CFL December Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Our priority this school year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly.

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in Pre School and Kindergarten. Parents play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school regardless of the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year.

Research shows:

• Children chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.

We don’t want your child to fall behind in school and get discouraged. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Ensure your students go to school every day unless they are truly sick

• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.

• Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.

• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up.

• Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Dear Families,

I hope you had a restful and joyful break with your loved ones. As we return, I’m looking forward to continuing the school year with excitement, learning, and growth for all our children.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Family Celebration of the Ball Study! It was a fantastic event for our teachers and children to share their learning journey with you. Your participation made it even more special.

As we move forward, our preschool teachers are diving into a new unit of study on light. This fascinating topic will spark curiosity and learning. After the new year, we will host another celebration day to showcase the children’s discoveries. Stay tuned for more details soon!

We are also thrilled to announce that our preschool program is starting the LENA Grow® program. This professional development opportunity uses innovative “talk-pedometer” technology to measure interactions between teachers and children throughout the day. These insights will help our teachers enrich communication and learning in the classroom. Look for a parent letter coming home this week with more details.

This month, our preschool has set important math goals for the children:

• Counting up to 20.

• Demonstrating one-to-one correspondence with objects up to 10.

• Recognizing numerals.

You can support these goals at home with simple, fun activities:

• Counting Together: Count items around the house (e.g., spoons, books, or toys).

• Number Matching: Write numbers on cards and match them to groups of objects.

• Everyday Math: Count steps as you walk or buttons as you dress to incorporate math into routines.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Let’s make this season of learning a bright and successful one for our children!

Warm regards,

Ms. Hills

Holiday Lunch at CFL on December 12th

CFL will serve our traditional Holiday lunch on December 12th. If you are interested in joining your child please rsvp to the office by December 8th so we can plan accordingly. Prices for adults are $5.00 and students not attending the school they are eating lunch in are $3.25. If you plan to join. you will need to be in our safety system, Raptor. If you have not already, make sure to stop at the office with your ID so we can get you in the system.

Baltazar, Brown Wojchiechowski, and Dunlap Lunch 11:00-11:30

Bozeman, Bennett, Brassfield and Yutkowitz Lunch 11:30-12:00

Clark and Weems Lunch 12:00-12:30

❄️❄️ Happy December Families! ❄️❄️

We are in the final stretch before the holidays and the winter break, but we are working harder than ever with our learning journey. We love the fun relationships we have built with each and every child. We started simple and have been adding on to our learning process and we see tremendous growth.

We are preparing for our annual WIDA ACCESS in January when we return after break. This is a time for your child to show what they have learned, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading and writing. Attendance will be very important for this, as it always is for learning.

Reading to your child is a wonderful thing to do every day, read in your native language or English. Learning English is important, but embracing your native language is important too. Growing up bilingual is such an amazing thing! We learn so much from them daily!

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me.

Melanie Kerrigan and Jessica Cornejo

mkerrigan@garfield16.org

Welcome to winter. I don’t know about you, but I think there is nothing better than snuggling up by a fire with a good book. Did you know that there is a very strong correlation between children who see their parents reading, and those who do not? A child who witnesses his parents reading on a regular basis is more apt to be a reader themself. So, this winter season I hope you feel encouraged to take some time for yourself and to enjoy a good book.

Don’t forget that December 10 we will begin our winter benchmark assessment. If you would like to help your child prepare over the break there are many things you can do. First, make sure your child is at school every day. (Unless they are sick) Second, you can read with your child each evening. Even 10 minutes makes a big difference. Third, you can practice reading sight words with your child. Again, even 10 minutes a day will help immensely. If you would like more suggestions, you can always contact me at school. I would love to help you.

Have a wonderful holiday season,

Melissa Bradley

CFL Reading Interventionist