Transcript School Presentation

Welcome to
BACK TO
SCHOOL
NIGHT
Presented by the PEP Staff
A little bit about PEP at
Stone Mill…
• We have 8 PEP classes here at Stone Mill!
We have 2 AM PEP Classic classes, 2 PM
PEP Classic classes, 1 AM INC class, 1 PM
INC class, a Beginnings class, and a PEP-C
(comprehensive) class.
• We have 2 speech pathologists, 2
occupational therapists, and 3 physical
therapists!
• The bell times and days of the week differ
for each PEP program.
Stone Mill PEP staff
• Parent educator: Meredith Milk
• PEP Classic teachers: Val Ackley and
Melissa Digenova
• PEP INC teachers: Courtney Luongo and
Julia Young
• PEP Beginnings teacher: Alicia Thompson
• PEP Comprehensive teacher: Sevilay
Chabuk
More PEP Stone Mill staff!
• Speech Pathologists: Emily Lascari and
Emily Metzer
• Occupational therapists: Ursula Stello
and Erika Weiss
• Physical therapists: Jen Carter,
MaryBeth Etherton, and Brigid Meyer
PEP’s integrated therapy model
PEP utilizes an integrated therapy model. That means
that the therapists come into the classrooms and work
with the children throughout their school day. Therapy
in MCPS is individualized but not necessarily individual.
Therapy can take the form of large group, small group,
two on one, one on one – all depending on the specific
child, their goals, and what is going on in the class at any
given time.
Even More PEP staff!
• We have vision teachers, teachers that work with
children who are deaf/hard of hearing, and
InterACT teachers who work with children
requiring specialized assistive technology
• We also have a PEP school psychologist who helps
with assessments
• We even have members of the PEP administration
assigned to Stone Mill (but they are based at the
PEP office)
Please know there are lots of people on your child’s team
who are available for you if you need it!
OUR WEBSITE
This year as in years past, you can find Stone Mill’s
website at:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sto
nemilles/
By clicking on “classrooms” and then “PEP,” you can
find information about your child’s program, what a
typical day may look like, and other useful
information.
The PEP newsletter will also be posted each month.
OTHER USEFUL INFO ON
THE WEBSITE
Stone Mill is primarily paperless. Updates and
newsletters will more than likely be sent via email.
Any important information from the principal can
be accessed by clicking on “Tiger Tails
Newsletters” on the Stone Mill’s website. (If for
some reason you do not want the information
electronically, please contact the main office.)
Emergency Alerts can also be accessed from Stone
Mill’s main page.
EMERGENCY FORMS
It is imperative that families fill out and
return completed emergency form to the
school as soon as possible!
Any other important contacts are also
greatly appreciated (child care, home
numbers, cell numbers, work numbers, and
email addresses). Also, please list at
least 2 emergency contacts (neighbors,
relatives, other trusted adults).
KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE
Please remember to always come to
the main office any time that you
come into school. If you need to
meet with a teacher, you’ll need to
make an appointment ahead of time.
You will be asked to provide your
driver’s license any time you walk
past the office.
CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT
BREAKING NEWS!!
New this year, everyone coming into the school building and
entering the classrooms for parties, observations, field trips
or other school functions must now be trained to recognize
child abuse and neglect. Simply complete the online training
(takes about 30 minutes) and either forward your email
confirmation of course completion to our principal Dr.
Kimberly A. Williams or print out the certificate and bring to
the main office. The link is below and also on our
schoolwebsite (as well as the MCPS website).
Thanks in advance for helping to keep our children safe!
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/childabuseandneglect/
MEDICATIONS
All medications require a physician’s
written authorization
(form #525-13).
Prescriptions must be provided in a container
with the pharmacist's and child’s name printed
on the label.
All medications must be delivered to school by
the parent. You may not send OTC medications
in without a doctor’s orders and nor can you
send medications on the bus.
WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD
HOME FROM SCHOOL
If your child has any of these symptoms:
• A temperature of more than 100 degrees the night before
• Nausea or vomiting
• Stomachache or diarrhea
• Pale or flushed face
• Headache
• Cough or sore throat
• Earache
• Thick discharge from nose, particularly if green
• Rash or infection of the skin
• Red or pink eyes
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of energy or decrease in activity
Children are required by MCPS to be symptom-free for 24 hours/the following school day.
If they vomit or have a fever one day, they must stay home the next – even if it’s exactly
24 hours (i.e. if a child vomits at 10AM on a Tuesday, they may not return to school on
Wednesday even if it is after 10AM on Wednesday).
Please contact your child’s bus lot and PEP site directly to let them know your child will not
be attending school. Remember, if your child does not feel good they are not learning!
ABSENCE POLICY
If your child will be absent from
school, please call the main office
and let them know or leave a
message. You may also email your
child’s teacher. Please contact the
pick up bus driver as well or call the
depot.
TRANSPORTATION
Things to remember:
• Be patient. Buses may be a little early or a little late, depending on factors
including traffic and the children who are picked up before your child.
Please start looking for the bus at least five (5) minutes prior to your child’s
scheduled pick-up and drop-off times.
• Bus service is curb-to-curb. The driver will make every effort to come as
close as possible to your address.
• Please have your child ready for the bus. Drivers are not able to honk or
knock on the door.
• To inquire about a late bus, please call the bus lot directly—301-670-2283.
If you cannot reach someone at your child’s bus lot, please contact the
school.
Remember—substitute drivers, bad weather, or traffic may make the bus
run late. It is essential that PEP staff has updated contact and emergency
information to alert you and/or your child care provider about any bus
problems of which they are aware.
If you have any questions or concerns about transportation, talk to your parent
educator or your child’s teacher.
CHANGE IN PICK-UP
Please send a note regarding any changes in
pick-up. Children can only be released to people
listed on the emergency form.
Email is not recommended unless it is with
enough notice to ensure confirmation from
the teacher.
You you may call the main office to let the
secretary know of your child’s change in pick-up.
Also, please make sure the person picking up
your child is ready to provide a photo ID.
OTHER IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
Information on the PEP calendar, school
delays, closings, and early dismissals is
available on MCPS Cable Channel 34 & 36
and on the MCPS Web Home Page. You
can also sign up to receive Twitter alerts.
Classic, Beginnings, INC, and PEP-C may
not follow the regular school calendar, so
please be sure to ask if you are unsure.
SCHEDULING CLASSROOM
VISITS
Please contact your child’s classroom
teacher or parent educator to set up
a visit.
As per MCPS policy, visits are limited
to 30-45 minutes and all parents
must be accompanied by a PEP staff
member.
PROGRESS NOTES
Your child’s IEP is considered his or
her report card. Your child’s teacher
will mark progress as stated on the
IEP. For the vast majority of
students, progress on IEP goals will
be reported twice a year.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
If you would like to send in a birthday treat
with your child (food only please), please let
your child’s teacher know. Balloons, candles, and
decorations are NOT allowed.
All treats for all parties (birthdays, Halloween,
Valentine’s Day, PEP celebrations) must be
store-bought items from our approved list.
If you would rather send in a small goody bag or
trinket for each child this must be in lieu of an
edible treat.
Big Day for PreK (what we are learning about)
THEMES
September
October*
November/December
January
February*
March
April
May/June
Ready for School
My Family
Our Community
Awesome Animals
Imagine It, Make It
Growing Up Healthy
Nature All Around Us
Moving On
In October and February, children will participate in
Halloween and Valentine’s Day, respectively. If you
prefer your child not participate in these activities, let
your child’s teacher know and other plans will be made
to accommodate your child.
CURRICULUM
PEP uses curriculum guidelines from the following sites:
MCPS Curriculum 2.0
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/#calendar, click on
“read about new curriculum framework” (PDF file)
Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards
http://mdk12.org/, click on “instruction,” click on “early ed” or “special ed”
Maryland Healthy Beginnings
http://www.marylandhealthybeginnings.org/, click on “developmental domain
charts”
Scholastic Big Day for Pre-K
http://bigday.grolier.com/fampreview,
Parent Conferences
• After the first quarter, you will be offered a
parent teacher conference. This is a chance to
meet one on one with your child’s teacher to
hear about their progress. This can be done in
person here at school or on the phone if it’s
more convenient.
• Teachers will contact you about scheduling
these conferences for early November. If you
would like to schedule a conference after this
time, please do not hesitate to ask!
• Please allow two weeks time for an interpreter
if you would like one
Who should you talk to and when?
Lots of times parents have questions about who to contact and
when if they have a question. Here are some FAQ…
• If you have a question about a particular incident that happened
one day in school, please call the main office at the end of the
school day or email the teacher. Please don’t wait on this if you
are concerned!
• If you have a general question about how your child is doing,
email your child’s teacher. Please remember, daily updates are
nearly impossible. Also, we need time to observe trends and
patterns so we likely won’t have valuable data to share on a daily
or very frequent basis.
• If you have a question related to a particular therapy, you can
always email your child’s therapist. It always helps to copy the
teacher and/or parent educator on the email so we are all kept
in the loop.
• Please know you will get weekly updates on things we are working
on and ways to follow up at home. If you feel like you’re not
getting enough information, please ask! Some parents are
overwhelmed with information and some feel they are not
getting enough. The best way to ensure good communication is
to never hesitate to reach out.
Field Trips
We try to do two field trips per year.
One field trip is typically in school and one is out of
school.
Our first field trip in the fall will be to a local farm and
pumpkin patch. We love having parents join us! But in
order to keep the focus on our PEP students and their
needs, we cannot allow siblings to come along.
Our second field trip in the Spring, will align with what
our curriculum is focusing on at that time. In past years
we did something with sea life and aquariums where
someone brought live sea animals to the school.
We are always looking for new ideas and experiences for
our preschoolers, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you
have one!
Thank you so much for coming out tonight!
We are looking forward to a GREAT year!