Welcome to the Peotone Preschool Program

Connor Shaw Center Mrs. Pilbeam and Mrs. Blair

Dear families,

We would like to take a moment and welcome you to the Peotone Preschool Program. Our names are Mrs. Blair and Mrs. Pilbeam and we will be the classroom teachers for the program. Mrs. Lotz, Mrs. Christiansen (C), Mrs. Minock, and Mrs. Carstens will all be the assistants working within the program. We will all be working together to create an exciting and successful learning environment for your child.

We firmly believe that communication between home and school is vital in helping your child succeed in school. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call us at 708.258.0991 before or after school. You can also reach us through email.

Megan Pilbeam: [email protected]

Kim Blair: [email protected]

In the attached packet you will find information that will be helpful to you and your family throughout the year. Please read it and let us know if you have any questions. We are looking forward to getting to know the children and their families this year!!

Sincerely,

Megan Pilbeam and Kim Blair

DAILY SCHEDULE

AM Class 8:45 Arrival 8:50-9:15 Gross Motor/Bathroom Break 9:15-9:30 Learning Stations 9:30-9:45 Transition to Classrooms 9:45-10:00 Circle Time 10:00-10:45Centers 10:45-11:00 Circle Time 11:00-11:15 Gross Motor/Bathroom Break 11:15 Dismissal

PM Class 12:15 Arrival 12:20-12:45 Gross Motor/Bathroom Break 12:45-1:00 Learning Stations 1:00-1:15 Transition to Classrooms 1:15-1:30 Circle Time 1:30-2:15 Centers 2:15-2:30 Circle Time 2:30-2:45 Gross Motor/Bathroom Break 2:45 Dismissal

Pick-up/Drop-off and Transportation

If your child rides the bus, please call the Director of Transportation to let the bus drive know when your child will not be riding the bus.

Director of Transportation: Joanne Brewer Transportation Number: 708-258-9605

A.M. Preschool begins at 8:45 am P.M. Preschool begins at 12:15 pm Please do not bring your child to school earlier than the above times, as there may be no one to there to supervise. When bringing your child to school, please drop off at Door 6. A teacher will be there to great your child. Please do not attempt to walk your child to the classroom, as there will be no one there to supervise. A teacher will be at the door no earlier than 8:45 am and 12:15 pm. If you arrive after the line is done, you must sign your child into school in the office. When dropping your child off, please make sure you pull all the way up to the first hopscotch board. We will take 4 cars at a time to load/unload children. You must walk your child to the door. If possible, please let the buses unload first as they have other routes they must get to.

P.M. Preschool ends at 11:15 A.M. Preschool ends at 2:45 Door 6 will also be used to dismiss students. Once again, please pull up to the first hopscotch board and walk to the door to meet your child. If possible, please let the buses load first as they have other routes they must get to.

Please inform the school if there are to be any changes to your child’s normal pick- up routine. If someone comes to pick up your child and we do not have notification from you, we will not let your child leave with that person until we have verified it with you. We will also ask for proper identification from any person that we do not recognize. Please remember that this is for the safety of your child! Thank you! Absentee Policy

Please call the school if your child will be absent.

Connor Shaw Center: 708-258-0991 Administrators: Dr. Charles Vitton and Mr. Larry Piwnicki Secretary: Cathy Cuculich

School Closing

During the school year, if it is necessary to either dismiss school early or cancel school because of inclement weather or other concerns, parents and students will be informed by the automated calling system (SchoolReach).

The district will also post on the front page of its website and inform local television (CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN, FOX) and radio stations (1340 WJOL AM, 1320 WKAN AM, 95.1 WVLI FM, 89.7 WONU FM).

Please be sure to inform your child's school of current contact information, as this assists us in contacting you during emergency situations.

Early Dismissal Days

When there is a district wide early dismissal day, the Preschool Program will not be in session. These days will be used to clean and disinfect toys, professional development for staff, and meetings.

Parent/Teacher Communication Folders: Each child was given a folder to bring back and forth to school. Inside you will find blank paper that will allow us to write important notes to each other. Please keep this paper attached inside the folder. You will also find a monthly calendar to leave in the folder. If you would like another one for your fridge, please let your child’s teacher know. This folder needs to be checked DAILY!

Newsletters: A newsletter will be sent home with your child every time we start a new Book of Two week, approximately every other Friday. The newsletter will contain information about things we will be learning about, important dates, reminders, and news from the classroom.

Conferences: Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for November 6th. Please try to attend all scheduled conferences. Contact me anytime if you would like to schedule an additional conference.

Preschool Progress Reports: You will receive a copy of your child’s progress reports at the end of each semester. This assessment will document your child’s progress throughout the school year.

For IEP Children IEP Meeting: We will meet at least once a school year to discuss and review your child’s current IEP. An IEP Meeting provides us with an opportunity to make changes to your child’s IEP that we feel necessary for your child to be successful in preschool!

IEP Semester Reports: You will receive reports on how your child is doing in regards to their IEP goals. These reports will be sent home at the end of each semester.

If you have any questions or concerns on the above topics please let us know!

Classroom Discipline

Our discipline procedure uses natural consequences for any misbehavior. For example: If a child refuses to share a toy, he or she will not be able to play with it. In the case of a child not listening to an adult when reminded about the rule, we use a counting method.

The basic premise of the counting method is that when a child misbehaves for the first time, the teacher says, “That’s one.” If a second misbehavior occurs after three to five seconds, the teacher says, “That’s two.” If a third misbehavior occurs after three to five seconds, the teacher says, “That’s three,” and the child is removed from the situation. After the child has had some time, an adult will go talk to the child about why they were removed from the situation.

However, if the behavior is overt (hitting, spitting, etc.), steps one and two are skipped and the child is immediately removed from the situation. Depending on the age of the child, the time of the school year and our expectations for each child, there may also be times that I remove a student from a situation without any counting.

If you have any questions concerning classroom discipline, please call us and we will do our best to answer them.

Birthdays!!!

As per the new district policy, birthday treats will no longer be accepted at school. We will still celebrate your child’s birthday in the classroom by singing happy birthday and giving them a birthday crown to wear. Summer birthdays are also welcome to celebrate at school on a chosen day (for example on their half birthday).

Parent Volunteers

This year we will use parent volunteers during craft time and parties. The last Friday of every month, unless it is a non-attendance day, we will have parents in to help with a craft created by our craft coordinator. We will then need 4 parents from each room to help with the project. We will also need 4 parents to help with each party.

With that, we will need one volunteer from the a.m. sessions and one volunteer from the p.m. sessions to plan our parties and crafts. If you are interested in either of these positions, please write a note in the communication folder to your child’s teacher.