--------- Hello, Middletown and welcome to our preschool open house. Preschool is an amazing time for young children. Such a journey and not to be looked at as a race. Our Middletown programs are developmentally appropriate. They are rooted in the philosophy that
suggests students are active learners from birth and they learn from a variety of interactions with people, their environment, and their experiences. Middletown has embraced the creative curriculum, one of the state approved mandateed
curriculums to support the active learning that our students interact with each day. Each classroom is designed to facilitate active learning through center areas that depict opportunities for choice.
Students select where they would like to work for play and we interchange those words because a child's work is their play. The teachers are facilitators in this program. They engage with students and they extend their learning and their
language and their experiences. They make them appropriate for each child. There's an element of intentional teaching that occurs in each classroom where you set the room up in such a way that supports curiosity and learning.
Any activity that a child selects is an opportunity for the teacher to join them. talk about what they know, what are they thinking, what do they notice, and increase their knowledge. Our preschool teachers are certified in early childhood education and special
education, and they have the support of a PAR professional. The daily routine supports students and enables them to know what's coming next. Consistent daily routine provides them with a framework in which they can successfully
engage and interact in the day. Middletown we embrace the development of the whole child. We look at them in terms of all of their cognitive ability, physical ability, social emotional capacities,
self-help skills. Daily our students are greeted upon arrival. Their first steps of independence begin. Then they are greeted by friendly staff, teachers, par profofessionals, security guards
as they make their way to restart their day. Children are provided with consistent daily routine helps and supports that independence and that framework provides them with the opportunity to know what's
coming and how powerful is that? Students are active learners and they make choices. How are they going to spend the time during that day? There's a variety of activities that go on all day long that support the development of the whole child.
It's really about looking at them as this one unique developing individual personality with vast needs. They have areas of strengths and areas that need a little more support. Our
teachers are very keen at providing the support that each student needs. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Well, that was just a little insight into the busy days that your children have. So, I'm just here to talk about the integrated preschool program we have
at Middletown, what we have to offer, and the lottery process. Um, we have 12 integrated classrooms across the district in four elementary schools. So, Fair View School, Harmony School, Middletown Village, and Ocean Avenue. There are mixed age groups, um, three,
fours, and fives. And we have some IEP students and income eligible students. So incoming three-year-olds must be three by October 1st, just like a normal school entering date. Um we have seven full day sessions
across the district. U Monday through Friday, 8:45 to 1:45. Those full day sessions are housed at Harmony, Ocean Avenue, and Fairview schools. And you can see the tuition for that program is listed on the slide. We have 5 a.m.
sessions and 5:00 PM sessions across the district. And those half-day sessions are offered at Fairview School, Harmony School, and Village Elementary School. We do provide equal access to academic and social learning opportunities and resources for all of those students who
have physical or intellectual disabilities. Our lottery selection is randomized. So you will complete a lottery application beginning February 2nd through the 17th. Once your application is received um very early on
at the in March, we will do a selection and you will be notified. Two full day classrooms are reserved for students with disabilities who require more intensive support and related services. I just want to note that there's no order to how you apply for
that lottery application. Those numbers become randomized once the 17th has come to an end. Next slide. Our our philosophy we recognize that children are active learners from birth.
They they require a variety of hands-on experiences and they need many opportunities to interact with people, materials, objects and their environments. I mean early child is so powerful and the time is so short and we really must embrace
them as unique individuals. Um the concept of developmentally appropriate practices guides the learning and is evident in our philosophy, our curriculum and our assessments. What that mean is while there is a rate and pattern to development for each child is unique and so our teachers notice where
your child at is in a given area and takes them to the next step. We use the creative um curriculum teaching strategies gold. It is one of the statemandated curriculums. I actually think it's one of my favorites. Not to be biased, but um it has a whole
focus on the whole child. And I don't want to read every slide to you, but it assesses all those areas we talked about, social emotional, um language, cognition, motor, self-help, and independent skills. And we we really do do it through a very interdisciplinary
approach. So there's always opportunities for language development, cognitive development, math, language arts, science, social studies, and the arts. Um, it's play-based learning. Kids don't even know that they're learning. They are so engaged from the minute they
walk in. And I tell our teachers that every minute is a teachable moment. Um, the teachers are they take they collect evidence daily through artifacts that the students are doing. So all our assessments are observationbased.
Um, and again we look at the continuum. uh teaching strategies gold helps us to look at students where they are in the developmental continuum and then where what are the next steps for that child. Again, it's a state um approved curriculum and aligns with New Jersey
teaching learning and preschool standards. We offer individualized instruction and ongoing progress monitoring. So, we're always looking at what your students are doing. in connection with that creative curriculum is a a teaching it's a app for families
and teachers daily send you pictures, artifacts, um or just a way to communicate. So it's a really fabulous curriculum that we do use in Middletown. Next slide. Um so as of starting Monday, we will accept the preschool lottery
applications. It will be on the district website and you will complete it out. We will accept those lottery applications through February 17th. Families will be notified of their status through the week of March 2nd.
You do not register until you are accepted and you received an email that your child has been selected. And then the um you will register through the Genesis portal beginning on Monday, March 9th. U Mr. Kushner, did you want
to add anything to that Genesis portal or the registration process? >> Nope. Just to reiterate that the Google form is to intake all of the lottery applicants. Uh once Miss Wilson uh and
and her team uh randomize the selection, um you'll be contacted directly with a registration code. Without that code, you should not be registering. Um and when you register, make sure you include that code so we can ensure uh ensure
that your registration is processed correctly. >> Thanks, Dan. Um contracts will be emailed. Everything will be done through email. So, your notification will be done through email and your contracts will be emailed to all registered families to be signed and returned with
a $100 non-refundable deposit. Next slide, please. Oh, here's that registration process. Pre prek student registration for 2627 will be online only. There are no um in-person appointments and their
required documents must be uploaded directly to the registration portal through our secured document upload. Um you will be given a more um detailed outline of what those documents entail once you have been selected as a
candidate. Um, and as Mr. Kushner said there, you would not be able to submit your application without the documents and without that six-digit authorization code. So, I know this all sounds like a lot, but let's get through the lottery application first and then the
registration process next. Next slide, please. Um, here are the documents. Original birth certificate, immunization record. Incoming students must be three year old three years old before October 1st. Um a
physical exam dated after July of the previous year. Four proofs of residence and stateisssued photo ID. These are all of the parents or the families residents. And if you have any questions, the these slides will be posted onto the district website. So if
you need any information or you want to refer to a friend, they can go to the district website for this complete um presentation. And there's any questions regarding registration can go through the district registars office.
Next slide please. There's some frequently asked questions. Um if your child is return is in our Middletown preschool programs, one of the Fair View, Ocean, Harmony, or um Village, they do not need to enter the lottery
unless they are requesting a change in program. If they are in a half-day program and they wish to apply for a full day program, then they must enter in the lottery. Transportation is provided for IEP or income eligible students only. And if you believe that
you are may qualify for income eligibility, you can mark that on your lottery application and then you would need to complete additional forms. Lottery application is not the registration application. And this is really important. Though you
have the ability to identify a preferred location on the lottery application, there really is no guarantee. We try as best as we can to place students in close proximity to their home school or their neighborhood school, but Middletown isn't that big. So, if you
get invited to another location, embrace it and and it will be an amazing experience. Um, lottery selection is randomized. The order in which you submit your application does not impact decisions. Application applicants will receive
notification via email regarding their application status. It is recommended that you seek an alternate program if you do not make the lottery. We do hold a waiting list and my secretary Megan Ferrara is very
diligent in seeking those families out that are on that um waiting list. Um students who are turning five by October 1 are not eligible to enroll in Middletown's preschools. So families should consider other options if they
are delaying kindergarten entrance. The other thing I might mention at this point is that um both high schools offer a child development program. Um the Little Lions Club at High School North and the Little Eagles at High School
South if in the event you need a program. It is free to Middletown residents. Um and they do offer morning and afternoon sessions. So you can go to those high school websites for more information about that program as well.
So lottery application versus um registration I believe we spoke about that once you're accepted into the lottery then you move forward with the registration process consideration is that your lottery application all of them will be considered and the email will confirm whether your child has been
accepted or not. If you have siblings that are of age please list them both on the lottery application or twins. there's a space for you to do that. Um, returning Middletown Township District
Schoolu preschool students will not need to reapply or register. We talked about the acceptance and the weight list letters and teachers and sessions and building requests are taken into consideration. However, they are not guaranteed. When I tell you that I am in
all of our buildings, in all of our classrooms, and our teachers are amazing and they all do a fabulous job. So, whatever building you get accepted into, embrace it and really you will be pleased. Um, next slide.
