Something Special FEBRUARY

COLLABORATIVE UNITS for December:

Feb 4-22: Q&U Wedding/Hearts/Valentines             

Feb 25-March 1: Dr Seuss (I Love To Read) 

ART:  Ms Gilpin

A HUGE “Thank You” to those that donated shaving cream to the Art room.  My cabinet has now been refilled so we can enjoy shaving cream creativity near the end of the year!  In Art, during the month of February, we will be talking about symmetry as we create symmetrical hearts for Valentine’s and possibly symmetrical irises for a Monet Iris Garden.  We will also explore texture as we create a “Wild Thing” in the style of Maurice Sendak’s story during “I love to read” week.  For Dr Seuss’ birthday (March 2) we will read one of his stories that is not widely known, “My Many Colored Days” and discover how different colors can create different feelings within us.  The Music Program is approaching quickly, so in Art we will be creating “AlphaBop” letters to decorate our music program, the hallways and for props during the program.

Stay warm, well and happy!  Don’t forget to create at home or wherever the feeling hits ya ;)

 

GYM:  Ms Rhoads

I want to start off with a HUGE THANK YOU for all the marshmallows that were donated!  I so appreciate it.  The kiddos had a blast with our Snowmen at Night Unit.  For the month of February we will be talking about fitness and heart healthy activities.  The main focus will be on how we can keep our heart healthy.  We will also discuss the concept of intensity in terms of the FITT principle.  Talk with your little ones about keeping your heart healthy and what activities make their heart beat fast.  This month is also a lot of fun because we will be learning a variety of dances.  With the clod months upon us, putting on music and having a dance party is great way to exercise indoors!  We will end out the month with a unit dedicated to Dr. Seuss with our “I love to read” week.

MUSIC:  Ms Jespersen

We are starting to learn our songs for our upcoming concert!  Though it is still many months away it will take us all this time to put memorize our music and put together an amazing concert!  I am always so excited when this time of year comes around again because the concert is one of my (and most of the students and parents) favorite parts of music class!  I hope you will join us for our concert day in May.  You will not be disappointed!  The students are already thrilled to perform!

LIBRARY: Ms Stevens, Ms Kulaga (long term sub) & Ms Keely

We all know how important reading is to your children.  Here are some great tips to keep your children having fun with reading:

1     ~ Keep up the beat by reading with your children at least 15 minutes every day.

Read even more if you can!

2     ~ Expose your children to different kinds of reading materials like magazines,

newspapers, comic books and more.

       ~ Get together with family members to read to each other and give up     

watching television for a night a week.

4    ~ Keep a reading log of the books you read.

5    ~ Drum up excitement with your child by encouraging him or her to tell others about the books they love.

LOVE  books this month and visit the public library with your child.  It is free and

full of possibilities!

GUIDANCE:  Ms Newsome & Ms Dodgen

In Guidance, during the month of February, we will be starting a new unit on personal safety. Topics we will cover include car safety, traffic safety, fire safety, and gun safety. We will discuss why we need safety rules, the importance of taking care of ourselves, saying “no” to unsafe activities and telling a grown-up when someone breaks a safety rule.  By the end of the unit, children will be able to demonstrate safety skills including seatbelts, following traffic signs and crossing the street safely,  the fire safety rule (never play with fire), and the gun safety rule (never  touch a gun).

You can help your child practice these skills at home! Some suggestions-

1.)  Model wearing your seatbelt at all times and teach your child to buckle and unbuckle their own seatbelt.

2.)  Point out traffic signs when you are out and about, and talk to your child about what the signs direct you to do.

3.)  Remind your children to look both ways before crossing the street and to always hold hands with a grown-up.

4.)  Review your fire escape plan at home.

5.)  Make sure all guns in your home are locked and not accessible to your child. Talk with your child about what to do if another child wants them to play with a gun.

Every year, children are accidently shot while playing with or handling guns. In Guidance, we will stress that guns are not toys and that specific safety rules need to be followed if children find a gun. We are aware that some families collect guns, or use them for hunting and some children may be familiar with seeing guns around the house. In any case, we will stress that guns should never be played with like toys and that children should always have adult supervision when they are around guns. This is an important topic to discuss! Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns!

January Guidance Classes

In January, your children have been learning about inviting others to play with them, the meaning of the word "fair" and how to play fairly with others by sharing, trading and taking turns. When children see other kids being left out of play, it is important to notice and have empathy for them. Your children have learned how to recognize good opportunities to include other children and how to invite them to play. Sharing, trading and taking turns promote fairness and mutual enjoyment in play. When asked to brainstorm solutions to interpersonal problems, socially competent students typically offer more prosocial solutions and fewer aggressive ones. Students are practicing fair ways to play and naming fair ways to play as solutions when a problem, such as two students wanting to play with the same thing, arises. Your children are learning that when they play in fair ways, everyone has fun, sometimes other children have different wants or preferences, and choosing to have fun with others rather than get your own ways helps you to be friends.

Wrapping up 2012 in Guidance

As we near the end of 2012, we are reviewing feelings and coping skills. We have explored how to recognize the physical signs of anger and disappointment, and how to manage those big feelings. We continue to practice the "Calming Down Steps" each lesson. We have also talked about how to handle getting knocked down. When students assume that others behave toward them with hostile motives,they are more likely to retaliate with aggression. In Guidance, we have talked about the difference between accidents and "on purpose." Children learned that when they get bumped or knocked down, the FIRST thing they need to do is take a deep breath and calm down. THEN they practiced asking the person who knocked them down, "What happened? Was it an accident?" Your students have learned that it is important to find out what happened, because sometimes things happen by accident. You can reinforce this at home by prompting your child to first calm down, and then ask what happened BEFORE they get angry.

