Welcome to CAC PreK! We are so excited to begin this year of learning, fun, and growth with you and your children!
This blog will be our main venue for parent communication. Please be sure to check here each week for important updates from the classroom, as well as information about our curriculum and school events.
We are pleased to introduce our wonderful team who will working each day to support your children's learning goals.
Trillian Clifford - Teacher (Ms. Trillian)
Salma Ezz El-Din - Aide (Ms. Salma)
Hussam Marzouk - After-Care Aide (Mr. Hussam)
Miriam Megalla - After-Care Aide (Ms. Miriam)
Together we are working together to create a dynamic PreK classroom environment that supports a variety of learning experiences for your children's growth and development.
New family and student orientation will be on Tuesday, August 15th from 8:00-12:15. This is an opportunity to get to know the school, have a technology session and get oriented to the school resources including Skyward, and enjoy a meet the teacher session between 11:30-12:00. We look forward to seeing all of you!
There is some important information about the first few days of school in our welcome letter which has been shared with you, and we will also be sharing more curriculum information as we lead up to Back to School Night on August 22nd.
Parents, if any of you are interested in volunteering for an important classroom role, the room parent, please contact Ms. Trillian at tclifford@cacegypt.org. The parent who volunteers for this job will help to facilitate communication between the PreK teachers and parents, as well as help to some classroom events throughout the year. Please do let me know if you will be interested in helping out!
Before we begin our year together, here is some helpful information to get you started. Please continue to check in at the PreK blog for more information in the days and weeks to come. You can expect a weekly post beginning on Sunday, August 21st; however, we may have some updates before then with information as we begin the year together.
If you have any questions or wish to get in contact with the teachers for any reason, please do not hesitate. Communication is an essential element for a successful learning partnership, and we hope to have ongoing conversations with you throughout the school year to support your child's growth and development. Please email Ms. Trillian at tclifford@cacegypt.org if you ever need to get in touch.
What to bring to school:
For a typical school day, your child will not need to bring too many things. Your child can bring a change of clothes that can stay at school in case he or she gets wet or needs to change. Please label these clearly and we will keep them here. Your child WILL get a little dirty in PreK- we learn through play and experience, and this can get messy! We do our best to keep clean and use washable materials, but please be aware that we are encouraging your children to engage in our learning activities fully. It is not advised to send your children to school in their most special clothes.
For meals, your child will need a packed lunch and one or two snacks depending on if he or she stays for after-care. Please pack a light morning snack- fruit or vegetables, in a labeled plastic bag. We will rinse and return the baggie to you.This can be dropped off in our snack fruit basket at the door at drop off time, and we will enjoy a healthy, light snack together during our open snack time. We will work with the children to cut any fruit or vegetables that need to be cut as a part of our snack time, for example apples, cucumber, etc. We will also cook regularly and include this as a part of our morning snack; we will keep you appraised of the snack menu when we are cooking. Please also pack a lunch and water bottle. Be sure that your child can open his or her lunch containers independently, and that all belongings are labeled. If he or she will stay for after-care, pack a separate, second snack.
What to expect at drop-off time:
The whole PreK team is as eager to see your children in the morning as they are to see us, but we often have lots of setting up to do to get ready for them to work and play in the classroom when they arrive! We appreciate your understanding that drop off time begins at 7:45 when the whistle blows on the playground and you begin to hear music playing throughout the elementary school. This is when the classroom door opens, so you can enter the classroom with your child, drop off his or her lunchbox and water bottle, settle into some play activities, and then say goodbye to your child. School begins at 7:55 and the expectation is that all parents will have said goodbye and exited the classroom at that time.
For students who are being dropped off at the front gate by a nanny or driver, Ms. Salma will arrive to greet your children at 7:45. At 7:50 she will begin to walk back to the classroom with the students who have been dropped off, so that we will all be ready to begin in the classroom at 7:55.
It is especially important that students are always supervised by an adult. If you arrive at school before 7:45, think about spending some time at the playground. It's always a good idea to run around and have some play time with your child before school!
Sometimes, your child may be distressed or even cry at drop-off time. Sadness is a normal response to separation at this age. Please be sure that you are demonstrating a confident, trusting attitude towards school and towards the teachers and children. If you are positive about school, your child will reflect these positive feelings! When you are ready to say goodbye, a teacher will help you if needed. When your child is hesitant about saying goodbye in the morning, the longer you stay, the harder it will be to stay goodbye! This is because the tense and worried feelings of awaiting the transition have even longer to develop for your child. Typically children are engaged in play within five minutes of any drop-off, but we will be sure to call with an update if anyone has a challenging transition as soon as we have time to do so.
What to expect at pick-up time:
Students who are not enrolled in after-care should be picked up at 1:00 (early dismissal) either at the classroom door or front gate. If picking up at the classroom, please wait at the benches until the door is opened, as we are in session and kindergarteners are also working hard nearby. Students who are picked up by a nanny or driver will be walked to the front gate for pick-up.
If at any time you wish for your child to be picked up by someone other than his or her parents, please provide Ms. Trillian with a copy of the individual's photo ID so that we will be able to recognize the person who is authorized to pick your child up at the gate. This will be added to a confidential booklet so that any of our classroom aides can easily identify who is authorized to pick up each child, which ensures safety for all students at CAC. We will not be able to send your child home with anyone other than a parent until you provide us with this information and authorization. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping everyone safe!
What to expect during after-care:
Our fun after-care program includes a snack, quiet time, activities, and an outdoor play time. It is facilitated by our full-time aide, Ms. Salma, as well as our after-care assistants, Mr. Hussam and Ms. Miriam. The program is supervised by Ms. Trillian.
If your child will attend after-care, please be sure to pack a separate healthy snack for him or her in addition to the lunch for the day.
During our quiet time, which is about fifteen minutes long, many students will have the opportunity to use their imagination, look at books, or work on quiet activities. Some students at this age are still taking a daily nap and they may do so at school. We do not require children to sleep at CAC, neither do we discourage them from doing so. Please let us know about your child's natural sleep needs and we will support his or her sleep cycle.
We prepare fun and engaging activities, either in the classroom or outside, that the students look forward to each day. The children also enjoy an additional afternoon recess.
Students are dismissed from after-care at the front gate beginning at 3:05.
We are looking forward to meeting you soon at school. We can’t wait for our year together to begin!
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