RF4C News

November 2 - NO SCHOOL ALL District - Teacher Inservice

November 25-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

• Family Outreach calendar of activities. Please take a look at the calendar. Print it off and enjoy some of the short suggested activities.

November Calendar / View November Calendar in Spanish

Welcome to playtime for parents with children ages 0-5! This is a great opportunity to network with other toddler and preschool parents in the community, while giving your child time to build key motor and social skills with other children their age. A snack will be provided each week.

Start Date: 9/29/2026 thru 12/22/2026

Days: Tu

Time: 9:15 AM to 10:15 AM

Sessions: 13

Age: 0-5

Location: Hoffman Park Storm Shelter (650 Hanson Dr)

Instructor: Kelly Hueman

Online Registration Link

National Family Literacy Month is an annual designation observed in November. This month, get the whole family snuggled up on the couch and open up a good book.

#FamilyLiteracyMonth

Studies show that reading aloud with Mom or Dad is the most important activity when it comes to preparing children to read on their own. Andi if you raise a good reader...Pretty much anything is possible!

Reading helps with vocabulary, writing, skills, attention span, memory, and teaches us about other times and places. Even if your child is a baby, you should still sit down and read with them every once in a while. An infant can look at pictures and listen to your voice as you read stories to them... And believe it or not, studies show that that alone can have a profound effect on your child when it comes to learning later on in life. Grab a few books, gather the fam, snuggle up, and let a book take you all to another place together.

• Set aside a little time for reading every day, even if it's only for 15 or so minutes.
• Go through both old and new books, and set some of your favorites around the house. They make cute decorations, and maybe one of the kids will pick up one asn start reading!
• Take a few trips to the public library. River Falls Public Library link
• Read your child the book version of their favorite movie. If they can read on their own, encourage them to read it... maybe in their own words!
• Start a book club with friends and family.
• Participate in a book drive and donate old or used books you no longer need. This will help families in need read to their kids.

Source: National Calendar of Events

Thankful

Written by: Elaine Vickers; Illustrated by: Samantha Cotterill

At the winding down of another year, it’s natural to think about what we are most grateful for. But slowing down to notice, appreciate, and express all we are thankful for more than once a year takes deliberate, repeated practice, just as it does to slow down, notice, and appreciate the small moments and interactions that make our lives whole. In this cozy book by Elaine Vickers, a little girl lists what she’s grateful for, including “a friend who waits for me at recess” and “a teacher who knows when I am trying my best.” As she practices noticing, her “ideas keep connecting one to another to another…” as often happens with thoughtful appreciation. True to life, the nuanced, multidimensional illustrations remind us that gratitude is not just for this season, but a practice that can deepen our connection with others and the wider world around us throughout the entire year. As you read, we invite you to wonder, what would you add to your thankful chain?

Welcome to We Thinkers! Volume 1 Social Explorers, a Social Thinking ™ Curriculum for RF4C! Your child is beginning an exciting adventure in learning more about the social world. Ms Becky will be visiting once a month to deliver this curriculum to each of the RF4C classrooms.

The aim of We Thinkers! series is to help young verbal learners develop the skills they need to be flexible social thinkers and social problem solvers. Through the experiences of four characters in the storybooks and the accompanying curriculum units, children will learn about the social mind and social expectations. They will also learn about their own thinking (and that of others) to help them make better decisions when in the midst of social play and interaction.

In October, Ms Becky visited all of the RF4C classrooms to continue the discussion from the first book, "Thinking Thoughts and Feelings Feelings". In the second half of the story, we talked about our feelings and that the heart is our feelings maker. To help your student(s) connect thoughts and feelings to their behavior in social situations, we created a "Feelings Book" for each of the classrooms. The book will remind them to talk about their feelings whether they are sad, mad, loved, silly, excited, or shy. The books will remain in the classroom library for a few months for them to read as often as they like.

Please read on for more information about the first book in the series.

Social learning is all about thoughts and feelings. The ability to think about others, play collaboratively, and establish friendships is all about thoughts; knowing our own, sharing them with others and taking others’ thoughts into account as we act and react. We introduce these concepts first because all subsequent concepts and vocabulary are tied back to thoughts. (What are you thinking? What am I thinking? What is the group thinking about?) We make the connection to feelings because what we think and what we feel are inseparable.

