
TECEC TIMES
Where the journey begins......January 29, 2025

Important upcoming dates
Wednesday, January 29- Lunar New Year also know as Chinese New Year
Saturday, February 1- Beginning of Black History Month
Sunday, February 2- Groundhog Day
Tuesday, February 4- Preschool Open House for prospective families 5:45 PM
Wednesday, February 5- PTO 7:00 PM
Thursday, February 6- Father's Club 7:00 PM
Friday, February 7- Preschool Open House for prospective families 9:30 AM
Friday, February 14 -Monday, February 17- Schools closed for winter break
Tuesday, February 18- Schools reopen with regular schedule
Dear TECEC families,
February is a great opportunity to focus on kindness and respect which are two of the hallmarks of our BARK initiative. For those of you who are new to TECEC, and may be wondering what BARK stands for, it is the hallmark of our PBIS program. This exciting program is designed to maintain a positive culture that supports social, emotional and academic success. The tenets of our program are to embrace our core values which are to Be safe, Act responsibly, show Respect and demonstrate Kindness which is known as the TECEC BARK.
TECEC is spearheading a kindness community project. More information can be read below or here: K is for Kindness In addition to this project, a few activities that you can experience at home with your child and family are:
Kindness
Read-aloud time: Read stories such as Kindness Starts with You or Be Kind that celebrate kindness, acceptance, and individuality.
Perform random acts of kindness: Encourage your child to spread kindness throughout the day. It can be something small, like offering a helping hand to a family member or friend, make a nice card for a friend or donate toys to a local charity.
Create a kindness jar: Decorate a jar and throughout the week, write down acts of kindness you witness your child doing. At the end of the month, open the jar and celebrate all the kindness that was spread!
Respecting each other
Celebrating diversity: Discuss the beauty of diversity with your child. Talk to your child about Black history, different cultures, traditions and families. Use this as an opportunity to teach empathy and understanding.
Respect sing-along: Create a fun song or chant about respecting each other. Encourage your child to use respectful language and actions throughout the day.
Role-playing: Act out different scenarios where someone needs to be treated with respect. This can help your child learn how to handle different situations in a kind and respectful way.
We believe that teaching children about kindness and respect is essential for raising compassionate and empathetic individuals.
Warm regards,
Principal
Will Chuckles see his shadow?
Will we have six more weeks of winter or an early spring? To have your child predict if Connecticut's official groundhog Chuckles sees his shadow on Sunday, February 2, please use the following link by this Saturday, February 1st: Ground Hog Day 2025
The class with the most accurate responses will have a visit from Barky and Princess Pom Pom.
Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year, which is also referred to as the Chinese New Year, begins with the new moon that begins today, January 29th and will last until the following full moon which is expected to end on February 12th. The Lunar New Year represents saying goodbye to the past year to welcome in a new one with endless new possibilities. In addition, this marks the transition between the zodiac sign of the dragon to the "Year of the Snake" which symbolizes wisdom, intuition and charm. It is also a time for reflection, personal growth, and deep thought. More information can be read here: Lunar New Year for Kids or Chinese New Year
Black History Month
Beginning on Saturday, we honor and celebrate the contributions of African Americans to our nation as we kick off Black History Month. Throughout the month of February, we will shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of these individuals, acknowledging their pivotal role in shaping our country into the strong and vibrant nation we are today. For a deeper exploration of the historical perspective of Black History Month, I invite you to view the National Geographic Kids online reference that can be read here: Black History Month
Updates from our Speech Department............
We have been busy in the speech rooms this month talking about all things SNOW! Our children are very prepared for the next snow storm with their winter and snow vocabulary. We have been working on speech and language skills through fun activities such as building a snowman, tossing snowballs, and making hot chocolate. We have been talking about the concepts HOT and COLD and the children have enjoyed “melting” a snowman! Enjoy the pictures that show some of the fun we have been having and the books we’ve been reading! As always, thank you for supporting your child’s communication development at home!
