NOVEMBER 2025 NEWSLETTER!
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Mon., Nov. 3 – Fall ’26 Kindergarten sign-ups begin.
Thurs., Nov. 6 – Room Parent/Parent Volunteer Group meeting at 9:15 a.m. in room 201.
Fri., Nov. 7– See’s Candies Fundraiser begins.
Tues., Nov. 11 – SCHOOL CLOSED for Veteran’s Day.
Fri., Nov 21 – PS & K Thanksgiving Feast 10:15 a.m. Fellowship Hall.
Wed., Nov. 26, Thurs., Nov., 27 & Fri., Nov 28 – SCHOOL CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday.
Mon., Dec. 1 – TUITION IS DUE.
Mon., Dec. 1 ̶ See’s Candy Fundraiser orders DUE!!
Mon. Dec. 1- FRIENDS OUTSIDS gifts are DUE.
Thurs., Dec. 4 – Room Parent/ Parent Volunteer Group meeting at 9:15 a.m. in room 201.
Wed., Dec. 10 ̶ See’s Candy Delivery.
Mon., Dec 15 – Holiday Show in the Sanctuary. More info to come in Dec.
Fri., Dec. 19 – In Class Holiday Parties.
Mon., Dec. 22 – Fri., Jan. 2 – SCHOOL CLOSED for Winter Break.
Mon., Jan. 5 – REGULAR SCHOOL SCHEDULE RESUMES.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
CONGRATULATIONS NARINE YERANOSYAN!!!
Mrs. Narine is our wonderful, patient, hardworking, and loving afternoon teacher! She arrives every day at noon with a smile and lots of energy that brightens everyone’s day, and she stays with us until closing. She enjoys playing and dancing with the children, and always provides fun indoor and outdoor activities along with creative art projects. Mrs. Narine has been part of the E.P.C.C. family since 2021. Both parents and students love her, and we are so lucky to have her! She is married and has three sons: Barsegh (26), Grigor (22) and Alen (15). Her favorite colors are blue and green. She loves roses, and her favorite holidays are Christmas and Easter. She enjoys shopping at Marshall’s and Macy’s, and she loves taking Zumba classes. Her favorite restaurant is Kabuki, and her favorite dessert is fruit cake. Thank you, Mrs. Narine, for all your hard work. Never Forget The Difference You Make! 😊
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
NEWSLETTER: Please mark the dates mentioned above on your home calendar. The information contained in this newsletter is for your benefit. We have many upcoming events during this very busy time of year. If you have any questions regarding any of the information contained in this newsletter, please feel free to contact us or your child’s teacher at your convenience.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT: On Friday, October 3rd, our entire EPCC staff was able to attend a seminar with Roberta Fields Poster MA. Roberta Poster is a Speech and Language Pathologist. She shared with us her knowledge about typical and atypical impairments and disorders related to communication in the areas of speech, sound production, resonance, voice, fluency, language (comprehension and expression). The seminar was interesting, informative and very helpful for the staff.
FUNDRAISERS: A very special thank you to all who have and are participating in our McDonald’s, The Stand, Tupperware, Scholastic Book Fair and See’s Candy fundraisers. We appreciate your support.
PUMPKIN PATCH DAY: Thanks Mrs. Gael! Wow! What fun! The weather was great. The children had a blast.
We chose pumpkins and played games and parents and teachers took lots of photos. Thanks to all who helped make this day a success.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION: Priority registration for our amazing Kindergarten program for Fall 2026 starts on Monday, November 3rd. Registration is on a first come, first-served basis. There are only 24 spaces available for the upcoming school year. You can email or call the school to make an appointment to check out our fabulous Kindergarten program. Don’t miss this opportunity to enroll your child in a terrific program.
HELP OUR SCHOOL GROW!!!
Recommend us to your friends. YOU receive $100.00 credit * toward your child’s tuition when your friend enrolls their child in our school. *Credit will be applied after 3 months of your referrals enrollment. Be sure to have your friend write YOUR name on their child’s application as a referral so you can get the $100.00 credited to your account.