Coping with Tragedy

Everyone here at JELV joins the nation in expressing our sadness at the horrific events that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on Friday, December 14, 2012. Our thoughts and prayers are are with all affected by this tragedy.

Most children are resilient and will cope well with the support of their families, teachers, friends and other caring adults. However, young children may have particular difficulty understanding and describing their feelings and emotions. Below are some tips published by the National Association of Psychologists to help children deal with the aftermath of the recent events.

1.) Model calm and control
2.) Reassure children they are safe
3.) Remind them that trustworthy people are in charge (emergency workers, police, doctors, etc.)
4.) Let children know it is OK to feel upset
5.) Observe children's emotional state, and look for changes in their school and home behavior
6.) Tell children the truth; don't pretend the event has not occurred or that it is not serious. Children are smart. They will be more worried if they think you are too afraid to tell them what is happening.
7.) Stick to the facts; Don't embellish or speculate about what has happened and what might happen. Don't dwell on the scope of the tragedy.
8.) Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate; young children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that the daily structures of their lives will not change
9.) Monitor your own stress level; Don't ignore your own feelings of anxiety and grief. Talking to friends, family members, religious leaders and mental health counselors can help.
10.) Love on your children! Make time to talk with your children about school and family happenings, stay close to your children and offer lots of snuggles, limit your child's television viewing of these events, spend extra time reading or playing quiet games with your children before bed, and as always, make sure your children get appropriate sleep, exercise and nutrition.

For questions or concerns related to mental health, please contact one of the Guidance Counselors, Grace Newsome or Jessica Dodgen, or School Psychologists, Brittany Gray or Amber Bruner.

Sincerely,

Jessica Dodgen and Grace Newsome, JELV Guidance Counselors
 

Winter Break Fun

Over the holiday break, consider taking your child to the Jessamine County Public library to read and check out books! They have a wonderful children's book collection and offer many free and fun activities. Go to www.jesspublib.org to browse their catalog and to learn about the programming they are offering in the new year.

Monthly Newsletter: DECEMBER

COLLABORATIVE UNITS for DECEMBER:

Dec 3-7: Holidays          Dec 20-Jan 1: CHRISTMAS BREAK

ART:  Ms Gilpin

For December in Art, we will continue our color unit and learn about the neutral colors: black, white, gray (and sometimes brown).  We will create a neutral colored snowflake!  I will also be working on assessing the kiddos using our Classroom Performance System.  The kiddos know this system as the “clickers”.  They have learned a lot about the Elements of Art: line, shape, form, colors!

Hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing Holiday Break!

PS –  I still need shaving cream … if you can donate a can of shaving cream (not gel)

to the Art Room that would be WONDERFUL!!!

GYM:  Ms Rhoads

This month we will be working on basic fundamental skills. We will be practicing dribbling, kicking, catching, and throwing.  We will also have fun with jumbo stackers as we focus on teamwork and sportsmanship.  We will end out our month with a unit based on the book “If You Take a Mouse to the Movies”.  We will be stringing popcorn and building forts!  I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday. 

MUSIC:  Ms Jespersen

We have finished learning all of our music basics like steady beat, fast and slow, high and low, and loud and soft.  November is our time to explore the music of different cultures and times.  We will be learning about the music of Africa, Native Americans, Colonial times and more.  Instruments we have never seen or heard before will start showing up around the music room and we will replace our Western playlists with all sorts of interesting new sounds.   It is great to watch as the students learn different musical “languages” and learn to enjoy sounds that may be very different and strange to them at first.

LIBRARY: Ms Stevens, Ms Kulaga (long term sub) & Ms Keely

Season’s Greetings from the JELV Library! As you make plans for activities to do with your child during this festive season, consider sharing with your child some of the many wonderful holiday and winter children’s books that are available. Just like baking sugar cookies, hanging lights, and drinking hot chocolate, sharing a treasured holiday story can create warm memories that will last a lifetime. It will also show your child how much fun books are and will get him or her excited to read throughout the New Year.

GUIDANCE:  Ms Newsome & Ms Dodgen

In Guidance, during the month of December, we will be covering three new topics:  managing anger and disappointment, handling being knocked down, and solving problems. Young students have strong feelings about what they want and may experience keen disappointment when they don’t get it. When disappointment is accompanied by withdrawn or angry behaviors, students may act in ways that are harmful to themselves or others. In guidance, we will continue practicing the “Calming Down Steps,” so students can calm down enough to think through situations.  Problem solving is a complicated cognitive process.  Skilled problem-solvers get along better with peers and have fewer conflicts and problems with aggression. Students will learn the basic steps of problem solving (calm down, use words, and think of several possible solutions).  For example, if you get knocked down it’s important to calm down before you do anything else.  Then, ask for more information (do not assume the action was on purpose).

You can help your child practice the “Calming Down Steps” at home! When your child is having a big feeling, coach them to- 1.) put their hands on their belly and say “stop.” 2.) name the feeling, “I feel _____. 3.) Take three deep belly breaths. 

Lately in Guidance....

During the last few weeks, your student has been learning about how to show care and concern for others by saying or doing something kind or helpful. We have talked about the term "compassion,” or, caring about how someone else feels. This concept is important because compassion helps students get along with others. In Guidance lessons, we have discussed and acted out situations that are “by accident” and “on purpose.” Your students have learned to recognize what is an accident, apologize, and then offer help, “I’m sorry, it was an accident. Are you okay?” One way you can reinforce this at home is to talk with your student about opportunities when they could show compassion and help each other. Since October was National Bullying Prevention Month, we also discussed how we can care and help others rather than be a bully, and explored ways to intervene if bullying occurs. We are really enjoying talking with your students, and exploring social issues with them!