Wonder Watch

I am happy to share I am back from maternity leave! We welcomed our daughter, Teddie, on Friday November 17th. This also happens to be my birthday. We are enjoying being a family of four. A big thank you to Ann for covering my leave.

During the month of February, the American Dental Association celebrates National Children’s Dental Health Month. This month-long observance reinforces the importance of oral health in children as well as helping parents with tips. Talk to your child about the importance of caring for their teeth and remember to schedule an appointment with a pediatric dentist within six months of the arrival of a child’s first tooth.

Brush, Floss, Smile!

Promote the benefits of good oral health with the following tips:

• Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
• Clean between teeth daily
• Eat healthy foods and limit sugary beverages
• See the dentist at least twice a year
• Replace toothbrushes every 3 to 4 months

The State of Michigan has passed new legislation requiring all students entering Young 5's or Kindergarten to receive a dental exam. This is similar to the Hearing and Vision screening that is already required. This new program is the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Program (KOHA). This will be a free program through local health departments. We will have two dates at World of Wonder for students to receive screening. More information will come next month! Below is a parent informational flyer from MDHHS.

The Importance of Dental Assessments

• Cavities are common. Tooth decay (cavities) is the most common chronic disease in children. Almost half of Michigan Head Start children have tooth decay, and close to one-third have tooth decay that hasn’t been treated.
• Cavities can cause pain. Pain can make it hard for children to pay attention in school, prevent them from eating well, and keep them awake at night. All of this can affect their ability to learn and perform well in school.
• Poor dental health affects physical health, behavior, and academic and social development. Dental problems can affect a child’s ability to learn and their attendance and performance in school. In fact, children with poor dental health are three times more likely to miss school because of dental problems. Poor oral health can also affect socialization, self-esteem, and behavior.
• Children’s oral health is a key public health priority. Ensuring that children have access to dental care will help them grow, develop, and succeed. The KOHA dental assessments identify untreated dental disease and refer children for needed care, connect children and their families to dental homes, raise awareness of the importance of good oral health among children and families, and are an opportunity for oral health education.

Join us THIS Friday for our annual Light up the Night community event! Explore the magical "language of light" with your children through hands-on experiences inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Fenton Robotics will be joining in on the fun and Tom Tom Photobooth will be on site for pictures! D&W Street Eatery will be parked outside for those that want to purchase dinner or snacks. Ages 0-12 are welcome. The price is $10/family. Cash only, please! Payment can be made at the door the day of the event or visit the WoW office to prepay. Scholarship opportunities available. Contact our office at 810-591-8349 for more information or questions.

We are asking for families to help set-up for the event. You can drop in between 1:30-3:30 tomorrow, Wednesday February 14th, to help! Any families that help with setup get free entrance to the event. If tomorrow doesn't work for you to help, we could use some hands Thursday and Friday as well!

Please email Marissa Cobleigh at mcobleigh@fentonschools.org if you plan on helping!

Fenton Area Public Schools is holding a fundraising campaign for United Way of Genesee County. Our parent-child playgroup receives funding to run our program for children 0-5 and their caregivers. With the generous support from United Way, we are able to offer free programming to income qualifying playgroup families. Please take a minute to watch our campaign video and learn more about our parent-child playgroup!

Friendly reminder our building is closed on Tuesday February 27, 2024 due to being the polling location for the City of Fenton. All programming is closed, including School Age Childcare. Our staff will be participating in professional development offsite while polling is happening.

We will be holding our next parent-teacher conferences in March. We will be closed Thursday March 7th and Friday March 8th*. Classroom teachers will be sending out information to sign-up for times to meet. The second family conference is focused on sharing information on your child's development since Fall and discussing plans for next school year. We use this time to strengthen our home-school relationships and focus on goals for your child!

*School Age Before and After Care will be open and run as usual.

Staff work long days to hold parent-teacher conferences for the families. We are asking for donations to feed the staff both nights as many will stay until 7 or 8 PM. Anyone interested in donating can use the below Sign-Up Genius. All donations can be turned into the office by Wednesday March 6th.

Many families are already expressed interest for Summer 2024. To help us prepare, we have interest surveys for toddler, preschool, and school age options this summer. The data from these surveys will be used to plan.The below surveys are intended for current families. We have a public survey we will post on our social media pages.

