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Novemb
er 2oL2
Dear Families,
We have so many things to be thankful for this November at the Family Center! We are grateful for your
continuing support of our programs.
We are thankful that our families participate in fun learning activities. I hope you had a chance to enjoy
the events of Literacy Week. Children and adults sang and listened to Pete the Cat: t Love my White Shoes
with Carol Kaplan-Lyss, and enjoyed pizza and veggies with friends at our Pizza Night kick-off. Thank you to
parents Jaime lnfante (PAT, Open Times, Redbud Room) and Emily Balestra (three-morning Green Room,
Redbud Room, PAT) for hosting the party and co-chairing the book fair! lt was a huge undertaking.
We are thankful that our families generously contribute to our programs. Many families browsed the
PTO book fair and found books to enjoy at home or share with our Family Center programs. Thank you,
too, to all of you who kindly helped staff the bookfairlThankyou foryourgenerous participation and kind
giving! Your gifts help us strengthen our literacy work with your children.
The PTO begins our traditional scholarship outreach event this month. Bring your gently used children's
toys, clothing and more to the scheduled drop-offs for Clayton Kids' Resale. Please read the attached
information. Thank you to parents Chrissie Wojciehowski (Yellow Room, PAT) and Kristi Biroscak (Yellow
Room, two-morning Red Room, PAT) for co-chairing this essential program! Please contribute generously
with your used items and your time. We need your help.
We are thankful that our families want to build community and welcome all families to our protrams.
The PTO Wine Tasting brought adults together to talk, laugh and enjoy a delightful evening together.
Thank you for attending this marvelous community event! (Do you know who won this year's "Stock the
Cellar" raffle?) Thank you to parents Stephanie Konradi (PAT, three-morning Red Room) and Cathleen
Fogarty (three-morning Red Room, PAT)for giving attention to every detail!
New families join our programs every month. Fifteen families joined our Parents as Teachers (PAT)
program in the last two months and new families have enrolled their young children in our preschool. We
still have openings in our four-morning classes for children three to five years of age. Please spread the
word!
We are thankful that our families value learning. Many families participated in the November
PAT
Developmental Screening and enjoyed a weekend Open Times. Have you made a screening appointment
for your three, four, or five year-old child? There are additional appointments in December and after the
first of the year. Thanks to our teachers and parent educators who provide information about your child's
growth and development!
We are thankful that our staff loves
to
learn! This month, teachers Elizabeth Owens (District Early
Childhood Coordinator, three morning Red, Blue, and Orange rooms), Kristen Retter (District Professional
Development Committee Rep and Orange Room) and Janet Hill (Redbud Room, Kid Zone) attended the
NAEYC (professional organization which promotes excellence in early childhood education) lnternational
Conference. They returned with curricular information in areas such as math, literacy, music and play to
share with the staff. We are excited about the many ways their conference learning will enrich our
classrooms and programs.
Our faculty met in PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) this week. We are studying gender issues,
strategies to reach children with special learning needs, application of Love and Logic and intervention
strategies in our classrooms, and math. Thank you for supporting us during this valuable learning time! Our
PTO has delivered breakfast to the staff and offered family playground time to preschool families on these
late-start days.
We are thankful to be part of a school district community that supports early childhood learning and
parenting programs! The School District of Clayton is taking a close look at all District programs, including
the Family Center, as part of the Long-Term Financial Planning (LTFP) process. Last week, at the LTFP
committee meeting, Dr. Milena Garganigo, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, shared
information about our staffing and our enrollment, including trends over the last five years. Chief Financial
Officer Mary Jo Gruber reported our finances, including an historical overview. I shared program
descriptions and details about our varied work such as early childhood education, early childhood special
education, family support and parenting education. We will report to the Board of Education on
Wednesday night, Nov. 28th. Please join us if you'd like to hear more. We value your support of our
programs!
We have so many reasons to be grateful! Take some time to be thankful forthe good things in your life
this month!
Best,
@dl,L
Debbie Reilly
Director
Wine Tasting Event
. .,'
The Family Center PTO held its annual Wine Tasting event at the Wine and Cheese Place in
ClaytonlastFridayevening.Sixty-fiveparents,friendsandstaffmembersmingledwhile
tasting a variety of great wines and scrumptious hors d'oeuvres. Educational Technologist
and Yellow Room Early Childhood Teacher Katie Sandquist won the Stock the Cellar raffle at
the end of the night. Thank you to all who attended and those who supported the event by
donating wine and purchasing raffle tickets! All proceeds from the Wine Tasting go toward
the scholarship program at the Family Center.
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Saturday, November l7
9AM-hooh
Bring donations to the Clayton Field
House (between the football field and
the maintenance garages). From GaY
Avenue, turn into the Family Center,
drive toward the footba!! field, and follow the Clayton Kids Resale signs.
lf you hove trouble finding the Field House,
pleose coll Chrissie ot 3 14.761 .7894.
