January Parent Newsletter

I am hopeful that you all had a wonderful break. Now that we are all rested, and hopefully well, it is time to focus on ramping up our instruction and our expectations for our students. We tend to move slowly in the fall, but once we round the corner into the new year, we really have to pick up the pace and raise the bar. Please help us to impress upon the students that they are going to need to work hard. The learning process is a two way street, with a large part of the ownership on the part of the learner. They are capable of amazing things, and we have already seen some nice progress this year. This is where the fatigue starts to set in a little bit. Keep encouraging them and pumping them up. Every morning, I have the students repeat these affirmations: I can do difficult things, I can try my best, I can be a good friend. They CAN do difficult things. Research says that we are more likely to remember things that we struggle to learn. Expect our teachers to increase opportunities for productive struggle in all areas of the curriculum.

One of the easiest things that you can do at home is to read to and/or with your child. Stop and chat about what is happening in the story. Talk about what you think will happen next. Discuss any words that are unfamiliar or parts that are confusing. Practice asking each other questions about the text as you read. All of this will help to build reading comprehension, and this is still a struggle for many of our students.

Attendance

Please remember to call us if your child is sick. If a child is sick, it is considered an excused absence. If we do not hear from a parent why the child is out, it has to be logged as an unexcused absence. We know there are many illnesses going around right now, so please do let us know if your child is home sick so that we can code the absence correctly in the system.

School Renaming

We are continuing our journey this year with renaming our school. While Charles Carroll was a founder of the city, his family was also very involved in the slave trade. We have decided that there are other leaders in our community who were abolitionists and unifiers we would rather be associated with. The community forum will be on January 16, from 5-6 PM at Central Office. All are welcome to attend and give input, but the Superintendent ultimately gets the final say.

New Year, New Resolutions

The new year always brings new resolutions. It's an opportunity for us to assess our routines and habits, building on our good ones and changing some of our bad ones. Make sure to check out the article below in our Counseling Corner about helping your child set some goals for the new year. There is also an article from Mrs. Eck and Mr. Feeney about empathy that you should be sure to check out.

Read-a-Thon!

The PTA sponsored fund raiser begins on January 8th! It's so easy to participate! All you have to do is ask your friends and family to sponsor you and READ! Since we want to increase our students' time reading outside of school, this is a perfect way to incorporate more reading into the after school routine!

As always, thank you for sharing your amazing children with us. And thank you for being such wonderful partners in their education. We appreciate you! Looking forward to all of the wonderful things 2024 has in store for us.

January 1: NO SCHOOL/ Happy New Year!

January 2: Classes resume

January 8: Read-A-Thon Fundraising Event begins today!

January 15: MLK Day/ All Facilities Closed

January 26: End of Quarter 2 (report cards mailed the week of February 5)

The start of a new year is a great time to help your children focus on forming new good habits or, improving their current routines.

Setting healthy goals with kids can be fun and kids also love having something to work toward. Keeping track of goals using sticker charts or calendars can be used as activities they can participate in.

1. Making resolutions together

If it's too overwhelming to think of them as resolutions, then just talk about them as goals and make it fun.

2. Keep it fun

If a goal is met for the week, let your child pick the family movie during or dinner that can cam be made together. Involving kids in the decision-making and making these fun for the entire family can help turn these resolutions into long-lasting habits.

Healthy and positive goal-setting resolution ideas you can suggest to your children:

New Year's resolution ideas for preschoolers

• I will try hard to clean up my toys by putting them where they belong.
• I will let my parents help me brush my teeth twice a day.
• I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
• I will try new foods when I can, especially all different colors of vegetables.
• I will learn how to help clear the table when I am done eating.
• I will be friendly to all animals. I will learn how to ask the owners if I can pet their animal first.
• I will always hold a grown-up's hand whenever I cross the street.
• I will do my best to be nice to other kids who need a friend or look sad or lonely.
• I will talk with my parent or another adult I trust when I need help or am scared.

New Year's resolution ideas for kids (5 to 12 years old)

• I will drink water every day and healthy beverages like milk with meals. I will keep soda and fruit drinks only for special times.
• I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car. I'll sit in the back seat and use a booster seat until I am tall enough to use a lap/shoulder seat belt.
• I will try to find a physical activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding my bike) or a sport I like and do it at least three times a week!
• I will always wear a helmet when riding a bike, scooter or skateboard.
• I'll try to be friendly to kids who may have a hard time making friends by talking with them and inviting them to join activities.
• I will tell an adult about bullying that I see or hear about to do what I can to help keep school safe for everyone.
• I will keep my personal info safe and not share my name, home address, school name or telephone number online. Also, I'll never send a picture of myself to someone I chat with on the computer or phone without asking my parent if it is okay.
• I will try to talk with my parent or a trusted adult when I have a problem or feel stressed.
• I promise that I'll do my best to follow our household rules for videogames and internet use.
• I will read for fun

Previously we discussed important content within the first two units of our Second Step curriculum – growth mindset and goal setting (unit 1) and emotion management (unit 2). The third unit of Second Step focuses on empathy and kindness. We will start by focusing on empathy in this article. Below we define empathy and suggest strategies to teach and encourage empathy in your child at home.

Strategies to Teach Children Empathy

Empathy is the ability to be aware of the feelings of others and imagine what it might be like to be in their position. The famous quite “try waking in someone else’s shoes,” is what empathy is about.

Empathy is a key ingredient in forming positive friendships and relationships. It reduces conflict and misunderstandings and leads to helping behavior, kindness, and even greater success in life in general.

Like any skill, empathy can be taught and developed in children. The most effective strategies to use with children depend on the child’s age.

Strategies to Teach Empathy

Model empathy

Any time you want to teach a skill to a child, it’s important to model it yourself. This way, the child understands what empathy looks like, sounds like, and feels like. Plus, it’s easier to teach a skill that you’ve already mastered yourself.

Discuss emotions

Talk openly about emotions. Let’s say your child is scared of the dark. Instead of saying, “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” explore the child’s feelings: “Are you scared of the dark? What scares you about the dark?”

If your child doesn’t like another child, don’t immediately say, “That’s wrong,” but ask why the child feels that way. This can lead to a discussion about the other child’s actions and why the child might be acting that way.

Help out at home, in the community, or globally

Helping others develop kindness and caring. It can also give children the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds, ages, and circumstances, making it easier to show empathy for all people.

Praise empathetic behavior

When your child shows empathy for others, praise the behavior. Focusing on and encouraging empathetic behavior encourages more of it in the future.

Make the praise specific: “You brought your sister a Band-Aid for her scraped knee so she could feel better. That was so kind and helpful!”

Summary: The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali promotes themes of being proud of our identity and what makes us different.

Resources: https://childrenslibrarylady.com/the-proudest-blue/

https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/proudest-blue-literature-guide