SCHOOL ORIENTATION
Starting school is an exciting experience for a young child---but it can also be a difficult one. Whatever the personality of the child, however eager he or she may seem to be, there may be a moment when the child suddenly realizes that you are not going to be there in the classroom with him. The apprehension that accompanies this realization is a normal reaction. Most children have little difficulty adjusting to school after they have made an initial visit with a parent. Nevertheless, it is important to introduce the child to the school in a way that will make his first separation from the parent as easy as possible. The following is our orientation procedure:
Parent/Teacher/Child Visitations: During the first week of September, each child and his/her parent(s) are invited to come for a visit to the classroom, to meet their teachers and to have a few minutes to explore the classroom. During this time the child will choose his own special stickers and then put them on a cubby and hook that he or she selects.
On the first day of school:
• Four year olds will attend the first day for a shortened period of time (2 hours), with their entire class. The normal 2 ½ hour class will begin on the 2nd day of classes.
• Three-year-old classes will be divided in half, with six children attending for a one-hour period. This will continue through the 2nd day of class. On the 3rd and 4th day of classes, the whole class of threes will attend all together, but for only two hours. The regular 2 ½ hour schedule begins on the 5th day of classes.
• Two-year-olds will also attend the first three days with only 1/2 of their class (4 children) and then attend with the full class for only 2 hours on the 4th, 5th and 6th day of classes. The regular 2 ½ hour schedule begins on the 7th day. Parents or caregivers are asked to remain in the classroom with their twos during this time, leaving to go down the hall to the library, only if the child is totally comfortable.
• Individual school opening schedules were mailed to parents of 2 and 3 year olds in the July packet.
Because each child is different, there may be times when a parent needs to remain in the classroom. This decision will be made between the parent and the teacher. The goal will be to have the parent gradually move out of the room. You may sit outside the classroom doorway for awhile, then eventually be able to move to the parent’s library. While in the room, it is important that you seem absorbed in reading, knitting, or any other quiet activity that will help you to seem unfocused on your child. When children sense that they are not being closely watched, they will usually start to relax. We may have you pick your child up early, in order to help to build your child’s trust that you will return. Please do not "sneak" away without saying good-bye to the child. Say good-bye and then leave QUICKLY AND UNHESITATINGLY, WITHOUT LOOKING BACK. If your child cries at the moment of separation, the crying will seldom continue for more than a few minutes after you are out of sight. It is recommended that you wait in the hallway until the teacher notifies you that all is well.
If separation seems especially difficult, it is often helpful to have another parent or person bring the child to school for a few days. It is also a good suggestion to have the parent pick the child up from school a little early, if there still is difficulty. What we are trying to establish with your child, is the trust that you will return.
It is NORMAL to go through a period of adjustment during this change in your child's life. We try to prevent anxiety by anticipating the many difficulties that may arise. Even if no difficulties arise, it is good to be prepared. Sometimes, on the first day or so of school your child will be so absorbed with the new environment that there won't even be an awareness of being separated from you. Frequently in such cases, the adjustment must be made sometime later - anytime from a few days to a few weeks later. This is a normal part of a child's wholesome growth in learning to accept change and being away from home. Bringing a special item of mom’s or dad’s for safekeeping by the child in the classroom, sometimes helps. Bringing a family picture or baking a special snack to share with the class are also successful ideas.
The school day begins at 9:00 a.m. for the morning classes and 12:15 p.m. for the afternoon classes. We ask that you do not bring the children before that time, as your teachers need those minutes to prepare for the day. It is difficult to do this thoroughly when the children come in early - it is impossible to ignore a little one standing just inside the door or in the hall and to go about our business. This is also a time for discussing the needs of individual children and these discussions must stop when a parent comes into the room with a child. Our teachers wish to give each child a special greeting as they enter the room. Those first few minutes are so important in setting the tone of the day. If you do arrive early, you might want to play on the playground or the “Great Lawn”, as you wait for school to start. Please do not allow the children to run in the hallway as you wait. Thank you for your cooperation.
