BriarWoods

HighSchool

Preschool

ParentHandbook

2013-2014

WELCOMETOPRESCHOOLATTHEWOODS

Theearlychildhoodyearsareaveryspecialtimeinyourchild’sdevelopment.

Greatchangesoccurinthisrelativelyshortperiodoftimeaschildrenlearnto

communicate,increasetheirintellectualawareness,andmakegreatphysical

strides.TheBWHSPreschoolpridesitselfinattractingstudentstothe

teachingprofessionsothatthenextgenerationofeducatorsistop-notch.

Yourchildrenareanintegralpartofthisprocess.

OurmissionattheBriarWoodsHighSchoolpreschoolistoprovideasafe,

friendly,andcaringenvironment,whileeducatingbothhighschoolstudents

andpreschool-agedchildreninamutuallybeneficial,cooperativesetting.

WearesopleasedthatyouhavechosentheBWHSpreschoolforyourchild.

Welookforwardtoseeinghim/herthriveinourenvironment.Ifthereis

anythingwecandotomakeyourchild’sexperiencesmoremeaningful,please

letusknow.Welookforwardtoworkingwithyouandyourchildand

sharinginhisorhergrowthanddevelopment.

Wehavecreatedthishandbooktoprovideyouwithcomprehensive

informationaboutourpreschool’spoliciesandprocedures.Wetrulyhope

youfindthisdocumenttobeuseful.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcerns,

pleasedonothesitatetocontactus.

BestRegards,

DianeBreinigandChristyHendrickson

OURSCHOOL-COMMUNITYPARTNERSHIP

PreschoolattheWoodsisapartnershipwiththeEarlyChildhoodEducationclasses.The

highschoolstudentswhoareenrolledinthisclasshaveselectedthisclassbecausethey

haveastrongcareerinterestintheareaofearlychildhoodeducation.Theyareexcited

abouttheopportunitytopartnerwithyouandyourchildthisyear.

TheEarlyChildhoodEducationclassisdescribedintheLoudounCountyPublicSchools

ProgramofStudiesasfollows:

Thisprogramfocusesontheintegrationofknowledge,skills,andpracticesrequiredfor

careersinearlychildhoodeducation.Contentcoverscareerpathswithinearlychildhood,

education,andservices;developmentally-appropriatepractices;integrationofthe

curriculumandinstructiontomeetchildren’sdevelopmentalneedsandinterests;healthy

andsafelearningenvironments;principlesofguidingchildren;teachingmethodsand

strategies;andarranginglearningcentersthatprovideforexploration,discovery,and

development.Studentsgainpracticalexperienceintheearlychildhoodfacilityattheir

highschool,anelementaryschool,oracommunitychildcarefacility.Tuberculosistesting

isrequiredforthisclass.

ATTENDANCE

Wheneveryourchildwillnotbeattendingschoolonascheduledday,parentsshould

notifytheBWHSpreschoolby8:30amformorningsessionand11amforafternoon

sessionviaemailtoDiane.breinig@lcps.orgorChristy.hendrickson@lcps.org.Weoften

waituntileveryonehasarrivedtostartouractivities,sotimelynotificationisappreciated.

WefollowtheLoudounCountyPublicSchoolsclosingschedule.

Itisextremelyimportantthatyourchildattendthepreschooleverydaythathe/she

isnotill.Ourprogramisdesignedtopositivelyintroducetheprocessesofclassroom

settingtothepreschoolersandteachhighschoolstudentshowtoworkproperlywith

preschool-agedchildrenina“hands-on”environment.Itssuccessreliesheavilyupon

yourpreschoolerbeinginattendance.Extendedabsencesorvacationshinderthe

progressofyourpreschoolerandpresentourhighschoolstudentswithdifficultiesin

planningtheirlessonsandactivities.Accordingly,childrenwhodonotattendpreschool

regularlymaybewithdrawnfromourprogram.Ofcourse,ifyourchildisill,pleasekeep

him/herathome.

Intheeventofahighlycontagiousillnessinthepreschool,parentswillbenotifiedofthe

illnessandencouragedtolookforsymptomsofasimilarnatureintheirchild.

