From the Desk of Mr. Yoshida
Birdneck Elementary 4/1/2017
UPCOMING INFO
4/3/17 Family Math Night
4/3/17 5th grade fieldtrip to Jamestown 7:00 am
4/5/17 SCA Meeting 3:00-4:00
4/6/17 Pre-Kindergarten Egg Hunt and Family Brunch 8:30
4/7/17 Early Dismissal 8:10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Morning: 8:10 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Afternoon: 10:10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Spring Break School Closed April 10-14
Gino's night coming in April. Date to be determined soon.
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRINCIPAL
Hello Birdneck Community,
Our staff and students continue to impress me with the progress I've been seeing. I'd like to congratulate our students for scoring above the city average on many of the quarterly assessments. On a couple of our assessments we were among the top averages in Virginia Beach. Thank you for your support at home by encouraging your children to work hard. Our success will carry on if we all continue to have a growth mindset in which we view any mistake as a learning opportunity. We can accomplish anything with a little bit of grit and positive encouragement. I recently read the book Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt about a youngster who overcame many challenges to find success. As stated on an Amazon review, this book is a particularly uplifting novel "that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in." I highly recommend this book to both parents and our upper grade students.
Join us for Family Math Night on Monday, April 3rd from 6:00-7:30. We will be featuring the “Kid’s Marketplace”. It’s a fun activity with math, money, and moving around. Your child will be introduced to financial choices while having fun! Please return the RSVP form at the bottom of the flyer your child brought home so we can be expecting you. See you there!
While I will miss you all over Spring Break, I am very excited for our students to have time to spend with their families and friends. Teachers have been asked to not send homework with children over the break. I hope this affords families to share more quality time together. The power of playing a family board game, making a meal together, or sight-seeing can create positive memories your children. I wish you all a happy and safe break!
Have an awesome day,
R.V. Yoshida
BUILDING A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHILD.
One of the biggest keys to a good relationship is spending time with your children. Sharing in fun brings people closer together. It is important, even in the busy world we live in, to set time aside for your children. Start today and make family night a regular occasion in your house.
When kids are young there is nothing better than spending time with you, their parents. Here are a few ideas on how to fit quality time in with your kids.
*Homemade Pizza Night: Parents can roll out the crust, and each person in the family can put the toppings of his/her choice on a personal size pizza.
*Game Night: Take one night a week or one night a month and make it game night. Kids love to play games, and they learn sportsmanship at the same time.
*Movie Night: Take one night a month and make it family movie night. Let a different person select the movie each night, pop some popcorn and hang out in the living room together.
*Family Fun Bag: Sit down and make a list of all the fun things you want to do together. Write each one on a sheet of paper and place them in a bag. Draw one slip our each week or month and do what is on the slip on family fun night/day.
Saplings Field Trip
Saplings Field Trip
Join us to learn simple ways to help your child be successful in school!
Who: Kindergartner and one Parent/Guardian
When: Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 8:30 – 12:30
What: Trip and Tour of the Francis Land House Museum
Cost: FREE
Each child must attend with one parent/guardian. We will be serving breakfast and juice from 8:45 – 9:15 at Birdneck Elementary School and snacks for the bus ride home.
We still have 7 slots open on a first come first serve basis.
Please contact Amanda Ledlow at Birdneck ES 757-648-2120 or akledlow@vbschools.com
10 TIPS FOR RAISING RESILIENT KIDS
10 Tips For Raising Resilient Kids
By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
https://psychcentral.com/lib/10-tips-for-raising-resilient-kids/
While adulthood is filled with serious responsibilities, childhood isn’t exactly stress-free. Kids take tests, learn new information, change schools, change neighborhoods, get sick, get braces, encounter bullies, make new friends and occasionally get hurt by those friends.
What helps kids in navigating these kinds of challenges is resilience. Resilient kids are problem solvers. They face unfamiliar or tough situations and strive to find good solutions.
“When they step into a situation, [resilient kids] have a sense they can figure out what they need to do and can handle what is thrown at them with a sense of confidence,” said Lynn Lyons, LICSW, a psychotherapist who specializes in treating anxious families and co-author of the book Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children with anxiety expert Reid Wilson, Ph.D.
This doesn’t mean that kids have to do everything on their own, she said. Rather, they know how to ask for help and are able to problem-solve their next steps.
Resilience isn’t birthright. It can be taught. Lyons encouraged parents to equip their kids with the skills to handle the unexpected, which actually contrasts our cultural approach.
“We have become a culture of trying to make sure our kids are comfortable. We as parents are trying to stay one step ahead of everything our kids are going to run into.” The problem? “Life doesn’t work that way.”
Anxious people have an especially hard time helping their kids tolerate uncertainty, simply because they have a hard time tolerating it themselves. “The idea of putting your child through the same pain that you went through is intolerable,” Lyons said. So anxious parents try to protect their kids and shield them from worst-case scenarios.
However, a parent’s job isn’t to be there all the time for their kids, she said. It’s to teach them to handle uncertainty and to problem-solve. Below, Lyons shared her valuable suggestions for raising resilient kids.