Dismissal time is at 11:30 a.m. and 2.45 p.m., respectively. Please be on time to pick up your children. Our 11:30 a.m. pick up time is especially important because of our afternoon classes. Teachers have only 45 minutes to clean up from morning activities, set up for the afternoon class and have lunch. If you are late picking up, it means that your teachers will miss their lunch.
It is very important that you send a note to school with your child if he is to be picked up by anyone other than his usual driver {s}. This includes those occasions when he is to go home with another child in the school. If you wish to write the note when you drop off, there will always be paper, pencil and a receptacle for pickup notes near the door of each classroom. We will not allow a child to leave school with anyone other than his usual drivers or person listed on the ”Pick Up Form”, without a note
We cannot over emphasize the importance of car pools. With over 320 children attending the Nursery School and another 100 children involved in the Rye Playschool, a very real traffic hazard would be created if every child were to arrive at school in his own car. We have also found that many children seem more comfortable arriving at school as part of a small group. It can often give them a stronger sense of security. Please consult the class list found in this booklet if you haven't been able to join a car pool from your child's own class. There may be someone who lives near you in another class.
When your carpool or driving arrangements are finalized please provide your child's teachers with a list of its members and, if possible, a schedule of whom will be driving when. Remember, if someone other than the parent or designated person will be picking up your child, please send a note to the teachers describing the arrangements. We will not allow a child to leave with someone new unless we have a note.
Please follow the following traffic pattern when entering and leaving the school grounds. Enter on the Milton Road drive and exit on the Parson's Street drive. The church and school have gone to a great deal of expense to provide adequate parking for parents in the three lots adjacent to the playground. All parking spaces in front of the school entrance are designated for the 35 staff members of the Nursery School and Rye Playschool programs. This is a safety issue and will also minimize cars backing out into the flow of traffic exiting to Parsons Street. Please exit straight onto Parsons Street, without turning right along the church parking area. All parking along the church drive is reserved for church business and church staff parking.
All drivers must accompany their children into the school building and deliver them to the door of their classrooms. We ask that parents, who will be picking up children on the second floor at the end of the morning, please use the back stairway and pick these children up before picking up children from classrooms on the first floor.
As you leave the school building, please do not allow children to run ahead of you, out the front door or into the parking lot, unaccompanied. The door is heavy and pinched fingers are a threat, and we must always be aware of the traffic at arrival and dismissal time. A staff member will be at he door to help your little one to hold a grown-ups hand. ONCE OUTSIDE, PLEASE USE THE CROSS WALKS AND NEW PATHS ON THE TRAFFIC ISLANDS WHEN WALKING TO YOUR CAR. This, too, will greatly help reduce any possible safety hazard. Preschoolers are difficult to see if they are walking in the parking lot. As you drive from the parking lot, please remember to anticipate the unexpected, and DRIVE SLOWLY!! Thank you for your cooperation.
Rye Presbyterian has a “NORSTAR” intercom / security system at the front door. This is the only entrance that will be accessible to parents, as the doors connecting the education building to the church will be locked during school hours. During drop off and pick up times, an administrator will be greeting parents at the door. The doors will then be locked for the session and you must use the intercom to the left of the doors in the vestibule, in order to gain acces . Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious or unusual situations to the office immediately. Never leave your child unattended in the car!
The safety of your child is always our utmost concern! It is for this reason that we ask you to follow the traffic pattern and parking regulations previously described. As stated earlier, children must be accompanied to their classroom door and NEVER DROPPED OFF AT THE SCHOOL'S FRONT DOOR AND ALLOWED TO WALK TO CLASS ALONE. The children know that they MUST use "WALKING FEET" in the hall, so please help us to keep this policy constant by not allowing them to run the halls.
Lastly, one of the wonderful things which occurs at dismissal time is a gathering of parents and children on the “Great Lawn” in front of the school or on the playground. This spontaneous play is exactly what nursery school is all about! However, we encourage you to remember that we are not responsible for supervision once your child has been delivered into your care, even though you may still be on school grounds. We have the added safety of a fence along Milton Road. Please enforce this boundary. Encourage your child to follow the rules of play and safety that are consistent with the school's rules. (Hands at home, use your words, no hurting others, up the steps and down the slide, mostly just good common sense). And please, if they need to use the rest rooms, do not let them come back into the building, unaccompanied.