CONTACTINFORMATION

BriarWoodsHighSchool

22525BelmontRidgeRoad

MainOffice.................703-957-4400

SchoolFax...................703-542-5923

Mrs.DianeBreinig:Diane.Breinig@lcps.org

Mrs.ChristyHendrickson:Christy.Hendrickson@lcps.org

Pleasebemindfulthatduringschoolhours,teachersareintheclassroomand

cannottakephonecallssopleaseleaveamessage.

Emailisthebestmeansofcommunication.

Ifthereisanemergencypleasecallthemainofficenumberand

Mrs.BreinigorMrs.Hendricksonwillbepagedimmediately

ITEMSTOBRINGTOSCHOOL

PLEASEPROVIDETOKEEPATSCHOOL:

● AFULLCHANGEOFCLOTHINGINCLUDINGUNDERWEARANDSOCKS

● ASMOCKOROVERSIZEDSHIRTFORARTPROJECTS.

ONAREGULARBASIS:

● BACKPACKIFTHEYDESIRE

● ONEITEMFORSHOWANDSHARE(PLEASEDONOTALLOWSTUDENTTOBRING

INMULTIPLETOYSTODISTRACTTHEIRLEARNINGEXPERIENCE)

● WEATHERAPPROPRIATECLOTHING

*EACHSTUDENTWILLBEASSIGNEDACUBBYTOSTORETHEIRPERSONALBELONGINGS

Extraclothingshouldbeprovidedasseasonschangeandasthechildgrows.Rubber

soled,closed-toeshoessuchassneakersarethemostappropriateschoolshoesfor

climbing,runningandplayingoutside.Appropriateoutdoorapparelisneededdailyas

everyeffortismadetohavesomeoutdoorplaytime,eveninthewinter.Allitems

broughttoschoolmustbeconspicuouslylabeled.Pleaselabelallclothingthatisattached

tootherclothing.Forexample,hoodsoncoats,clipsonmittens,etc.Thiswilllessen

missingitems.

STUDENTINVOLVEMENT

TheBWHSpreschooloperatesincooperationwiththeEarlyChildhoodEducation(ECE)

program.Wecurrentlyhavemorethan120studentsparticipatingintheprogramwho

willbeinteractingwithyourchildonaregularbasis.Thesestudentsingrades10-12,are

obtaining“on-the-jobtraining”throughworkingwithyourchildreninthepreschool.

Duringtheschoolday,thehighschoolstudentsareresponsibleforinteractingwithyour

child,lookingoutfortheirwell-beingatalltimes,teachingthem,settingagoodexample,

encouragingthemtosocializewithothersandreinforceappropriateclassroombehavior.

Thehighschoolstudentswillalsoberesponsibleforcarryingoutthedailylessonsofthe

preschoolaswellasconductingotheractivitiessuchasart,storytime,letterandnumber

oftheday.

Ourstudentshavespentthefirstsixweeksofschooltrainingandgettingreadyforyour

childrentobeginpreschool.Theyhavebeenlearninghowto:

● Createandteachengaginglessons ● Integratetechnologyintheclassroom

● Providepositivefeedback ● Recognizecommonchildhooddisorders

● Readtochildren ● AdministeranEpi-Pen

● Practiceeffectivedisciplinetechniques ● Managefoodallergies

● Developage-appropriateplay ● Identifyillnesses&communicable

disease

ADDRESSINGCONCERNS

Alloftheactivityintheclassroomisoverseenbyoneofourlicensedteachersatalltimes.

However,ifconcernsshouldarise,itisveryimportantthatyouaddressthose

concernswithMrs.BreinigorMrs.Hendrickson,andnotthehighschoolstudent.

ENROLLMENT

Enrollmentisopentoanychildage3-5,whoispotty-independent.Enrollmentshallbe

grantedwithoutdiscriminationinregardtosex,color,race,religionorpoliticalbelief.