So, Middletown Integrated Preschool, these are the resources. Department of Education, we follow the preschool implementation guides, the New Jersey preschool teaching and learning standards. We use the creative curriculum. We have high quality preschool classrooms and highly
qualified teachers. Again, they both have they have dual certifications in early childhood and special education, developmentally appropriate practices. We acknowledge that when students are ready for something, we're going to present it to them and we're going to um
make sure that they have a strong foundation to build higher level learning. We do do an early screening um inventory. It's called the ECP and that happens in preschool. And then and once that um if your child is given the easy
P, there is an easy K for kindergarten as well, but they do not will will not need to do the easy K screening. And that's really just a glimpse into our preschool program. The lottery does open on Monday and so I encourage you to
apply. Uh there's the registration link which you will be able to access through the district website. Um that is the should be the lottery link. Um, and any questions if you can email my secretary, Megan Ferrara, and her email is that and
we would be happy to address any questions you might have. We don't have the time for a Q&A tonight, but most of the questions that we frequently get asked, I believe we answered. Well, we look forward to um possibly meeting you
and your children and and thank you for joining us tonight and have a fabulous weekend and stay warm. Thank you again, Middletown. I am Cindy Wilson and I am the supervisor. So, if you need me, my email is not up there, but is
wilenc.org. Thank you, families. Part: 2
Good evening, Middletown, and welcome parents of incoming kindergarteners, class of 2039, if you can even believe it. My name is Cindy Wilson, and I'm supervisor of preK to 5 for the township. I am joined by
some other colleagues that I will introduce um on the next slide. And I want to thank you for joining us tonight. Whether it's your first child or your last child heading off to kindergarten, it is still an exciting time. So, thank you. Um I
hope you this is informative. If not, you can always email with some follow-up questions. Next slide, please. Dakota. As you may or may not know, we have 11 elementary schools and listed in the screen in front of you. You will see the schools and the principles. I'm not
going to read through those because you can read for yourself. And this recording will be on the district website in the event you should miss it or I want to refer it to a friend. Um I'm going to talk about what you might expect in kindergarten or how can
we get our kinders ready. We have Lisa Manley with Witson. She's going to talk about the lunch program. I have Danielle Shrek who's the supervisor of special education. and she will give us some insight into student services. We also have Mary Fischer who is the head nurse
for Middletown Township. She will give you all the health information and documents that you may need to register. And we also have Dan Kush Kushner who's the supervisor who helps us with our online registration process and the parent portal and report cards. So,
thank you all for spending time with us this evening to um offer this program to our parents. Next slide, please. So, people always say to me, and I've been in education for over 40 years, I have to admit that um people always say,
"Cindy, what do our kids need to be ready?" And they really just need a lot of hands-on experiences with opportunities to um use language, have be curious, solve problems. But some things that we thought were important to
mention this evening were we will do an easy case screening which will take place in the spring or in the early fall. The date is determined by individual schools. Um it is really just to give us some baseline information about your child. It's not used for any
placement decisions. It really just gives us the first piece of data that we need upon them entering into our schools. We really just want to make sure you are reading your ch you're reading to your children. You know, make a habit of it and make it fun. Kids need
to hear language. They need to hear sounds. They need to be able to express themselves and tell you what they're thinking. Um, there's so many opportunities to explore literacy in the world. It's all around us. Environmental print. I'm sure they're already passing
by Target and noticing Target or Dunkin Donuts. And so it doesn't have to be a formal kind of let's get ready to read. Um rhymes, finger plays, chants, uh are so important. And kids love hearing fairy tales and nursery rhymes and some
things we don't do enough of. So really we want you to read, have a love of reading and notice everything around them in the environment that can be read. Same with math. Recognize math in the real world. There's shapes and patterns and counting
and onetoone correspondence and who's setting the table and could you put a plate down and a fork and a knife and a cup? Um, what do you notice in the pattern? What colors do you see? There are so many opportunities in the world around us. If we put our devices down
and pay attention, there's a lot to be learned. Um, really it's important for us to teach your your children their phone number, somebody's phone number. I know myself, I had to struggle relearning important phone numbers because if I lost my phone, I would be
lost. So, you really do need to encourage them to learn a couple of phone numbers by heart. Um, self-help and independent skills are really critical and I can't stress it enough. You know, we want to get them ready, get them ready, get them ready,
but we really need to take time developing the skills that they need to be independent. So handwashing, toileting, coats on and off, zipping, unzipping, buttoning, opening their lunch boxes, their juice boxes, their packages, all of those things will help
them to be independent in the kindergarten classroom because they could be one of 20 plus and those skills are important in terms of getting them ready on the road to independence. So really important to work on those. A
consistent daily routine is often very helpful and I know that helps us in our our classrooms because we can provide a consistent daily routine. And I know in the real world it's really hard to have those routines with everyone's schedules being on different pages, but at least your bedtime routine can be consistent.
