MPS ECC Updates: 10-10-25
Hello ECC Families!
On My Desktop - The Classrooms All Young Children Need
Based on the teachings of Vivian Paley, renowned teacher and author, this book emphasizes the value of play, storytelling and story acting in early childhood and guides our approach to Story Workshop in ECC.
In the last newsletter, I mentioned that children are filled with wonder and curiosity. As children play, staff observe and document these experiences through photos and/or notes. Through this play, stories evolve. Story Workshop is a way to organize and apply language to these experiences. Story Workshop involves Story Creating, Story Signing, Story Acting and Story Writing. In this process, adults support children to develop vocabulary, learn about sequencing, and understand story elements such as characters, setting and plot. This literacy approach is especially meaningful because it originates from children’s own ideas. Not only that, it’s fun and rewarding!
Honey Pot Hill Field Trip:
Children and staff had a great time on their field trip to Honey Pot Hill! They enjoyed a hayride, picked apples, visited farm animals, and had cider and donuts for snack. This seems to be a new favorite for our fall field trip!
A Few Reminders:
Limiting Spread of Germs: Back to school often comes with sharing stories, materials, and unfortunately also germs. Here are a few things we are doing to limit the spread:
Frequent hand washing and sanitizing (we teach and practice proper techniques)
Coughing/sneezing into elbow
Frequent cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and materials (tables, toys, door knobs)
Encourage children and staff to stay home when not feeling well. Return to school when free from fever and/or symptoms for 24 hours
Extra Clothing: With weather changes, please pack extra clothes for both warm and cool weather
Monthly Calendars: Will send home calendars with ECC Events every month. This will include activities, field trips, half days, and fun Friday (Fri-Yay!)
📅Key Dates:
Thursday, November 4 - Make Up Session for School Pictures
Wednesday November 17 - Field Trip to Discovery Museum - the Museum is closed to the public on this day and open to all Deaf, Hard of Hearing and KODA visitors. This is a really fun experience. We are looking forward to it!
📅Key Dates:
Annual School Photos: Tuesday, September 30
Field Trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchard: Wednesday, October 1 - Click Here to Register your child
With heartfelt gratitude and warm wishes,
Janice Wenstrom
Interim ECC Principal
Important Dates:
October 13: Indigenous People's Day (No School)
October 18: TLCPA Trunk or Treat, 1:00 - 4:00 PM TLC Lower Kellogg Lot
October 22: Early Release (Prof. Dev.)
October 24: Unmasking Deaf Education Documentary Screening at TLC: 6:00 PM
October 27: Annual Vision Screening
November 4: Picture Retake Day
November 6: Parent Advisory Group Meeting, 6:30 PM. Zoom link: https://www.tlcdeaf.org/parent-advisory-group
November 7: 1st Quarter Ends
November 11: Veterans Day (No School)
November 17: Annual Vision Screening
November 19: Early Release (Prof. Dev.)
November 26: WS - Early Release
November 26: MPS - No School
November 27-28: Fall Break
December 3: Early Release (Teacher/Family Conferences)
December 17: Early Release (Prof. Dev.)
December 24 - January 1: No School (Winter Beak)
January 2: No School (Prof. Dev.)
Reminder from Nursing
Help keep everyone healthy! Please do not send your child to school if they have cold or Flu-like symptoms, have a fever or are requiring any type of medication to keep them comfortable. If your child has recently recovered from an illness and requires medication while at school, please contact our school nurse before sending them to school. This ensures that the proper arrangements are made to administer the medication safely and in compliance with school policies.
Your cooperation helps us provide the best care for your child. Thank you!
PE Updates
Hello Caregivers,
I hope all is well with you! Wow, the first month of the school year is already finished! We wrapped up homecoming and had a fantastic spirit week here. I’m really looking forward to everything ahead this year. I’d like to give you a quick summary of what your child has been learning in physical education during the past month:
Kindergarten (0:29)
We went over classroom expectations so they understand the rules. Students played Traffic Light, practiced rolling and played Space Invaders with rolling skills, Bocce with poly spots, scooter activities, Sharks & Minnows, Duck, Duck, Goose, Hot Potato, and Guess Colors.
Elementary (1:11)
We reviewed classroom expectations. Students played Traffic Light, learned rolling skills through The Rollers game, and played Gagaball, Kickball, Sharks & Minnows, Buddy Tag, Four Square, Duck, Duck, Goose, Steal the Bacon, Hopscotch, Two Square, Islands with poly spots, scooter activities, Bowling, Hurdles (to practice jumping skills), and Space Invaders with rolling and kicking skills.
Middle School (2:07)
We covered weight room rules, how to use the equipment safely, classroom expectations, and the syllabus. Students played Kickball and Covered Net volleyball.
High School (2:28)
We also went over weight room rules, classroom expectations, and the syllabus. Students played Kickball, Soccer, Hot Potato, Bowling, Bocce (with and without poly spots), and Cornhole.
If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat, please feel free to contact me anytime at jcarrus@tlcdeaf.org.
Announcements:
ASL Classes for Families - Free for primary caregivers of TLC students. New Session begins in October! Click here to register and use discount code tlcfall25. For support in spoken languages other than English, please email communityasl@tlcdeaf.org.
Click Here to purchase TLC gear
Click Here to purchase MPWS Athletic gear
New Calendars
We are excited to share that we have launched two new calendars on our website. You can find the links on our tlcdeaf.org home page.
Our Athletics calendar will display MPWS games, home and away. This calendar will not include practices.
Our Community Calendar is designed for the broader public to access, and will include local resources, events, and activities to create meaningful connections for families and students. We understand some parents are checking this calendar for specific MPS and WS school events. While we hope to post as often as we are able, we do ask that you continue to check emails, Department newsletters, Skyward, text messages, and communicate with your child's Following Teacher for school events, field trips, and other activities.