Dear TECEC families,
Today, November 13th is “World Kindness Day” and I want to take a moment to celebrate the importance of kindness and its role in shaping compassionate, empathetic, and responsible individuals. At TECEC, we believe that kindness is the foundation of a strong, supportive school community where every child feels valued and encouraged to reach for the stars!
We encourage you to join us in this initiative by discussing kindness at home and supporting your child in completing a small act of kindness within the community. Whether it’s helping a neighbor, being patient with a sibling, or simply offering a kind word, every act, big or small, contributes to creating a warmer, more compassionate world.
As mentioned in our previous two newsletters, for the month of November, TECEC is also focusing on thankfulness, by encouraging our children to reflect on all they have to be thankful for. In our classrooms, teachers are introducing this concept by reading "The Thankful Book" by Todd Parr, which inspires conversations about gratitude in a way children can relate to and can be viewed here. More information about this initiative can be read below or here.
Thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing kindness and thankfulness within our TECEC community. Together, we can foster an environment where each of us contributes to a better world for all.
Kind regards,
Principal
November is a special time to honor and celebrate the rich traditions, vibrant cultures, and invaluable contributions of Native American communities. Throughout this month, each of us has the opportunity to discuss with our children and each other the diverse array of Native American tribes, exploring their unique histories, values, and practices that have beautifully shaped our country. More information from the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs can be read here.
For the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on the harvest, being thankful and grateful, and the Thanksgiving holiday. Our activities will revolve around what it means to be thankful, how holidays are about spending time with family and friends, and touching upon different foods and traditions families may have. Don’t forget to send in your “turkey in disguise” to school by November 18!
We continue to encourage independence and autonomy with our students. At home, please continue to allow your child the time and opportunity to put on their own hat, mittens and coats using 1, 2, flip a roo! Encourage them to even try the zipping!
Cold weather is quickly approaching, please make sure your child is wearing all of their outdoor layers, including jackets, mittens, hats, and scarves. Also, it is time to switch out their extra clothes, please send in long sleeves and pants. If your child wears their winter boots to school, send sneakers for them to change into for safety in school. Please label all of these items so your child will wear the same items home.
Greetings from the art department! It has been absolutely wonderful getting to know all of your children during our art practice together this year. In the past month, we have dove into our Autumn related themes: apples, changing leaves, pumpkins, autumn colors and so much more. While exploring these themes, the children have had the opportunity to use a variety of art mediums such as paint, drawing, printing and collage. During each class and no matter the art activity, your children are engaged in big learning and skill building! They are learning fine motor control when they use a brush to spread paint across their paper or draw a line. They are learning how to visually organize each time they glue shapes next to one another to create new shapes. Every art experience is a chance for a child to gain confidence in their ability to create and learn. Instilling an environment in which they feel safe and comfortable to engage in the art process is always our goal!
If possible, we encourage you to offer or continue to offer art explorations at home with whatever materials you have available. Even just a few minutes of drawing is a valuable experience for your child to learn about the world around them. Let's create!
Very Warmly,
Miss Anna and Miss Caitlin
TECEC's inclement weather and adjusted schedules can be viewed: here.
Our arrival and dismissal procedures were developed to keep the children, you and our team safe. Please review the following guidelines that your adherence is critical to assure everyone arrives and leaves TECEC safely. One particular highlight is that vehicles must only enter the TECEC driveway by taking a right from Middlebrooks Ave. into the parking lot from 8:20-3:30. Attempting to access Middlebrooks Ave. via Church Hill Road and trying to take a left into TECEC creates an unsafe traffic pattern and should be avoided. Our arrival and dismissal procedures can be found here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.
One of the hallmarks of our program is parent and community involvement. Your child’s teacher will be reaching out to you with the best ways to engage with their education. We also encourage you to take the time to fill out the TPS volunteer form for the 2024-2025 school year. For most individuals, you will only need to complete part one (Tier one). This will permit you to volunteer in the school while in the presence of a staff member. Part two (Tier two) is for those who will be working with children not in the presence of a school employee. Since every volunteer will be in the presence of a TECEC staff member, there will not be a need to complete that section, unless you plan on volunteering in another school. This form has to be completed annually as mandated by the state guidelines for school volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, the form can be found here and dropped off at TECEC so it can be processed. All submitted forms need to have an original signature, therefore a form with an e-signature will not be accepted.
Please join us on Wednesday, December 4 for our Head Start Parent Policy Committee meeting at 5:00 PM. For those who would like to join virtually, please click meet.google.com/idi-sypb-cyz.
Please join us on Wednesday, December 4, for our next PTO meeting. The meeting will be held in person at TECEC beginning at 7:00 PM. For those who would like to join virtually, the link is: PTO Meeting
Every Thursday is spirit wear day! Since many of our children do not attend school on Fridays, we thought it would be fun to have “TECEC Thursday” each week where everyone is encouraged to wear school spirit wear. If you don't have any TECEC spirit wear, feel free to wear our school color which is blue. You can also purchase spirit wear here: https://tecec.ptboard.com/