Maybe your morning routine with getting up and um brushing teeth or eating breakfast, however it is. But if you have routines set, it really helps the kids to know what's coming and empowers them and it will make your life easier in the long run. Um,
as hard as it is, a meal together is so important just to talk about the day, you know, um, just to check in with everyone, you know, what's your bud, what's your roses for today. So, as much as you can, try to eat together as a family or a unit. Um, expand on their
language. Tell stories. Let them tell you stories. Label items. Explore sounds. Um, make games out of I spy. Can you guess? What do you hear? Whose name sounds like ma mom or math or dad? Um, I
just they hear sounds and decipher sounds way before they start to look at the symbol. So, I mean, we do teach them end of the year kindergarten skills. The standards we use are New Jersey student learning standards. And all those standards are skills that kids should
master by the end of kindergarten. So, don't panic if you think, "Oh my gosh, they don't know all their letters and sounds." We're going to teach them that in kindergarten. And we're going they are going to be exposed to so much. And our curriculum now is really exciting. It's very hands-on. It's very
multiensory. And so, um, our kindergartens have become a really active learning environment for our our littles. And I think that's important. I think we need to take time and play games and, you know, permit pro promote winning and losing and turn taking
because not many of us are very good losers. And in the world, you really have to be able to take the wins and take the losses and and become a stronger person because of it. Play. Play every day. They need to play. Um I
I I think that's something that needs to be cherished as parents of children. They need that time to just be. They don't always have to be engaged in a structured activity. So let them go outside. Let them splash in mud puddles.
Let them be little because it's such a short time that they are little. And really limit the screen time. Um, I know I'm going to sound old now, but my parents used to say, "Don't sit so close to the television. It's not good for your eyes." Well, we really defy that.
We see littles often with screens that are less than a foot away from their face. And and I worry about vision, you know, like how what is it doing to their their eyes and their vision. So, really think about that. I know it's hard. Um, but really try to limit it. And screen
time is everything from the television to the games that they play to the phones. I mean devices were so all hooked up but just try to be mindful of it and set some time away where the devices go down. U fine motor skills
happen all the time. Tracing, cutting, buttoning, lacing beads, using markers, crayons. Um, those are the skills that will help build a strong foundation for those writing skills that come on later on. So, there's a lot we can do with our
kids. We just got to pay attention and be present with them. And I mean present without your phone. We have some general school information. Our school hours are the same. If you have children in the elementary, our hours are 8:55 to 3:05.
Um, drop off begins as early as 8:40 and dismissal is at 3:05. Early dismissal time is 1:10. Districts always post the early or delayed opening schedules as we've experienced most recently. So, um, be
mindful of those time changes and check the make sure you have the correct email addresses and contact information, which um, Mr. Kutchner will talk a little bit more about. We do offer before and after school through Champions. That
information can be found on our district website. Um you would they're a separate entity and you would make those arrangements directly through Champions, but they're early there as early as 7 and they're there until 6 p.m. Parent teacher conferences are held in
January and report cards are listed on the Genesis parent portal. But please reach out to your prior to your teacher if you have a concern. I think that open communication is critical especially for our littles. So don't wait if you have something that
you know you need to have answered or or if you just have something that you have a question about. Um school lunches are served each day and we have someone from Witson's here to talk about the lunch program. Uh students are issued a lunch
ID and you can prepay for accounts ahead of time. Next slide please. So our kindergarten schedule it may differ in every school but there are major components that are consistent. So we have an intervention block during the
day. Our children are provided with integrated play centers for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. We have literacy which is reading and writing and we have an multi-ensory literacy program which really keeps our students engaged. Um,
it's very hands-on. It promotes active learning. The students are up, they're down. They're changing their location from the carpet to the table. They're using sand trays and manipulatives to learn sounds. Um, so it's really an exciting change for us and we really are
enjoying the program across the board and we're seeing some great results. Um, there's opportunity for science and social studies. Um we try to use themes this again once again in kindergarten where our science and social studies are
tied together in those themes and um it really makes sense for students to have that integrated approach. There's lunch and recess and a snack. So most kindergarten rooms that I have been in offer a snack whether it's in the morning depending on when their lunches
or in the afternoon. So um there is also a math block and again we really try to present things very hands-on very centerbased so students are moving um they have health
and phys digital literacy I'm not quite sure what that 40 is after that but we'll just pretend it's not there. Um next slide please. Um, I'm gonna introduce um Lisa Manning from Witens who is going to
talk about our food service program. So, Lisa, it's all yours. >> Unmute. >> Hi, thank you very much. I'm happy to be here with you all. >> Breakfast and lunch is served at all 11
elementary schools and breakfast is free for all students. Uh paid lunch is $3 $3.75. Um there is a free and reduced meal application available online and the food service section on the website.