ILLNESS POLICY: In an effort to keep children and teachers healthy please keep your child home if he/she is sick. If your child vomits, has diarrhea, runs a fever, has a thick, mucus filled runny nose, a wet or dry persistent cough, is lethargic or is simply not him/herself, we will send your child home immediately. Children must be symptom free for 24 hours before they can return to school. In addition, if you have given your child Motrin or Tylenol in the morning to reduce fever or ease pain, he/she may NOT come to school on that day. While we understand that a “green” runny nose and cough are not necessarily indicators of infectious disease, we will require a doctor’s note if there is any question about your child’s health. Remember that when we send a child home, we are using our best judgment in determining whether or not your child should remain at school. This has been a particularly tough cold and flu season, especially for young children. Please respect this policy as well as the families and staff at EPCC by adhering to it. Parents in this horrible flu and cold season, please refer to the illness policies at the end of this newsletter and when to keep your child home. This policy is enforced in order to keep a healthy, happy school. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
CLOTHING: Please be sure to adhere to our clothing policy as outlined in the Parent Handbook. We have noticed many children at school wearing sandals. Remember, shoes must cover toes and heels and have non-slip soles. This is for the safety of your children.
EMERGENCY DRILLS: Each month we will be practicing fire, earthquake and emergency drills as part of our curriculum. These drills are required by the state and are not meant to frighten the children. Take a moment to ask your child how these drills are carried out in their classrooms.
SNACK REMINDER: HEALTHY SNACKS AND LUNCHES: Please remember that children are required to bring their own ready to eat lunch, 2 snacks and water bottle. Please keep snacks healthy. Fruits, veggies, cereal bars, string cheese and crackers are always popular choices. Remember to send utensils with your child’s lunch if he/she needs them. Teachers cannot leave the classroom to get spoons and forks for the children. Additionally, be sure that all snacks and lunches are sent to school” ready to serve.”
WORSHIP: For any families interested in finding a church home, First Presbyterian Church Encino, offers a worship service at 10:00 a.m. including Sunday school program for all children. All are welcome. For more information you can contact the church’s office @ 818-788-1147 and ask for Greg.
FRIENDS OUTSIDE: Each year The Children’s Center sponsors a charity organization for the holiday season. This year we will again sponsor FRIENDS OUTSIDE an organization that hosts holiday parties for children whose parents are incarcerated. We have been asked to purchase gift cards for children ranging in age from
0 -13 years. Gift cards should be valued at $25.00 or more for the children and/or for food for the families. All gift cards should be new, unused and not gift wrapped so Friends Outside can see what the card is to help with distribution. Please bring the gift cards to school no later than Monday, December 1, so they can be ready to be distributed at parties in early December.
HOLIDAY SHOW: On the morning of Monday, December 15th the children will be performing their holiday show. J The children can come dressed in their holiday best, with a change of clothes for after their performance. Each classroom will perform several songs for your holiday enjoyment. The order of appearance will be:
Room 101 - 9:15 – 9:30
Room 102 - 9:30 – 9:45
Room 103 - 9:45 – 10:00
Room 104 -10:00 – 10:15
Room 105 -10:15 – 10:30
Room 106 -10:30 – 10:45
Room 203 -10:45 – 11:00
The first 2 rows are reserved for 2 representatives from each child’s family to sit while their child is performing. E.g., your camera people. Then they will be moving out of those seats while the next class is entering. Please move as quickly as possible. This will take cooperation from everybody and thank you in advance.
HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING:
A “wish list” is included in this newsletter in which teachers have noted various items that they would like for their classrooms. This is a great way to give a gift that will benefit your child’s entire class.
CLASSROOM WISH LISTS
101
Gift cards to:
Amazon, Lakeshore, Target
Stickers
Puzzles
Clorox wipes
102
Gift cards to:
Amazon, Target, Lakeshore
Stickers
Clorox wipes
103
Age-appropriate wooden puzzles
Amazon & Target gift cards
Clorox wipes
104
Gift cards to:
Amazon & Target
Stickers
Baby wipes
Clorox Wipes
105
Gift cards to:
Michaels, Lakeshore & Amazon
Stickers
Baby wipes
Clorox wipes
106
Amazon gift card
Stickers
Baby wipes
Clorox wipes
Mrs. Gael’s classroom (Yard)
Side walk chalk & Bubble solution
THANK YOU: To everyone who attended our Open House. We have had a great start to the fall season! We are looking forward to a wonderful winter. We wish everyone a Healthy, Happy Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, love and laughter.
