Ashland Preschool Update

Hello Families

We had a wonderful week here at Pittaway! The students were thrilled to enjoy the first snowfall of the season and had a great time exploring and playing outside in the snow. As we head into the winter months, please be sure to review the information below about outdoor play and seasonal clothing to help ensure your child is prepared for colder weather.

Inside the classrooms, students have been learning all about their five senses. They have been engaging in hands-on activities that highlight a variety of colors, textures, and scents. Many of our dramatic play areas have also been transformed into bake shops, giving students the opportunity to explore the familiar smells of the season while engaging in imaginative play.

We are looking forward to another exciting week of learning and exploration!

Best,

Amanda

Our students will participate in outdoor recess as much as possible throughout the entire year. We use the guideline of “Feels like temperature of 20 degrees or warmer” and take the wind-chill into consideration if it's a breezy day to determine if we will have indoor or outdoor recess. The temperature can change throughout the day, so we ask the PittCrew to monitor it around their recess times using The Weather Channel (weather information on most iPhones or www.weather.com).

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

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

Feel free to use these visual charts to practice dressing and undressing in winter clothes with your child, or cut them up for sequencing practice:

Winter Dressing Sequence

Nurse Kerrin has begun conducting this year’s vision and hearing screenings. If any questions or concerns arise after reviewing your child’s results, she will follow up with you directly. Thank you!

We will be holding two information sessions over the next couple of months to review the registration process for the 2026–2027 school year.

The first session will take place on December 19th at 10:00 a.m. This will be a virtual information session for current and alumni families focused on the registration process.

Google Meet Log-in for December 19th virtual information session

The second session will be held on January 14th at 6:00 p.m. This will be an in-person information session at Pittaway for prospective families. During this session, we will share information about the preschool program and review the registration process.

Additional information about preschool registration will be included in the December 19th preschool newsletter.

December 11
• Report cards sent home for AM students

December 12
• Report cards sent home for PM and Full-Day students

December 18

• Choral Concert presented by Ashland High School students

December 19
• Virtual Registration Information Session for current and alumni families - 10:00 a.m.

December 22
• Festive Outfit / Ugly Sweater Day

December 23
• Pajama Day
• Early Release after lunch No PM or late pick-up, Full-Day dismissal: 12:05–12:15 pm

December 24 – January 2
• No School – Winter Break

Registration Dates for 2026–2027

January 6–16

• Registration opens for current and alumni families. Begins at 7:00 am via email.

January 14
• In-Person Registration Information Session for new families at Pittaway School, starting at 6:00 pm

January 20 – February 6
• Registration opens for new families. Begins at 7:00 am via email

Questions? We’re here to help!

• For day-to-day operations, curriculum and assessment, community events, and general communication, please contact Amanda Curley at acurley@ashland.k12.ma.us

• For questions related to evaluations, team meetings, or IEP development, reach out to Sara Davidson at sdavidson@ashland.k12.ma.us

Looking for something to do in and around our community? Check out our Community Bulletin Board at ashland.k12.ma.us/flyers. From teen trivia nights to musicals to concerts, there's something for everyone!

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DESE Report Card Information- 2024