August 29, 2022

Dear Parents,

Welcome! We welcome and thank each family for choosing our school as your child’s early childhood school of choice for Preschool, Pre-K and 3K For All. Our school’s motto is “One School, One Family, One Spirit of Excellence.”

As an educator it brings me great joy and pride to participate in laying the building blocks of a strong foundation for your child’s growth, development, and character. Here at Center of Excellence, we equip our students with the knowledge, skill, and confidence they need to help them succeed in class and in the future. Your child will be surrounded by caring supportive teachers and staff to ensure their success. Here at the Center of Excellence we follow the NYS Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core. We believe in developing the whole child, and our learn through play curriculum involves all the necessary activities to ensure social emotional, cognitive, fine, and gross motor development for all children. Your children will learn through a researched “play based” thematic curriculum, using developmentally appropriate practices.

Here are some things you need to know about the 3k and 4k program:

Our extended day schedule begins at 7:00 a.m. and regular program hours begin at 8:30 am. Please be prompt, as this helps children easily transition to classroom activities, as well as minimize interruptions once the school day has started. Pick up time for children is 2:50pm (5:00pm for extended day students). Your child will be ready to go home, especially in the first few weeks, so please be on time. 

All students are required to purchase supplies for the year. Please see the attached supply list. All supplies need to have your child’s name on each item and will be expected to be available on the first day of school September 8^th, 2022. In accordance with the DOE, the first week of school will follow a transition schedule of half days. Please see the attached forms with your child's arrival and departure time. This first week's schedule is to ensure the safe transition of children and staff from home to school.

Our primary goal for your child this year is to instill a love of learning in a safe environment. We LOVE to teach, and we want your child to enjoy coming to school every day and get excited about the new things we will learn about! Together, we can partner up to make this year the best it can be! We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns at any time.

Yours Truly,

Education Director

Ms. Ed. Laceyann Pinnock-Souffrant

Communication with the School

• Attend any open houses or orientations to meet the teacher
• Fill out emergency contact sheet and any other required forms
• Make sure your child is up-to-date on immunizations and check-ups
• Notify school of any allergies or health problems your child has
• Review school dress code
• Review school holiday schedule
• Register for any after-school sports and activities

Back-to-School Shopping

• Check school website for list of required materials
• Buy school supplies
• Buy backpack
• Buy lunch box
• Buy uniforms, gym clothes, and other required clothing
• Buy basic wardrobe necessities, including shoes
• Buy needed equipment or supplies for sports and activities

Transportation

• Review bus route and areas of drop off and pick up (if applicable)
• Arrange carpool schedule (if applicable)
• Walk route to school with your child (if applicable)
• Arrange back-up transportation in case of emergencies

Meal-Planning

• Plan and shop for bag lunches and snacks (if applicable)
• Arrange payment for school lunches (if applicable)
• Plan and shop for weeknight dinners

Miscellaneous

• Take your child for a back-to-school haircut
• Arrange after-school care (if applicable)
• Get back into earlier bedtime/morning routines
• Enjoy the final days of summer

Morning Routine Checklist

For Kids’

• Eat a healthy breakfast                                                                                                 
• Brush teeth, wash hands and face
• Get dressed
• Organize Backpack

                                  -Homework

                                  -Notebooks

                                  -Schoolbooks

                                  -Lunch/snack

                                  -Pens and pencils

                                  -Signed forms or slips

                                  -Other projects

• Put on socks, shoes, and jacket
• Catch the bus

For Parents

• Wake up kids
• Prepare and serve breakfast
• Prepare lunch/snack
• Check backpacks
• Sign permission slips or other form
• Drive kids to school/Bus stop