"Bee Updated" - Read About Wawaloam School This Week!

Happy Friday!!

Last year at the Kindergarten Orientation I shared a poem by Robert Fulghum called:

"All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten"

I recently came across a copy of the poem and I think it is worth reviewing again, the message is simple but if we want to be successful in life, there are key elements that balanced with academics, will make a huge difference-

Share Everything. 

Play Fair.

Don't hit people. 

Put things back where you found them. 

Clean up your own mess. 

Don't take things that aren't yours. 

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. 

Wash your hands before you eat. 

Flush. 

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. 

Live a balanced life-

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance 

and play and work everyday some. 

Take a nap every afternoon. 

When you go out into the world, 

watch out for traffic, 

hold hands and stick together. 

Be aware of WONDER. 

SOME OF OUR STUDENTS SHARING

(taken 10/2 in Mrs. Petrarca's class)

In addition to these important considerations, we also want to pass along some small steps that will help students feel confident and happy about school. A good night of sleep can move mountains for a young child. The recommended amount of time for sleep is between 10-12 hours! 

Also, when you encourage independence in your child, you are giving them a gift. As a mom myself, I can attest to the fact that it is indeed faster to zip the jacket and tie the shoes and pack the lunches by yourself but think about the opportunity you are giving to your child to gain the successful feeling of "I did it myself!"

If it is unrealistic to have children do this everyday, think about a plan like this:

Mondays- Make your own Bed Day

Tuesdays- Try Everything by Yourself Day 

Wednesdays- Wear the Clothes you Pick out the Night Before

Thursdays- Think About Doing Something Nice for Someone Else 

Fridays- Fun Lunch -Pack it Yourself Day (do it the night before)

If you take on any of these attempts at independence, or you implement something like this already- think about offering specific feedback for the task accomplished.  For example, instead of "Good Job" let your child know how much better they are getting at making the bed and how tidy their bedroom looks with a made bed. These small changes can instill the mindset of wanting to grow and improve each time.

I am passing along a short but great article with emphasis on the Growth Mindset for Parents with 5 small ways to encourage the Growth Mindset at home:

http://wonderofchildren.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/5-things-you-can-do-to-encouarge-a-growth-mindset-in-kids/

I had the opportunity to share the book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by Dr. Joann Deak with Grades 1 and 2. We had a great conversation about things they want to get better at and how they can improve at anything they put their minds to. We repeated the phrase, "You can train your brain" several times. They were pretty engaged in this discussion in case you hear anything along these lines at home :)

This 1 minute link will share the concept of this great book that Mrs. Cohen so generously shared with me so that I could share with our students!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch3kbXBah5Y

To end, we wanted to be sure you reviewed the two sided memo from The RI Department of Health regarding the Enterovirus D-68. We sent this home on paper so you could keep it nearby to review the steps for prevention as a family. It should have come home in the yellow home/school communication folder. For more information, see the RI Department of Health website:

www.health.ri.gov/diseases/respiratory/?parm=141

Here at Wawaloam we are doing everything we can to encourage everyone in the building to wash hands as often as possible and we are working together to disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Mrs. Larkin and I have really talked up keeping our hands clean and she has taken pictures of students (and teachers) she sees showing their Healthy Bee-Havior of handwashing! She has used these to create a bulletin board outside of her office and students check frequently to see if their picture is up there! Isn't this awesome!

Wishing you all a splendid fall weekend- I am hoping to get my pumpkins this weekend!
Sincerely,
Melissa Marino

PS- It was great to see SO many faces at last night's PTA meeting!!