Cathleen & Anie
TEACHER TALK:
ROOM 101: We were so happy to see everyone at Open House. Thanks to all the parents who helped make Pumpkin Patch a success and donated goodies for our Halloween Party. As we move into November, we will be talking about turkeys, Thanksgiving and where our families are from. We will also review our good manners and learn about the Autumn season. Most importantly we will be counting all our wonderful blessings. Remember to bring a morning and afternoon snack, please label them A.M. or P.M. Check your child’s cubby for appropriate clothing as the weather cools down. Have you noticed our bookworm? He is growing again! Keep bringing in those great books. If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mrs. Geni & Ms. Jazmin
ROOM 102: Wow! October was such a busy month with our very own Pumpkin Patch right here at EPCC. Open House and our Halloween Parade and Sing-a-Long were fantastic! Many thanks to all our families for your help and participation in all our special events – we couldn’t do it without you! In November, we will be talking about what we are thankful for. We will also be learning primary and secondary colors. We have already begun cutting simple patterns and we will be doing more cutting throughout the year. Mark your calendars for our Thanksgiving feast on Friday, November 21sTat 10:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Remember class begins at 9:00 a.m. and we don’t want your child to miss a thing. We have settled into a solid routine and are keeping busy everyday. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with your amazing children. If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Asma & Mrs. Tamara
ROOM 103: We are so grateful for our happy classroom and such supportive parents. October was such a busy month and we learned many new vocabulary words. You may have heard “ponder”, “fantasy” and “nocturnal”. In November we will focus on what we are thankful for, and the many blessings we have. New words this month will include “abundance” and “delicacy”. We look forward to our delicious Thanksgiving Feast on Friday, November 21st at 10:15 a.m.
In keeping with the holidays, we will be baking our own very delicious pumpkin pies. If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes and baby wipes to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. We wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving Holiday.
Mrs. Jennifer & Ms. Camila
ROOM104: November is here, and we will think about what we are thankful for! This month, we will learn about sequencing, turkeys, Pilgrims, and Native Americans. We will also practice cutting and tracing to help our hands get stronger for writing. We are excited about our Thanksgiving feast on Friday, November 21st so please remember to bring the ingredient you signed up for. Everyone in room 104 is having a great time! We have a good routine and are busy having fun every day! If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes and baby wipes to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. Wishing all our families a Happy Thanksgiving!
Mrs. Vanessa & Ms. Cyntia
ROOM 105: November you will see us travel back to early days in America. We will be learning about Indigenous people; we will talk about the food they shared which will include introducing the children to a special unit on corn. We will explore the meaning of Thanksgiving and have lots of fun projects. We are looking forward to our magnificent feast with all our friends on Friday, November 21st at 10:15 a.m. Please take a moment to welcome Meadow Perez, Logan Doherty, Elizabeth Canon, Andy Abdelnour and their families to our classroom!!! If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes, gloves and baby wipes to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
Mrs. Sossi & Ms. Ana
ROOM 106: We can’t believe it! October has come and gone so fast! We all had a wonderful Halloween celebration, and enjoyed the treats at our party. Thanks to everyone for your participation and generosity. We also want to thank our families for joining us at Open House, showing interest & support is so wonderful for the children. The Pumpkin Patch was a great success; the children had a great time. This month we will get into the autumn season with fall leaves, and the changing weather. We will be having a feast to celebrate Thanksgiving. This year we feel especially fortunate and thankful for all of our families, friends, and blessings. Please take a moment to welcome Aria and his family to our classroom. If you would like to donate disinfecting wipes and baby wipes and gloves to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you
Mrs. Karine, Miss Paula & Ms. Vianey
PEEKING OVER THE FENCE WITH MRS. GAEL:
Our October pumpkin patch was a huge success! Each and every child took home a pumpkin of their own! In keeping with our Autumn theme, we are making leaf prints, bean and seed collage, sand painting and weaving. Look for our ever-changing displays of art from the yard in the hall near Room 102 and Room 103.
AFTER NAP: Wow! November came so fast! This month we will be learning about Thanksgiving and creating beautiful arts and crafts as well as sharing what we are thankful for. We will be making turkeys, pumpkin pies, corn cobs and other fun fall art projects. Check out the boards in the hallways to see your child’s magnificent creations. We would like to remind parents to make sure your children have warm clothes because it is starting to get chilly, and don’t forget blankets for naptime. We, the afternoon teachers, are so thankful for being able to work with your fabulous children. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Gobble, Gobble!
Miss Vianey, Mrs. Narine, Mrs. Vanessa, Miss Ana, Mrs. Tamara, Miss Marissa, Miss Nicole and Miss Gianna,
KINDERGARTEN:
Wow! We have finished our first two months of kindergarten, and we are moving right along. We have been busy bees… learning away! We are working on our 8th letter book and on the 5th chapter of math. We have been practicing our letter sounds and we are now getting familiar with blending and building words. We have begun to include many of our beginning sight words in our reading and writing. Our friends have been showing us such an enthusiastic interest in learning and we are so proud! Our writing continues to improve, day by day, and every day we see a difference. In Science, we have been learning about so many exciting topics. Right now, we are learning about our country. We are looking forward to election day and voting for our favorite treats. Cooking continues to be a favorite activity for all. The little chefs are doing such a great job with their measuring. Thank you for encouraging your children to complete their homework every day. We tell them that it is their responsibility to complete their homework and to remember to file it away each morning. They have been doing a great job with this task. Please remember to always encourage your child to hold their pencil correctly and form their letters from the top down. We are creating motor memory for letter formation. Good habits start early! For Thanksgiving we will be joining preschool for a Thanksgiving Feast on Friday, November 21st at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. More details to come. A few reminders: Please arrive to school on time. School starts at 8:30 am and we want the children to enjoy the social interaction with their friends. We also have art activities and games available for them to experience. It is a great way to start their day. We thank you all for your support in our classrooms and for all the donations and special treats to make our celebrations so special. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to us.
Mrs. Lori, Ms. Danielle and Ms. Kimberly
HIGH-QUALITY STUDENT TALK IN THE EARLY GRADES: Language development in the early grades not only has short-term benefits in learning how to read but also is linked to long-term benefits of academic language success. In terms of student learning, not all students talk is created equal. Teachers can intentionally structure activities to focus on high-quality talk as a way to promote literacy and to facilitate creativity and thinking skills.
4 WAYS TO BRING HIGH-QUALITY STUDENT TALK INTO THE CLASSROOM
1. Ask questions that encourage decontextualized talk.
The goal of questioning is to encourage thinking. Questions that elicit yes or no answers do not encourage vocabulary development or critical thinking skills. In contrast, decontextualized talk is a great way to develop a student’s language and thinking skills. Decontextualized talk consists of conversations that are removed from the here and now.
A teacher asking a child what they ate for dinner the night before would be an example of decontextualized talk because it occurred in the past. These types of questions naturally encourage thinking and are beneficial for language development and reading comprehension because they help students understand vocabulary and grammar in a natural way.
2. Purposeful partners and structured conversations.
In preschool and early primary grades, structuring talk time by creating purposeful partners is one way to allow for maximum communication opportunities. Purposeful partners ensure that all students have a chance to talk. Structuring read-alouds, circle time, and morning meetings with purposeful partners helps ensure that all students are getting language development opportunities. When students have the chance to answer questions with a partner, it gives everyone an opportunity to talk, rather than asking a question where students raise their hands and only student has the opportunity to answer. For example, during circle time, having one partner talk about the weather, and then the other partner tells what clothes one would wear for that weather, gives both students a chance to talk. Having a daily “What Would You Rather” question allows students to think about what they like and then talk and explain to their partner.
3. Read-alouds with intentional questions.
Another way to increase student talk is by incorporating read-alouds with intentional questions. This is a great way to get students thinking about literature and communicating with one another. Intentionally creating questions ahead of time that are linked to vocabulary in the story, as well as questions that support decontextualized talk, strategically promotes thinking. For example, if you read the book Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner, some vocabulary words to incorporate into questions might be anxious, droop, gather, thrill, giggling, and crooked.
4. Creativity and natural language.
Incorporating time for students to have time to be curious and creative allows for many natural language opportunities. STEM bins and art bins are one way to do this. These are plastic shoebox-size tubs that hold manipulatives that students can create with. Many of the items in STEM and art bins are items already in the classroom. Some manipulatives to include in the STEM bins are pattern blocks, regular blocks, legos, Play-Doh, Popsicle sticks, Unifix Cubes, and playing cards. Art supplies such as markers, colored pencils, scissors, glue sticks, straws, paper, hole punch, and Play-Doh can be used to create different projects. While students are creating, it is important to give them time to talk about what they are making: Asking how it could be used and where they got their ideas helps increase their thinking and language development. One student might create roads and bridges out of Unifix Cubes while another student makes dinosaurs out of Play-Doh. Letting students tell each other about their magnificent creations celebrates their learning and promotes language development.
By intentionally structuring opportunities for students to talk in the classroom, teachers can facilitate language growth and development and provide a foundation for literacy development.
*Excerpts taken from “High-Quality Student Talk in the Early Grades” by Bridget Stegman.
www.edutopia.org-Edutopia, George Lucas Learning Foundation.