East Early Childhood Center
October 2025
TRUNK OR TREAT FALL PARTY
We are planning to have our annual Fall Party primarily outside on Wednesday October 29th. Our families are invited to be a part of a Trunk or Treat Experience. We would have room for up to 20 vehicles to participate and prizes will be awarded for the best dressed vehicle. To participate you would need to bring your dressed vehicle ready to go at 9:15 (AM classes) or 1:30 (PM classes) and 175 pieces of candy for the AM students or 125 pieces of candy for the PM students. The first 20 people to sign up will be able to participate. Please sign up by 10/15/25. You would need to be present by your vehicle to pass out candy during this time. Please sign up below if you are interested!
The students will be able to Trunk or Treat, eat a snack, and enjoy time playing with their friends on the playground. If you would like to donate candy for this party experience we plan to invite the Jackson school community members to be present as well to hand out candy and would appreciate this donation! Students will also be able to wear simple costumes to school that day. Please note the following for our Early Childhood costumes...
- No make up
- Teachers will not be able to change costumes during their class time
- Students need to be able to use the restroom unassisted (or as they typically would)
- No weapons or super scary costumes
- Wear these costumes at your own risk! Sometimes kids play hard here at school!
- If students are staying at school for Extended Day they may change into their spare clothes in the PM.
Thank you for your help making this an enjoyable experience for all!
AM Party Time: 10:00-10:45
PM Party Time: 2:15-3:00
This event is weather permitting. If it is raining and must be canceled or another plan be put into place, an email will be sent as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the event, please contact the EC office. Up to two family members will be able to join their child this day for this experience. No siblings please, we are planning enough candy and snacks for our students.
Sign up for Trunk or Treat below!
REMINDERS
- Please make sure your child is here by 8:00. After this is becomes difficult to secure a breakfast for your child and make sure they get to class in a timely manner. After 8:00 they are also considered tardy and should check be checked in at the office. We have a growing number of students arriving after 8:00 and this is causing a concern. Thank you for your help!
- Payments for Little Indians and Extended Day are due by the 10th of each month. Late fees will be assessed after the 10th. Families that have not paid for their child's programming will not be able to continue these services after the 11th of the month.
- Please make sure you are labeling jackets and coats at school. It is very easy for our students to misplace them when they take them off and other children may have the same coat, jacket, etc. We very much want to get the correct outerwear with each child. Please note we may use masking tape for your child's outerwear if we can't find a label.
POWER PACKS
Power Packs is a program provided to many families each week that include food items that help give students and their family nutritious and kid-friendly foods to help get them through the weekend. Some food items include cereal, canned soups, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, and other similar items. By clicking this link, filling out the information requested, and submitting the form - your child can begin receiving these packs each Friday. For further questions, contact Morgan Hoffman, school social worker at 573-243-5271.
NEWS FROM THE NURSE
We appreciate everyone keeping their child home when sick!
PLEASE continue to screen your child before school, and keep your child home if they are sick. Remember, our policy is 24 hours free of vomiting, diarrhea, and fever (without fever-reducing medication in 24 hours). Other symptoms need to be improving in 24 hours before your child can return. Try not to give Motrin/Tylenol (when they are not feverish) because it can mask a fever (the medication takes the fever away so it is unknown whether your child had a fever). Jackson R2 considers a temperature of 100.1 or higher as a fever.
If you are questioning whether your child has Flu you can contact your healthcare provider for further instructions. Please contact tborgfield@jr2mail.org or tstearns@jr2mail.org if your child tests positive for flu.
Don’t forget to clean those water bottles daily (hot water and soap) to prevent strep infection! and continue to WASH YOUR HANDS (that is the BEST way to prevent infection)!!!
LICE!!!!! We wanted to make sure everyone was aware that IF you would receive a notice, the dreaded lice letter, in your child's backpack to please check their head. Furthermore, it is also a good idea to periodically check your child for head lice (the earlier lice is discovered the easier it is to get rid of!). What if your child has it? Please alert the nurses, Tosha and Angie, so we can help! We want to prevent the spread of lice, and we can only do that if we are aware that your child has it.
ALSO- We would appreciate any and all donations of shoes (size 9-12)...we are very limited and go through shoes in EC! Thanks so much in advance!
Thank you,
Nurse Theresa Stearns and Nurse Tosha Borgfield
NEWS FROM THE COUNSELOR
by ‘Ms. Jill’ Hadler
In September, we have been learning about listening and focusing attention during our counseling center time. We have learned that our whole body can help us listen and focus our attention. Snowy, Ms. Jill’s owl puppet, even used her neck to help her listen! In addition, we are learning about taking deep breaths when we have a BIG feeling. We call those deep breaths, belly breathing.
