Early Learning Center Family News
January 2024
TRANSLATE NEWSLETTER / TRADUCE BOLETÍN
STEP 1 / PASO 1
STEP 2 / PASO 2
Upcoming Event
Thursday, January 11
- Board of Education Meeting at 7:00pm
- No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- No School for Preschool - Virtual Family Friday Event
Thursday, February 1
- Board of Education Meeting at 7:00pm
- No School for Preschool - Family Friday Event
Dear Preschool Families,
Happy New Year! We were so excited to welcome back all our students this past week. Hope you were able to enjoy some time with the ones you love over the break.
On Friday, January 19th, 2024 preschool students will not have school. However, we will be hosting a virtual Family Friday event from 9:00-10:00 AM. Please join us on your child’s Chromebook for a day of winter-themed crafts and sensory fun. Families will have the opportunity to create a paper tube snowman, popsicle stick snowflakes, and a winter sensory bottle. If you are planning on attending, RSVP here by Friday, January 12th. Your child will bring home a supply bag on Wednesday, January 17th. Please be sure to save the materials sent home with your child for Friday’s virtual event. Further information will be provided once you have RSVP'd.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support!
Sincerely,
Barb Golik
Principal
Notes from the Nurse
The Smile Illinois Mobile Dentist will be at the Early Learning Center on February 26th & 27th.
The State of Illinois requires that students entering Kindergarten must have a dental exam turned into the health office by May 15, 2025. This examination will fulfill the requirement for students entering Kindergarten next school year.
The dentist will perform a dental exam and provide teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment, and apply dental sealants, as needed. A dental report card will be sent home with your child.
The Smile Illinois Mobile Dentist accepts Medicaid and private insurance. If your student does not have dental insurance, there is a self-pay option of $70.
Please use this link to sign up for the mobile dentist. Paper forms will also be sent home with students this week. Please return the form (paper or online) by February 8, 2024.
If you have already turned in a dental form this year, please disregard this message. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole McFadden, ELC School Nurse at Nmcfadden@emsd63.org or 847-493-8573.
Thank you!
How Libraries can Launch Preschoolers into Reading
In this School Library Journal article, Jessica Ralli and Rachel Payne (Brooklyn Public
Library, New York City) share some of the best ways to get children ready for reading.
“While an understanding of phonics is important in reading instruction,” say Ralli and Payne, “it’s not the only skill needed to build strong readers.” Librarians’ decades-long focus on Talk, Read, Write, Sing, and Play (the Every Child Ready to Read principles) should continue to drive early literacy programming, they say, because they “directly support the development of oral language, phonological awareness (which will support later phonics instruction), vocabulary, and background knowledge.” Specifically:
- Oral language – Librarians should encourage parents to talk to their kids starting in infancy. In the library, adults should talk with students about books they’re checking out: “Yes, you’re right! That’s a big, brown, furry dog!”
- Phonological awareness – “When we sing, read rhyming stories, or share rhymes,” say Ralli and Payne, “we help children hear and play with the smaller sounds of words. If parents ask for decodable books for young children, it is fine to show them a few, but make sure they also go home with a stack of fun, engaging rhyming books and the lyrics to favorite story time songs, which they may enjoy even more. They will have plenty of time with decodable books when they begin reading instruction.”
- Vocabulary – Language-rich picture books presented orally expose children to words they don’t hear in everyday conversation, building oral language skills and personal word banks.
- Background knowledge – This is “essential for the development of strong readers,” say Ralli and Payne, “and libraries excel here.” Read-alouds are an opportunity to pause and explain new concepts in age-appropriate ways. Parents should be encouraged to check out fiction and non-fiction books and take advantage of museum-pass lending programs.
- Loving books and seeing themselves as readers – Young children’s attitude toward reading is a key to learning, the authors conclude, quoting Mollie Welsh Kruger of the Bank Street College of Education: “Be ready with those books kids can’t put down and can’t wait to get home and open up!”
“Preschoolers and the Science of Reading” by Jessica Ralli and Rachel Payne in School
Library Journal, January 2024 (Vol. 70, #1, p. 17)
Weather Reminders
As the temperatures become colder each day, we want to remind families to please send students to school dressed appropriately for the weather.
- Our students go outside between 25° F and 90°F and spend 20-25 minutes outdoors on most days.
- If your child is in need of winter clothing (coats, mittens, hats, boots, etc) please contact the Early Learning Center office at 847-827-4165 or firststeps@emsd63.org.
Winter Closings: What You Need to Know
Our snowy Halloween means that winter is definitely in the forecast! Take a minute to review D63's Winter Weather Closing Information. A few key points:
If buildings close, students shift to remote learning.
Decisions to close schools are made jointly with other local school districts.
If buildings are going to close, expect an email, text, and phone call. Information will also be posted on our website and social media.
REPORTING ABSENCES
If your child has to miss school due to illness or any other reason, please submit via the Parent Portal.
How to use the Parent Portal to report your child’s absence:
- All absences must be submitted on the morning of the day your child will miss school - NOT the night before. Once you log into the Portal, you’ll choose your child’s name and navigate to a list of online forms. Select and complete the “Absence Form,” and then submit.
- You can find detailed, step-by-step instructions at any time on our District 63 website.
- Questions? Contact the Early Learning Center main office at 847-827-4165
Expanded Learning and Family Resources
From youth development classes, to adult education, to family events, there are many options available for your student and family this winter at the D63 Family Resource Center. Visit www.emsd63.org and select Family Resource Center from the drop down menu to learn more about these opportunities and to register for classes.
Creating an Inclusive Environment: A Free Family Workshop (Open to those aged 11 and older)
District 63 is committed to creating an environment in which every student feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. Join us at this special workshop to learn more about one of our most effective tools for achieving this goal: addressing microaggressions.
Thursday, February 15
6:30-8 p.m.
Gemini Middle School
8955 Greenwood Road, Niles
Mustang Gym - Enter at Door 12
Often, expressions of racism, homophobia, sexism, religious intolerance, and more can be very obvious. But sometimes these negative messages can be delivered in smaller, subtler ways. We call these small - but powerful - messages “microaggressions.” This workshop, led by anti-racism expert Corrie Wallace, will focus on understanding and identifying microaggressions - and how our schools are weaving this learning into classrooms and staff training.
Light refreshments served; child care provided.
Click on any of the visuals below for more information.
Email: firststeps@emsd63.org
Location: 10000 Dee Road, Des Plaines, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 827-4165