An introduction to the Second Step Social Skills Curriculum...

This year, our Kindergarten students will be using a new program called Second Step in class with their teachers.  It is a social skills curriculum focusing on much needed skills that will educate the total child.  The picture below provides a little preview of the materials and topics that will be covered.   "When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it's our job to share our calm, not to join their chaos." We have a responsibility to educate the WHOLE child by focusing on academics AND social/emotional skills like empathy, good character and winning/losing with grace.  We must teach our students how and why to be kind and use language that expresses their emotions in an appropriate and productive way. When we explicitly teach these skills, we are taking positive and preventative steps towards reducing anxiety and bullying, as well as making our schools a safer place for learning. We will be sending out more information regarding this program and I hope you will join in our efforts by supporting these important skills at home, just as you would support your child in learning math and reading/language arts skills. 

Do Unto "Otters"

The First Week Back!
While it turned out to be a very HOT return to school, this week was so exciting!  Back to School time brings about many emotions for parents, students, and staff.  Throughout the week I read to classes, visited classes, and spent time in the cafeteria.  I am so proud of our students.  They settled in nicely and I could see the beginnings of new routines taking hold.  I read one of three books to the students this week, each with a special message.  One of the books is called, Do Unto Otters.  This is a cute little story that reminds students to treat others (or "otters") the way they want to be treated.  This is always a great conversation to have at the beginning of the school year and I enjoyed talking with the students about their expectations of behavior. I encourage families to continue this conversation at home. How can you show that you are friendly, polite, honest, considerate, cooperative, sharing and kind?  How can you show these traits at home? at school? in the community?  We will be exploring these questions at LES all year in our classrooms, with our guidance counselor, and even in our morning gathering time in the all purpose room.  Looking forward to a wonderful year!

UnSelfie

UnSelfie

Just finished a book called Unselfie by Michele Borba. A great read for educators but also a great read for parents.  Her focus is on providing our children with opportunities to develop Empathy.  The good news is that we are working towards that goal already at LES.  Many of the practices outlined in the book are part of our practices including calling attention to positive behaviors, repairing feelings when we hurt others, reading books that model kind deeds and this year we even had a Week of Kindness to call out what we can do and what we are doing to show kindness to each other.  The picture below was our culminating activity from the Week of Kindness.  As 21st century educators, we have adopted teaching "soft" skills like effective communication and collaboration since our students are expected to do this, not only as part of their daily life, but as part of their work lives as they leave school.

Reading at LES

Last week, LES had our Reading is A Dream Night.  The wonderful teachers and parents worked together to provide our students with a fun night of reading in their jammies. :)  Next week, we will celebrate Read Across America and the birthday of a very special author Dr. Seuss.  Check out the fun activities below. Let's keep working together to make reading fun!

Read Across America Week Activities:

Monday: Book Buddies-pair up with a classmate to read your favorite books to each other.

Tuesday: Reading Train-at 2:55 the entire school will read out in the hall for 20 minutes together.

Wednesday: Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss-Mrs. Lockett will read a Dr. Seuss book to each class.

Thursday: Dress like your favorite book character

Friday: Flashlight Friday-Bring your flashlight for some reading fun in the dark

The Day Of ________

Lawrenceville Elementary experienced our first Day of Code this year with a lot of inspiration and organization from several of our wonderful educators at LES.   Each of our students took part in developmentally appropriate, online coding. They programmed Angry Birds, Frozen characters, and little BeeBots.  The importance of this skill has become more prevalent in recent years. Coding has been likened to learning a foreign language and the jobs of the future will require this skill, even those jobs traditionally unrelated to programming such as jobs in medicine, banking and journalism. The students and teachers had a wonderful, new experience on this special day and the feedback was positive.

What I didn't realize when we had our first Day of Code, is that it would spark a desire to have more "Day of ____" experiences at LES.  One of our passionate educators recently approached me about something called Global School Play Day.  This movement has been sparked by educators who have come to the realization that the very important work of childhood, play, has been given less time in schools than ever before.  Therefore, at LES, we have decided to have our first Day of Play.  On February 3, each grade level will take part in at least one full hour of authentic play.  The students will be permitted to bring their own toys to school (with minor restrictions-no electronics, battery operated toys, or toy weapons) and will play without interruption. Students and teachers will reflect on this experience.

These experiences have sparked a "Day of ___" series at LES that we will continue to take part in this year. My hope is that the dedicated, well versed educators at LES approach me with topics of interest and excitement for our students so that we can expand these special day events in the future. In addition, our goal is to have students continue these exciting activities in our school and at home once the Day is over, practicing academic skills and life skills that will benefit them in the future.