Your child's health is a matter of major importance to all of us. Upon enrollment, you must file a health form with us signed by a physician. The law requires that each child have certain standard immunizations and a tuberculin clearance. Please use consideration and common sense when determining if your child is well enough to attend school. AN INFECTIOUS CHILD AFFECTS THE WELL BEING OF NOT ONLY THEIR CLASSMATES AND THEIR FAMILIES, BUT ALSO OF OUR STAFF AND THEIR FAMILIES!
RPNS is fortunate to have the services of Kathy B., LPN as our school nurse on staff. In the case of your child becoming ill while in school, the classroom teacher will bring the child to the main office where he/she will remain with Mrs. Bellotti while she notifies the parent or emergency number, if the parent is not available.
PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME IF HE OR SHE:
• Has a fever or has had one during the previous 24 hour period.
• Has a cold that is less than 3 days old.
• Has a heavy, cloudy nasal discharge.
• Has a constant cough
• Has infectious diarrhea (several loose stools in an hour).
• Has infectious conjunctivitis (crusty eyes, the white of the eye is reddened). May return the day after treatment is initiated
• Has Strep Throat (May return the second day after treatment is initiated, as long as other symptoms don't exist)
• Has symptoms of a possible communicable disease. (These are usually sniffles, reddened eyes, sore throat, headache, abdominal pain, plus a fever). PLEASE NOTIFY THE SCHOOL AT ONCE IF THE CHILD DOES HAVE A COMMUNICABLE DISEASE.
• Chicken Pox
• Measles
• Head Lice
• Fifths Disease
Your child should not be brought to school if they are fussy, cranky, or generally out of sorts. This generally means that something is about to start and rest, at such times, may prevent the development of more serious illness. The decision of whether or not a child should be excluded because of illness rests with the Director and/or school nurse. The decision will be based on the possibility of the spread of infection and the ability to make the sick child comfortable. Thank you for observing these regulations.
YOUR CHILD MAY COME TO SCHOOL IF:
• A cold is over, but a minor, clear nasal drip remains.
• If there has been a exposure to a communicable disease, but the school has been notified so that the incubation period can be discussed and it can be determined on what dates your child should stay home, so as not to infect others
In case of accidental injury that is non life threatening, we will make an immediate attempt to contact a parent, then the emergency contact. If we can't reach any of the above, we will call the child's physician. Until the arrival of a parent, or emergency contact, the Director or Assistant Director will be in charge and make all decisions about the care of the child. It is imperative that you keep the school up to date on phone numbers, emergency numbers, cell phone numbers and other pertinent information.
RPNS HEAD LICE POLICY
Precautions:
- RPNS nurse, Kathy Bellotti is the designated person to check all students if an outbreak occurs.
- All dress up clothing, stuffed animals, large fabric puppets, pillows and hats will be removed from the rooms (children often touch each others heads and hair with the puppets, when playing with them)
- Bike helmets will be sprayed weekly
- As professionals, we may make a decision that helmets will not be worn by the children using the riding toys, until an infestation in the elementary schools has ended. We will tell the children that the helmets are being cleaned and we will wear them when we get them back.
- There will be no sharing of combs, brushes, hats, etc.
- Rugs on the floor and loft of the room will be vacuumed daily
- Parents are encouraged to bring backpacks to school and to help their child to put their sweaters and coats into the backpack at drop off time.
Policy:
- If a child shows signs of having head lice, (frequent head scratching, complaints of itchy scalp / head, redness behind ears or on back of neck) the teacher will (or parent may) bring the child to the nurse to be checked.
- If the case is positive, the nurse will follow up with the parent, give them the “Parent’s Guide” and send the child home.
- The parent should follow the procedures described by the pharmacist and school nurse and remove all nits before returning the child to school.
- Before reentering school, the parent should bring the child to the nurse for a follow-up check up
- The child should be “nit free” before returning to school
- If a case is recognized, every child in the class will be checked and a note informing parents (but not naming the child) will be sent home, with further instructions for parents to follow.
Please Note:
It is important to realize that cases of head lice are common in young children, especially in elementary schools and because of siblings, can be highly contagious. A case of head lice is not a reflection on cleanliness, nor is it harmful to the health of your child. If an outbreak occurs, it is important that we work together as families and staff to contain the situation, by following the above procedure. Thank you for your cooperation.
IN CASE OF LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY
1. 911 will be called immediately, initiating emergency contact with the Rye Police, who will in turn call for the Port Chester / Rye Ambulance to respond and to transport the child to White Plains, Sound Shore or Greenwich Hospital. Our experience is that the Rye Police will be at the scene within minutes. A faculty member will accompany the child to the hospital.
2. The child's parent shall be notified. If the parent cannot be reached, the Nursery School will notify the people on the emergency list
IN THE CASE OF NON LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCIES:
• Parents will be called first, then the child's emergency number (if the parents are unavailable), in order to get instructions.
Parents, staff, administration and Board have worked this past year to redefine our food policies for snacks, birthdays and holidays. As an integral part of the school’s core value of nurturing the whole child, the main focus of the school’s snack policy will be to encourage the development of healthy eating habits at an early age. Childhood obesity is occurring at an alarming rate. As an accredited school, our curriculum calls for us to provide nutritious snacks and to educate about good eating habits. Providing healthy snacks in the classroom will help to achieve this. With the collaboration of RPNS families and staff, the school also recognizes and addresses the increasing number of serious allergies in our student population. We will attempt to eliminate or minimize allergens where ever possible and to this end, we continue our policy of PARENTS BRINGING NO FOOD INTO THE SCHOOL. Because of the life threatening nature of peanut allergies, RPNS WILL REMAIN A PEANUT FREE ZONE. (That peanut butter sandwich, half eaten on the way to school, MUST stay outside of the building.)
Children (and parents) will be engaged in the preparation of nutritious snacks in school and made aware of food safety issues. Snacks will vary each day and will be primarily fresh fruits and vegetables. This produce is provided weekly by our distributor, who purchases directly from the produce market in NY. Fresh and nutritious mini muffins will be baked by our own supplier and frozen in our new kitchen freezer. We hope to have no processed foods (other than pretzels, to have as an emergency fallback). Birthdays and Holidays become less centered on the gooey cupcakes and unhealthy food (often loaded with sugar), and more about the creation of a special birthday crown and fun activity or story shared with mom or dad. “Party parents” may plan a special activity, cooking project or gift for each child, (such as bubbles for our beach trip) for those special occasions, as defined by the teachers.
As noted above, this is a growing problem. Food allergies should be noted on the Child History and Medical forms. In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all students, RPNS is a “Peanut Free environment. If medication or an “Eppi Pen” is necessary to have on hand in the school, a doctor’s note explaining usage and a parent permission letter must accompany medication. The medication will be kept in the office with the nurse in most cases.
There will be a minimum of two conferences scheduled with the parents of each child during the year. The first series of conferences will start in October, the second in April. In addition, we will meet with parents as frequently as each child's adjustment to school may warrant and we urge you to telephone your child's teacher about anything, which may be of concern to you. We also ask that you keep us informed about major happenings: parents’ trips family illness, an incipient addition to the family, etc.
PARENT PARTICIPATION AND VISITATIONS TO SCHOOL
Parent partnership, participation and involvement is an integral part of the culture of RPNS. Our school has an “open door policy” for parents and we encourage you to share your special skills, interests, hobbies, talents and occupations with us. Nothing is more profound for your child than to share their mommy or daddy with their friends at school. We have several special days set up for parents to visit. Working parents are invited to attend our special “Working Parents Day” on a Saturday in January or February. Our twos will be having picnics on the playground with their parents in October, while our threes have theirs in May. Twos also have a special “Moms Day” in May. As we move forward with the "Reggio" approach to curriculum, teachers will be providing many opportunities for parents to participate with their child's class. Opportunities may include: accompanying your child on a field trip, researching books at the library or internet on the class project at hand, presenting expertise on a topic, helping with the documentation process on the computer, the web or creating documentation panels for all to see in the hallway.
Parents building a teepee and enjoying "Clay Day".
SPECIAL SERVICES
As we know, young children learn and develop differently. One child may walk earlier than another, while another might talk first. At RPNS we celebrate each child’s uniqueness and individuality, participating in their growth cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically. There may be times, however, when a parent and teacher, in consultation with the parent, feels that it would be beneficial for a child to receive extra help in a specific area and decide to have the child evaluated to receive special services. Specialists teaching physical development and coordination, language and speaking skills, daily living skills such as dressing and eating and play skills are available free of charge to children under the age of five who qualify. We know from experience that the earlier we attend to a young child’s specific needs, the more successful are the results. The process to receive these services from specifically trained personnel begins with a referral to your school district’s Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). The CPSE can assist you in obtaining a comprehensive and individual evaluation of your child at no cost. If you wish, your child’s teacher and the Director will support you through this process and attend the subsequent CPSE meetings to review the evaluation, bring your child’s school experience into the equation and carry back recommendations to the classroom. Teachers work collaboratively with the special education personnel to provide consistency in your child’s program. At RPNS, we are fortunate to have the services of a speech therapist (Sally Ward), an Occupational Therapist (Christa Russo) and a child psychologist (Dr. Paul Donahue) available for students who attend our school.
Once services are approved, special education itinerant personnel may work with your child in the classroom. Your child is never specifically identified as a recipient of these services, and the special education personnel is adept at involving other children in any therapy that occurs. As part of the evaluation process and ongoing assessment of services, it may be important for your child to be observed in the classroom setting. With parent consent, your school district’s CPSE chair can schedule a date for the child to be observed in the classroom setting. The visit must be at a time that is mutually acceptable to the school and the CPSE chair or special education personnel. CPSE chair will then inform the parent of the arranged date and time of the visit, in order to verify that the child will be at school. The Director will then notify the classroom teachers and any special education personnel working with the child of the impending visit.
This program is a gift! Early Intervention Works! Each year RPNS has more than 30 children who receive services in speech, occupational or physical therapy or educational, emotional or play therapy, because of their parents’ advocacy.
SHOW AND TELL
Some classes will have a day or two each week when the children are encouraged to share favorite things, family happenings and tales with the class. The purpose of show and tell is to help the children to grow in language skills and self-confidence. It is in no way a Command Performance. So, if you see your child frantically racing around the house one morning, trying to dig up something for Show and Tell, please reassure him or her that it isn't necessary to always bring things in. Sometimes it’s more fun to talk about a special happening. Sometimes it’s more fun to just sit and listen!
Please don't send your child to school in special clothing that may be ruined by paint or glue. Our paint is washable and the children do wear smocks, however, we believe that nursery school is the time for children to have real "hands on" experience with different mediums of art and the activities are sometimes messy. Sneakers are a good idea for the feet. Much of our gross motor activity is on climbing equipment and party shoes, jellies, or “slip ons” could cause accidents. Boots are a must for muddy days. And umbrellas are best left at home - they are cumbersome and, when opened up or swung around unthinkingly in a room full of children, they can be lethal. We ask that each parent contribute one item of clothing to our Accident Box...a pair of old pants, a sweater, mittens, etc. And if your child sheepishly arrives home from school one day wearing something which doesn't look familiar and clutching his own pants or shirt, please wash out the alien item and send it back to us within the next couple of days. Please be sure that your child's name is in his shoes and on any article of clothing which he may not wear throughout the whole morning: sweaters, coats boots, rain slickers, etc. Classes will go outside every day that weather permits! Please dress children appropriately for outdoor play, including snow pants and boots on snowy days.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE THE CHILDREN’S BIRTHDAYS!
We will have a special treat provided by the school on all birthdays. If your child's birthday falls during the summer, we will be happy to have a half birthday party for him / her in school. Parents may bring in non food items such as party bags, napkins, plates, hats and cups for each child. This will make everybody very happy.
If you are planning a birthday party at home, please issue your invitations through the mail. School deliveries are fun for the birthday child but may get lost and can be sad for those whomay be left out.
We ask that all toy guns, knives, etc. be left at home. Imaginative play is an important part of our day, but we encourage it to be of a positive, non-violent nature. We have found that "Super Heroes" may often lead to a more negative form of play, which we will not allow. If your child's teachers ask that "He Man" figures are to be left at home, it is probably for this reason
The Nursery School is very fortunate to have such an ideal location. The Rye Nature Center and Rye Recreation Park are within a short walking distance. We often like to take advantage of their closeness on a fine day, and you will be notified of our intent to do this. The fours also take trips to Oakland Beach and other special locations such as the Norwalk Aquarium and the Neuberger Art Museum at SUNY Purchase. For these trips we use a school bus with seat belts. Notification of each of these field trips will be made at least a week prior and a special permission slip must be signed by each parent. The twos and threes often take short strolls around the church building, but do not leave the grounds. There will be a note on the classroom door if this happens.
A trip to Norwalk Aquarium with parents and children.
Excellent communication between our teachers and parents is an important goal for our staff. Please feel free to call your child's teacher or Mrs. Flood at home, at any time to discuss problems or relevant information. It is often difficult to engage in a lengthy conversation at the beginning of the class and at pick-up time, or when we are on duty on the playground. Our first responsibility is for the care and safety of your children at those times. Our staff is in school by 8:30 and can be reached either then or after dismissal at 11:30 or 2:45 in order to have more lengthy discussions. Mrs. Flood can be reached at any time during regular school hours by calling the Nursery School number, 967-2073.
Thank you for visiting our website, www.rpnskids.org. Please use email for a quick response. Each team of teachers will be preparing a weekly newsletter with information about the children, curriculum, books being read and upcoming events. These newsletters, as well as pictures will be emailed to you. A monthly newsletter from the Director containing a calendar of events for the next month is also emailed home during the last week of each month. The school calendar and monthly newsletters are also accessible on our website, www.rpnskids.org. Please look for these important communications. Each class will have a private site on our web, accessible only to the parents of that class, via user name and password. Class specific newsletters and photo albums of the class progress and projects will be provided on that site by the class teachers. If you would like to access this private site, please be sure to submit your email address on the form provided in July, so that you may be assigned your user name and password.
The RPNS PARENTS COMMITTEE is made up of all interested nursery school parents as well as two RPNS board members. The goals of the committee are twofold; to conceptualize, organize, and run social functions for the nursery school parents and children and to raise money to supplement the nursery school's scholarship fund, the Eric Wesley Flood Memorial Scholarship Fund. Our first and only organizational meeting takes place on the last Wednesday in September, (Sept. 30th ) at 9 AM and at 12:15 PM, after drop off. If you are unable to attend, please be assured that there will be plenty of opportunity to participate!
The E.W.F.M.S.F. is our main means of supporting families with partial scholarships, thus enabling them to attend preschool. Our funds have grown due to the generosity of nursery parents, friends, and the community. The Rye Presbyterian Women’s Association organizes and runs the RPC Thrift Shop and has presented the school with generous grants in the past to supplement our financial aid to parents, as have the Rye Presbyterian Church Deacons. As expenses and tuitions continue to increase over the years, it is imperative that alternative funding be available for parents and the Parent Committee has been instrumental in maintaining this effort. These past several years we have been able to award more than $ 50,000.00 to more than 30 deserving children. Applications for scholarships may be obtained from Mrs. Flood or Mary Canneto and are totally confidential.
The RPNS Parent Committee holds several functions each year
• Holiday Caroling Party- This event is scheduled for December 11th from 3:30 to 6:00 PM at the nursery school. Refreshments, a bake sale, hayrides, a holiday raffle, Music with Delores Jigi, a craft activity and a visit and picture with Santa are planned in combination with the caroling.
• Pancake Breakfast- Scheduled for March 6 from 8-12 AM will include a wonderful breakfast cooked by our parents and a Scholastic book fair on March 4, 5 and 6.
• New Rochelle Children’s Center for Learning “Caring and Sharing” Program: Our relationship with this preschool, which serves the homeless children of White Plains and Westchester, has grown to great proportions under the direction of Andy Brennan. Co-Chairs and volunteers organize and transport food, holiday gifts and ongoing contributions of children’s clothing, toys and books that are so thoughtfully donated by our parents and collected in our downstairs hallway. Birthdays are a difficult time for the children and their parents, for often parents are unable to recognize this special day. This committee organizes a “Birthday Pals” program where our parents can sign up to buy a small gift for one of the 60 children at CCL
• Playground Supervision after school is provided by parent volunteers each weekday, weather permitting, from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M. This is required by the Church for insurance purposes, in order to allow the use of the nursery school playground. A parent volunteer organizes this schedule.
• The RPNS Sunshine Committee is made up of a small group of parents who have again made a difference in the lives of others. This committee organizes support for the families of students and staff who are experiencing illness, death, or other adversity.
•Teacher Appreciation Luncheonis scheduled for May 6th from 1:15 to 3:00 PM. It is presented by parent volunteers and greatly appreciated by the staff.
School closing due to inclement weather will be broadcast on WFAS-AM, 1230 and WFAS-FM, 104 on your radio. A phone chain will be established in each class, so that each parent will be contacted by phone. In case of inclement weather, we will follow the Rye Public school's decision to close or to remain open. When the Rye Schools have a one-hour delayed opening; the Nursery School will open at 9:45. just as the elementary schools do. If a two-hour delay occurs elementary school classes will begin at 10:45 and Nursery School classes will begin at 10:15. However, please use your good judgment when deciding on the safety of bringing young children out extreme weather conditions.
RYE PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN
The Rye City School District, as mandated by the New York State Commissioner of Education, has developed a district wide school safety plan that addresses each school’s response to a variety of emergencies, both from within the school district and without. As you know, security is a top priority for the staff at Rye Presbyterian Nursery School and Rye Playschool. Besides having a locked entry at either end of the school building and a staff member present at the front door at arrival and dismissal, the staff is trained in other forms of school safety for our building.
Besides our monthly fire drills, we currently practice several other drills with the children throughout the year. These include:
• A “lock down” procedure (in the case of an intruder)
• A “Go Home” procedure
• A “Severe Weather Alert”/ Evacuation to the basement within the Rye Presbyterian Church building
• Evacuation to Resurrection Church Basement. The school district’s plan, calls for the Rye Superintendent of Schools to inform our administration of an early dismissal or the need to evacuate our building to the “safe shelter” (Resurrection Church basement). Our plans for both scenarios are as follows:
Should we be informed by Rye Police, the Rye City School District or out of our own concern for the safety of children and staff, that a “Lockdown Procedure” is necessary, (as in the case of a lost child, an intruder or an irate individual threatening the safety of a child, children or staff), a signal is given over the intercom and all children and staff remain in the classrooms with the doors locked. Children and staff on the playground enter the building immediately through the nearest exit and proceed to the nearest room with locked doors, remaining there until the “all clear” is given. Children will be led into their classrooms and the doors will remain locked until appropriate help arrives. It is important to realize that a “Lock Down” means that no one may enter or leave the building until the all clear is given.
In this case, children will be kept at school with their individual classes and teachers and parents will be called immediately to pick up their children. Those names listed on the white emergency card, first and “Child Pick Up Form”, second, will be used for these emergencies. It is important to list people that can be reached and entrusted with your child, should we not be able to reach you. Remember, we will call you first—so please be sure that we have your most recent numbers on your child’s emergency card (cell, business). Our main goal in this case is to get children safely home or under private care, away from the public building. As in all situations---your child will never be left unattended, but please make every effort to come immediately, should you receive such a call, so that our staff can leave in a timely fashion to care for their own families.
In the case of a child who has not been picked up after an hour and no emergency contacts are available, the student will be taken by car to the home of one of their designated teachers or the Director. (During 911, people were unable to get home from NYC.) In this case of extreme emergency, there will most likely not be a child’s car seat available, however the child will be seat belted. Because this would be a school related activity, teachers will be covered for liability by the schools insurance. He/she will remain in that person’s care until further instructions are received or the parent is contacted. A “Designated Driver List”, which notes which teacher your child would go home with, may be obtained from the front office.
