D303 Early Childhood

We had such an amazing time yesterday celebrating Victoria Upshaw's 20 years of service in D303!🎉
Congratulations, Victoria, and thank you for all your dedication and support you give to our students, families and staff. 🥳✨

Rocking our socks for Down Syndrome Awareness! 🧦💙💛😃

Feeling lucky to be learning in EC! 😁🌼

Feeling lucky to be learning in EC!🍀
Feeling lucky to be in D303!💚
Happy from one of our youngest learners and EC Paraprofessional, Mr. Chris!

✨🦷 🪥 Haines Fireflies had so much fun- and learned a lot- during the Well Child Center's storytime for Dental Health Month. The mobile school based clinic is ready for preschooler patients today and will visit again on Friday, March 27. Families signed up for their children to see the dentist for a cleaning and check-up, and the demand was high! Thank you Well Child Center! Well Child Center

✨2026-2027 Community Preschool Lottery!✨
💚Spots available for the 2026-2027 school year. For families who want to enroll new children in the Community Preschool program for the next school year (not for current students).

👉Lottery opens from January 19 - February 1, 2026
Lottery drawing: February 2, 2026
📣Notifications: You'll be notified by February 3rd if your child got a spot for the 2026-2027 school year

💻 Visit our website to learn more and to enter the lottery:
🔗 https://ec.d303.org/

Questions or you would like to apply for the Preschool For All Program? Contact our office at 331-228-4834 📲

🖌️✨Haines Fireflies were busy creating - and learning - in December!

🖌️✨ ¡Las Luciérnagas de Haines estuvieron muy ocupadas creando - y aprendiendo en diciembre!

ec.d303.org

🌍 ✨The Haines Fireflies have met our goal for the NexTrex Recycling Challenge and have earned a bench for our school! The support provided by the St. Charles Kiwanis Club was instrumental in helping our Firefly Community reach our year-long goal for recycling plastics in just seven months!

🌍 ✨¡Las Luciérnagas de Haines han cumplido nuestro objetivo para el Reto de Reciclaje NexTrex y han ganado un banco para nuestra escuela! ¡El apoyo brindado por el Club Kiwanis de St. Charles fue fundamental para que nuestra comunidad de Luciérnagas a alcanzar nuestra objetivo anual de reciclaje de plásticos en solo siete meses!

🚗💡 Our Preschoolers explored the power of wheels through observation, experimentation, and collaboration.

Under the guidance of PLC leader Karen Edwards, educators Tracy Gates, Mary Lather, Natalie Lukatsky, Nicole Mostacci, and Maureen Boyer collaborated on an exciting learning experience.

✏️🧠Students created a mind map that showcased what they already knew about wheels. From there, they rolled into discovery—observing, experimenting, and exploring how wheels move and what makes them work. Students worked on a mock bike shop, collaborating to “fix” and build with wheels. Lukatsky and Mostacci, along with their students, also turned the play area into a car wash, helping students make some real-life connections. ✨

The project was designed around the Teaching Strategies Objectives and the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS), addressing key areas of development, including social-emotional growth, meaningful peer interactions, and development across cognitive, physical, and language domains.

It’s National Principals Month! 🏫
Thank you, Jen Mursu, for leading with heart, vision, and passion. Your daily commitment inspires excellence across our school community! 🌼

Scarecrow Weekend! It was fun to see everyone out and about in our community.