Appoquinimink Preschool Center Preschool Parent Handbook 2021-2022 www.appopreschool.org Nondiscrimination Statement The Appoquinimink School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, national origin, or other legally protected categories in its educational programs, activities, employment, or student admissions policies or practices. ASD Compliance Officers Inquiries regarding compliance with the above should be directed to: Title IX (Discrimination and different treatment based on sex) Dr. Stanley Spoor Director of Human Resources 313 South Fifth Street Odessa, DE 19734-4010 302.376.4127 Section 504 (Disability discrimination laws) Dr. Ed Gurdo Supervisor of Student Services 313 South Fifth Street Odessa, DE 19734-4010 302.376.4111 Appoquinimink Preschool Center 502 South Broad Street Middletown, DE 19709 August 2021 Dear APC Family, We welcome you and your child to an exciting school year. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you as partners in your child’s education. This handbook provides you with information relating to the school day and your child’s educational program. Please take a few minutes to read the handbook. As the year progresses please use this handbook as your source of reference. We look forward to working with you in providing a positive school year for you and your child. Sincerely, Dr. Kim Brancato Principal Table of Contents Appoquinimink Preschool Center Contacts page 4 Appoquinimink School District Contacts 4 Board of Education 4 Classroom Learning 5 Communication 6 Assessment/continuous Progress 6 Conference Dates 6 Delaware Early Learning Foundations 6 Field Trips 7 Special Educations 7 Related Services 8 Transition 8 School Health Services 9 Immunizations/Medical Requirements 10 Emergency Card 10 Illness 10 Injuries 11 Medication Policy 11 Clothing 11 Attendance 11 Parent Transportation 12 Afternoon Dismissals 12 Early Dismissals 13 Transportation 13 Late Openings/Early Closings/Cancellations 13 Automated Phone Messages 13 Smart Phone Messages 14 State School Closing Website and Email Notification 14 Local Radio Stations 14 Change of Address/Phone Numbers 15 Nutrition 15 Classroom Celebrations 15 Birthday Parties 15 Parent Involvement 16 Volunteers 16 Visiting Classrooms 16 Out of School Volunteer Opportunities 16 Fundraisers 17 Safety 17 Nuclear Power Plant 18-23 Community Notification 23-29 Sick/Appointment Notes 31 Appoquinimink Preschool Center Contacts 376-4400 Principal Kim Brancato School Secretary Angelica Groom Educational Diagnostician Kathy Gerstley School Nurse Aimee Hastings School Psychologist Laura Donnelly Appoquinimink School District Contacts 376-4128 Superintendent Matthew Burrows Assistant Superintendent Sharon Pepukayi Assistant Superintendent Thomas Vari Human Resource Director Stanley Spoor Director of Early Learning Gina Robinson Facilities Supervisor Andy Walton Food Services Supervisor Janice Vander Decker Transportation Supervisor Stacey McIntosh Director of Student Services Josette McCullough Executive Director of the Office of Instruction and Student Services Kalia Reynolds Public Relations Lilian Miles Board of Education Mr. Norman Abrams Mrs. Michelle Wall Mrs. Kelly Wright Mr. Richard Forsten l Appoquinimink School District Early Childhood Program Classroom Learning The Appoquinimink Preschool Center (APC) classrooms are active, busy places. The teachers work to be facilitators of children’s learning. The children will often be involved in activities together; conversing and sharing ideas as the teacher works with small groups or individuals. Children often learn best when they have hands-on experiences. Classroom lessons are guided by a comprehensive curriculum from Teaching Strategies: Creative Curriculum. Teachers create developmentally appropriate activities related to the themes, providing the children with a variety of play based learning experiences. Children may not all be involved in the same activity at the same time. It is important to meet the needs of individual children. It is also important for children to have choices during the school day. The APC is dedicated to the special needs of young learners. The staff strives to develop the whole child with opportunities in language, math, science, creative expression, physical education, social interaction and activities that reflect a commitment to an anti-bias, multicultural environment. The APC staff use a Conscious Discipline approach that positively guides and supports children and emphasizes respect for each child. Our staff will use developmentally appropriate expectations of children’s behavior and the use of positive behavior support and guidance strategies. To help children become aware of self-regulation and their emotions throughout the school day, APC staff have been trained in using The Zones of Regulation. By using The Zones of Regulation, children are able to recognize and identify their feelings/level of alertness and use learned strategies to move towards independent regulation. The staff strives to create a School Family environment that enables our children and families to feel safe, loved, and supported. Through Conscious Discipline and Zones of Regulations strategies, the staff will help children learn pro-social behaviors, build confidence, and build a sense of community that will develop greater respect for others’ rights and feelings as well as their own. https://consciousdiscipline.com/ Communication We are committed to building a strong home and school connection. We strive to provide frequent communication to families through weekly classroom and school newsletters, automated phone messages, flyers, progress reports, conferences and through the school website; www.appopreschool.org Visit the website often to keep up to date on school and district news. The principal and classroom teacher will be sending a weekly newsletter through your email. If you would prefer a paper copy of the newsletters, please inform your child’s teacher. Assessment/Continuous Progress The staff at the APC uses assessment to determine the children’s strengths, progress and needs. The purpose of assessment is to support decision making regarding teaching and learning, identify concerns, which may require focused intervention for individual children and helping programs to improve their educational and developmental interventions. The APC uses Teaching Strategies GOLD, an observational assessment, to document student progress. Teachers document progress and skill development through ongoing observations, curriculum based assessment and input from families. Checkpoints are completed in the fall, winter and spring and information is shared with families during conferences. Progress Reports are issued three times per year. Parent conferences are held a minimum of three times per year. Conferences can be requested at any time. November 22 & 23, 2021 PK Parent Conferences February 17 & 18, 2022 PK Parent Conferences June 9 & 10, 2022 PK Parent Conferences Delaware Early Learning Foundations: Preschool The Delaware Early Learning Foundations (DELF) were developed by a workgroup through the Delaware Department of Education to serve as a curriculum framework, skill expectation for children ages 3-5. The DELF’s are linked to the skill expectations children need as they enter kindergarten and provide a curriculum guide for early childhood programs. Learning opportunities are intended to be a set of broad-based activities through which children are exposed to new learning concepts, having opportunities to acquire new skills, practice those skills as well as master previously learned skills. The DELF is organized into eight domains: ● Social Emotional ● Approaches to Learning ● Language and Literacy ● Mathematics ● Science ● My family, My Community, My World ● Creative Expression ● Physical Development and Health Field Trips Field trips are considered to be an extension of the classroom. Educational values to be gained by taking field trips will be maximized by careful pre-planning and follow-up activities. Our big field trip is our walking trip to the Middletown Fire Station. Parent chaperones will be needed for this trip. We will also bring exciting experiences to the APC such as; visits from community helpers such as police officers, fire fighters with their service vehicles, farm animals, puppet shows and musical performances. In May, full day four-year-old classes will take a trip to the kindergarten centers for a tour of their home kindergarten school. Children will ride on school buses equipped with STAR seats. Children attending kindergarten outside of the district are assigned to one of the district kindergarten centers for a tour. Special Education All Special Education services will follow state and federal guidelines. The APC supports early childhood inclusion as a fundamental right for all of our children. For our program this means that children with and without disabilities play and learn together in their early childhood classrooms. The definition of early childhood inclusion: “Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities and society. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social