In exploring thoughts and feelings, we begin by establishing a connection to body parts. Children are familiar with their bodies and we are able to use what they know: that we all have many body parts and each body part has a job to do. In most cases, we can see these parts and watch them do their jobs. For example, we can see hands, clap, hold, and touch, and feet tap, jump, and run. We then connect that information to the more abstract concepts of thoughts and emotions. That is, there are others inside our bodies that have important jobs too. Our brain and heart are two of those parts we use when we are around other people. Our brain is our thought maker. We define a thought as an idea, picture, or words you have in your brain To help us talk about thoughts we use words like think and know. Our heart is our feelings keeper. A feeling is something we feel in our body. To help us talk about our feelings we use words like happy, sad, mad and scared.

In the first storybook in the We Thinkers! series, we meet the main characters, Evan, Ellie, Jesse, and Molly. These four children go on many adventures to introduce and explore Social Thinking Vocabulary and concepts. In their first adventure, they learn all about two important concepts: thoughts and feelings. Ask your student about their thought bubble.

Source: WE Thinkers! Volume 1

RF4C educators know play is best for kids. And that’s not just something we say because it sounds nice. It’s based on evidence and research. Kids need play for learning, for growth, for health, for happiness.

Each month you will find 2-3 notes (1 sheet per note) to help educate our classroom communities about the power of play! Open the links up and take a look!

Why We Play… for Fine Motor Skills!

Why We Play… for Experience!

Why We Play ... at School!

Source: Amanda Morgan, MS, Not Just Cute, Why We Play Letters

Communicating with your child's preschool teachers is crucial because it builds a partnership that supports your child's success, confidence, and development. Open dialogue allows both parents and teachers to better understand the child, address challenges early, and provide consistent support by aligning learning and behavior at home and school.

• Enhances the child's learning: When parents and teachers share information, they can create a consistent learning environment. Teachers can provide insights into classroom progress, while parents can share details about their child's interests, routines, and well-being at home.

• Fosters emotional and social growth: Communication helps teachers understand a child's personality and needs, and it allows them to share insights into how the child interacts with peers and educators.

• Ensures early intervention: Regular communication makes it easier to identify and address any issues, whether they are academic, behavioral, or social.

• Builds a sense of community: A strong relationship between parents and teachers creates a positive and supportive community for the entire classroom.

• Sets a foundation for the future: Early and consistent communication establishes a partnership that sets the foundation for a child's continued success in their educational journey.

• Share with the teacher:

• Your child's interests, likes, and dislikes

• Their routines at home

• Any major events happening in their life

• Information on your child's current wellbeing

• Ask the teacher:

• About your child's daily experiences, mood, and behavior

• How they are interacting with other children

• About their sleeping, eating, and toileting patterns at school

• About the classroom's daily schedule and activities

• Start with direct communication: If you have a concern about your child's experience, begin by talking directly with the teacher first.

• Be patient and observe: Sometimes a child's complaints are temporary. Give it some time, as their feelings can be influenced by factors like hunger or tiredness.

• Know when to escalate: If your concerns aren't resolved after speaking with the teacher, your next step should be to talk to their supervisor.

Source: Early Learning Coalition

In an effort to maintain high standards and quality of service, we are seeking your input on the educational programming your child is receiving this academic year in River Falls 4 Children (RF4C). Your participation in this survey is very important to us and your responses will be treated with confidentiality . This survey should take approximately 15 minutes of you time.

Please click the link in the lower right corner to begin. Do not fill out on this screen.

Now that your student has started school, it is time to set up your Infinite Campus family portal. The portal is used minimally in RF4C but will be needed to register for K in the spring and do annual updates in continuing years. You are also able to request (enter) sick days or planned days off for your students via the portal. In order to set up the portal, an activation key is required. Please reach out to RF4C Coordinator, Becky McAleavey, for this code. If you have older children in the district and already have an active portal, no further updating is needed as your child is automatically connected to your account.

RF4C Program Handbook

2025-26 RFSD Calendar Espanol

Backpack Program

Basic for Local Kids

Hunger Prevention Council of Pierce County

River Falls Food Pantry

Our Neighbors Place

If you have recently moved, changed your email address or phone number, please make sure you alert us of those changes. You can reach out to either;

Becky McAleavey (becky.mcaleavey@rfsd.k12.wi.us)

Sara Flatten (Sara.flatten@rfsd.k12.wi.us)

in the RF4C main office (also the RF Public Montessori main office) and we can make changes for you.

-- Thank you!