Natick Preschool

Preschool families will be notified via IEP meetings or by digital amendments (for students who do not have an upcoming IEP meeting) by the end of April if their child requires Extended School Year services related to their IEP. Some students have ESY services already documented in their active IEP.

Many thanks to the Natick Police Department and the Natick Fire Department for paying visits to us as we learn more about community helpers. We are incredibly appreciative of the efforts of these departments on a daily basis and we certainly appreciate that they carved out time to visit with us and share the functions of their work vehicles.

Per our annual requirements, we will practice fire evacuation drills and safety drills at each of our sites this spring. Children will be informed via the loudspeaker that we are practicing the ways we stay safe at school. If your child mentions the drills and you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with friends and family,

~MaryBeth

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING MASS HEALTH INSURANCE ELIGIBILITY:

If any member of your family receives MassHealth insurance benefits, please be aware of the recent changes to the MassHealth eligibility process.

We are sharing with you important information that will impact MassHealth (Medicaid and CHIP) health insurance coverage for children and families.

What is changing:

In March 2020, the federal government declared a public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, in response federal requirements, MassHealth put protections in place that prevented members’ MassHealth coverage from ending. These protections are ending and MassHealth will soon return to standard annual eligibility renewal processes. In the coming year, all current MassHealth members will need to renew their health coverage to ensure they still qualify for their current benefit.

These renewals will take place over 12 months. In order to help members maintain the best coverage they are eligible for, MassHealth is working with its partners to make sure members know how to renew their coverage and are aware of other affordable health coverage options if needed.

Attached is a Communications Toolkit with materials you can share with your community. This includes: flyers, customizable blurbs for emails / newsletters, and social media copy. You can learn more about this effort on our website - MassHealth Eligibility Redeterminations.

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All Aboard! Public input requested for accessible cycling.

The Town of Natick is launching a trial program for accessible/adaptive cycling on the Cochituate Rail Trail, and we need your input. Thanks to grant funding from the MetroWest Health Foundation and the MathWorks Community Grant Program, Natick will be acquiring an accessible bicycle and a storage unit, and setting up a program in 2023 to offer rides to people with disabilities. To help us get started, we have launched a survey to ask…

• What style of bicycle would work for you or a family member/friend?

• Are you interested in being a volunteer?

• Do you have any questions or advice?

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey by Friday, April 14. If you are not able to complete the survey, you can contact Melissa Carter, Coordinator of Adaptive Programs for Recreation and Parks at mcarter@natickma.org.

All Aboard is being launched in partnership with the Friends of Natick Trails and the Natick Public Schools.

All Aboard Accessible Cycling Community Input

What Can I Do To Help My Child Grow As A Learner?

• Limit screen time

• Promote independent play

• Promote open-ended play opportunities

• Foster outdoor play

• Relax, let go and ENJOY watching your child develop!

The Power of Parent Talk

Your chid's brain is actively developing

*Talk, talk, talk and talk some more to your young child.

*Use vocabulary associated with whatever your are doing/playing even if you think your child does not yet know the word

*Read aloud to your child: stories, picture books, the weather report, the grocery list, a text from a grandparent

*Speak aloud what you notice your child doing whether to compliment them on a new skill or their effort at something they cannot do YET.

Mrs. Morrissey explains How to Handle a Book, a Massachusetts learning standard for preschool

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VzH1Kh7J6E0XFN7Mu53_BWLps9sR4Zev/view?usp=share_link

Looking for an Interesting Read?

*The Incredible Years: A Trouble-Shooting Guide for Parents of Children

Aged 2-8 by Carolyn Webster Stratton

*How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

*Yardsticks by Chip Wood (an easy to read chart of developmental milestones by age 4 - 14)

Reminder for Parents Who Want to Volunteer--CORI Checks

Reminder If you want to volunteer in schools, you must have a CORI check conducted and you must go into the building with identification (drivers license or passport) to do this. Click here for description of what a CORI check is and does. Without a CORI check, you cannot volunteer in the school. Here is the form to fill out for a CORI. Preschool volunteer opportunities include being a Mystery Reader for the class, presenting a family tradition and supporting special projects.

Support Social Emotional Learning and Independence at home using the same language and systems we use at school

• Yoga: Belly Breathing
  

• Handwashing at Home video

• Schedules, Visuals, Daily Living and Social Emotional Learning These can help!

• Make Clean-Up Fun Gracie's corner clean up song

• What is the Preschool Flip?

  Fleece! Jackets! Chilly weather calls for additional layers. Use the linked video to practice the Preschool Flip to build your child's independence putting on a jacket. They will be so proud of themselves and you will have your hands free for extra hugs!

• How To Use PBIS at Home complete with printable red birds (don’t have a printer? Have your child make some red birds or choose what household item you can use to represent completion of a task.)

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5