Hello Pre-4 Families-

We are off and running in our busy classroom. This semester we are fortunate enough to have four wonderful practicum students-Alexana and Keshara are our morning practicum students and Shealyn and Tatyana are our afternoon practicum students. The children are making wonderful connections with these teachers, and we hope you are hearing about them at home. Thank you in advance for promptly completing and returning any paperwork that they may ask you to complete.

We have been teaching many important skills this first month of the spring semester, but developing social emotional skills are a priority in our classroom. Studies show there is a strong correlation between social skills, emotional skills, and a child’s ability to learn. Some researchers even believe that cognitive development and achievement accounts for just 50 percent of success in school, with social and emotional development accounting for the other 50 percent (Resilient Educator).

Kendra, myself, and the practicum students have been doing a variety of things to foster these skills. Our classroom mantra is- Slow Down, Stop and Think! Repeating this aloud gives us the opportunity to stop impulsive behavior and allows us to think about our next step. At this time, we can slow our body and mind and decide if we can change our “red” choice to a “green” or safe choice. Learning to calm our body when we are mad or upset is another important skill. We have created a Problem-Solving Toolbox that the children can open to search for a solution. The children can practice breathing techniques to calm down, they can get a sand timer to help them wait for their turn, or they can get a teacher to help them. These are just a few of the things we are doing to help promote positive social emotional well-being in the classroom. We are constantly implementing the Pyramid Model in all that we do in the classroom. The Pyramid Model promotes healthy social and emotional development by teaching emotional literacy, positive problem-solving and friendship skills. This reinforces the importance of teaching social skills to our children. This along with CDFC’s center wide expectations, We take care of ourselves-We take care of others-We take care of our things, help us to maintain a healthy and safe environment for the children in our care. We have placed a poster in our room, and we praise the children by placing a sticker on the poster when they exhibit behaviors that show they are taking care of things.

Reminders:

• Please make sure to sign up for an in-take meeting if you are one of our new families. The sign-up sheet is out in the hallway on top of the cubbies. Thank you!
• Please send snow pants, hats, gloves, boots, and jackets each day. When the temperatures (feels- like 10 degrees or higher) are appropriate we will spend time outdoors.

We look forward to a wonderful semester! Please feel free to reach out to us at any time!

Leslie (ldolan@niu.edu) & Kendra (kkirkham@niu.edu)