"The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. "

November brings us cooler temperatures, earlier nights, brighter mornings and LOTS of talk about turkeys, scarecrows and fall! The children are busy reading books about Thanksgiving, talking about friends and family, and gratitude!

Gratitude involves being sensitive and empathetic to others, and truly appreciating what others do for you. While children can quickly learn to say please and thank you, it takes time and guidance to help them truly learn to be grateful.

Gratitude has a strong presence in our Montessori classrooms - the ELC teachers model and practice gratitude and grace daily. It starts with our Practical Life lessons of Grace and Courtesy. Practical Life activities are one of the five areas of the Montessori prepared environment. These activities resemble activities in life and in the home, such as housekeeping, and include activities such as washing babies, sewing, preparing food, sweeping, and washing dishes. The purpose of these activities is to help the child learn self-control and start to see himself or herself as a contributing part of the social unit/family unit as a whole.

The children are specifically taught how to politely get someone’s attention, how to politely observe someone working and how to ask for help. These lessons are taught and reinforced multiple times each day in order to help the young child adapt to working within a group and to build his/her awareness of socially acceptable behavior.

As always, please call or email me with any questions, and thank you for sharing your children with us!

-Catherine

Catherine Bailey

Director of Early Learning

(904)827-2835

VP: (904)824-4540

baileyc1@fsdbk12.org

11/11: Veteran's Day - No school

11/18 - 11/22: Spirit Week

11/22 - 11/29: Fall Break - No school

The students had a wonderful time participating in the traditional Hall trick-or-treat event! This year’s celebration was truly remarkable, with a fantastic turnout that brought our school community together in the spirit of Halloween. The hallways were adorned with festive decorations, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with excitement and anticipation.

Many participants went above and beyond to make this event special for our kiddos, generously providing not just delicious treats but also an array of fun toys and goodies. It was delightful to see the students’ faces light up with joy as they filled their bags with goodies from each station.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed, whether by decorating, setting up, or donating treats. Your hard work and generosity made a lasting impression on our children and helped create cherished memories.

We look forward to continuing this beloved tradition in the years to come, creating more opportunities for our students to enjoy and celebrate Halloween with their friends and families. Thank you once again to everyone who played a part in this fantastic event; your contributions truly made it a memorable night for all!

Our Blue Classroom participated in the Blindness Awareness Month Parade! The theme for this year was inspired by the Olympics! Each grade within the Blind Department was given a color and a theme to create their banner representing their class! For ELC, our students worked together to create a spectacular banner filled with all the colors of the rainbow! The children were so thrilled to participate in this event with their peers!

Dear Parents,

We warmly invite you to our Baby Dragons Club, where parents can connect and learn together! Join us every Wednesday from 9:30 to 10:30 in Gore Hall Room 126, where we'll dive into exciting topics like cooking with kids, the power of fingerspelling in reading, and fun strategies to make reading time special. Plus, we have so much more in store!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Sonia Garcia-DeNight at garcias@fsdbk12.org.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Need to update or change your family's information? Change of address? New phone number? Please let our front office staff assistant know so we can make those changes in Skyward. You can also update information through your Skyward Family Access account.

Charlene McDaniel-Eddy

Registrar

(904)827-2220

mcdanieledc@fsdbk12.org

Early Learning Center

PH or Text: 904-827-2835

Gore Hall Office (if you cannot reach anyone in the ELC)

904-827-2520

Cary White Office (if you cannot reach anyone in the ELC)

904-827-2739

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Health Care Center

PH: 904-827-2410

VP: 904-201-3910

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Transportation

PH: 800-992-8747

Parent Services

PH: 904-827-2212

VP: 904-201-4540

Campus Police

PH: 904-827-2315

207 San Marco Avenue,

St. Augustine, FL, USA

ELC Webpage

ELC Facebook Group

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, political opinion, affiliation, marital status, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other basis as mandated by federal and state law in its educational programs, services or activities, or in its hiring or employment practices. FSDB also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups as required by law.

Contacts for questions, complaints, or requests for additional information are as follows:

Student Discrimination/Harassment

FSDB Boarding Program Administrator

PH: 904-827-2603

Requests in writing can be sent to:

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

207 San Marco Avenue

St. Augustine, FL 32084