Back to School Newsletter

Back to School Newsletter:

September, 2019

Welcome back to an exciting school year.  We are so pleased to welcome all our new and returning families and welcome back some staff.  Miss Heather will be returning as the lead in the Bumblebees classroom on 9/23 and Miss Nichole has returned as program support at both locations while she is in the final stage of her school career.  We also would like to welcome Miss Jordan to the Turtles Classroom.  She is working with Miss Janice and has been a great addition to our Beautiful Beginnings Family.  We will have an opportunity to catch up and get to know everyone at our program back to school nights, details below.  I will be posting newsletters bi-monthly.  This will cover, program updates, kindergarten transition information, and parent resources.  Please be sure to check out the newsletters to stay in touch with all of the great things happening at Beautiful Beginnings.  We will still be using HiMama to communicate daily information and ongoing updates.  

There are a lot of resources in this newsletter about Kindergarten Transition with time sensitive details.  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.  Also, keep an eye out for our annual Kindergarten Transition Meeting to be held in December.  

Program Updates:  

• Each classroom is off to a great start.  Our preschool groups are diving into the "Beginning the Year Study" using our Creative Curriculum.  They have been reading Wemberly Worried and a Pocket for Corduroy.  Our teachers are busy planning the next study to explore.  Our Dragonflies have chosen the Pet Study, the Caterpillars have selected the Bread study, our Jellyfish have selected the Ball Study, and our Gators have chosen the Tree Study.  Be sure to check out all of the fun discovery over the next 2 months.  
• We have 2 Back to School Nights scheduled.  Our Bustleton Back to School Night is October 10th at 7:00 PM and Frankford will be October 17th at 7:00PM.  Don't miss this opportunity to meet your child's teachers, see all the great things they are doing and hear about next steps in the classroom.  Please stop in to see your child's teacher if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you at Back to School!

Kindergarten Transition Information:

• I know it is hard to believe we are talking about Kindergarten Transition in September...There are a few very important and timely updates to share:  
• School Choice is the school district of Philadelphia's application process to apply for a possible opening at a district school that is not your child's neighborhood school.  This application will open September 20th and close in November.  This is for children attending a district school in September, 2020. Please use the link below to access this opportunity.  
• https://www.philasd.org/studentplacement/services/school-selection/
• Apply Philly Charter is the city's streamlined application for most Philadelphia Charter Schools.  This application opens on September 20th and closes on January 26th.
• How do you know what school to select?? Begin researching what schools will be a great fit for your family at GreatPhillySchools.org.  You can research by specific criteria or just browse the top rated schools.  This is a great starting point and considering the application deadline for the above resources the time is now...
• Last K-transition resource:  The Children's Scholarship Fund has opened their application.  This is an income based scholarship fund to be used for private or parochial schools.  The application is open now.  There will be a priority drawing for the first applicants in November and the last drawing in March. 

Family Resources: 

•    Hello's and Goodbye's:  The start of the school year can be full of excitement, but also full of worry and concern.  The time of "Goodbye's" set the tone of the entire day.  We want to ease this transition as best as possible.  A program favorite is the book "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn.  This book is all about a raccoon leaving his mommy for the first time for preschool.  Mommy gives him a "kissing hand" that sends her love and kisses up his arm and to his heart.  We have a copy and would be happy to share.  Many teachers are requesting pictures of family members as well to create a calming family wall.