Um during a regular school day, lunch options always include two hot specials, one weekly cold special, we have a weekly salad special, and then we have daily cold options uh that are available every day. uh bagel, cereal, and muffin
lunch. Um we always try to put um use we use a local produce company for fresh produce and uh we have that available every day. Um our menus are on are posted on the website and they are interactive. So, if
you click onto the menu, you get into FD meal planner and you just choose your school and you can get all the nutritionals for um every item that's listed. Um, if you have any dietary restrictions
and you need anything special um like the gluten-free menu based on a medical issue, you can certainly just contact our food service director, Jessica Ritz. Uh, her email is ritzjmiddletownk12.org
and we can have that provided for you. Next slide. Uh, this is a uh just a um sample of our February menu that are coming up. Uh we have we try to introduce new options every month. Um we are just rolling out
actually at the end of um January for a breakfast special. We have trying overnight oats at the elementary school for breakfast. Um we're getting some good uh reviews with that and so we're constantly trying to um update and uh
introduce new items. We we greatly encourage any feedback or any suggestions from parents and we try to use uh organic items when we can and we do some scratch cooking whenever possible.
Um let's see. We the newest item we have in February is uh we have Simply Box protein bites and those again are made from scratch. They're made at High School South and then uh sent out to all the elementary school kitchens.
Pay schools is our food service um uh I guess uh account uh where you can go to fund your students account and you can prepay there. You can have have it set up to auto replenish as
well. Hello. As Mrs. Wilson introduced me, my name is Danielle Shrek. I'm one of the supervisors of special education. Uh Mrs. Jennifer Granger is our district director of special education. Mr. Nick Dory is another supervisor of special
education preK through 5. And then there's myself next. So, we have a lot of resources. So, Cindy did a great job of explaining what to prepare and how to prepare your students, but all students learn um at
at different pieces. And we uh Middletown have a wonderful um support system and staff in every building. So we always in special education before a student needs to go to special education we always start how
can we help them in the least restrictive environment we are always starting with general education. Every elementary school has a school counselor. Um if you have children that have been in the elementary schools you may know them as SPSS social behavioral support specialist but now they're known
as a school counselor. We also have reading development teachers and math specialists that are in each building. If a student is and starts to struggle based on some of the assessments that Mrs. Wilson was talking about, we do have a multi-tiered system of support.
Um, tier one is supported by the classroom teacher within the classroom. Tier 2 is supported by the classroom teacher, but in addition, it may also include the reading development teacher and the math specialist. Tier three is
the most support which increases from additional tier one, tier two and it also is more supports uh more time throughout the week with the reading development coach and or a math specialist. It really all depends on the area that the student needs more intervention in which again is um looked
at through all of the data. We do a variety of assessments throughout the kindergarten school year in order to be able to instruct each of your students at their individual levels. We also have INRS which is intervention referral services. So if the students
need more they would go to that. Um we also have 504 plans and some students do have speechonly services. When and if a student needs to go to special education or needs more specialized instruction. Um each
building does have a child study team and a case manager. Some of the larger elementary schools might have or ones that have special class programs may have one case manager, two case managers. Um but everyone at least has one case manager and one school
counselor. Um students if eligible for testing um we do provide I individual education plans. There's a whole um process to go through for that. Um services that we do have at the kindergarten level is uh if a student is classified and found eligible first
services and specialized instruction um we do have in-class resource which is the support of a special education teacher in conjunction with the general education teacher. We also do have special class programs including autism, multiply disabled and language and
learning disabilities. Uh and those programs are not in every building because again they are special class programs. Majority of the students are in an in-class resource setting if they need that extra support. In addition to all of that, we do have uh the related services, speech, occupational therapy,
and physical therapy. So, as you can see, Middletown does have a plethora of supports for students starting with general education and going all the way through special education. Again, if there's any other questions, you can always um email or contact the building
to get more information. Next slide. Sorry, I was muted. But I'm going to introduce Mary Fischer. She's the head of um our nursing our nurses for Middletown and she's going to review these slides and everything you might need to know in terms of keeping your
child healthy and safe. Mary. >> Hello everybody. Good evening. Um my name is Mary Fischer. I am the head nurse here in Middletown School District this year. I am actually the nurse at Linkraftoft Elementary. So I am familiar
with the kindergarteners. Um I'm sorry my picture isn't up there. I'm not sure quite sure what my c my uh camera's not doing. Um but if we can go to the next slide, we can hit a couple bullet points. Um what your child is uh
required to have in uploaded into Genesis when you do register this year for your uh child into kindergarten. You will need an updated immunization record and there are specific um immunizations
that your child should have. uh you can get that record from your physician from your child's physician and upload it into Genesis. This is required by state of New Jersey and your child um is in need of that as well as a physical exam.
All of these forms should be available on Genesis. You can download them com uh have them completed and then upload them into the registration site. um a physical exam by your physician. It would need to be done
uh the physical exam by January uh July 20 of 2025 and later. So for the 2026 27 school year. So if your child has had a physical in the past since this past
July, they are within the date and then we would need that the uh growth and development form that is on the forms that site as well and that would need to be downloaded filled out by the parents and then uploaded. And then the vision
screening is not necessarily on the registration site. your individual uh nurses will send that home if it's not up there. That sometimes we have the Middletown Lions Club come in and do our vision screening. Screenings are done
annually on all the children uh height, weight, blood pressure and then depending on the school year, hearing, vision, and scoliosis scoliosis. If you can go to the next slide please.
uh medications. All medications require a uh physicians to sign off on. We do have specific forms for that. We do have over-the-counter that we do have uh
standard orders for from our school physician and that would be for Tylenol, anything over for fevers over 101, ibuprofen, benadryil for allergies and Tums. Sometimes we are permitted to give
that as well. Um any other medication forms, your uh school nurse would be the contact person for that. um and they would be able to give you the forms for those. If your child has a daily medication and would need uh a daily medication, there
is a specific form for that and uh reach out to your school nurse and she'll provide that to you. On our uh school websites, every school's website does have our on the nurses uh page has the
guidelines and protocols for our school district. We do have a fever uh policy of anything 100.4 and above. And I would say most schools round that off to 100. If your child is
uh has a fever of 100, then they're probably working their way up and and getting sick. Especially in elementary school, there is uh um children spike at that age. They don't
always come into school with a fever, but then they develop it in school. And that's not uncommon. Any undiagnosed rash, anything that we don't know why there is, they will be expected to go home to find out why they do have a rash, especially since the measles
outbreak is coming around and it will be around. uh vomiting, diarrhea, anything uh that the child is reporting or has had the 24-hour rule, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, they will be asked to be
picked up. Pink eye, anything conjunctivitis in the eyes. Again, the teachers will send them down. Please don't send them to school because they will be sent asked to be picked up. um anything that if you don't think that they're going to be able to
stay the day in school and they're coming into school and coming to us three or four times, we will be calling you. Um they're not getting anything out of the day. Um and what I can just say is that they have uh if there's something going on at home and a child
doesn't want to stay in the classroom, there's a reason for it. Usually, nine times out of 10, we try to keep them there, but there's usually something going on. A heads up would be great. Again, the 24-hour rule, any student should be 24 hours without vomiting,
fever, or diarrhea without any medication before they are returned to school. Next slide, please. Uh medical notes are required for communicable illnesses. We are required to um keep track of those. So strep throat, scarlet
fever, pneumonia, um the flu, all of these things we keep track of as a school nurse for the state and we have to report them for outbreaks in the schools. Very right now we have an outbreak of uh the neurovirus, the
stomach bugs going through many of the schools. So we really try to get a heads up on that and keep everything uh clean. We get hit the bullet points with the custodians and try to get everything uh cleaned up with that. Medical notes for physical education. If they're in a
cast, they can't participate in PE or recess, then we we need notes for that. Orthopedic injuries. If your child is need crutches, has a brace or is splinted, we need notes for that for the
school. Especially those elementary schools. Not that those young guys go up and down the stairs, but there is stairs going in and out of the building and with the ice. We know that, right? We don't want them slipping on it. So, we have to take extra care for that. The screenings, we went over this. We do
screenings for the st children every year. You can go through the next slide. Allergies. If your child has a documented allergy uh or asthma or diabetes or seizure, there are specific
forms and and emergency action plans for these and we would need those documented and medications kept in school for those uh students with that are in need. So, please contact reach out to your nurse and let them let her know that your
child has an uh dietary issue or an allergy or some other medical issue and then we'll get through the paperwork for that. Next slide. Uh emergency contact information. I'm sure your uh main office will let you
know that. Let re reiterate this to you, but if we have a child in your our school, we should have someone close by as an emergency contact. If you work in the city and your child is here and they're raging a fever of 101 102, we
need them picked up. So, if you could have someone close by as an emergency contact and that information put into the system for them to be picked up, that would be greatly appreciated. There's nothing worse than having a sick kid throwing up or with a raging fever
in our office and they have to wait an hour and a half for you to get home. So, for everybody's sake. Next slide. Oh, if you're absent, yeah, notes for absences should be uh sent to school. So, if your
child has an absence for three or uh days or more, they need a note to return to school from the doctor. Um I understand that it's not always necessary to go to the doctors. Um but if your child is absent, it's always a
good idea to provide the uh documentation and the artifacts behind it. So why they are especially when they as they start getting older into the middle and high school years. And if you have any questions, reach out to your uh your nurse. The contacts are always on
the website. Reach out. It's a great resource, your school's website. We look forward to having you everybody. >> Good evening everyone. I just want to talk through a little bit of the registration process. Uh there's a link on this presentation which will we will
have posted to our website uh tomorrow uh that you can access, but you can access the link directly through the website uh in our registration portal. Uh some key things that you'll need to be aware of that uh registration will officially open on Monday, February 2nd.
Any registrations processed or or added prior to Monday, February 2nd will be discarded and you'll have to begin the process over again. So use this time through uh through the weekend to gather all your materials that you'll need
upon, but don't start the process of registration just yet. Please wait for Monday. The following documents are required uh to be uploaded. If you don't upload those documents, you will not be able to finalize your registration and the registar will not process. Uh so
it's recommended that you gather all those materials prior to starting the process. So an original birth certificate, immunization records, as Miss Fischer mentioned, uh physical exam performed within the uh the after July 1
of the previous year. Uh we realize that physicals may lapse between now and the start of the school year. So please just get your most recent physical exam uploaded and then an additional physical exam can be uploaded prior to the start of the school year uh should it lapse.
Uh the growth and development form is available for download uh as a PDF. You can fill it out uh yourself. You don't need a physician to fill out that growth and development form. And again, you can scan it and have that document ready to upload. four proofs of residence which I'll go
into a little bit more in detail and a stateisssued photo ID. Uh listed there at the bottom is our uh the contact information for our registars's office. Uh and they are a great resource should you have any questions following this presentation or scouring through our
website for additional information. If you have anything uh specific that you can't get clarity on, please reach out. Uh they're a great department and are happy to help. So supp any supplemental documents uh are not required to be uploaded but they
are optional if it applies to you in your situation such as custodial documentation um between parents uh or grandparents whatever the case may be any IEP or 504 documentation that you'd like to upload individual uh health care
plans or if you are uh your child is an English language learner um you and upload that document as well. If it does not apply to you, it's not a required document to submit the application. All right, this feels like the DMV when you have to go through the long
checklist of making sure you have uh your primary proofs of residency and also secondary uh proofs of residency. I know this is a long list. Uh again this presentation will be posted on the website and if this case doesn't apply
to you I'll talk about uh the next slide which is for renters but um primary uh being you know um an original deed or lease uh from your landlord or or statement of teny uh and then a variety
of things such as a a stateisssued photo ID any current utility bill payub uh insurance documentation court documents ments. Uh it's very important that your name, your address, and a date are visible on all of those proofs of
residency. Again, our registar is very thorough to ensure that um we are being accurate with processing residents of Middletown. Um so, please make sure that documentation is up to date. If you have any other specific uh uh living
arrangements that do not apply to the previous two slides, again, please reach out to our registar and they'll be able to help you uh sort out your particular situation. The uh once your registration is processed, if you are a parent of an older child in the district, you're well
familiar with our Genesis parent portal. But if you this is your first child coming into the district, Genesis uh which my department runs is the the house for all things student data. So attendance records, medical records uh
that Miss Fischer was mentioning, any documentation that you'd be submitting through residency, um but also your uh child's class schedule, their teachers, their bus, the bus that they're located on. um emergency contact info,
scheduling, the list goes on and on and on. Uh assessments, it's very comprehensive, and we're looking to build out more accessibility uh as we go through the future. So, once your registration is processed, our office will send you some documentation about how to register for your parent account.
