GENERAL INFORMATION
STAR Program at WoodburyMiddle School
AM session8:30 – 11:30 am
Drop off no earlier than 8:30am and pick up promptly at 11:30am
PM session12:00pm – 3:00pm
Drop off no earlier than 12noon and pick up promptly at 3:00pm
Full day program8:30am – 3:00pm
MODIFIED DAY SCHEDULE
AM session8:30am – 10am
PM session10am – 11:30am
Full day students8:30am – 11:30am
DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURE
If you are planning on driving your child to school or picking him/her up at dismissal, the following is a list of information regarding these busy times of day:
Drop off and pick up for STAR Preschool students will be located at the main entrance of the WoodburyMiddle School. Parents form a line along the curb and pull up gradually while children are being removed or returned to their vehicles. STAR staff will be present to greet and escort your child from your car into the building. Once you have dropped off or picked up your child, please exit with caution to the left of the rotary circle. Children wait with their peers and additional staff until everyone has arrived. At that time, the class walks together in a line to the classrooms. The same process is followed for dismissal.
If someone other than parent/legal guardian is to pick up your child, we must have a note from the parent specifying who it will be and be sure that this individual has photo identification at dismissal time. Dismissal forms are included in the back of this handbook. These notes can be given directly to the teacher or place in your child’s backpack as we will check them daily.
If you will be picking your child up early from school for any reason, a note will be necessary as well. When you arrive for pick up, you must park in parking lot, enter through the main entrance and sign in. The secretary will call down to us and we will dismiss your child.
LATE ARRIVALS
It is important to note that our staff is present for arrival at the main entrance of the Middle School between approximately 8:25am and 8:35am for the AM session and 11:55am – 12:05pm for the PM session. If your child arrives after this time frame, the parent(s) will need to sign in at the main office.Your child’s teacher will be called and when a staff member can be released, your child will be escorted from the office to his/her classroom. Late arrivals cause inconsistency for students and structure of the classroom routine is compromised. Please be courteous and arrive during drop off period so that your child may join his/her classmates in walking to their classroom.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ESSENTIALS
All of the following must be brought to the Central Office atNonnewaug High School PRIOR to your child being allowed to start our preschool program.
_____Pre-Registration information entered via computer on InfoSnap (please see
details below)
_____ Early Childhood Health Assessment Record Form
- the exam date MUST be within one year of the first day of school
- must meet ConnecticutState requirements for immunizations prior to entrance into Preschool
_____ Proof of Residency
_____ Birth Certificate (the original copy must be brought to Central Office with
completed registration paperwork packet/copies will not be accepted)
_____ Social Security Card
_____ Permission to Photograph Form
_____ Payment Option #_____
_____ Direct Payment Form (Required for Option #2 Payment Plan only)
_____ Number of ½ day sessions/week______a.m._____ (8:30 – 11:30 a.m.)
p.m._____ (12:00 – 3:00 p.m.)
_____ Non-refundable registration fee ($50)
InfoSnap/Emergency Information
Step 1 – Go to
Step 2 – Click on the District Information tab (in the top right corner)
Step 3 – Choose the “Powerschool/Infosnap” option.
Step 4 – Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “InfoSnap Preregistration”.
Step 5 – Complete Survey
Step 6 – Click on Submit to complete survey.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Maggie Gildea, Data Administrator for Regional School District 14 at () or call (203) 263-5508.
You will be asked in one section to identify your child’s grade. If your child is three years of age, you will enter PK3 as the grade. If your child is 4 years of age, you will need to enter PK4 as the grade.
This data will need to be entered prior to returning your completed registration paperwork. Staff at Central Office will be validating your electronic entry when you arrive to drop off the packet along with registration fee and tuition payment. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact Jane Fontaine at 203-263-0416 and we will make one available for you.
A Few Important Points to Consider:
- Consider carefully who their emergency contact people will be.
- Ask the people chosen if they would be willing to assume responsibility for your children in an emergency situation.
- Choose people who will be able and available to take care of your children.
- Choose people who live locally or close by.
- Choose people who either do not work outside of the home or are able to leave work if necessary.
- Make sure all emergency numbers are kept current during the school year.
- Let the school know where they can be reached if they expect to be unavailable at any of the routine emergency numbers.
- Recognize that the first consideration in all case must be the child’s welfare.
WHAT YOUR CHILD SHOULD BRING TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY
A backpack small enough that your child can independently carry if possible but big enough for notes and projects that come home
A change of clothes in case of an accident while at school (be sure to include socks, underwear, pants, shirt and remember to switch out as the seasons change)
Dress your child to play each day. We cannot assume responsibility for nice clothing that may get soiled during school time.
