The ELC is so excited to present this year's One School, One Book selection, "Frog and Toad Are Friends." During the week of March 9-13th students will be doing a book study together as a school. Each student will receive a copy of the book for their home library and will enjoy daily readalouds of each of the short stories in the book. Kindergartners will participate in activities daily that correlate to the story of the day. This book is part of a wonderful series that is engaging for our age group of kids. The series includes several books and is a great choice as your child progresses on to first grade. Look for more information to come home on how you can enhance the experience for your child at home!

The Maker and Innovator's Showcase is a spectacular event featuring Brickie Students of all ages! We encourage all of our students to participate! Students feature their own creations from artwork to legos; anything they have made! It is a great opportunity for students to show off their projects and talent! You can learn more about how to sign up for the Maker Showcase and find inspiration on the SCOH's webpage here. We hope many of our ELC students "make" an appearance!

February's Kindergarten and Coffee podcast episode features Mrs. Schiller explaining the reading strategies used in kindergarten classrooms to help our students build confidence in literacy. Also, with us is Ms. Brittney providing ways to support children struggling with anxiety. Our podcast offers parents the opportunity to listen in on the topics covered in Kindergarten and Coffee from anywhere they have internet service.

The ELC will host it's annual Kindergarten Kickoff on Monday, April 8th from 6:00-7:15. We invite all incoming kindergartners for the 2019-2020 and their families to attend. The evening is divided into two 45 minute sessions to attend. There is a brief presentation in our gymnasium to introduce you to our school leadership and provide general information about the kindergarten school day. During this session, you will receive your folder that contains all of the forms necessary to complete for registration. The other session is a scavenger hunt through our school that includes fun hands on activities in several classrooms for incoming kindergartners with their parents. The order that you attend each of the two sessions does not matter; by attending both sessions, you will have a general orientation to our school, staff and classrooms. Registration is not open during Kickoff, we will open those dates the following week. We can't wait to see everyone!

We had a fantastic time during our annual Family Game Night in February! We enjoyed seeing so many of our families come to our event and show their support of tabletop games students have played during library. We selected an assortment of tabletop games that deliver focus on many of the developmental concepts of our age students and up. Many of the games offered a twist to them that could be introduced as children master the basic concepts in the game. We encourage you to implement Family Game Night at your house and keep adding to your collection at home. Games provide an excellent opportunity for interaction and improved social skills while focusing on developmental skills.

Brickie Kidz Preschool friends enjoyed a special day with dads in their classroom. This was a special invitation to dads to join them for a day of special activities at school. Thanks to all those special fellas who attended and made this day so special for our Brickie Kidz!

Flu- The lucky leprechaun says get your flu shot before your luck runs out! Its flu season! Please contact your healthcare provider or make an appointment at our Brickie Clinic 219-945-9383

Handwashing- Handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu. Parents and caretakers play an important role in teaching children to wash their hands. Handwashing can become a lifelong healthy habit if you start teaching it at an early age. You can find ways to make it fun, like making up your own handwashing song or turning it into a game. Building handwashing skills takes time. At first, your child will need regular reminders of how and when to wash hands. It is especially important to remind children to wash their hands after using the bathroom, before eating, after touching pets, after playing outside, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose. But, once handwashing becomes a habit and a regular part of your child’s day, they will practice it throughout their lives.

Vaccinations- NEW 2020-2021 IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS: Indiana State Department of Health Immunization requirements for the 2020-2021 school year Two (2) Hepatitis A vaccinations are now required for ALL grade levels for the upcoming school year. The Hepatitis A immunization consists of two (2) doses with a minimum interval of 6 calendar months between the first and second dose. Immunization doses given less than 6 months apart are considered invalid, and will require a third dose. The first Hepatitis A dose should be given in the month of February 2020 to ensure that the second dose can be provided in the month of August. Please provide the school nurse with a copy of your student’s updated shot record after receiving any immunizations. Updated immunization information must be submitted during registration for the 2020-2021 school year. If you have any questions regarding immunizations, please feel free to contact your student’s school nurse.

Health Conditions- If your student has a specific health condition or needs special care during the school day such as medication, treatments, or monitoring, please inform your school nurse and provide your nurse with a care plan. Individual health care plans help keep your student safe and healthy.

