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 10th. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held the following week on Friday, January 17th. 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. We will be utilizing Skyward to schedule conferences this school year. This gives parents an opportunity to view available time slots and sign up for the time that works the best. You will receive an e-mail from Skyward to schedule your Parent Teacher Conference time on January 17th for your child’s teacher. If we do not have your information in Skyward, information will be sent home with your child.

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.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

We survived and thrived through the hustle and bustle of December magic at the ELC. This month we are wrapping up Moody Cow Meditates classroom lessons and starting our Get Real About Violence-Kindergarten edition series. Behavior can be challenging coming back from Winter Break. Our students can really use some reminders on how to handle certain situation, making strong choices, and staying safe. I will be coming into the classrooms for a five day lesson series on this program. Students will meet Tuggles the Teddy Bear who will help guide them through making strong choices when they are met with dilemmas. This program is evidence based and a personal favorite of mine.

Winter Break is a wonderful time for our students to take a mental break from school and recharge before coming back in January. The beginning of the new year is very academic driven and we're getting down to the nitty gritty of Kindergarten goals. Here are a few tips to help set your child up for success when he/she comes back from break:

• After January 1st, try and get back on the regular school sleep schedule to help your child fight fatigue and low energy that first week.
• Imagine if we sat and binge watched Netflix all day, everyday for the next 16 days, it would be REALLY hard for us to get back into the work mindset on January 6th. Help your child's transition back to school by continuing to set limits on electronics. We need students to be focused and ready to learn when they come back.
• READ. READ. READ. Continue reading for at least 10 minutes each night before bed. This is a great time to snuggle with your child and enjoy this time off school together.
• Here's a great link with fun winter break activities to do with your child over break. https://blog.edgenuity.com/winter-break-activities-for-kids/
  

Have a wonderful break and see you in the New Year! -Miss Brittney, ELC School Counselor

Students traveled to the Munster Center for Performing Arts and Hobart Middle School this month to be part of an audience and watch live shows! They got to put on their own show for their family and friends during Cookies with Santa and see what it feels like to be on the big stage!

Students wowed their special audiences during our Cookies With Santa celebrations. Everyone was invited to enjoy a special afternoon this holiday season with their child at the ELC. Santa sure was delighted with all of the performances!

Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with our district's plan and policy on weather related school closings on our website. Should we need to cancel or delay school due to inclement weather, our district homepage will be updated with a pop up window that appears that day upon closure. We will also update our Facebook pages as well as make a district wide all call. In case of delay, all schools will begin 2 hours later than regular time. For the ELC, that is 11:10. Buses will arrive 2 hours later and breakfast will not be served, as we will be starting lunches upon arrival.

Kindergarten classes studied Holiday traditions around the world during their Holidays Around the World unit. They were given passports to keep track of the countries they visited and enjoyed stories, crafts songs and traditions that children of each country engage in for the holidays.

We had our first Book Fair of the school year and it was spectacular! Thank you to all those volunteers for your support with the set up and running of the book fair and thank you to all of those who supported! We use proceeds from our Book Fair to provide book giveaways for all students at the ELC throughout the school year.

The 2020 Readathon is upon us and what a great way to spotlight the importance of reading by participating! The Lake County Public Library provides this program as way to raise funds for their organization as well as our school library.Look for permission slips to come home early January. Once you turn in permission slip, your child will receive a pledge envelope to log entries and collect money. Have fun picking out books with lots of sight words your child has learned in school this year and watch their reading level soar! The LCPL awards really nice ribbons and trophies for participating. These are a priceless addition to your home library and make a nice visual reminder that your child is a reader! Readers are Leaders!

Flu- Each New Year We Face the Flu, Vaccinate so it Doesn’t Get You! 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- All students should be up to date on their vaccinations. Indiana state law requires you to have up to date immunizations. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your 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.

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 the school so that we can effectively and confidentially assist you with monitoring. The school 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 incase needed for unseen circumstances that may arise during the school day.

If you have any questions, please call your school nurse or visit our school web page at http://www.hobart.k12.in.us for more information on student health, school forms, and other helpful links

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/