A lunchbox with ice packs for items that need to be kept cool or thermos for items that may need to stay warm. We will not have immediate use of a refrigerator or microwave during snack & or lunch times.
Please be sure that EVERY item your child brings to school each day is labeled with his or her name in case things get lost or misplaced.
As for outdoor apparel, be sure to dress your child according to what the weather &/or season suggests. We will be playing outside on a daily basis and dressing appropriately is imperative.
DELAYED OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS
If the Region 14 schools are closed due to inclement weather conditions, the STAR preschool will be closed as well. If there is a delayed opening, children attending ONLY AM will NOT have school. Children participating in a full day will report to school following the delay time (usually 2 hr delay so children would arrive at school at 10:30am). A delayed opening would NOT affect a child attending PM program only. If we have an early dismissal, AM and full day students would be dismissed at 11:30am and the PM session would be cancelled. Please see below for further information.
No School—Early/Emergency Closing/Delayed Opening
“No School” and “Early Closing” announcements will be made via the Region 14 Alert Now system for families who sign up for that service as well as on the radio and TV stations listed below. Please discuss with your child the procedure he/she should follow in the event that no one is at home when an early dismissal occurs.
AM Stations: FM Stations: TV Stations:
WLAD – 800 WKSS – 95.7 WVIT – 30
WINE – 940 WEZN – 99.9 WTNH – 8
WELI – 960 WDRC – 102.9 WFSB – 3
WTIC – 1080
WATR – 1320
This information is also available on the Region 14 website:
The STAR preschool program will be identified on the local television listings under Region 14 School District.
If WMS is on a modified day schedule, this does not affect the STAR preschool program. We will hold our classes as normally scheduled. If there is a modified day identified on the Region 14 calendar for district wide professional development, we will also be on a modified schedule.
SNACK AND LUNCH
Your child will be participating in snack time each day he/she is present. Some may also be present for lunch. The following are some tips to consider when preparing:
Be sure cold items have an ice pack and warm items are contained in a thermos.
Please try and be kind to the environment by not utilizing plastic bags or utensils. Try using easy to open containers and utensils that can be sent home and washed daily.
Please send your child to school with healthy choices for snack and lunch. Try to avoid items high in sugar and fat. Suggestions include: pretzels, goldfish, granola bars, fruit cut into bite size pieces, yogurt, graham crackers, applesauce, etc.
We ask that you try and avoid any snacks and or lunch products that may contain nuts. Teachers will notify parents of any peanut allergies that may be in a classroom.
We do not have use of a microwave during lunch times. Please feel free to hot warm items in a thermos for your child.
ILLNESSES
If there is any question of your child not feeling well in the morning, please keep him/her at home. If a child has an elevated temperature, he or she should remain home until the temperature has returned to normal and is maintained at normal for 24 hours without medication. Children who are sent home by the nurse for illness and/or elevated temperature should remain at home an additional 24 hours to complete their recovery. Please apply the same rule for episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. Parents must sign their child out from the main office prior to picking up their child in the Health Office.
Communicable Diseases
If you suspect that your child has a communicable disease, please do not bring him/her to school to see the school nurse. Please schedule an appointment with your physician. All communicable diseases should be reported to the nurse. These include: STREP THROAT, HEAD LICE, CONJUNCTIVITIS, IMPETIGO, CHICKEN POX, RINGWORM, PINWORMS, etc. Chicken Pox requires a 6-day exclusion after the appearance of the rash or until all scabs are dry. The child is to report to the school nurse upon return to school. Any suspicious appearing skin condition should be reported to the nurse. Children with IMPETIGO, RINGWORM and SCABIES are to be excluded from school until they have a doctor’s permission to return. Children with HEAD LICE are to be excluded for 24 hours following treatment. In cases of severe infestation, we may require a longer absence.
The school nurse will examine a sore throat. If a sore throat persists for two days or if there is fever with it, the child should be seen by the family physician. If a throat culture shows streptococci, the child should remain at home on medication for 24 hours and be non-symptomatic before returning to school.
ABSENCES
If in the event your child is sick or absent for whatever reason, please call the STAR preschool phone line at 203-263-0202 and leave us a message informing us of the absence.School nurse, Julee Oppici can also be notified at 203-263-6763.
STAYING CONNECTED
We here at the STAR program understand and appreciate the value of parent involvement. We will be providing parents information related to classroom happenings via email, throughnewsletters and at times actual photographs of your child and peers in action within the classroom setting. Theseare amazing tools for facilitating language from your child about the day’s events and friends in school.
