Handbook

Preschool Lead/ Teacher: Mrs. April Coté

Email: cote_april@silverfalls.k12.or.us  

Instructional Assistant: Kandace Zeigler

Instructional Assistant: Stefani Pagels

Preschool Location: Silverton High School

Address: 1456 Pine St, Silverton, OR 97381

Silverton OR, 97381

Parent and Teacher Communication Tools

Phone, Text Message, Email, Communication folder and ParentSquare

“Helping children learn for life and live to learn!”

‘Mind in the Making’

OUR VISION

Each student is prepared and motivated to be successful in K-12 education.

OUR MISSION

Cultivating character and growth in each student, every day.

OUR VALUES & PHILOSOPHY STATEMENTS 

• Provide an opportunity for preschoolers to grow and thrive in a positive, supportive, and safe learning environment.
• Facilitate the development of their unique learning and thinking styles.
• Build on individual self-confidence and success within their physical and mental well-being through daily life experiences and learning opportunities.
• Model and foster inclusiveness for all, no matter their uniqueness, culture, religion, or disability.
• Encourage families and teachers to work together as partners to support a successful start to their students’ educational and social- emotional learning experiences.
• Deliver a safe, autonomous, nurturing, and enjoyable environment full of early learning opportunities that provides social-emotional and developmentally appropriate experiences for all children.

Monday-Friday 8:30am-2:30pm

*This schedule is subject to change depending on the needs of our students and teachers.

Preschool students will need to wear clothing that is comfortable, weather appropriate, and able to get dirty. Please bring your child to school wearing safe closed toed shoes for outdoor play. Also having a jacket or sweater available at school is always recommended.

Please bring the following items in a ziplock to be left in their personal cubbies. Student’s water bottle will be sent home at the end of each week to be cleaned—please return each Monday.

• Backpacks are not recommended as space is limited. 
• One full set of extra clothes (placed in a clear Ziploc bag labeled with student’s name) 
• Reusable Water Bottle (labeled with student’s name)
• Pull-ups/Diapers and flushable wipes if applicable for toilet training (please bring enough for our full school week and restock as needed)

Our Preschool Promise program (PSP) has partnered with the Marion and Polk County Early Learning Hub to begin the enrollment process for pre-approved families that request to have their child attend the Silver Falls School District. After PSP receives the approved student application from the Early Learning Hub, families will be contacted to schedule a family orientation to complete the SFSD enrollment packet. This information will be used to enroll your student into the SFSD LBL database for seamless family communication using ParentSquare, family documentation, and transitioning into SFSD kindergarten.

Tuition-pay families will apply through an application and are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Application information will be used to enroll your student into the SFSD LBL database for seamless family communication using ParentSquare, family documentation, and transitioning into SFSD kindergarten.

 

Silver Falls School District values the individual needs of every student and recognizes that some of our families would benefit from additional support to prepare their preschool student for a successful K–12 experience. Securing the Preschool Promise Grant has allowed us to identify the families that most need this support and provide them with this enriching preschool opportunity. The preschool program partners with local education agencies such as the Marion and Polk County Early Learning Hub, Willamette Education Service District, and Mid-Valley Community Action Child Care Resource and Referral to provide staff coaching and training, professional development, special education services, and parent support. Our program prepares children for kindergarten with a strong focus on social-emotional development (friendship and behavior skills), early literacy and math, and hands-on studies that incorporate science and art.

It is our goal to provide more families within the Silverton community with quality preschool programming, so we have opened additional preschool slots as a tuition-based option. If you would like further information on available placement options, please send your inquiries to April Coté at cote_april@silverfalls.k12.or.us.

