The Bee's Knees

The holiday season is upon us. Whichever holiday you celebrate, it is very likely that you and your family have holiday traditions that you enjoy this time of year. This is always a wonderful time of the year at Barfield. Our students are the perfect age to believe in the magic of Santa and his flying reindeer. It is heartening each year to be a part of the wonder and joy of our students. A tradition we have at Barfield is creating an experience for our students that celebrates and captures the magic of children's book, The Polar Express. We are decorating the building with scenes from the book to create a story walk for them. I set up a train layout complete with the Polar Express in our multipurpose room. I have been doing this for 11 years and each year the layout gets bigger! Each class will walk through the building to see all the decorations and journey to the North Pole. The students will complete the story walk in the multipurpose room where Santa will be waiting for them. Each student will have the opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap and our staff will take a photo that we will send to you. Your child's teacher will communicate which day her class is scheduled to participate. On your child's assigned day, they may wear their pajamas to school. We will serve hot chocolate and cookies for snack on that day as well.

We will have a “Polar Express Open House” on Saturday, December 17, from 9:00 to 11:00. This is a newer event that evolved from parent requests to see all the decorations that their children described to them. We will provide a hot chocolate bar and cookies, as well holiday-themed crafts to all that attend the Open House. The BEC PTO has arranged for Traveling Tom’s Coffee and Yogi Donuts to be on site to make treats available for purchase. Santa will also be at BEC for a photo with your child. The PTO has also made arrangements for local vendors to be on site selling small last minute gifts. We hope can join us. Happy Holidays!

The BEC PTO has been instrumental in helping us decorate the building and purchasing materials we need to make this event happen. I want to thank Mindy Meinert, the PTO President, for all the work she has done to plan and prepare for the Polar Express Open House. I also want to thank the parents that purchased items the PTO requested on their Facebook page.

Sincerely,
Kevin Garcia
Principal

Dec. 13-15 - Polar Express: Your teacher will inform you which day your child will board the Polar Express.

Dec. 17 - 9am - Noon: Polar Express Open House
Dec. 19 - 11am - 9pm: BEC PTO Sugarfire Dine Out

Dec. 21 - Jan 1: Winter Break

Jan 3 - 10:30am - 9pm: BEC PTO Panda Express Dine Out
Jan 5 - First Thursday of the Month is BEC Spirit Wear Day

Jan 5 - 6-7pm: BEC PTO Meeting
Jan 12 - No School for BEC students

Jan 13 - No School for BEC students
Jan 16 - No School PK-12, MLK Day
Jan 17 - No School PK-12 Professional Development Day

Jan 18 - First Day of Second Semester

Winter is approaching and along with cold temperatures comes viruses such as influenza (flu), cold, or respiratory-type infections. Influenza is a viral respiratory infection that can develop quickly and cause fever, headache, body aches, runny or stuffy nose and sore throat. Flu may last up to seven days and can be spread by coughing and sneezing. If anyone in your home has a high fever and frequent coughing, your doctor may need to give medications. Antibiotics do not work for illnesses caused by a virus. Flu is often spread by coughing and sneezing, as well as touching objects. Encourage frequent hand washing to reduce the spread of germs, and cover your mouth and nose with your arm when coughing and sneezing. Clean and disinfect anything that comes in contact with secretions from the nose or mouth. When you or a family member are sick with fever, do not share washcloths, cups, eating utensils or towels.

If your child has respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, body aches, sore throat, fever or fatigue that will not go away, you may need to seek treatment from your primary care physician

Wash your hands and cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing to prevent the spread of germs.

Sheila McAlister, BSN, RN

Kim Golden is Barfield's 2022-23 Teacher of the Year! Kim brings joy wherever she goes. She will stop anyone in the hallway to ask how they are and to share and celebrate a student's successes that day. This not only shows her students how proud of them she is, it allows them to feel proud of their accomplishments and creates a sense of community.

Kim consistently pre-teaches her expectations to her students prior to therapy sessions by reminding them while walking to her office. She works to create a mutually respectful relationship with the students she works with. She is beloved by her students and they work hard to receive her praise because of their respect for her.

Kim is one of the most loving, enthusiastic, caring, and dedicated educators I have ever had the pleasure of working alongside. Her therapy sessions are full of laughs, giggles, and praise. Even with the most challenging of students, Kim has a way of winning them over, encouraging them to participate, and celebrating even the smallest of milestones so the children feel accomplished and successful. It is not unusual for a child to proudly show off their "stamps" from Miss Kim throughout the entire school day to anyone they encounter. She invests herself daily into the lives of not only the children she works with but also the coworkers she works alongside, and makes the lives better of all those who are lucky enough to know her.

WSD Parents as Teachers December Newsletter

Another tradition at this time of year at Barfield is the appearance of our Elf on the Shelf, Jingles. Each day, Jingles makes sure all the students are doing their best and each night he reports the good news to Santa. Jingles can be found in the silliest places at Barfield. Each day we will post a picture on our homepage. Our teachers will often show the picture to the students and they can search for him throughout the day.

The Barfield Early Childhood Special Education Center of the Wentzville School District is an integrated preschool in which children with disabilities participate in classes with their typically developing peers. We believe that all children benefit when educated in an inclusive environment, regardless of their ability. It is through these interactions that children learn to accept differences, but more importantly, learn to recognize and appreciate similarities.

Email: kevingarcia@wsdr4.org
Website: https://www.wentzville.k12.mo.us/bec
Location: 2025 Hanley Road, Dardenne Prairie, MO, USA
Phone: 636 561-5757