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering is an integral part of our program. We welcome family members to come into the classroom on a planned and scheduled basis in order to assist us with activities and events that take place within our program. Teachers may even look to volunteers for guest readers as well. The STAR classroom teachers will specifically explain how volunteers are used in your child’s room during Open House. We look forward to seeing everyone throughout the year in some manner!
In order for family members to volunteer within the preschool, each individual must receive a background check prior to helping out. The forms can be found on the district’s website. Once you complete the form, please arrange an appointment to see the Woodbury Middle School SRO who will then begin the background check process. Once the STAR Preschool staff receive notification that the family member(s) have been cleared, you will be notified as well.
TOYS FROM HOME
Region 14 does not allow toys to be brought into the school environment (this includesthe bus) from home under any circumstances. On occasion, your child’s teacher may send a note home requesting items from home for a project or something they are working on specifically as it pertains to their curriculum.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are a very special time for our preschoolers especially! We want to share in their excitement by following the specifics below:
Students are welcome to bring a special treat to school to
celebrate this important day. Talk to your child’s teacher for more
details.Please be sure to make arrangements with your child’s teacher ahead of time…a week should be fine. Treats should fall in line with the district’s health and wellness plan. Cupcakes, cake, cookies, donuts and/or candy are not allowed. Please see the list of suggested options below:
Healthy Food List
Goldfish; Teddy Grahams; Smart Food Popcorn; Apple Slices/Cheese Slices;
Fresh Fruit/Fruit Cup; Low Fat Pudding/Yogurt; Low Fat Whole Grain
Tortilla Chips & Salsa; Rice Krispy Treat or Rice Cakes; Cheese and
Crackers; Graham Crackers; Veggies and Dip/Hummus; Low Fat String
Cheese; Pretzels or Animal Crackers; Real Fruit Juice Frozen Popsicles;
Ice Cream Cup; Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs; Whole Grain Bagels; Raisins or
Dried Fruit; Applesauce Cup; Apple Slices w/Caramel or Yogurt Dip;
Nutri-Grain Cereal Bar
If birthday party invitations are to be sent out through school, be
sure ALL children are included on the guest list. We CANNOT send them home unless this rule is followed, no exceptions.
CELEBRATIONS
Within the STAR preschool program, we will be celebrating many holidays throughout the year. If for any reason a parent has concerns regarding this matter, please see your child’s teacher for further discussion.
FIRE DRILLS/LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES
Our students will be participating in fire drills and lockdown procedures along with the middle school students. We have arranged with the custodial staff to be informed of the drills prior to the alarms being sounded throughout the building so that we can better prepare our preschoolers. Some may find them overwhelming but we have sufficient staffing to handle any child who may need some extra attention. Our children will be exposed to fire and building safety and pre-taught the importance of these drills before any are conducted.
TOILETING
Children entering the STAR preschool program are required to be potty trained prior to entry unless medical and/or developmental delays make it difficult upon entry into the program. We will be here to assist any family and child with this self help skill if the request is made.
PERMISSION TO PHOTOGRAPH
Your child may be involved in some activities within the classroom that may be photographed or videotaped by preschool and non school staff such as newspaper reporters from local newspaper outlets. A form will need to be signed granting parental consent to be involved in the taking of this photography or a parent/guardian may chose to decline. Purposes might include informing the community of the wonderful and creative learning that is going on in the program, creating of classroom schedules and for our STAR preschool/District website.At times, the classroom teachers are in need of utilizing student pictures for technology purposes within the classroom as well.
RELATED SERVICES
As part of our collaborative team approach, the STAR preschool students will have the opportunity to work with not only their classroom teachers, instructional assistants and paraprofessionals, but also with our Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist and Speech Pathologist. We will be working together to develop and implement lesson plans that incorporate fine/gross motor and communication skills throughout the daily routine. There will be weekly movement groups where all students will participate in obstacle courses, parachute games, and bean bag activities to mention a few.
CONFERENCES
The STAR preschool team will hold parent conferences during the month of Januaryfor all students (specific dates and times to be determined). Classroom teachers will notify parents and caregivers of the specific date(s) and sign up procedure.
PERFORMANCE REPORTS
Progress will be documented on all STAR program students two times a year, once in January and then again in June. Parents will receive specific information regarding their child’s overall development within the program. Skills will include; cognition, physical/motor, creative expression and personal - social.
CONNECTICUT EARLY LEARNING DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
The STAR curriculum is based upon the ELDS (Early Learning Development Standards) determined by the State of Connecticut. Please see beginning of year folder for an overview and more information.