Ashland Preschool Update

Hello Families,

We had a wonderful week at school! Despite the colder temperatures, the children stayed active and engaged, enjoying time in the gym where they had fun building, riding in the Cozy Coops, and using the bikes. It was great to see so much creativity, movement, and joy, even on chilly days.

We are looking forward to another fun week ahead as we head into our final full week of school before Winter Break. This time of year is always filled with excitement, reflection, and special moments together.

Progress Notes were distributed in backpacks this week. We are so proud of each and every one of your children and the growth they continue to show. If you have any specific questions or would like to discuss your child’s progress further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.

As we move into the winter season, we’d also like to remind families about inclement weather communication. Please be sure you are signed up for both our SMORE newsletter and Mr. Adams’ newsletter, as he will notify the community of any delays, early releases, or school cancellations within Ashland Public Schools. We also encourage you to check the district website and subscribe to our mailing lists to receive the most up-to-date information.

Finally, we wish all families who celebrate a Happy Hanukkah!

Warmly,
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

Calling all current Ashland Preschool families! Registration for the 2026-2027 for current families will begin on January 6th at 7am!

If your child receives a placement through Special Education, the Teams will be making recommendations during upcoming IEP meetings and will communicate that with you.

Open registration for the public will begin on January 20th, at 7am

Visit the website for registration details. Updated Registration form will be available by December 19th

Want to learn more about the Preschool Program? Join us for one of our information sessions.

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, and to cover updates/changes to our early and late drop off program.

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.

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!

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!

Please remember that all family members who wish to receive the newsletters from me — or any of our other school, department or district newsletters — must subscribe by visiting ashland.k12.ma.us/subscribe. You can also forward them this newsletter and have them subscribe by scrolling down to the footer and clicking the “subscribe” button.

If you have any issues subscribing or unsubscribing, check out Smore: Frequently Asked Questions.

DESE Report Card Information- 2024