Returningstudentsandfamilymembersofcurrentlyenrolledstudentswillhavefirst

optiontoenrollinMarch.Afterthedeterminednumberofspacesleftavailableare

determined,enrollmentisopenedtothecommunityonafirstcome,firstservebasis.All

formsandinstructionsarelocatedontheBWHSwebsite.GototheCommunityLinkand

thenclickonPreschool@TheWoods.http://www.lcps.org/domain/587

STUDENTRECORDS

EachchildenrolledintheBriarWoodsHighSchoolPreschoolmusthaveanupdated

schoolrecordwithallrequiredforms:

● EmergencyContactForm

● SchoolHealthEntranceForm

● Anyrequiredformsfortheadministrationofmedication

● Currentphoto

Emergencycontactinformationmustbereviewedbytheparentatleasteverysixmonths

foraccuracy.Medicalrecordsarerequiredtobeupdatedannually,orwheneverthe

child’simmunizationstatuschanges.

PARENTACCESS

AparentorguardianofachildattendingtheBWHSpreschoolshallbepermittedthe

preschoolbyfollowingLCPS’sSecurityprocedures.Ifaparentwishestovisitthe

preschoolclassroom,theymustenterthroughthemainfrontentrance,showproper

identificationandthenbetakentothepreschool.Othervisitorsareaskedtoschedule

appointmentsandareallowedinthepreschoolclassroomonlyatthediscretionofMrs.

BreinigorMrs.Hendrickson.

PARKING,SPEEDLIMITANDDROPOFF

Parentsshouldobservepostedspeedlimitsandnotparkinthefirelanes.Theseare

strictlyreservedforemergencyvehicles.

Asacourtesy,weprovidecurbsidedropoffandpickup.Pleasedisplayyourchild’spick

upsignatpickuptime.

ARRIVALANDDEPARTURE

Uponarrivalat9:15ameachmorning,anEarlyChildhoodEducationstudentwillgreet

youcurbsidetobringyourchildintothepreschool.Pleasesignyourchildinonthe

designatedsign-insheet.Parentalinvolvementinhelpingachildgetsettledwiththeir

designatedteacherwillhelpyourchildadjustquicklytothemorningroutine.Ifthereis

anythingthatwecandotohelpwiththemorningtransition,pleasedonothesitatetoask.

Childrenattendingtheprogramshouldbesettledandreadyfortheprogramtobeginat

9:30am.

Whenpickingupchildrenattheendofthesession,ECEstudentswillgreettheparent

curbsideandcommunicatewithotherteacherstobringthepreschooleroutwhenthe

parentarrives.Parentswillneedtosignthepick-upsheet.

**Duetothenatureofourprogram,repeatedlatepickupswillresultindismissalofyour

childfromtheprogram.Pleasehaveaback-upplaninplacetoavoidalatepick-up.Inthe

eventofanemergency,pleasenotifytheschoolassoonpossibleifyouwillbelate.

RELEASEOFCHILDREN

Thesafetyofyourchildisourutmostconcern.BWHSpreschoolmaintainsastrictpolicy

regardingtheindividualstowhomwewillreleaseachild.Theenrollmentformsrequirea

parenttospecifyatleasttwoindividualstowhomthechildmaybereleasedeitherona

regularoremergencybasis.

Advancedwrittennoticeisrequiredforanindividualtobeauthorizedtopickupachild.

InthecaseofanemergencyMrs.BreinigorMrs.Hendricksonmustbenotifiedbythe

parent/guardianwhowillprovidethenameandbriefphysicaldescriptionoftheperson

pickingupthechild.Oncethisindividualarrivesattheschool,thisindividualwillbeasked

foridentification.Theauthorizedindividualmustthensigntheirfullnameandnotethe

timeofthechild’srelease.

Shouldanunauthorizedindividualarrivetopickupachild,aparentoremergencycontact

personwillbeimmediatelynotifiedviaphonecall.Ifweareunabletoreachaparentor

emergencycontactperson,thechildwillNOTbereleased.Shouldanunauthorized

personbecomeuncooperativewiththeschool’spoliciesregardingtherelease,school

securitywillbenotified.

REGISTRATIONFEEANDTUITION

Anannualdepositof$100ispayableuponenrollmentorre-enrollmenteachspringfor

thefollowingOctoberschoolyear.This$100feeisnon-refundable;however,itwillbe

appliedtothebalanceofpreschooltuition.Tuitionistobepaidinfullatthestartofthe

schoolyear.Youwillbegivenareceiptforpaymentatthetimeitisrendered.Tuitionfor

the2013-2014schoolyearisdueattheSeptemberpreschoolopenhouse.