No continuum of early childhood is complete without engaging families and communities. The systematic inclusion of families in activities and programs promoting child development, learning, and wellness is critical for effective learning with long-lasting benefits. This requires systematic inclusion with intention and coordinated effort focused on creating a culture of family and community engagement, rather than simply a series of individual events. Educators recognize the benefits of including families in a meaningful way. Research shows the positive impact of engaging with families on children’s attendance, outcomes, and attitudes toward school. Family engagement in their child’s programs and schools also provides positive effects for the family and teacher relationship. Engaged families feel more involved in the community and connected to helpful resources, all of which can help children cross those bridges from home or preschool to primary school, and beyond.

Silver Falls Preschool hosts “Family Nights” for all our students and their families to attend. These will be held throughout the school year. Family Nights are not required, but we highly encourage your participation, in hopes of making these nights a fun and educational opportunity to connect with one another outside of our usual class time. Past family events have included Back to School Popsicles on the Playground, Gingerbread Man Cookie Decorating, Literacy Night with Silver Falls Library, and a Garden Party.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on our preschool event topics, classroom learning, and community partnerships.

Parents and families have the important job of raising their children. We support families in encouraging positive parent and child relationships. Families teach their children and learn with them. We want parents to be a strong part of their community and to be advocates for their children, as well as leaders in our program and community.

Our family and school partnership commitment to you is to value each of our families as their child’s advocate and first teacher. Through the relationships we create together this school year, we hope to have built the trust of working together to advocate for the best for your child and family.

The Three R’s of Promoting Positive Family Engagement

• Respect

• Reassurance

• Responsiveness

We will be following all of our school district’s health and safety protocols when welcoming families and visitors into our classroom. If you are interested in volunteering, we would love your support in our classroom. We would just need any interested families or community members to complete a district background check, show proof of immunizations, and watch a safety video before you start. Please see your preschool teacher for more details.

Students should attend preschool only when well rested and ready to learn and play. Every morning at arrival, families will be asked how their child is feeling, how they slept the night before, and whether there are any concerning symptoms the teacher should be aware of. A parent handout titled “Can My Student Go to School Today?” will be provided to all families at orientation. This reference sheet has specific illness symptoms and timelines for when it is safe to participate at school or stay home until symptoms subside.

Emergencies

In case of emergency, staff will contact emergency responders and parents as soon as possible. Staff will remain with the child or children until the parent or appropriate authorized person is able to be with the child. Our preschool will practice fire, earthquake, and lockdown drills monthly. Communication with families about upcoming emergency drills will be shared in advance.

Serious Health Conditions

If your child has a serious health condition, please let staff know so that we can work together with the school nurse to create a “Student Care Plan” with you that would best support your child’s health needs while at school.

Prescribed Medication Administration

If your child needs medication while at school, staff may administer a prescribed medication if a parent is unable to. There is a process that needs to take place prior to school receiving and administering prescribed medication. Before any medication can be given to a child, the parent must complete the “Authorization for Medication” form, and the child’s name and dosage need to be on the medication container or packaging. Our school nurse will contact the family to create the student’s “Health Management Plan.”

Being at school on a regular basis is very important to your child’s learning. You should send your child to school every day unless they are ill. If your child is sick or unable to attend class, please contact the school within an hour of class start time to report the reason for their absence and when your child will return to school.

When saying goodbye and hello to your preschooler, please help us keep this transitional time as safe and orderly as possible.

• Students may arrive at school between 8:20 and 8:35 a.m. and depart from school between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m.
• Please keep pick-up and drop-off brief if parking in front of the preschool house, as the area is quite small. There is also a parking area on the other side of the tennis courts, where you can walk the short trail behind the courts that goes right to the house. This is the ideal parking area.
• A teacher will complete a daily health check during arrival for each student to assess for any new health concerns. Students will be signed into the class if no health concerns are present.
• Students and anyone else entering the building will be asked to wash hands or use hand sanitizer before entering the classroom.
• Please ask your child to use the restroom prior to coming to school or upon arrival. This helps minimize interruptions to our morning educational routines.
• If a family member chooses, they are welcome to walk their student into the classroom to place their child’s personal items in their designated cubby and assist with the restroom and handwashing. Otherwise, please instruct your student to join peers and teachers at morning group or breakfast.
• Family members who choose to stay in the classroom for 15 minutes or more will be asked to sign in on the visitor log located in the hallway outside of the classroom.
• Please model patience and flexibility during these times. Families and teachers may need to share a brief update about their student during this transition.

