We have a fun and busy week ahead in the Little Bear Den! This week brings our first Spirit Week, Back-to-School Curriculum Night, and the beginning of our fall assessments. 💛

🌟 ALL ABOUT ME SPIRIT WEEK | Sept. 28–Oct. 2

We’re celebrating all the things that make our Little Bears special!

🎨 Monday – Color Me Happy! Wear your favorite color.

🦸🏾 Tuesday – Characters We Love! Dress as or wear something featuring a favorite character.

⚽ Wednesday – This Is Me! Wear something representing something you love—sports, animals, music, dance, dinosaurs and more!

🧸 Thursday – Something Special to Me! Bring one safe, special item from home for Show & Share.

🐻 Friday – Little Bear Pride! Wear RED & BLACK and show your Blackwell spirit!

📚 THURSDAY | BACK-TO-SCHOOL CURRICULUM NIGHT

📅 October 1 | 3:30–4:30 PM

Come learn more about what your Little Bear will be learning this year, our curriculum and assessments, and ways you can support learning at home.

🍎 Session 1: 3:30–4:00 PM

🍎 Session 2: 4:00–4:30 PM

🍽️ Taste Good Jamaican Food Truck: 3:00–5:00 PM — food available for purchase!

📊 FALL ASSESSMENTS BEGIN

This week, we will begin our Beginning-of-Year EMAS assessments. EMAS stands for Early Mathematics Assessment System and is part of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP).

For our Little Bears, this is not a test they need to study for! 😊 EMAS gives teachers information about each child's developing early math skills, such as counting, number recognition, comparing quantities, patterns, shapes, and other foundational math concepts. The results help us understand what students already know and plan instruction to support their continued growth.

👕 NEW CLOTHING DONATION BIN!

Our new Clothing Donation Bin has arrived and is located at the entrance to our parking lot! ♻️

Cleaning out your closets? Bring your old clothes, shoes, and textiles and place them in our donation bin. Community clothing donations help support activities and opportunities for our Little Bears, so your spring cleaning or fall cleaning can give back to Blackwell Preschool. 🐻💛

🎃 PUMPKIN PATCH FIELD TRIPS COMING SOON!

Be on the lookout for permission slips!

🎃 10/7 – VPI PreK-4: Eaddy, Evans, Julien & Thomas

🎃 10/8 – VPI PreK-3 & ECSE: Leiter, Boone, Hudson, Morris, Harper & Sanchez-Cruz

🎃 10/14 – Head Start: Bell, Thornton, Nail & Davis

We’re looking forward to a wonderful week of learning, family engagement, and Little Bear spirit! 🐻❤️🖤

With Bear Pride,

Principal

Early dismissal ends daily at 1 pm so that we are able to prepare for dismissal and get students ready to go home. Students will not be released after 1 pm until 2:00 pm at normal dismissal. If you have an emergency or plan to pick a student up for a doctor's appointment but are running late, please call ahead so we know you are coming.

At Richmond Public Schools (RPS), we believe in creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for all students and families, regardless of immigration status. RPS is and will remain a safe place for all students, and we want to see our students in school every single day because this is the safest environment for them to learn, grow, and thrive. If you have any questions please feel free to utilize the Immigration Resource Hub or call the school at 804-780-5064