You can help your child with their listening/attending skills by:
Before you give directions to your child, ask them if they are using their listening eyes, or quiet voice.
Practice using their listening skills by playing games like Red Light/Green Light, I Spy, Mother May I, or Simon Says.
You can help your child with their emotional development by:
Teaching feeling/emotion words—Emotion words can be learned by direct labeling. “You feel really mad when your sister takes your toy away.”
Talking about reactions (and the consequences of actions)—”You threw the toy when you couldn’t get it to work. That toy seemed to really frustrate you; however, now the toy is broken. Next time, you can ask for help or use your calm down tools.”
Modeling appropriate feelings/reactions—Let your child see you take deep breaths when you have a big feeling. “Wow, I am feeling really frustrated today. I think I will take a deep breath to help me calm down.”
Noticing feelings on faces- “You are crying and your mouth is turned down. Are you feeling sad?”
Books about Feelings:
Glad Monster: Sad Monster by Ed Emberley
In My Heart: The Book of Feelings by Jo Witek
My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems
The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Brittany Winn Lee
The Color Monster by Anna Llenas
The Feelings Book by Todd Pair
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
When Sophie Gets Angry–Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang
Fun at Home with Feelings:
Draw feeling faces on the sidewalk with chalk
Play feelings charades–Show a feelings face and ask your child to guess the feeling
Make a poster/book/picture about things that make us feel happy/sad/scared/mad
Mirror-Mirror Game—I look in the mirror and what do I see? I see a happy (sad/scared/mad) mommy looking at me!
Need to Talk to the School Counselor?
I am here to help. Please contact me if there is anything I can do to help your child or your family.
Phone: (573) 243-5347
Email: jhadler@jr2mail.org
IMPORTANT DATES
October 16-Fall Family Fun Night
October 29-Fall Party/Trunk or Treat
October 31-No School-Parent/Teacher Conferences
Early Childhood Dates
2025-2026
These dates are tentative and may be subject to change.
AUGUST
Open House August 13, 2025
First Day of School August 18, 2025
SEPTEMBER
Labor Day - No School September 1, 2025
Early Childhood Screening September 5, 2025
PTO Meeting September 11, 2025
Fall Picture Day September 23, 2025
Early Childhood Dental Varnish September 24, 2025
Professional Development-No School September 29, 2025
OCTOBER
Early Childhood Screening October 3, 2025
Fall Family Fun Night October 16, 2025
Fall Party October 29, 2025
Parent Teacher Conference-No School October 31, 2025
NOVEMBER
Professional Development-No School November 3, 2025
End of 1st Trimester November 7, 2025
Early Childhood Screening November 7, 2025
PTO Meeting November 13, 2025
Parent Teacher Conferences November 13, 2025
Parent Teacher Conferences November 18, 2025
Picture Retake Day November 19, 2025
Thanksgiving Break - No School November 24-28, 2025
DECEMBER
Early Childhood Screening December 5, 2025
Winter Parties December 16, 2025
Winter Break-No School December 22-January 2, 2026
JANUARY
Classes Resume January 5, 2025
Early Childhood Screening January 9, 2026
PTO Meeting January 15, 2026
Martin Luther King Day-No School January 19, 2026
FEBRUARY
Early Childhood Screening February 6, 2026
Valentine’s Parties February 11, 2026
Professional Development - No School February 13, 2026
President’s Day - No School February 16, 2026
Early Childhood Dental Varnish-Round #2 February 18, 2026
End of 2nd Trimester February 20, 2026
Spring Pictures February 24, 2026
Parent Teacher Conferences February 26, 2026
MARCH
Parent Teacher Conferences March 3, 2026
Early Childhood Screening March 6, 2026
Parent Teacher Conference-No School March 13, 2026
Early Childhood Screening March 27, 2026
Spring Break March 30-April 3, 2026
APRIL
Week of the Young Child April 6-10, 2026
EC Graduation Picture Day April 21, 2026
Early Childhood Screening April 24, 2026
MAY
Playday May 7, 2026
Tentative Early Childhood Graduation May 14, 2026 (TBD)
End of 3rd Trimester May 21, 2026
Tentative Last Day of School (½ Day Dismissal @ 12:00-No PM Students) May 21, 2026
2025-2026 Scheduled Make-Up Days
The first 2 days of school missed for inclement weather will not be made up.
If more than two days of school are missed, alternative methods of instruction (AMI) may be implemented for up to five (5) days.
If more than two days of school are missed and AMI is not implemented or beyond seven days are missed, make-up days will be utilized in this order: February 16, March 30, 31, April 1, 2
