April 2021

FECC Family,

Welcome back from Spring Break! All of us at FECC hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable week and were able to unplug some!

KISS YOUR BRAIN! To all of our students for all of the reading that they did during the month of March! For your hard work, all students will be receiving a certificate to redeem for a FREE ticket to a game at Jimmy John’s Field this summer. Way to go!

We have had a few families inquire about transitioning to the hybrid plan for the remainder of the year. If you are currently 100% virtual and are interested in the possibility of switching to the hybrid plan, please contact me so we can determine if there is space.

I know that even during a typical school year it can be difficult to get back into the normal routine after Spring Break, with the warm weather and summer quickly approaching, and it may feel even more challenging this year. I just wanted to thank you all again for sticking with us during this time and know that we are here to continue supporting you during the home stretch. We’ve got two more months left and we’re going to make the most of it!

Wishing You Well,

Heidi Schmidt

Early Childhood Director

— News Stories —

Distance Learning Materials Pick-Up

Distance learning materials for the months of April and May are being distributed by each classroom If you have not heard from your teacher on how to receive these items, please reach out!

Reminder: Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures for Roomies

FECC has implemented a 30 minute drop-off and pick-up window for our building. The intention for this was to limit the amount of visitors coming to the building at once, and to allow families with multiple students some flexibility. Students are able to be dropped off for class on Tuesdays and Thursdays anytime between 8:30 and 9:00, and picked-up between 1:30 and 2:00. While we understand that it may not always be possible, we ask that you stick to picking up and dropping off during these windows. If you come to the school to drop-off or pick-up outside of these windows, for safety reasons you will not be able to do so at the classroom directly and will need to come to the main office.

If you are running late and will not make it to drop off by 9:00 a.m., please bring your child to the main office. In the main office we will get them signed in and then take them to their classroom.

If you have to pick-up your child prior to 1:30 p.m., please come to the main office. We will call your child down from class and sign them out.

Students will not be dismissed or let in from classroom exterior doors between the hours of 9:00 - 1:30.

Fern & Dale’s Camp FunShine

Summer camp is a go! Space is limited and registration opens Monday, April 14th. Registration must be done in person at FECC, Mondays and Wednesdays only. At time of registration you will need to provide your weekly summer schedule, using offered options, and nonrefundable registration fee.

Visit https://www.ferndaleschools.org/summer/ to learn more about Fern & Dale’s Camp FunShine and other district summer offerings.

Scholastic Book Fair - Buy One Get One FREE!

FECC is hosting their annual Spring BOGO Book Fair!

The book fair will take place the week of April 19th. Students that are attending in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays will have an opportunity to shop with their class. Students that are 100% virtual and would like to come in and shop, can do so on Wednesday, from 9:00 - 2:00.

APRIL 10 - 16, 2021

A week dedicated to celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, families and communities! #WOYC21

Visit the NAEYC Website to learn more about it and get ideas on how you can celebrate at home!

Credible Media for Young Children

This link contains examples of digital tools for parents, older toddlers, and preschoolers. The digital tools for parents with asterisks promote face-to-face interactions between families and their children. They offer parents ways to interact and talk with their child during everyday family routines and activities. The apps and website for older toddlers and preschoolers offer engaging, interactive experiences that support learning in multiple domains. Teachers, family child care providers, and home visitors can share these tools with families or incorporate them into distance learning activities with children and families while programs are closed.

*Some shared resources are free

Help Us Grow!

Although we have worked hard to make online-learning engaging, it has been great seeing all of the smiling faces as kids have returned to the classroom! During the pandemic, we have all been concerned with “missed milestones” in development and learning. Yes, we are learning rules and routines again, but kids are resilient, and they are making friends, engaged and learning through play…and now we are on Spring Break!

Well Spring is the perfect time to look closely at your child’s development to help build lagging skills. Take a look at what kids 3- and 4-year-old should be doing, and then begin to include activities in your day-to-day routine that will develop these skills.

You may have seen some of the Build-Up commercials on PBS this summer that gave quick-tips to parents to engage their children's interests in science, literacy, math and of course social-emotional learning while at home. I was a part of the Build-Up committee to develop the content of the commercials and the website resources, and they are perfect for giving parents ideas for at-home learning! Take a look over this break (add to bookmarks, summer will be here before you know it), the Thrive from Home program was created to help parents and caregivers across the state provide their preschoolers with essential skill-building activities while at home.

What Most Children Do at Age 3*

· Copies adults and friends

· Takes turns in games

· Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps

· Plays make-believe with dolls, animals and people

· May get upset with major changes in routine

· May copy a circle with a pencil or crayon

· Turns book pages one at a time

· Runs easily

What Most Children Do at Age 4*

· Enjoys doing new things

· Would rather play with other children than by him/herself

· Sings a song or says a poem from memory such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Wheels on the Bus"

· Can say first and last name

· Able to name some colors and numbers

· Catches a bounced ball most of the time

· Often can't tell what's real and what's make- believe

Mia Hall

School Social Worker

Ferndale Early Childhood Center

Mia.hall@ferndaleschools.org

248-586-8779

Energy Education and Savings

We’ve partnered with Consumers energy to provide energy resources and education workshops for families. In the next few weeks you will see a coloring book come home to support family energy education. This can be a great way to get the conversation started on the little things we can all do around the house to save energy.

Click HERE if you would like to participate in a virtual energy education workshop.

Consumers Energy offers a variety of programs to help their customers reduce their energy consumption, a win-win for the environment and your budget.

For more energy saving programs and tips from Consumers Energy, click HERE

Hearing Screening

We will be doing hearing screenings for our hybrid students during the school day next week. If you are a virtual student and would like your child to have a hearing screening, please call the office at (248)586-8820 to schedule a convenient time to come to the building on Wednesday, April 14th.

— Upcoming Events —

April 20- 22: BOGO Book Fair
May 20: Dentists R Us
May 27: Last day for Head Start and GSRP Students
June 10: Last day for Little Eagle students

Our mailing address is: 2920 Burdette St | Ferndale, MI 48220