Thereisnocreditgivenforscheduledorunscheduledschoolholidaysandevents,child’s

illnessorschoolclosingduetoinclementweather.

WITHDRAWAL

Twoweekwrittennoticeisrequiredforwithdrawingforanyreason.Intheeventofa

withdrawal,pleasecontactMrs.Breinigand/orMrs.Hendricksontodiscussdetails.Please

rememberthattuitionisnotrefundable.

HEALTHPOLICIES

EachpreschoolerisrequiredtohaveacompletedSchoolHealthEntranceFormonfileat

theBriarWoodsPreschool.Theseformsmustbeapprovedbytheschoolnursebefore

anypreschoolerisallowedtoattendourpreschool.

Itisimperativethatchildrenbekepthomefromschoolwhenhe/sheisshowing

symptomsofillness.Ifachildarrivesinthemorningshowingsymptomsofillness,the

preschoolwillbeunabletoaccepthim/her.Theexceptiontothisrequirementwouldbea

licensedphysicianhasindicatedinwritingthatthechildposesnohealthriskandthatthe

childwouldbeexpectedtoparticipateinallactivities.Childrenshouldbekeptoutof

schoolwithanyofthefollowingsymptoms.

● Anyfeverduringthelast24hours.

● Vomitingordiarrhea(2ormoreepisodesin24hourperiod).

● Severecoughingorsorethroat

● Redeyeswithdischarge.

● Skinrasheslastingmorethan24hours.

● Difficultorrapidbreathing.

● Unusualbehaviorcharacterizedbylistlessness,lossofnormalappetite,fatigueor

confusion.

● Symptomsofchickenpox,lice,scabies,orstrepthroat.

Ifachildbecomesillduringtheschoolday,aparentwillbeadvisedimmediately.The

childwillbegiventheopportunitytorestorparticipateinactivitiesinaseparatearea

untilthedesignatedreleasepersoncanpickthechildup.Childrenwhoaresenthome

duetoillnesswillnotbereadmittedtoschooluntilallsignsofillnesshavebeengonefor

24hours.

Inthecaseofcertaincommunicablediseases,parentsareremindedtonotifystaffwithin

24hoursofthediagnosis.Allparentswillbeinformedinwritingifacommunicable

diseaseisreported.

MEDICATIONPROCEDURES

MedicationswillbedispensedtochildrenbytheBriarWoodsHighSchoolnurse.Check

expirationdatesonallmedicationsregularly.Completedauthorizationformsmustbe

submittedandonfilewiththeschoolnurse.Additionally,eachmedicationmustbe

markedwiththechild’sfirstandlastnameprintedonthecontainer.Parentsmust

indicatedosageofmedicationandthetimetobeadministered.MedicationwillNOTbe

dispensedonanas-neededbasis.Ifmedicationistobedispensedonlyoneortwiceina

24hourperiod,weexpectthatthemedicationbedispensedathome.Onlyonebottlemay

beusedperchild.Siblingsmaynotsharecontainersofmedication.Ifamedicationis

expired,wewillnotbeabletoadministerit.

Allergiesthatmayrequiremedication:

Ifachildhasanallergywhichmayrequireemergencymedication,anauthorizationform

mustbeonfile.BriarWoodsHighSchoolwillalsocall911ifanEpi-penisdispensedand

theparentwillbenotifiedimmediately.

Creams,Powder,Sunscreen,etc:

Ifachildrequiresoverthecounterlotions,powdersorsunscreen,thesemustbeapplied

beforeyourchildcomestoschool.

ACCIDENTSANDINJURY

Ifachildshouldbecomeinjuredatschool,theparentwillbenotified.Iftheinjuryisofa

seriousnature,aparentwillreceiveaphonecallfromtheschoolatthetimethatthe

accidentoccurs.Intheeventofanemergency,thechildwillbetransportedviaambulance

tothenearesthospitaloremergencyroomfacilityandaparentwillbecontactedtomeet

theaccompanyingstaffmemberatthefacility.Itisextremelyimportantthatemergency

contactinformationbeaccurateandup-to-date.