Our students in K to 5 do not have student accounts yet, but as they progress through to middle school, they will start getting access to their uh student portal. So they can start monitoring assignments that are due, how they do on a particular test, um
midterms, final exams, uh transcripts when you get to high school, etc. >> Miss Wilson, is this you? >> Um yeah, but did you want I didn't know if you wanted to go back and talk about the report card in the slide that was missed. Um, but this is certainly me.
There was a slide about report cards, but they can access that on the Genesis portal as well, right? >> Yep. Report cards. Um, as you mentioned earlier, parent teacher conferences can be scheduled through Genesis. It really is the one-stop shop that you'll be spending a lot of time on, uh,
monitoring, um, you know, emergency contact forms that we send out. We push everything through Genesis. Um, and that's really the the central point of contact, >> right? So exiting prek to K. So this really pertains to our students that are
currently in our preK classrooms at Harmony, Fair View, Village or Ocean Avenue. If you are moving on to kindergarten, you are not required to reregister your child. They will roll over to their home school. However, the
following documents must be submitted. So um the teach the prek teachers will send you out a survey through their teaching strategies app that is your intent to attend kindergarten form and
so that we know to look for you if your child is returning. um you need to submit updated immunization records, an updated physical form, and also you need to um update the learning and
development form that you can now access as well. So you can download that as well. So that's just, you know, for you things to think about if your child is an existing preschooler. We get some frequently asked questions and so we
tried to sum them up and if you have any more you can just reach out via email but we do issue standardsbased report cards to our kinders. It's a trimester and those standards are end of the year kindergarten standards. So we are not
assessing all the items on the report card because it depends on when they're exposed throughout the school academic year. So um we have security gr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr dr drills our all of our students
participate in two security drills a month which you are then notified by email that you know Harmony school participated in a security drill today. We just we prepare students. It's not a scare tactic. It's done very friendly
and but it's important that they know what to do in the event of an emergency. Um, so not to worry, we'll we're going to keep them safe. Um, again, update really important. Um, Mr. Kutchner talked about it, the nurse talked about
updating your email and and your phone numbers and the main way for communication as you if you have parent, if you have children already in the school system, you know that we try to reach you via email, text, phone blast, any way we can, we're going to reach you. So, we need to have some point of
contact for you. Birthday c birthday birthdays are celebrated very differently at each school. However, consistent there's no food accepted. So, schools like to acknowledge birthdays. The buildings that I'm in, the child's name is announced. Um, but really follow
your school's policy in terms of what you may or may not send in. And absolutely no food is permitted. And no more birthday cupcakes. Sorry. Um, arrival and dismissal is safe and different for each building. So, every
school has a unique personality and has little different procedurals depending on the building, its location, and what their traffic flow is like. So, it may be a little overwhelming at first, but you'll, you know, fit right into the swing of things quickly. Um, we have 30
minutes for lunch, and you have an option to buy your lunch or bring your lunch. Um, kinders will have a daily snack break again, usually in the morning or afternoon. Recess occurs daily. We try to get them outside, weather permitting, and we really know
how important it is for them to get out into the fresh air and kindergarten orientations will be set up at each school either usually right before school starts. So, you will hear um receive an email or a letter from the building principal telling you when that
orientation would occur. Frequently asked questions continue. Please refer to the district website um for the calendars, the first day of school, and any other information you might need. Um if you want to know whether your child is going to be entitled to busing, you would really
want to call the transportation office at central office. Currently we have security guards in the building and class 3 officers. Class 3 officers are present every day all day and security guards as well. Again, students who are attending preschool at Fairview Harmony,
Middletown Village or Ocean um and who will be five by October 1st do not need to register for the upcoming school year. um before and after school care can be answered through the champions on the district website and all curriculum
information can be found on the district website as well. Again, if you have any questions, you can refer to your building principles um or send emails. So what happens in kindergarten lasts a lifetime and so we really keep safety
first and foremost in our students and we really look forward to them joining us and if it's your first time as a parent welcome and if your child may be crying or you may be crying. So just know that they're going to be safe and
respected and you know really just to get them in and get them learning is and fun and important. So thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you for my panelists who sat with us and the behind the scenes people who worked to make this happen tonight. This will be posted
on the district website. Um you may begin registration on on fe Monday, February 2nd. And um while it might while it might be seem cumbersome, you will get through it. Everyone does. Um so again, if you need help, reach out to the register. They'll answer any
questions you might have. Thank you again. Have a great evening and stay warm.