September 2014 - Grade 2 Lesson: Sharing

Dear Family Member,

As a reminder that we all must learn to work cooperatively now that school has started again, grade 2 has been watching a video called Can I Have a Turn? Learning About Sharing. The program’s goal is to demonstrate different ways to share and how sharing helps people get along better with others. It also helps children become aware that when it comes to sharing, not all situations need be the same.

The program shows children:

• problems can arise when one child monopolizes something that other children might want to play with.

• some of the ways they can share are by dividing things up, playing together instead of alone, and taking turns.

• choosing not to share is okay, but just taking something if someone decides not to share it is not okay.

• it may seem unfair, but someone’s decision not to share something that belongs to them needs to be respected.

• if they don’t want to share something, they should save it to play with by themselves and find other things to share.

Talk with your child about what he or she has learned about sharing by creating openings for conversation on this topic.

Reading books together can reinforce your child’s understanding of the benefits that can come from sharing and provide a springboard for discussion.

Books you might read with your child on this topic: Barbara Shook Hazen. That Toad is Mine! HarperFestival, 1998. A humorous and satisfying look at friendship and sharing.

Mary Ann Hoberman. One of Each. Megan Tingley, 1997. A gentle message about the importance of sharing.

Kevin Luthardt. Mine! Atheneum, 2001. An ideal first picture book about sharing.

Yours truly,

Ms. Cahill

September 2015 - Kindergarten, Grade 1 Lessson: Rules

Dear Families,

Welcome to a new school year! This is the time of year when we're all adjusting to the structure of being in school, and learning our classroom and school rules. I feel it's important to explain the 'why' of rules here at school, so that children have an understanding that there are very good reasons rules are in place.

For our first  Developmental Guidance lesson of the school year in Kindergarten and 1st grade, your child viewed a short program called I Can Follow Rules by Sunburst  Visual Media. This topic is one that is import to all age groups because rules are a part of our everyday lives. It is especially important to discuss this topic with your child, because failure to follow the rules can often create unfair, unkind, or unsafe situations. Here are some questions you can ask your child to help open a discussion:

• What are some of the rules that you have to follow in school?
• Are there any rules that you don’t understand? What are they?
• Is it hard for you to follow any of the rules? Which ones, and why?

Here are some tips about following rules that you can reinforce through discussion of this topic with your child:

• Rules are important because they help to keep things fair for everyone, they help keep us safe, and they remind us to treat each other with respect.
• People who break the rules may cause harm to others as well as to themselves.

Reinforce with your child the techniques that were suggested in the program to make it easier to follow rules:

• Talk to yourself about why you should follow the rule.
• Use self-control and wait your turn.
• Pay attention so you can follow directions.

Let your child know that you are always available to talk about any problems he or she may have with a particular rule – why it is important, whether or not it is fair, how best to follow it.

Books you might read with your child: Doug Rules by Nancy E. Krulik, Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss.

September 2014 - Grades 3 and 4 Lesson - Kindness

As I welcome all students back to a new school year, I always notice how much our third and fourth graders have grown emotionally over the summer. Gone are the days of parallel play, and of parents choosing their friends! While I always encourage children to be mindful of choosing healthy relationships, it is equally important that they understand the basics of human decency , respect and kindness.

The book pictured below is a wonderful perspective on how this plays out from the narrator's viewpoint. It is not a clichéd happy ending story - something that has generated heartfelt discussions in many classrooms.

Ask your child about the book, and about their thoughts after hearing the story. It's a worthwhile conversation! 

I 

Welcome Back to School!