Enrollment Timeline:

• Summer offerings announced early March
• Enrollment for our current/returning families will open on Monday April 1st
• Enrollment for new students will open on Monday April 22nd

Along with planning for summer, we have started to plan for next school year as well. Join us for our community open house to visit the classrooms, meet the staff, and hear about program options for next school year.

Enrollment Timeline:

• 2024-2025 offerings released March 1st
• Enrollment for our current/returning families will open on Monday March 4th
• Enrollment for new students will open on Monday April 1st

Thank you to all of the families that participated in our fundraiser. We were able to raise $2,952 for our school! The money will be spent on improving the library. We plan to update furniture, add decor, and purchase more high quality literature. This could not be possible without the hard work of our World of Wonder families. Thank you again!

As we are now entering the snowy season, don't forget to send in winter gear! Our classrooms go outside everyday except in rain or extreme cold weather. If the temperature is 10 degrees or lower and/or when a wind chill of 0 degrees, children will be given opportunities for indoor big movement play in one of our many spaces such as the Gross Motor Room or the Gym. With this in mind, please dress your children accordingly. All items need to be labeled with your child's name.

Parents at WoW (PAW) will be meeting Wednesday February 28th from 9-10:15 AM in the WoW Library. We will also be reviewing upcoming events, share volunteer opportunities, and more! Younger siblings are invited to attend.

Our World of Wonder staff spotlight is James Olmstead! James is the School Age Childcare Coordinator and an Associate Teacher in one of our Great Start Readiness Program classrooms, Sunshine Valley. James has worked at World of Wonder since 2015. He has held many roles such as Lead Preschool Teacher, Childcare Caregiver, Young 5's Noon Aide, and Preschool Assistant Teacher. James has his associates in Early Childhood Education and is currently enrolled at Ferris State working towards an elementary education Bachelor's degree.

• TOMORROW Light Up the Night Set-Up 1:30-3:30 PM
• Friday February 16th: No School & Light Up the Night Community Event
• Monday February 19th: No School
• Tuesday February 27th: World of Wonder ONLY Close Due to Polling
• Thursday February 29th & Friday March 1st: School Age Half Day Care *registration required*
• Saturday March 2nd & Sunday March 3rd: Community Expo
• Thursday March 7th & Friday March 8th: WoW Parent-Teacher Conferences; No School

Parents are asked to notify WoW if their child is absent for any reason. If a child develops a contagious disease (ex: pink eye, RSV, strep throat, ringworm, chicken pox), parents of all children exposed to the disease will be notified via written notice and email. A child who has had an illness should not return to school until released by the physician and is able to participate in the program as usual.

A child showing symptoms of illness while at WoW will be isolated until he or she can be taken home. Fevers are general indicators of illness. A child with a 99.4 degree Fahrenheit temperature under the arm is expected to go home. Parents or their designees are expected to pick up the child within one hour of the time they are contacted. If the child is sent home ill, a physician’s note authorizing the child’s return to group care may be requested, depending on circumstances. Children are also expected to be fever free for 24 hours, without fever reducing medication, before returning back to WoW. This measure is necessary in order to comply with state law and curtail the spread of infection. World of Wonder reserves the right to refuse care due to illness and from suspicious rashes.

As an additional effort to improve the safety and security of our buildings, each school will be implementing a visitor management system called "Visitor Aware."

Visitor Aware is a visitor management and screening service designed specifically to help secure our schools. This provides an additional layer of security for your children by validating the identities of anyone entering the premises, determining if they are a potential threat, and keeping accurate records of all school visits. Be sure to have your Driver's License in hand the first time you visit.

Join PAW (Parents at WoW): This is our version of a PTO. A way to meet other parents and to help advise and support our program. We would love to have representatives from every classroom.

Help Support WoW's Community Share Room: Donate new or gently used clothing or household goods. Families can also come shop for FREE stuff!

Save Boxtops for Education and donate to WoW. Please see visual below. Our school is listed as "The World of Wonder"

Stay connected! Like our World of Wonder Facebook page and join our PAW facebook group.

Email: mcobleigh@fentonschools.org
Website: https://www.fentonschools.org/o/escwowec
Location: 404 West Ellen Street, Fenton, MI, USA
Phone: 810-591-8349
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoWFAPS