A Warm Welcome from Broadway Children’s School to our New and Returning Families

Calendar
Sept 05 — First day of school for PACT Program
Sept 09 — BCSO Open House for Prospective Families, 10:30am-12:30pm
Sept 12 — Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30pm, via Zoom. All are welcome; please join us!
Oct 07 — BCSO Family Event and Walkathon, 10:30 am at Roberts Park; more info to come!

Parent Orientation There is always so much information to take in at the beginning of the school year. We’re here for you! All the documents that have gone out to families will be on Konstella (see Files and Links). Ask questions, too! You can reach out to Diana at dianadavisbcso@gmail.com.

Classroom Support
Hand Washing 101: The children and teachers wash hands throughout the school day. It is so helpful for the children to practice their hand washing technique at home, too. Your support in this makes a huge difference at school, where there are so many hands to be washed 🙂

• Step 1: Wet hands. Many children skip this step, but water helps create suds and spreads soap more thoroughly. Also, squirting soap onto dry hands often results in the soap just falling into the sink, rather than sticking around to lather up dirty hands.
• Step 2: Add soap. There are lots of fun soaps and soap dispensers out there!
• Step 3: Lather up! Teach children to rub their hands together, and to lather fronts and backs of hands and in-between fingers, too, for at least 20 seconds. At school, we often sing as we scrub — try the ABC song or Happy Birthday (sing 2x). We sing Happy Birthday to a special toy, or to something silly, or use funny voices. The trick, of course, is to be silly enough to keep their interest, but not so silly as to lose track of the job!
• Step 4: Rinse with running water.
• Step 5: Dry hands. This is another step children tend to skip, but dry hands spread germs less easily than wet ones–and leave far fewer slippery puddles on the floor.

Volunteering: Opportunities to volunteer in the classrooms will be coming up fast. Turn in your vaccination information to Diana ASAP (electronically or hard copy). Required vaccinations are MMR, Tdap, Covid-19, TB test and flu vaccine. TB test must have been completed within the past year. The flu vaccine needs to be completed by December 1st. If you decline the flu vaccine, provide written notification of this to Diana for our records by December 1st. Please contact Diana with any questions. Thanks.

Reminders

• • Emergency Food Bag: Each child is to have a gallon Zip-loc bag of food/snacks for use in the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake. School can provide a bag if you need one. Please label bag with your child’s name. Keep in mind we serve no peanuts and no tree nuts, to protect the health and safety of our students.
  • Change of clothes: Each child should have a change of clothes at school (spare shirt, pants, one or two pairs of underwear, a pair of socks) in a Zip-loc bag labeled with your child’s name. An extra jacket or sweatshirt that can be left in your child’s cubby is helpful, too.
  • Family Boards: Family photos on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. We will laminate it for you at school. Please let us know if you need a piece of paper to make your board. We’ve had many beautiful family collages coming in and we can’t wait to add yours!
  • Daily: take a moment at pick-up to read the white boards in the school lobby with the day’s classroom highlights. These will also be viewable later in the day on Konstella.
    • Teacher Tip: Use the white board info to talk with your child about their day. “I heard there was a new game at Circle today. I’m curious about that!” or “What toys were out in the yard today?” Another good one: ask your child who they helped today. Children love to be helpers. Your interest is great reinforcement for kind and helpful actions!

• Communication with Teachers: We love to speak with you about your children and their school day, but other than a quick word at drop off or pick up, it’s not possible to do this on a daily basis with every family. There are time constraints, confidentiality issues, and of course we alway want to avoid talking about a child in front of them or in front of other children. Rest assured, if there is need, we will reach out without delay. Families are welcome to reach out as well, through Konstella or email, to raise concerns or ask questions.
• Lunch Time: For smooth lunch times, keep portions small and take time at home with your child practicing opening and closing their lunch box and food containers. Please remember a cloth napkin (it serves as your child’s placemat) and label lunchbox with your child’s name. If you send sunflower butter or soy butter, it is very helpful to include a quick note that lets us know, so that we don’t end up trying to “sniff test” your child’s lunch. Please, for the safety of all our students, no nuts of any kind, no peanut butter, no grapes, no popcorn, no hotdogs. Save chocolate, fruit gummies, cookies, and other sweets for home. Thanks!

Back-to-School Stories and Songs: Some storybook titles to try this month as your children adapt to new routines and new faces: I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson, Good Thing You’re Not an Octopus by Julie Markes; All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold; and Shades of People by Shelley Rotner. We’ll be singing Friends, Friends, 1-2-3 and Five Green and Speckled Frogs. If you want to try these at home, ask your little ones to teach you, or take a peek at these links.

https://www.songsforteaching.com/kinderman/friendsfriends123.htm
https://supersimple.com/song/five-little-speckled-frogs/

Best wishes,
Jennifer McManus
Assistant Director