Sick students- Please keep all sick children home from school- this includes fever greater than 100 degrees, vomiting or diarrhea. If you are unsure, please call your healthcare provider or school nurse for advice. . If you student stays home with these symptoms please make sure you are cleaning shared surfaces to prevent reoccurrence within the household

Head Lice- It’s that time of year where our students break out their coats, scarves and hats.

Please encourage your child not to share such items as hats, scarves, brushes or any personal items. Lice is not a danger to your child’s health, it is simply an annoying problem that comes around this time of year, so no need to panic. Please know that anyone and everyone can get lice. Getting lice has nothing to do with you being clean or dirty, it only has to do with the fact that you are human. It is very important to check your family for lice this time of year regularly. If you find any live lice or eggs, it is absolutely necessary to treat each “infected” person, but more importantly, you must notify nurse can assist you with proper treatment options as well as identify and demonstrate for you what to do.

EXTRA SET OF CLOTHING- Please make sure your student has an extra change of clothing in

his/her backpack and nurses office if necessary in case needed for unseen circumstances that may arise during the school day.

Hello parents! Is it Spring yet?! Hopefully soon! During our K and Coffee event in February, I talked about anxiety in our students. I wanted to share a few take-aways from that presentation for you to practice at home. First, let’s talk about what anxiety can do to our bodies. As adults, we may struggle with anxiety and have physical symptoms such as sweaty palms, increased heart rate/blood pressure, upset stomach, fear or worry. Well guess what, our 5 and 6 year old Kinders can also get those exact same symptoms! You may be thinking, why would a Kindergartener be struggling with anxiety. It can happen for many reasons such as friendship issues, change in routine, private issues going on at home, or even genetics. While students may experience physical symptoms, what we see as adults can include high emotions, school refusal, inattentiveness, aggression, disruptive or repetitive behaviors, avoidance, or fear. Our students most likely have no idea what this monster is called anxiety. Secondly, they struggle with how to handle themselves in the midst of it. Every morning at the ELC, our principal starts the announcements with a Mindful Moment. The students all practice deep breathing after hearing a chime. This is great to practice at home as well. Here are some additional ways to help your child calm their anxiety:

• Breathing exercises-Take 5 (all of our Kinders should know what this is), blowing bubbles
• Stimulate the vagus nerve-humming, chewing gum, gargle water
• Rituals-practice what to do before the anxiety starts (if it’s predictable), while it’s happening, and what to do afterwards. Providing structure and time to transition can help alleviate anxiety.
• Reflect-looking back and talking about their anxiety, what caused it and what they did to help decrease it, can help build resiliency.

The above suggestions were taken from this article (posted below). Check it out for more tips on how to calm a child with anxiety. Also, if you couldn’t make it to our K and Coffee event, listen to our ELC Podcast to catch up on what else you missed.

Students can save their tickets (that they earn for positive behaviors) and cash in for a turn to be SRO of the day. They get to join SRO Joe to make the rounds of the ELC checking for safety and communicating with our radios. Great job in setting examples of leadership at the ELC!

You can help our Brickies Shine even more by filling out the Census!

In mid-March, home across the country will begin receiving invitation to complete the 2020 Census. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your home in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail!

So why is it important to fill out the Census? Simple, it helps the community in many ways! Census results help determine how BILLIONS of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year. Census numbers provide money for education, housing, health, and public safety! The more accurate the number of people counted, the more help our community gets! Kids Count Too - so make sure to include them when filling it out. A few minutes of your time can make a BIG difference in our community!

More reasons why it is important for Hoosiers to fill out the census in 2020?

• Census data drives dollars for education, housing, health, and public safety.
• Legislative and school districts are determined using census data.
  
• Census data impacts strategic planning decisions about statewide job training, locations of new businesses, and public transportation projects.
• The U.S. Constitution mandates that census data apportion seats in the House of Representatives.
• The Census data Shapes Indiana's Future!

The process is simple and again can be done by phone, online, or simply mailing the info back to them once you receive the invite. Let's make sure we all count in this United States 2020 Census! More information can be found at www.census.indiana.edu

These students used their tickets for the experience of being Jr. Custodial Engineer for the day! They got to assist with custodial tasks throughout the day and use our radio to communicate with others. Great job being a hard working leader at our school!

Email: sgutierrez@hobart.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.hobart.k12.in.us/elc
Location: 400 North Wilson Street, Hobart, IN, USA
Phone: 219-942-7263
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Early-Learning-Center-253608198727771/?ref=bookmarks