Ashland Preschool Weekly Update

Hi Everyone-

THANK YOU to all of our wonderful tissue fairies! Our noses thank you!

We are always so appreciative of your donations and willingness to help support our Pittaway community!

We held our second round of fire drills this week! Everyone did such a nice job following directions and staying with their class as we practiced evacuating the building in case of an emergency. We are thankful to be able to practice these with the Ashland Fire Department.

As always, please do not hestitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Thanks, Sara

We had a week of true New England weather which reminds us to start to prepare for the colder days!

Please remember to send your children in layers as well as outdoor clothing on a consistent basis now that the weather is quickly changing. This includes sweatshirts, a warm winter coat, hat, mittens/gloves and soon enough... snow pants and boots!

Our students will participate in outdoor recess as much as possible throughout the entire year.

When there is snow on the ground, students will need boots and snowpants to play in the snowy areas. If they don't have these items, they will stay on the pavement.

The guideline of "Feels like temperature of 20 degrees or warmer" is used to determine if it will be indoor or outdoor recess. This takes into effect the wind-chill if it is a breezy day. That temperature can change throughout the day so we ask the PittCrew to monitor that around their recess times.

We use The Weather Channel (weather information on most iphones; www.weather.com).

*If your child is in need of winter clothes, please let us know by sending an email to Mrs. Lowell or myself and we can help support you!

Feel free to use these visual charts or cut them up for sequencing practice!

Winter Clothes Dressing Sequence Winter Clothes Undressing Sequence

Please remember to email your child's teacher and office if they are going to be absent (sick, traveling, appointments, etc).

-Arrival Times- 8:30- 8:45am (If you are late or notice the gate closed; please pull around to the front door and buzz in)

-Dismissal Times-2:45-2:55pm

-Students need to remain buckled in, until they enter the loading zone.

-No Cell Phones

-Turn your cars off

-Walk your children all the way to the fence

-Do not pull out of the loading zone unless specifically directed by a staff member.

It's time to change over your child's extra clothes! Please send in a set of extra clothes for the winter months (long sleeves, pants, extra socks, underwear, etc.). Teachers will swap out the shorts and t-shirts in their cubbies and send them home in backpacks!

Ashland Preschool is working closely with the Ashland Youth and Family Services to help support families during this holiday season. In the past we have sponsored families but this year we hope to support by building their inventory of filler gifts. Please look here for more information and a list of possible gifts to donate. Please contact Mrs. Lowell with any questions.

If you are a parent or guardian concerned about how your financial situation may impact your children at the holidays, please reach out to Jennifer Cutler at jcutler@ashland.k12.ma.us or via phone (508) 532-4015 to have a confidential conversation regarding holiday assistance by December 9, 2022. We will be utilizing the Helping Our Own Fund in conjunction with community partners (Holiday Dreams Foundation and Ashland Human Services) to make a difference. We will do our best to offset the challenges the holidays may bring.

If you are in the position to assist with financial donations and would like to help with holiday generosity, we ask that you send a check written out to Ashland Public Schools Helping Our Own Fund to the attention of Jennifer Pavia-Shiels at Ashland High School, 65 East Union Street, Ashland, MA 01721. You can also make an online donation by clicking on the following link, https://epay.cityhallsystems.com/selection and click on the Helping Our Own link in the drop down menu. The Helping Our Own Fund is utilized all year long to provide support for students in our district whose families are facing financial challenges. The fund has been utilized for holiday gifts, school supplies, calculators, senior week tickets and prom dresses to name a few.

Don’t forget to visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Flyers where we feature announcements and events offered by organizations, clubs and teams throughout our community that serve to enrich the lives of our students, families, faculty and staff. The board will be updated every Friday, so check back frequently!

12/15- Mismatched Day

12/16- Pittaway Progress Reports will be sent home

12/18- Hanukkah Begins

12/23- Early Release After Lunch (12:15pm dismissal for Full Day Sessions; No PM Session)