TOYSFROMHOME

Weaskthatyourchildnotbringtoystothepreschoolunlessitisrequestedfor“Show&

Tell”.

Showandtellitemsmayoccasionallyberequestedbyachild’steacher.Suggestedshow

andtellitemsmayinclude:books,photographs,specialtreasuressuchasseashells,or

themerelateditems.Theseshouldbediscussedwiththeteacherandtheitemswillbe

shownattheteacher’sdiscretion.Anythingpertainingtoviolence(guns,wartoys,etc.)

cannotbeutilizedattheBWHSPreschool.Materialdeemedinappropriateforapreschool

audiencewillnotbeused.

MEALSANDSNACKS

TheBriarWoodsHighSchoolPreschoolwillprovideahealthyafternoonsnackonadaily

basis.Snackswillbelistedeachdayonthedailysheets.

Lunchistobeprovidedbytheparents.Forlunch,sandwiches,yogurt,soupinathermos,

fruit,cheese,crackers,aresuggested.Pleasetrytoincludemilkor100%fruitjuiceasa

beverage.Ifabeverageisnotprovided,thechildwillbeofferedwater.Pleasetryto

avoidfoodswithexcessiveamountsofsugar,preservatives,artificialflavoringsand

colors,andcaffeine.Lunchesshouldbereadytoserve(fruitsliced,soupheated,etc.).

Unfortunately,wewillbeunabletoreheatfood,sopleasetakethisinto

considerationwhenpackinglunch.

***PLEASENOTETHATSOMEOFOURCHILDRENHAVESEVEREALLERGIES.PLEASE

DONOTSENDINLUNCHESCONTAININGANYPEANUTORNUTPRODUCTS.

BIRTHDAYCELEBRATIONS

Parentsaremorethanwelcometocelebratetheirchild’sspecialdayatschool.Herearea

fewsuggestionstomakethesecelebrationsasuccessatourschool:

● Anon-foodrelateditemcanalsobeaneffectivewaytocelebrate.Pencils,

temporarytattoos,crayonsandotherdollarstoreitemsarealwayspopularamong

thepreschoolcrowd.

● Youmaywishtodonateabirthdaybookorstorytapeinhonorofyourchild’s

specialday.

● Pickyourchildupatlunchandplanasurpriselunchorpicnictogether.

● Bringinsuppliesandparticipate,ifpossible,inmakingacraft,orplayingagame

withyourchildandhis/herclass.

● Forbirthdaypartiestakingplaceoutsidetheschool,invitationsaretobe

distributedoutsideofclassroomtime.

EMERGENCYCLOSINGS

Inthecaseofinclementweather,wewillfollowtheLoudounCountyPublicSchools

scheduleofclosings.Ifthereisadelay,morningpreschoolsessionswillbe

canceled.ifanearlydismissalisannounced,afternoonpreschoolwillbecanceled.

Ifparentsarepreventedbyweatherconditionsfromreachingthefacilitytopickup

theirchildren,staffmemberswillcareforthechildrenuntilsuchtimeasthe

parentscansafelypickthemup.

BEHAVIORPOLICY

webelieveinteachingourstudentstousewordsinsteadofhandsbyallowing

studentstosolvetheirproblems.Thereforeweshallmaintainthefollowing

philosophyofdiscipline.Ourmethodsofguidanceanddisciplineusedshallbe

positive,consistentwiththedevelopmentalneedsofthechildrenandappliedwith

thefullknowledgeandunderstandingoftheparents.

TheBWHSPreschoolaimstokeepbehaviorissuesminimized.Thestaff

encourages,self-control,self-direction,responsibilityandcooperation.Whenitis

practicalandsafe,logicalornaturalconsequenceswillbepresentedtothechild.

“Timeout”maybeusedselectivelyforchildrenwhoareatriskofharming

themselvesorothers.Theperiodof“timeout”willbejustlongenoughtoenable

thechildtoregaincontrolofhim/herselfandwillaverage1minuteperyearof

age.Duringa“timeout”thechildwillbeseparatedfromtheotherchildrenand

monitoredbytheirteacher.

