MCP3 Staff News
Week of 8/24/26
Peterson's Message- K3 Director
Happy First Week of School MCP3 Team!
This week our team has been intentional in the way we are kicking off this school year....TOGETHER and UNITED! Thank you for bringing your excellence to our training sessions, your positive can do attitudes to ensure our classrooms are "Day 1" ready for our scholars, and most importantly- your genuine enthusiasm to being One Team with ONE PURPOSE. Someone said that they could feel the shift in energy when they walked through the doors this week! Let's be sure to leverage what we have and maintain this synergy as we welcome our scholars into our doors to begin their MCP3 journey in K3!
Make sure to read through this Staff Newsletter fully each week to be prepared and to stay on top of all of the important happenings.
With all the Love and Respect,
Peterson
Staff Out/Coverage
NA
Upcoming Important Dates & Happenings:
Monday- 7:45am-2:45pm
- Preschool Practice 8:00-9:30 & 10:00-11:30
- Bulldogs' Team mtg. 12:30-1;15
- Golden Eagles' Team mtg. 1:15-2:00
- SESS Interview 2:00 (Peterson/Harrell/Perine)
Tuesday- 7:45am-4:00pm
- Preschool Practice 8:00-9:30 & 10:00-11:30
- SESS Interview 12:00 (Peterson/Harrell/Perine)
- Civil Rights Training 12:30-1:30pm All staff Room 124
Wednesday- Frist Day of School 7:30am-4:00pm
- Lead Teacher 12:15-12:45pm Lunch time begins
- EA Lunch 12:45-1:15pm Lunch Time begins
Thursday- T/EA Time 1:15-1:45
Friday- NA
Preschool Practice
As we prepare to welcome our incoming Scholars, we will be hosting a Preschool Practice Day to support a strong, confident transition for children, families, and our team. This day serves as a gentle preview of the MCP3 preschool experience and plays a key role in setting a positive tone for the year ahead.
The main goal is to help children begin to feel safe, familiar, and excited about entering our program. For many, this will be their first extended time in a new space with new adults and peers. This visit gives them (and their families) a chance to explore, ask questions, and begin forming connections before the full transition begins.
Staff Role and Expectations
Create a Warm, Welcoming Environment
Greet scholars and caregivers with kindness and enthusiasm.Model Routines and Introduce the Space
Walk scholars through key areas of the classroom (hooks, centers, carpet, bathrooms) and introduce short versions of daily routines like clean-up and carpet time.Support Separation Gently
For scholars that are nervous about being apart from caregivers, stay calm and reassuring. Let them set the pace, offering comfort and encouragement as needed.Encourage Engagement Through Play
Invite scholars to explore materials and join play with peers. Observe where they naturally gravitate, and use those interests to help spark interaction.Be Present for Families
Take time to answer questions, share insights, and reassure caregivers that their child is in good hands. This builds trust from the start.
Intended Outcomes
Scholars leave feeling familiar with the space, staff, and expectations.
Caregivers gain confidence in the transition process.
Staff begin forming relationships and noting individual needs to plan intentionally for the first week.
Staff lay the foundation for a smooth and successful start to the year.
***There will be 4 Preschool Practice sessions. They are held on Monday & Tuesday 8:00-9:30 & 10:00-11:30. Click the link Here for an example schedule and plan of activities. Be sure to make a copy of the document and edit for your own preschool practice plan. Save your plan in your Lesson Plan folder.
Practicing & Modeling RAPs
Trashketball
Telephone Pictionary
This team builder helped us begin our session on "Collaborative Teaming" in a fun way!
First Official T/EA Time
Homeroom teams get sacred carved out time to collaborate weekly to nurture their relationship, discuss the overall state of their classroom, & prepare for the upcoming week together! T/EA times are every Thursday 1:15-1:45 in classrooms.
Critical Foundations of a Preschool Classroom Jigsaw
Groups did an excellent job of presenting their critical foundation of a strong preschool classroom!
Critical foundations include:
- Schedules & Routines
- Transitions
- Stating Behavioral Expectations
- Redirecting
***Most of classroom management is PROACTIVE!!!
United we Row
Our first staff outing on the Milwaukee River helped solidify our journey and focus this year.... One Team. One Purpose. Every Child!
T/EA Time
At MCP3, we don't leave collaboration to chance. We intentionally build collaborative teams by protecting time for teams to meet. Every Thursday 1:15-1:45 will be scheduled T/EA time. This is sacred time to strengthen your partnership, promote routine communication, discuss the overall function of your classroom, reflect on your impact on scholars, and prepare for the week ahead.
I will email each team their running T/EA time agenda by the end of the day on Wednesday so that you will have it ready to go on Thursday. Each week you will copy the previous agenda and paste it to the top of your document.
Field Trips🚌
Each classroom is responsible for planning and scheduling their 4 field trips for the year. Classrooms should plan to schedule a field trip each quarter. Here are some suggestions for K3 appropriate field trips:
-The Zoo
-First Stage
-Urban Ecology Center (let me know if interested in doing this program again)
-Pumpkin Farm
-Hawthorn Glen Outdoor Education Center
-MItchell Park Domes
-Betty Brinn
**Make sure to reference the MCP calendar when scheduling field trips.
**Classrooms may wish to buddy up with other rooms for Field Trips.
**Once Field Trip is scheduled- staff should fill out the Field Trip form on the MCP Launch Page.
**Classrooms have a $2,600 budget for the year for Field Trips.
Laundry Schedule
121- Monday
122- Tuesday
123- Wednesday
124- Thursday
125- Friday