Do you ever feel super excited about the holiday season only to find yourself over-stressed and not enjoying your family? One thing to consider is about how to have a more mindful holiday season.

1) Focus on being present together as opposed to many activities. Your family will remember more about how they felt being together than they will the amount of decorations or activities you choose to do. Nothing is perfect and that’s okay! Be sure to pace yourselves and be realistic about what you can do and still enjoy it.

2) Breathe! Take a few moments each day to breathe and allow your brain a break. Sip your coffee or hot chocolate and listen to a beautiful song. In just a minute or two, you can reduce the stress cortisol in the brain and increase the feel-good Oxytocin.

3) Help children be aware of what is going to happen. Not only do traditions help build memories, but they also bring security about what is about to happen. Talk about what your child can expect with regard to family gatherings, food choices etc.

Just a few small changes can make a huge difference in how you are able to enjoy the holidays. We at the ELC are wishing you a VERY, Mindful Holiday season.

Enjoy your weekend and this holiday season!

Thank you for your partnership in your child’s education! Your support will continue to be a vital component of your child’s success. You will receive your kindergartner's report card on January 22nd. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held the following week on Friday, January 29th. This will be an important way to communicate with your child’s teacher about his/her progress this school year. Discuss your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Celebrate successes this school year! Set future goals with your child and help him/her make a plan to reach those goals. More information to come.

Your kindergarten is becoming a reader! By the end of the semester your child is expected to be able to read books at a level A and be able to read 14 sight words which are listed below. The list of sight words doubles by the end of the third quarter. By the end of the year your child will know nearly 40 sight words and reading a level C independently. Be ready to be impressed by just how much your child will learn in the last semester in kindergarten. This will be an important time of learning for your child, help support their achievement by committing to the weekly word wall contract and making reading a habit in your home. You can help with your child’s learning by practicing sight words each night, listening to them read, and reading and discussing books with them. It doesn't have to be the same thing each day, however reading should be included in your routine at home every day to insure success for your child.

We are proud to introduce this year's PTO board

Christina Meadows, President

Crystal Rodriguez, Vice President

Carly Gregory, Treasurer

Carri Ables, Secretary

We appreciate their dedication to our students and are confident they will do many great things for our students! You can follow our PTO on Facebook and stay updated on their events and volunteer opportunities.

This season is a great time to really demonstrate to your child how important kindness is. Consider adopting one of the many opportunities our community and season has to offer to give and support those in need. Teaching children empathy helps them to develop self confidence and a sense of belonging within a community. From helping someone by holding a door to donating goods to those in need, when you help your child find ways to help others, you help them develop social skills that form the foundation for learning and growing.

Kids thrive on routine; we all do. The Covid Pandemic has had such a far reach of impact on everyone in so many ways. Even if your family has been fortunate enough to remain healthy through this crisis, surely your day to day activities and routines have been or stand to be changed as a result. The CDC has put out a wonderful resource to help guide parents through how to help support and talk with their children at each age level open and honestly about Cocid-19 and how it may be impacting our lives.

Kindergarteners honored their heroes during classroom celebrations on Veteran's Day. Students participated in this special celebration that not only taught them what a Veteran is but demonstrated the many different ways people have served and continue to serve our country. Through specials stories, songs and crafts, students were able to identify ways to show gratitude and grasp and understanding of why we set aside this special day in our country. ELC families were invited to submit photos of their Veterans to include in our school wide slide show, which all classes enjoyed!

We celebrated the 50th Day of School with our annual 50's Day at the ELC! Staff and students dressed in 50's attire for a fun filled day of 50's activities including a sock hop in classrooms and a lollipop treat!

Library presented the wonderful story about different perspectives to all students in November. Through the simple text and illustrations, students were able to understand how someone could look at the same thing and see something different. We discussed how this could impact and be impacted by lots of things that make us unique and that there is no wrong answer. This timely read prompted some interesting discussions of being able to understand others and how they can see something differently than us. ELC Library recommends this book for your shelves!

December is here! This month is full of joy and excitement at the ELC. We are continuing with our MindUp Curriculum every week on Mindful Monday. Teachers play my MindUp recorded videos to students and engage them in different mindfulness activities. We've been learning so much about our brain, how it works, calm down strategies, and being mindful in our everyday lives. Ask your student what Ms. Brittney has taught them about being mindful. You can check them out on your child's Canvas dashboard, too!

Recently, I recorded a book reading called "Manners on the Playground" for teachers to show to their students. We've been struggling with manners at recess, especially with keeping hands to ourselves. Please remind your child that keeping hands to ourselves helps keep them safe and others safe, especially during this time.

December is very busy and some kids may struggle with being a little more moody than usual. To help with that, I will be going into classes to read "Moody Cow Meditates" to our students. It is a class favorite! In the book, Moody Cow gets his nickname because he gets so MOODY and it negatively affects his entire day. His grandpa comes by to teach him how to calm down when he gets so upset or when things don't go his way. Grandpa uses a glitter jar to show Moody Cow how his thoughts and feelings are in his brain-swirling around like crazy! Learning to take deep breaths calms the brain and allows the thoughts and feelings to settle down. I will be sending home instructions on how to create your own glitter jar at home. That would be a great family activity to do over our Winter Break.

Winter break is usually a busy time for families. Structure and routines are off which can make for some cranky days with your kiddos (I have 3 kids, I get it!). After the New Year, try your best to set your kids up for success by getting back into the school routine. You can tell them you're "practicing" for when school resumes again in a few days. Getting backpacks and school "stuff" out the weekend before school starts again will help their brains get back into school mode.

Enjoy Winter break with your children and see you all next year!

Flu -Get your Flu shot! Spread holiday cheer to friends and family this season, not the flu! Handwashing is so important! Don’t forget to get your flu shot and stay protected. Contact your healthcare provider or make an appointment at our Brickie Clinic 219-945-9383

Sick studentsPLEASE KEEP ALL SICK OR SUSPECTED SICK STUDENTS HOME FROM SCHOOL. PLEASE MARK THEM OFF IN SKYWARD. SYMPTOMS INCLUDE: fever greater than 100.4 degrees, CHILLS, SORE THROAT, COUGH( especially new onset, uncontrolled cough), DIARRHEA, VOMITING, HEADACHE( particularly new onset of severe headache, especially with a fever) , NEW LOSS OF TASTE OR SMELL, MUSCLE OR BODY ACHES OR FATIGUE, CONGESTION OR RUNNY NOSE, SHORTNESS OF BREATH OR DIFFICULTY BREATHING. If you are unsure, please call your healthcare provider or school nurse for advice. Please do not send your student to school and instruct them to go directly to the nurse before the school day begins. Again, if you have any questions or concerns please contact your school nurse. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.hobart.k12.in.us/protectbrickies

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/hobart.k12.in.us/