Aggressivephysicalbehavior(fighting,hitting,biting,etc.)byachildtoward

anotherchildorstaffmemberisunacceptable.Staffmemberswillintervene

immediatelyshouldthistypeofsituationoccur.Parentswillbeinformedifsuchan

incidentshouldoccurandaconferencewillberequestedatanytimetodiscussan

acceptablebehavioralplan.Ifachild’sbehaviorisuncontrollable,extremely

disruptive,and/orharmfultohimself/herselforothers,aparentmaybeaskedto:

● Removethechildfromtheschoolforthedayorspecifieddays.

● Removethechildfromthepreschoolentirely.

Atnotimewillachildbesubjectedtophysicalcorporalpunishment(shaking,hitting,

biting,pinching,etc.).Nochildwillbehumiliated,frightened,orverballyabusedbythe

teachersorstudentsofBriarWoodsHighSchool.Childrenwillneverbedisciplinedfor

sleephabits,toiletingaccidents,foodconsumption,orlackofparticipationinscheduled

activities.Atalltimes,achild’sage,emotionalstateandpastexperienceswillbe

consideredindisciplinematters.Anyviolationoftheschool’sdisciplinepolicyshouldbe

broughttotheattentionofMrs.BreinigorMrs.Hendricksonimmediately.

PARENTCOMMUNICATION

TheBWHSpreschoolpresentsmanyopportunitiesforparentstoreceiveinformationon

theprogressofchildrenaswellasdetailsonothergeneralactivitiesoccurringthroughout

theschoolyear.Examplesinclude:

PreschoolOpenHouse:Thistypicallytakesplacepriortothestartofthepreschoolyear.

Thisyear,ouropenhousewillbeheldonMonday,September23,2013..Parentswill

attenda20-minutepresentationdiscussingpoliciesandproceduresforthepreschool

whileyourchildrenbegintogetacquaintedwiththeirteacherandtheirclassroom.

MonthlyCalendar:AmonthlycalendarisavailableontheBWHSPreschoolwebsite

whichwillincludeanyschooldelayedopenings,activitiesandscheduledclosings.An

additionalcopywillbeprovidedtoeachparentattheendofthepreviousmonth.

ParentConferences:ParentsareencouragedtoscheduleconferenceswithMrs.Breinig

orMrs.Hendricksontodiscussachild’sprogressorotherconcerns.

FLEXIBILITY

Wewanttoemphasizethatthisisnotyourtypicalpreschoolprogram.Ourpreschool

scheduleisprimarilydrivenbythehighschoolstudentsandtheirschedules.Highschool

studentsmustoftenparticipateinassemblies,testing,clubmeetings,pepralliesandother

school-relatedeventsthatmayaffecttheopening/closingofthepreschool.Wewillmake

everyefforttoprovidetimelynoticeofsuchevents.However,therearetimesthroughout

theschoolyearthatstudenteventsmaycomeup,requiringustodelaythepreschool

openingorclosethepreschoolforthedayaltogetheratthelastminute.Pleasecheck

youremailfrequentlyonpreschooldaysaswewillnotifyyouofchangestotheschedule

viaemail.Ifwemustnotifyyouofalastminutechange(onthesameday)wewillcallthe

homenumberofeachpreschooler.Yourpatienceandunderstandinginthesemattersis

greatlyappreciated.

TheBWHSPreschoolreservestherighttoeditanyoftheinformationcontainedwithin

thisdocumentatanytime.Thematerialcontainedhereinshouldnotbeconsideredasthe

soledeterminationofpolicy.

Parent/Guardian,PleaseReadandSignBelow:

WehavereadanddiscussedthePreschoolattheWoods

Handbookwithourpreschoolerandweagreetocomply

withthepoliciesandproceduresandoutlinestherein.

NameofPreschooler_________________________________________

NameofParent/Guardian____________________________________

Parent/GuardianSignature___________________________________

Date_____________

Thispageistobesignedbytheparent/guardianandreturnedtoPreschoolat

theWoods.