Literacy Week/Scholastic Book FairlPizza Party
Thanks to all families who helped make this year's Literacy Week a huge success! We were
thrilled with the number of people who stopped in with their children to the week-long
Scholastic book fair to buy books for their families, friends, and for our amazing Family Center
teachers. What an exciting way to celebrate reading! Thanks also to all of the families who
attended our kick-off pizza party, and especiallyto the evening's guest reader (and musician),
Carol Kaplan-Lyss. The kids had so much fun joining Miss Carol in a reading performance of
Pete the Cot: I Love My White Shoes. We also sang some Family Center favorites, and created
Pete the Cat bookmarks and shoes. We want to give a HUGE thank you to all of the book fair
volunteers that helped out during the week.
We could not hove done
it without you! Emily Bolestro and lamie lnlonte
NAnoNnr6&*cENrER
* FoR "
Parent Poge
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When\outhink
sorn ething might
be
wr ong
FROM THE MOMENTA BABY IS BORN, PARENTS SEARCH
her beoutiful foce ond count little fingers ond toes. As
o porent, you ore olwoys concerned thot your child's
development is on torget. Most of the time your concerns
melt owoy os your child posses the developmentol
milestones you eogerly owoit, but whot should you
do i[ you coniinue to be uneosy obout your child's
development? Here ore some suggestions.
Leorn oboul typicol child developmenr.
Becouse you ore enrolled in Porents os Teochers, you
in
p
receive informolion from your porent educotor obout
typicol child development. Reod the hondouts you receive,
ond keep them for future reference. Ask your porent
educotor for odditionol moteriols or suggestions for things
to reod if you wont more informoiion. Seek out sources
of informotion thot ore relioble ond reseorch-bosed.
o
o
o Keep o log.
2
o
I
Be orgonized ond systemotic obout observing your child.
c
e Creote o log to record observotions obout the things thot
c
you. For exomple, if you ore worried obout your
:i concern
I child's longuoge development, you might wont to record
&
o the dote, time, sounds you heor him moke, ond the
D
o environment or context for his longuoge (for exomple,
.N
o
"Screeched when frusiroied by shope sorter.") You will be
a
c oble io hove on obiective record of whot your child is
!o doing, ond you moy be oble io see potterns in your child's
.!2
-ir
al
11
I
a
o
-
o
behovior. This will enoble you to check out your concerns
with developmentol informotion or experl opinion.
Observe orher children your child's oge.
Get together with other fomilies who hove children your
child's oge. Wotch children when you're out. Whot do
you observe the other children doing? Does it chonge
o
a)
your concern for your childt development? Be conlident
$
!)
in your opinion of your child's development ond the gools
a
C
D
ond volues you hold. Well-meoning friends ond relotives
O
moy be onxious to shore their opinions ond odvice. Listen
C
to
everyone, bui select the informotion thot fits you ond
5
N
your child.
a)
C
!)
o
o
Ask for expe* help.
Discuss your concerns with your porent educotor. Request
o screening if one is not plonned in the neor future. Your
porent educotor con refer you to other professionols with
expertise in the developmentol oreo you ore concerned
obout. Ask your childt heolth core provider for on
opinion ond referrol to other oppropriote professionols.
lf necessory, be persistent ond bring your observotion log
to bock up your concerns.
You know your child best ond ii is your role to be her
odvocote. lf you hove o concernr seek out informotion
until you ore sotisfied. Get the support you need, ond the
eorly help your child needs io meei her full potentiol. *
Inclement Weather and School Closings
lnformation regarding school closings or schedule changes due to extreme weather will be
posted on the front page of the District website as soon as a decision is made. Typically, a
decision to close school or open on a snow schedule is not made unti! 5:00 a.m. on the morning
in question.
When a snow schedule is announced, starting times for all schools will be one hour later than
normal. School will still be let out at the regular time. Voluntary transfer students and students
riding the Meramec bus should report to their regular stop one hour later than their normally
scheduled pick-up time. Please check this site or tune to local media for information on school
closings.
On days that the District is closed or on a snow schedule, SchoolMessenger, the District's
broadcast telephone messaging system, will call all District families at their primary contact
number at approximately 6:00 a.m. to announce a closing or late start.
The School District of Clayton also posts school closings on the following radio and television
stations:
Rodio - KMOX (1120 AM), KTRS (550 AM), KMJM (104.9 FMl, KATZ (100.3 FM and 1500 AM),
WIL (92.3 FM), WRTH (1430 AM)and KYKY (98.1 FM).
Television - KTVI (Channel 21, KMOV (Channel4), KSDK (Channel 5) and KDNL (Channel 30).
School closing information may also be obtained by calling the District Administration Building
at 3L4-854-6000.
+rte
S
Open Times:
Sundoy, L?/2/t2 (10:00 o.m. to 11:30 o.m.)
The Center will be closed on Wednesday, November
27,
Thursdoy,
November 22 and Friday, November 23f or the Thonksgiving holidoy.
Porents As Teochers:
Developmentol Screenings for three-, four- ond five-Year olds
Sunday, December 2 from 8:00 o.m. to LZ noon. Coll the office ot 845-6900
to schedule on oppointment.