The Pony Express

Dear JRR ECC Families,

We are officially three weeks into the school year, and it has been wonderful to see our scholars settling into their classrooms, learning new routines, building relationships, and growing more comfortable in their school community each day.

Thank you to our families for your continued partnership, patience, and support as we begin another exciting year at James Ryder Randall Early Childhood Center. Our staff remains committed to creating a joyful, nurturing, and inclusive environment where every child feels safe, valued, and excited to learn.

As we move forward, our focus continues to be on building strong foundations for our youngest learners through high-quality early childhood instruction, communication and language development, social-emotional learning, early literacy and numeracy, and meaningful partnerships between home and school.

We have several exciting activities and important dates coming up! Please see below for upcoming events, reminders, school updates, and opportunities to get involved in the JRR ECC community.

Be sure to stay connected with us through Seesaw, our social media pages, and The Pony Express so you don't miss important announcements and celebrations. Below, please see the letters from Ms. Aura Tan-Adriatico, our Special Education Coordinator, and Mr. Ken Turner, our Professional School Counselor.

Thank you for being part of our Pony family. We are only three weeks in, and there is already so much to celebrate. We look forward to continuing to grow, learn, and move forward together! 🐴

With appreciation,

Dr. Reina Guartico, NBCT

Principal
James Ryder Randall Early Childhood Center

Our students have begun Unit 1: Connecting with School and Friends, which is designed to help children feel comfortable at school, build relationships with classmates, learn classroom routines, and become familiar with their learning environment. Throughout the unit, students will strengthen early literacy, math, science, and social-emotional skills through hands-on, developmentally appropriate experiences.

By the end of Unit 1, our goal is for students to make progress in several important foundational skills. In literacy, children will explore the parts of a book, learn about authors and illustrators, practice basic print concepts, and identify and write letters in their names. In math, they will develop number sense from 0–10, connect number words to quantities, practice one-to-one counting, recognize small quantities quickly up to 6, and understand that the last number counted tells “how many.” Students will also explore the five senses and practice classroom expectations such as being safe, being kind, and being a team player.

Families can help at home by looking for letters and numbers in everyday places, practicing your child’s name, counting toys or snacks, asking your child to make a set of a given number, exploring the five senses during daily routines, and recognizing acts of kindness. Even a few minutes of playful practice can help children make strong connections between home and school.

📚 Our Unit 1 Culminating Project: Each class will work together to create its very own class book, Meet Our Class. At the end of the unit, students will have the opportunity to enjoy and celebrate the book they created together—a special reflection of the friendships and classroom community they are building at JRR ECC! In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing photos of the work our students are doing in the classroom.

Check out this letter to families regarding Unit 1.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome! We are looking forward to working together to support your child’s educational needs and continued growth.

In the coming weeks, your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting will be scheduled. Once you receive the meeting date and time, please save the date and plan to attend. IEP meetings typically last approximately 1 to 1½ hours, depending on your child’s individual needs and the topics that need to be discussed.

Outside Evaluations and Reports

If your child has recently received an evaluation or report from an outside provider, such as:

• Psychologist
• Speech-Language Pathologist
• Occupational Therapist (OT)
• Physical Therapist (PT)
• Other educational or medical professionals

Please provide a copy of the report to your child’s Special Education Teacher as soon as possible. These reports can provide valuable information to help the IEP team better understand your child’s strengths, needs, and appropriate supports.

Once an outside report is received, an IEP meeting will be scheduled within 30 calendar days.

We value your partnership and look forward to working with you as a member of your child’s IEP team. Your input, questions, and participation are an important part of the process.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

Ms Aura Tan-Adriatico

Special Education Coordinator

Dear Parents and Guardians,

My name is Ken Deon Turner and I am the Professional School Counselor here at James Ryder Randall Early Childhood Center. This is my sixth year here at James Ryder Randall and I am so excited to be here! I have over 20 years experience as a Professional School Counselor. I hold a Masters in Education degree in School Counseling from Virginia State University, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Sociology as well from Virginia State.

I am happy to have the opportunity to serve the staff, your child as well you. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your child or if there are community resources that you may need I can assist you with.

Parents you are the number one influence in their child’s life. You as a parent can help your child start the day off by:

• Seeing that your child gets enough sleep nightly.

• Feeding them a nutritious breakfast.

• Giving them a HUG daily.

• Always speaking encouraging words.

As apart of my professional duties I will be conducting classroom counseling lessons on topic such as: conduct and personal safety, friendship, time management, friendship, bullying and good manners.

I can be reached at (301) 497-3669 or by email ken.turner@pgcps.org. If you need to see me in person it is important that you schedule an appointment with me before coming to the school.

Yours in Education,

Ken Deon Turner

Ken Deon Turner, M,Ed.

Professional School Counselor

Join us for Back to School Night at James Ryder Randall Early Childhood Center on Tuesday, September 22 from 5:30–7:00 PM!

Families will have an opportunity to meet teachers and staff, visit classrooms, learn more about what students are learning, and discover ways to stay connected and involved throughout the school year.

We are also excited to welcome community partners and local organizations who support our students and families. Community-based organizations will be on hand to share resources, information, and opportunities for families.

More information will be provided closer to September 22. Come connect with our school team, meet members of our community, and celebrate the start of a wonderful school year together!

Please mark your calendars for two upcoming school closures. There will be no school for students on Wednesday, September 16, for Staff Professional Development, and on Monday, September 21, in observance of Yom Kippur.

We look forward to welcoming our scholars back after each closure.

Join a virtual training session on "IEP Basics" hosted by The Parents Place of Maryland on September 30 at 6:30 p.m. This informative session will cover the fundamentals of Individualized Education Programs and 504 plans, explore your role in school meetings, and provide valuable advocacy tips and strategies. You'll also have the opportunity to learn more about the services and supports available through PPMD. For more details and to register, please visit the events page on the Parents' Place of Maryland website.

You can register at this link.

Families are an essential part of everything we do at JRR ECC, and we would love for you to be part of our Parent Teacher Association (PTA)!

Joining the PTA is a great way to stay connected, share your ideas, support school events and activities, and help strengthen the partnership between home and school. Whether you have a lot of time to give or can only participate occasionally, every voice and every contribution matters.

Together, we can create even more opportunities for our children, support our staff, and continue building a strong, welcoming JRR ECC community.

We hope you’ll join us and help make this a wonderful year for our Ponies! 🐴💛

Synergy has replaced SchoolMAX as the student information system for Prince George's County Public Schools. Families will now use the Synergy ParentVUE portal, in place of the Family Portal, to access important information about their students.

ParentVUE is the portal that allows parents and guardians to view information about their student, including classroom assignments and scores, attendance, transcripts, graduation status and more. In ParentVUE, families can also update their phone numbers and emergency contact information and access the Online Registration (OLR) Application. Click here to view the ParentVue Guide.

Get all the answers to your questions on the school district's Back-to-School webpage, including questions about buses, school meals, and many more.