The Speech Department
Jess Thom, Gail Kay, Jess Sapia, Stacee George, Jessica Kundrat
K is for Kindness Community Service Activity
TECEC will be conducting a “K for Kindness” project. At TECEC, we like to reinforce BARK expectations at home as a way to help children generalize skills. We are hoping that families will create Valentine’s Day cards with their children and return them to TECEC by Monday, February 10, 2024. We will then deliver these cards to local assisted living facilities to brighten the residents' day! Please enjoy this project with your children and talk to them about how this act of kindness can fill buckets! More information can be found here: K is for Kindness
Miss Heather and Miss Sandy's making blubber as a part of a STEM lesson
TECEC PTO Winter Playdate
Inclement Weather Schedule
Winter weather is here! Please take a moment to review TECEC's inclement weather guidelines and adjusted schedules here to stay prepared for potential snow or any other disruptions to the school day.
Outlined below is our abbreviated program schedule in the event of a delayed opening or early dismissal due to inclement weather or other emergencies. This may change depending on the circumstances of the day.
90 MINUTE DELAYED OPENING
• AM Preschool 10:00 AM entrance (Special Education/PIP Classes/Half Day Head Start)
• Full Day Head Start-10:00 AM entrance
• Full Day Students/SRP-10:00 AM entrance
TWO HOUR DELAYED OPENING
• No AM Preschool (Special Education/PIP Classes/Half Day Head Start)
• Full Day Students/SRP-10:30 AM entrance
• Full Day Head Start-10:30 AM entrance
TWO & HALF HOUR DELAYED OPENING
• No AM Preschool (Special Education/PIP Classes/Half Day Head Start)
• Full Day Head Start – 11:00 AM entrance
• Full Day Students/SRP- 11:00 AM entrance
EARLY DISMISSAL
• AM Preschool (Special Education/PIP Classes) 8:30 – 11:00 AM
• PM Preschool (Special Education/PIP Classes) No Session
• Specialized Resource Program 8:30 – 11:00 AM
• All Head Start classrooms 8:20 – 11:00 AM
TECEC 2025-2026 ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
If your child is currently in one of our three-year-old classrooms, or was born on or after September 1, 2020 and is in one of our four-year-old classrooms, we invite you to secure their spot for the 2025-2026 school year at TECEC. To do so, please complete the TECEC Returning Student Questionnaire by March 14, 2025. After this date, registration will open to new students.
Children with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) currently enrolled in our three-year-old classrooms, as well as those born after September 1, 2020, who have opted not to attend kindergarten, will automatically continue their enrollment at TECEC for the 2025-2026 school year as long as you shared with us your intent. For children with IEPs transitioning to kindergarten, a bridging meeting will be scheduled at your elementary school in the coming months. We will contact you soon with the date and time.
If you have family or friends who are interested in enrolling a child in TECEC for the upcoming school year, the waitlist can be accessed here.
Kindergarten Registration for the 2025-2026 School Year
We will begin registering students for the Class of 2038 on Wednesday, January 8. If you are looking to register your child for the 2025-2026 school year, please click here for all the information you need.
Children Turning 5 ON or BEFORE September 1st of the 2025-2026 School Year
If your child is turning 5 and born on or before September 1st, 2020, please visit the Trumbull Public Schools District registration webpage at https://www.trumbullps.org/general/student-registration
for instructions to complete registration and upload forms online. If you are unable to upload all of your documents, please contact our Registration Coordinator for assistance by email registration@trumbullps.org.
Children Turning 5 AFTER September 1st, 2025 and BEFORE January 1st, 2026
If your child is turning 5 between September 1st, 2025 and January 1st, 2026, you are eligible to submit a written request and assessment for your child to enter kindergarten. Please click on the blue button below to complete the short request and assessment so that the principal and certified staff can review your input and approve placement for your child to enter kindergarten. All requests will be reviewed by the school principal and a certified educator. Once reviewed, you will be sent an approval notification to register your child. Please note, the registration window for the 2025-2026 school year is open. For children in this category, a written request and assessment must be completed and then pre-approved by the principal of your child's school to register. Click on the blue square below.
Please click on the blue button below to submit a written request and complete the CDC Milestones Assessment for kindergarten registration consideration.
TECEC Open House for New Families
TECEC Spirit Wear
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/
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
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.
We love our volunteers!
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.
Next TECEC PTO Meeting Wednesday, February 5
Please join us on Wednesday, February 5 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
TECEC Father's Club Thursday, February 6
The TECEC Father's Club is recruiting new members. Please note that you can join as a mom, aunt, uncle, grandparent or any family member that would like to support the children, teachers and each other. Their next meeting will take place Thursday, February 6 at 7:00 PM at Elicit Brewing in Fairfield, CT .