SEVERE WEATHER ALERT / EVACUATION:
If it is necessary to find shelter away from windows, (as in the case of a tornado) the students will be led to the basement Sunday School rooms on the Church side of the building. That side of the church building has two entrance doors on the Parsons Street side, facing Rye High School, from which parents will pick up when the time is appropriate. Again, it is important to realize that a “Lock Down” means that no one may enter or leave the building until the all clear is given. Enough food and water has been stored to support 200 children and adults for two days or more, if necessary.
EVACUATION to Resurrection Church Basement:
Should an evacuation from the building be called for, staff will lead their classes from our fire exits, onto the playground, along our track area to the basement of Resurrection Church. They will remain there until parents come. In this scenario, parents would be notified of the evacuation by local radio and TV stations. Cell phones will be used to be in touch with Rye Police/ Emergency units, and to call parents from our “safe shelter”. When arriving to pick up your child, parents should park in the RPNS parking lot, walk through the gate at the end of the lot, to the side basement door that faces the Rectory. The children will be dismissed from there, in an orderly fashion, with the parent/guardian being asked to sign the child out.
While we do not intend for these plans to alarm anyone, we feel that it is important that we are prepared for any emergency. We will never alarm the children, but we will continue to practice our fire drills, changing the route to be taken from the building, as needed. The children have always seen this as an important and “grown up” responsibility.
One of the more upsetting issues which some parents face with their young children is the occurrence of their child biting or being bitten by another child. Though this does not happen very often, when it does it will usually occur when a child with very little language becomes highly frustrated. He or she may have very little impulse control and may be “territorial” about his or her property or space. There are also young children who bite out of excitement or a feeling of frenzy. This is age appropriate behavior for twos.
Our first defense for biting is prevention. We have only eight children in the two-year-old classes, so that the two teachers can be fully aware of the children who might be demonstrating frustration or displaying territoriality. By “reading the face, body language and energy of each child, we are able to anticipate if a problem is about to begin. We will intervene with distraction, introducing words to help the child express his or her feelings and we will create some space around the child involved.
Should an incident of biting occur, the teacher will intervene, separating the children involved and comforting and caring for the wounded child first. The wound will be cleansed and a cold pack will be applied, often with the help of the “biter”. By including the offender in the healing process, we are encouraging empathy and setting the expectation that while mistakes happen, we cannot allow he or she to hurt anyone and that they must “fix it” by “helping to make their friend feel better”. After this is done, a teacher will talk to the offender alone, using words such as “Biting hurts. We don’t bite. We use words.” Both sets of parents are informed and the teachers begin to “shadow” the child to prevent future occurrences of biting.
It is important to realize that children who bite are not “bad” children, but young children that are in need of tools and language which encourage impulse control and help them to handle their frustration or excitement.
OUR SPECIAL WORDS FOR CHILDREN
The following statements are often used by the teachers, when appropriate in order to help establish our rules in school.
1. If someone has just hurt another child or taken a toy away, we say, "Look at your friend's face. What is he/she feeling? I can't let you hurt (take that toy away from) ___________, and I couldn't let ______ hurt (take that toy away from) you. We need to fix this. What can you do to make your friend feel better?” (You may need to make some suggestions, initially)
• Intervene, identify feelings, state rule, resolve (making sure the aggressor helps)
• We don’t make a child say their “sorry”, but rather involve them in “fixing the problem”.
2. "Indoor voices, walking feet! ", instead of "No running, Be quiet". (Describe the desired behavior)
3. “You can't be someone else's "boss". You can only be your own "boss".
4. "Let's put on our "thinking cap"
5. "What do you think?" (Instead of telling the child what the answer is.)
6. In the case of 2 children fighting, physically, we say," I can't let you hurt someone. We use our words in school"
WE TRY TO ANTICIPATE A PROBLEM BEFORE IT STARTS, AND REDIRECT THE SITUATION!