Inclusive Classrooms

SFSD provides a range of services to children with identified disabilities. Parents, teachers, and WESD (Willamette Education Service District) specialists work together to give your child the best learning experience possible. Teachers include IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan) goals in their weekly lesson plans, and WESD specialists come to our classrooms to provide special education services to children with IFSPs. Specialists will consult with teachers and may work with your child one-on-one or in small groups in the preschool classroom.

Traditionally, SFSD coordinates services with the Early Intervention program through the Willamette ESD for the preschool-aged children in our community. If parents or teachers see limited progress or developmental concerns in a child’s development, teachers can assist parents in preparing a referral for a free evaluation. We work in partnership with the WESD throughout the evaluation process. Teachers are available to attend the evaluation and meetings to provide information about the child at school and to assist the parents in this evaluation process.

Developmental Screenings

You will be invited to complete two different screenings about your child’s development with your child’s teacher within the first 45 days of enrollment: the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE). These screenings measure children’s abilities in communication, physical development, cognitive problem-solving, and social skills. Teachers will support you in this process and can answer any questions you have about your child’s development.

Silver Falls Preschool Promise will continue to partner with the High School Kitchen to provide breakfast and lunch to all of our preschool students. Families are asked to complete the ODE meal application for each of their SFSD students this school year. The application is optional, but it is helpful for our PSP meal costs when approved for free or reduced meals. Some children may not enjoy foods served at the school and are welcome to bring extra food. Food must be kept in a small lunch box and cannot contain any peanut products.

If your child has a food allergy or a special diet, please share that information with your child’s teacher and school nurse so that we can do our best to accommodate their nutritional needs while at school. Families are welcome to bring a lunch box for a child to supplement foods their child cannot have.

Celebrating and enjoying a special treat together is a wonderful way to create a sense of community in our classroom. However, our preschool will be following the district’s policy of only allowing store-bought food items to be shared with the whole class. We would gladly accept any homegrown fruits and vegetables you would like to share with the class during our mealtimes.

PBIS is a proactive approach that schools use to improve school safety and promote positive behavior. The focus of PBIS is prevention, not punishment.

At its heart, PBIS calls on schools to teach students positive behavior strategies, just as they would teach any other subject, like reading or math. In these schools, all students learn about behavior, including those with an IFSP.

PBIS recognizes that students can only meet behavioral expectations if they know what the expectations are. Everyone learns what appropriate behavior is and uses a common language to talk about it throughout the school day: in class, outside, and at home with their families.

PBIS Guiding Principles

• Students can learn behavioral expectations for different situations.
• Students learn expected behaviors for each school setting through explicit instruction and opportunities to practice and receive feedback.
• Stepping in early can prevent more serious behavior problems.
• Each student is different, so schools need to give many kinds of behavior support.
• How schools teach behavior should be based on research and science.
• Tracking a student’s behavioral progress is important. Schools gather and use data to make decisions about behavior interventions.
• School staff members are consistent in how they encourage expected behavior and discourage infractions.

Our classroom community will learn about our three B’s: what it means to be safe, be respectful, and be responsible. Children are recognized throughout the day for their positive behavior by earning “bees” to add to our positive behavior beehive. At the end of the day, the teacher reflects with the children about how they earned bees that day. Bee expectations are given prior to transitioning into activities.

Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS)

“It is not unusual for students to struggle with behavior in school, especially when they are not sure what’s expected of them. If a school reacts only with punishment, students do not learn the skills they need to make positive changes in the future. That is where positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) comes in.”