Sheldon Update
October 24, 2022
Welcome from Mrs. Tanner
Dear Sheldon Families,
As a reminder, this week is Parent/Teacher Conferences. We are so excited to have this time with all of our families and to share the amazing progress your students have made! Due to this, there will be NO SCHOOL on Thursday or Friday!
Families of OT students, the car line is a RIGHT TURN ONLY out of our parking lot. DO NOT BLOCK intersections or driveways!
Click the link to access the 2022-2023 Family Handbook.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me!
Thank you for the privilege of serving you ~
Mrs. Gabrielle Tanner, Principal
Upcoming Events
October Events
We will practice a Fire Drill during the month of October.
You can find all school events listed on our school calendar which you can access on our webpage.
Items That Need Your Attention
Sheldon Shirt Day
Head Start Awareness Month
Time to Eat!
Policy & Procedure Review
Safe Place
Each week the Sheldon staff reviews one of our Head Start Policies & Procedures and felt it was important that families stay up to date on these as well. This quarter our focus is on Mental Health, Disability, and Child Development and Education. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!
Safe Place
POLICY:
A safe place will be used as a behavior management tool. A safe place is a physical location in the classroom (for some children a safe place might be a designated place outside of the classroom such as an office)vused to teach self-regulation and give children a place where they can transform upset into learning. The Safe Place is not a place of punishment, but rather a tool for becoming calm and learning self-regulation skills. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards 1302.17(a)(1-4) 1302.90(c)(ii)(B)
PROCEDURE:
1. The Safe Place should include tools and materials to assist a child in calming down. This can include comforting blankets, stress-relief tools, paper to draw on, and images reminding children of active calming techniques. Try to include something calming for each of the five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hear.
2. Direct and encourage the child to the Safe Place when they are not making safe choices for themselves or their friends.
3. In the event that the child’s behavior becomes out of control, with refusal to comply with the Safe Place, staff will use gentle but firm physical guidance/direction, holding the child only long enough to get them to a safe place to calm down.
4. The Safe Place will be used to help lead the child through the five steps of self-regulation: I Am, I Calm, I Feel, I Choose, I Solve. Children at this age will likely need an adult to co-regulate with them.
A. I Am: Identifies the feeling. (“I am Angry!”)
B. I Calm: Requires active calming, featuring the four main breathing techniques, access to a Friends and Family book, and other calming activities.
C. I Feel: Includes identifying the feeling with the Feeling Buddies or a Feeling chart.
D. I Choose: I Choose step requires the child to consciously choose additional calming activities utilizing the Brain Smart Choice Cubes, I Choose Self-Control Board and/or class- made choice boards.
E. I Solve: involves the child solving the original problem before returning to work or play, often through the use of the Time Machine.
5. If the child continues to display out of control behavior, follow Help Team protocol.
6. When a child is experiencing significant behaviors, be sure to document.
A. State facts of behavior, date and initial information
B. No videos and/or pictures are to be taken of a child behaviors
7. Keep in mind that children do not need to sit perfectly still or quiet in the Safe Place.
8. The Safe Place should not have a time limit, as children regulate at their own pace.
9. After the self-regulation is achieved, praise the child for being in control of his behavior, review the rule that was not followed, and remind the child of appropriate alternative solutions to the problem.
10. Remember the Safe Place is only effective if taught and used as a consistent intervention.
Informational Items
COVID Tests
For the convenience of students and staff, the district will begin offering two (2) over-the-counter COVID-19 tests to each student and staff member, upon request. Please contact Nurse Andrea Ferrell to make a request. You can reach her by email at aferrell@tps501.org or by calling the school office.
Home Depot Workshops
Workshops take place the first Saturday of each month from 9:00-12:00.
November 5: Scarecrow Napkin Holder
November 26: Train Ornament
December 3: Santa Letters Mailbox
COVID Protocols
Please be sure to review both the COVID Update and the information on the Parent Resources page for the latest information from the CDC. Masks are encouraged, but not required. We will maintain strict sanitation protocols.
Late Start
Academic Calendar
Family Resources
Sheldon Food & Clothing Bank
Community Resources Council Directory
If in need of resources, you can also contact the United Way by dialing 211.
Sheldon Head Start Child Development Center
Website: https://sheldon.topekapublicschools.net/
Location: 1155 SW Seabrook Ave.
Phone: 785-438-4530
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheldonChildDevelopmentCenterHeadStart