incident or concern arises. Please call to schedule an appointment.
TELEPHONE
CONTACT: The early childhood program has its own phone
numbersat the Rodman Center. Individual teachers and paraprofessional
aides have voice mail. Please refer to the telephone numbers
in the front of this book. Should you need to speak to a
staff member, call the direct voice mail number. Staff members
will make every attempt to get back to you as soon as possible.
These telephone numbers will be for voice messages only,
they will not ring into the classrooms. If you have an emergency
and need to get through to the classroom immediately, call
the Student Services office, 781-821-5060 ext. 135, and
tell the secretary to ring the appropriate classroom. Our
first priority will always be to attend to the children.
KEEPING
TOYS AT HOME: Except for small toys that may be needed
in the first few days of school to help ease your child’s
transition from home to school, we ask that you leave your
child’s toys at home or in your car. We cannot be responsible
for items that are brought to school. The exception to this
rule will be items to be shared on sharing days. Sharing
items should be labeled. Guns, war toys, super heroes or
other toys of destruction are NEVER allowed.
HEALTH:
Your child’s health is a matter of major importance to
us. Your child may be sent home if he or she appears to have
symptoms of illness during the school day. Please keep your
child home if he or she:
-
has
a fever or has had one during the previous 24-hour period;
-
has
taken antibiotics for less than 48 hours for an infection;
-
has
a heavy nasal discharge;
-
has
a constant cough;
-
is
fussy, cranky and generally not himself;
-
has
symptoms of a communicable disease (i.e. sniffles, reddened
eyes, sore throat, headache, abdominal pain, fever).
PROPER
CLOTHING: Please think of your child’s comfort
and provide simple clothing free of complicated fasteners.
As we are known to enjoy more than our share of messy activities,
all clothing should be washable. Think of the changing weather
and dress your child accordingly. Provide sweaters and jackets
even on the first sunny fall days. It is easy to remove
an unneeded item. Please remember your child’s comfort
during gym and motor days and on sunny winter days when
we might go outside.
INCLEMENT
WEATHER: The early childhood program operates according
to the school’s calendar that will be provided to you
separately. The program is in session unless it is an identified
holiday or school vacation. In the event of snow, please
check radio stations WRKO, WHDH, WBZ and WEEI (all starting
at 6:30 a.m.), and television stations Channels 4, 5 and
7. Preschool will always follow the same cancellation schedule
as kindergarten. If kindergarten is cancelled, preschool
will also be cancelled. If there is a delayed opening, morning
sessions will be cancelled.
EARLY RELEASE DAYS: Occasionally there will be an
early release day for the Canton Public Schools. On those
days, there will be no preschool. Early release days have
been set by the Canton School Committee to provide for staff
development opportunities.
ROLE
MODEL CRITERIA: The following eligibility criteria was
established for the application and selection of role model
candidates:
-
Child
must be 2.9 years of age by September 1 of the year in
which they are participating.
-
Child
must reside in the Town of Canton.
-
Child
may not have any identified special needs.
-
Child
may not be enrolled in another preschool or nursery school
program.
-
Child
must participate in a developmental screening and demonstrate
age-appropriate skills in all developmental areas, especially
speech/language and social emotional.
-
Parents
must assume responsibility for transportation to and from
school.
Parents
must assume responsibility for annual tuition payments.
Payments may be made in installments. There are no bills
sent for collection of these payments, parents must
keep current with the tuition payments.
Upon
acceptance of your child into the Early Childhood Integrated
Program as a role model, parents are required to return an
agreement and deposit to the Early Childhood Coordinator that
is forwarded to the Business Manager and the Superintendent’s
Office. Parents are asked to comply with the eligibility criteria
and identify a payment option. It is the parent’s responsibility
to make payments according to the schedule selected. No bills
will be sent. Failure to do so after written notification
will result in your child no longer being eligible to participate
in the program. Under no circumstances is transportation provided
by the Canton Public Schools for role model children. A role
model will no longer be eligible to participate in the Early
Childhood Integrated program if it is felt that his or her
behavior is detrimental to the health or safety of others,
or is such that it may interfere with the appropriate developmental
acquisition of skills of the other children participating
in the program. Tuition is prorated in the event that a child
moves away from the program before the close of the school
year, does not begin the program in September, or is asked
to leave the program before the close of the school year.
Please keep payments up to date as no bills will be sent.
Failure to pay tuition will result in your child’s inability
to attend the program. Checks should be mailed to the Administration
Office, Canton Public Schools, 960 Washington Street, Canton,
MA 02021, Attention: Accounts Payable. In the memo section
of your check please note your child’s name, preschool
tuition, and the due date (month and day) that the payment
is for.
EVALUATION:
We evaluate the early childhood program annually in our
effort to improve the quality of the program and the services
provided to families. Your input into this evaluation, generally
done in late March or early April, is invaluable. Please take
a few minutes to complete the evaluation so that we can adjust
our program to meet the changing needs of our families.
CONCERNS:
If at any time you have a concern or difficulty related to
the service delivery, staff member, program policy, etc.,
please let us know directly. At times, it is very challenging
to have a preschool program in a public school setting. We
do try to accommodate the needs of such young children and
their families as best we can within the policies and procedures
established by the Canton School Committee and the regulations
of the Department of Education.
DIANE
REYNOLDS MEMORIAL FUND: Please be aware that there is
a fund called the Diane Reynolds Memorial Fund that was created
in memory of the first preschool teacher in the Canton Public
Schools. The fund has paid for playground equipment, art materials,
computer hardware and software, and other essential classroom
items for the preschool and kindergarten programs, sometimes
considered "luxury" items. In lieu of teacher gifts
at holiday time and at the end of the year, a donation to
this fund is always greatly appreciated.
Showing
interest in the work your child brings home will help develop
a good self-concept. Admire those immature and often unrecognizable
pictures. Encourage your child to explain them and to talk
about them.
Encourage
your child to talk to you about what he or she did each day
in school. Sometimes asking what he or she did first, then
what happened next, helps the child to give details about
his day. You may try asking specific questions, for example,
"What story did you read today?" Or, "What
did you do at play time?"
We
are enthusiastic about the wonderful learning adventures in
which we are all about to embark.
|
