September ELC Newsletter

Welcome to the 25-26 school year, Early Learning Center Families! It has been a great start to the new school year, and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you and your children in these first couple of weeks. We value your partnership, and it was wonderful connecting with you either at our Open House or during a Home Visit. Your children have been doing an amazing job learning routines, forming relationships with peers and adults (we use the term SafeKeepers to refer to the adults at our school), and growing through playful experiences in the classroom and on our playground! Please continue to check your child's backpack daily for any important notes or reminders, and remember to accept the classroom invitation to the Rooms communication tool! If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to us....we are here to help!

We are so excited to get back into the routine of school. It is so nice to have the hallways filled with such excitment that only comes with the start of a new school year. We have been very busy these first few weeks. We are working on routines, routines and more routines! Each classroom has been focusing on the routines and expectations of our school. It is amazing how fast children can catch on when they know what to expect. Along with the start of something new, can come big emotions. We are all working with the children on different startegies to cope with those big emotions. The other day, I over heard a converstation between two students in the hallway. One of the students was upset and the other student comforted him and said, "it's okay, just take a big breath." Wow, what a great reminder that sometimes children can be our greatest teachers!

Home visits promote healthy child development and school readiness. It is required to have one home visit per school year.

**Store closes on September 14th....order now for Spirit Week!**

Our school implements The Pyramid Model, a framework for supporting the social and emotional development of our children. An important part of our Pyramid Model work includes supporting families and sharing information about promoting social and emotional skills at home.

Back-to-school time can be filled with many changes and transitions as children have new experiences, learn new expectations and have to follow different routines. For some young children, moving from one activity to another can be difficult and can result in frustration or challenging behaviors. Check out this great resource for families with some ideas for making those transitions times smoother.

Our first Family Advisory Council Meeting will be on Wed. Sept. 24th from 4:00- 4:45 at the ELC. This meeting we will be getting to know each other and sharing some ideas for upcoming events!

📚🎒 Looking for local community events and activities? The EMSD Digital Backpack is your go-to spot for community happenings!

Click the QR code to view this month's breakfast and lunch menus

• Spirit Store Opens 9/8/25
• September 18th: Family Fun Night ("A Day in the Life Event") at ELC
• September 24th: Family Advisory Council (FAC) Meeting at 4:00 pm
• Week of 9/29 - 10/3: Spirit Week(Details to be announced soon!)
• October 3rd: No School and Home Visits (am) Homecoming Parade (pm) (Details to be announced soon!)
• October 22nd: Picture Day

Do you have younger children? Bring them in for a developmental check-up! Open to EMSD residents with children aged 0-5 years old. Call Lindsay to schedule an appointment for a screening (now scheduling for October). Currently enrolled students do not need to be screened.

Important contacts:

Main Office: 309-865-6900

Lindsay Hill, Secretary (lhill@emsd37.org)

Tara Schofield, Family Educator (tschofield@emsd37.org)

Melissa McCullough, Principal (mmccullough@emsd37.org)