10/5 IB Family Night

10/18-10/20 MEA Break (No School)

10/17 Parent Teacher Conference 3:45pm - 7:45 pm

10/18 Parent Teacher Conferences 7:45am - 11:45am

11/6 Evaluation/Planning Day (No School)

11/7 Staff Development Day (No School)

11/23-11/24 Thanksgiving Break (No School)

We will be having IB Family Night on October 5th from 5pm - 6pm. You'll be receiving more information via Seesaw soon.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my ship”- Louisa May Alcott

At preschool, children build a strong foundation in social, pre-academic, and general life skills. Here are reasons why preschool is important:

• TEACHES CHILDREN TO LEARN. Preschool provides opportunities for children to learn in ways that interest them, building a positive association with learning.
• HELPS DEVELOP SOCIAL SKILLS. At preschool, children spend extended amounts of time with other children and adults outside their families. The environment provides plenty of opportunities to learn how to make friends, cooperate, listen, and build foundational conversation skills.
• HELPS DEVELOP SELF-REGULATION SKILLS. Teachers can encourage children to notice how their behavior impacts others and practice interpersonal problem-solving skills.
• BOOSTS PRE-LITERACY SKILLS. At preschool, teachers offer a variety of games and activities that help children build pre-literacy skills. In addition to learning these foundations, children often develop a sense of excitement and motivation to continue learning. Preschool pre-literacy learning takes place during activities that are inherently interesting to children, which builds positive associations with reading.
• BUILDS A FOUNDATION FOR MATH. Preschool doesn’t teach children math before they’re ready, but it does build the foundations for future success through fun activities and guided play. Children often play matching, sorting, or counting games, as well as board games that help students develop an understanding of numbers and categories.

Our Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences will be taking place on Tuesday, October 17 from 3:45-7:45 pm and Wednesday, October 18 from 7:45-11:45 am. Each conference will be 15 minutes long. Parent/teacher conferences are optional and we do have a limited amount of slots.

We encourage you to sign up for a slot if you have concerns or questions about your child’s behavior, social/emotional development, or transition into school. We will also be sending home some materials

after conferences for you and your child to review regarding the start of the school year.

If you have any questions about Parent/Teacher conferences, please feel free to reach out to the Preschool Office or your child’s teacher. Thank you.

The IB Learner Profile word for October is “Risk-Taker”. To be a risk-taker means that we try new things. At the Fridley Preschool and the Fridley Community Center, examples of a Risk-Taker would be: trying something new at snack, trying a new game, making a new friend, doing something new in class that we have never done before. Being a Risk-Taker also means that we learn through discovery and trying things many times. With being a Risk-Taker, we allow children to learn through their mistakes and that it is allowed to not succeed at the first try. This also promotes a growth mind-set which provides our children with the capacity to keep going which promotes life-long learning.

• Take an inquiry stance:

• Meet a question with a question
• Ask open-ended questions of your child

• Support conceptual understanding

• Ask questions such as "how did you do that, why did you do it that way?"

• Prioritize reflection

• Get your child thinking about their thinking by asking questions such as "how do you know, what makes you think that, is there another way we can do this?"

• Support your child's agency

• Invite and involve their voice
• Support their choices

• Give feedback that goes beyond the moment

1. Ask questions/use statements such as "where to next?

Under state law, “directory information” may be released to the public without permission of the student, parent or guardian. Directory information includes a student’s name, school of attendance or grade level, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, diploma and awards received, photograph, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended. It also includes the name of the student’s designated guardian. Directory information does not include a student’s home address, telephone number, email address or other personal contact information, or data that reference religion, race, color, social position or nationality.

If a student or parent/guardian does not want some or all of this information to be made public, they must complete Form 515F (Directory Information Opt-Out Form) and submit the form to their child’s school each school year. Fridley Public Schools designates certain records as directory information to be used only for school or district-approved programs, publications, yearbooks, cablecasts, webcasts, athletic teams, clubs, activities and other public presentations. Those records include but are not limited to student: photographs, videos and other visual representations.

Are you interested in receiving weekly food bags for your child?

We have partnered with EveryMeal-Sheridan Story to provide preschool students weekly food bags to take home FOR FREE. Families have the choice between five options of different types of food. They are listed below.

Blue Bag: Tailored for East African dietary preferences, this bag is pork-free and may contain items such as tuna, spaghetti, black-eyed peas, corn flour, fava beans, and tomato products.

Green Bag: This bag offers the widest variety of food items, such as chicken, tuna, pasta, rice, mac and cheese, chili/soup, and varied vegetables and fruits.

Orange Bag: Tailored for Latino dietary preferences, this bag may contain items such as rice, black beans, pinto beans, corn flour, fideo pasta, enchilada sauce, chipotles in adobo, and diced chiles.

Purple Bag: Tailored for Southeast Asian dietary preferences, this bag may contain items such as rice, rice noodles, coconut milk, bamboo shoots, curry paste, green beans, and mandarin oranges.

Yellow Bag: This bag contains all ready-to-eat items which require little or no preparation, such as dried fruit, tuna salad, chicken salad, sunflower seeds, granola, oatmeal, and soups.

If you are interested in signing up or have any questions, please call our Social Worker, Alaina, at 763-502-5121. You can also fill out this form to submit your choice of meal bag to be sent home with your child.Visit this website to learn more about EveryMeal and Sheridan Story.

School Resources

Food Pantry

Here at Fridley Preschool, we have a pantry of donatable food items and closets of clothing and household items available for families. If you would like to come and see what fits you and your family’s needs, please let me or your child’s teacher know.

Winter Gear

With the Winter months just around the corner, we’ve got FREE winter gear items for you to stock up with! If you are in need of winter gear for your child and family, please contact me or your child’s teacher and we can look through our closets of coats, snow pants, boots, gloves, hats, and more to see what you’d like to take home.

Fridley Public Schools Resource Webpage

This list of names and numbers of community resources is available to any Fridley family. Everything from food, housing, internet, and mental health supports can be found on this site, as well as the names and numbers of each school’s social worker and equity and inclusion specialist. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Community Resources and Events

Springbrook Nature Center Special Events

Bring your family and friends to these fun events hosted by Springbrook! Use the link above to see details, locations, and descriptions. Have fun!

Child and Teen Check-Ups

Learn more about Anoka County’s Health Check-Up program here. You can also call 763-324-4280 for more information and to make appointments for your children. Translation services are available.

Anoka County Local Resources Interactive Map

This map lets you set your location, filter the types of resources you are looking for, and even gives you directions to get there! Use the link above to interact with resources near you!

Anoka County Library

Visit this website to learn more about the Anoka County Library. From children and family events to adult education classes and resources, your neighborhood library has a variety of beneficial services that help and support you and your family. The library closest to Fridley Preschool is 410 Mississippi St NE Fridley, MN 55432.

Need other resources or have other requests? Fill out this form and I will contact you.

Request Social Work Support

Preschool Website

All the best,

Alaina Dehnke

Preschool Social Worker

Email: alaina.dehnke@fridley.12.mn.us

Office Phone: 763-502-5121

Cell phone (text or call): 612-405-8812