1. Don’t accommodate every need.
According to Lyons, “whenever we try to provide certainty and comfort, we are getting in the way of children being able to develop their own problem-solving and mastery.” (Overprotecting kids only fuels their anxiety.)
She gave a “dramatic but not uncommon example.” A child gets out of school at 3:15. But they worry about their parent picking them up on time. So the parent arrives an hour earlier and parks by their child’s classroom so they can see the parent is there.
In another example, parents let their 7-year-old sleep on a mattress on the floor in their bedroom because they’re too uncomfortable to sleep in their own room.
2. Avoid eliminating all risk.
Naturally, parents want to keep their kids safe. But eliminating all risk robs kids of learning resiliency. In one family Lyons knows, the kids aren’t allowed to eat when the parents are not home, because there’s a risk they might choke on their food. (If the kids are old enough to stay home alone, they’re old enough to eat, she said.)
The key is to allow appropriate risks and teach your kids essential skills. “Start young. The child who’s going to get his driver’s license is going to have started when he’s 5 [years old] learning how to ride his bike and look both ways [slow down and pay attention].”
Giving kids age-appropriate freedom helps them learn their own limits, she said.
3. Teach them to problem-solve.
Let’s say your child wants to go to sleep-away camp, but they’re nervous about being away from home. An anxious parent, Lyons said, might say, “Well, then there’s no reason for you to go.”
But a better approach is to normalize your child’s nervousness, and help them figure out how to navigate being homesick. So you might ask your child how they can practice getting used to being away from home.
When Lyons’s son was anxious about his first final exam, they brainstormed strategies, including how he’d manage his time and schedule in order to study for the exam.
In other words, engage your child in figuring out how they can handle challenges. Give them the opportunity, over and over, “to figure out what works and what doesn’t.”
4. Teach your kids concrete skills.
When Lyons works with kids, she focuses on the specific skills they’ll need to learn in order to handle certain situations. She asks herself, “Where are we going with this [situation]? What skill do they need to get there?” For instance, she might teach a shy child how to greet someone and start a conversation.
5. Avoid “why” questions.
“Why” questions aren’t helpful in promoting problem-solving. If your child left their bike in the rain, and you ask “why?” “what will they say? I was careless. I’m an 8-year-old,” Lyons said.
Ask “how” questions instead. “You left your bike out in the rain, and your chain rusted. How will you fix that?” For instance, they might go online to see how to fix the chain or contribute money to a new chain, she said.
Lyons uses “how” questions to teach her clients different skills. “How do you get yourself out of bed when it’s warm and cozy? How do you handle the noisy boys on the bus that bug you?”
6. Don’t provide all the answers.
Rather than providing your kids with every answer, start using the phrase “I don’t know,” “followed by promoting problem-solving,” Lyons said. Using this phrase helps kids learn to tolerate uncertainty and think about ways to deal with potential challenges.
Also, starting with small situations when they’re young helps prepare kids to handle bigger trials. They won’t like it, but they’ll get used to it, she said.
For instance, if your child asks if they’re getting a shot at the doctor’s office, instead of placating them, say, “I don’t know. You might be due for a shot. Let’s figure out how you’re doing to get through it.”
Similarly, if your child asks, “Am I going to get sick today?” instead of saying, “No, you won’t,” respond with, “You might, so how might you handle that?”
If your child worries they’ll hate their college, instead of saying, “You’ll love it,” you might explain that some freshmen don’t like their school, and help them figure out what to do if they feel the same way, she said.
7. Avoid talking in catastrophic terms.
Pay attention to what you say to your kids and around them. Anxious parents, in particular, tend to “talk very catastrophically around their children,” Lyons said. For instance, instead of saying “It’s really important for you to learn how to swim,” they say, “It’s really important for you to learn how to swim because it’d be devastating to me if you drowned.”
8. Let your kids make mistakes.
“Failure is not the end of the world. [It’s the] place you get to when you figure out what to do next,” Lyons said. Letting kids mess up is tough and painful for parents. But it helps kids learn how to fix slip-ups and make better decisions next time.
According to Lyons, if a child has an assignment, anxious or overprotective parents typically want to make sure the project is perfect, even if their child has no interest in doing it in the first place. But let your kids see the consequences of their actions.
Similarly, if your child doesn’t want to go to football practice, let them stay home, Lyons said. Next time they’ll sit on the bench and probably feel uncomfortable.
9. Help them manage their emotions.
Emotional management is key in resilience. Teach your kids that all emotions are OK, Lyons said. It’s OK to feel angry that you lost the game or someone else finished your ice cream. Also, teach them that after feeling their feelings, they need to think through what they’re doing next, she said.
“Kids learn very quickly which powerful emotions get them what they want. Parents have to learn how to ride the emotions, too.” You might tell your child, “I understand that you feel that way. I’d feel the same way if I were in your shoes, but now you have to figure out what the appropriate next step is.”
If your child throws a tantrum, she said, be clear about what behavior is appropriate (and inappropriate). You might say, “I’m sorry we’re not going to get ice cream, but this behavior is unacceptable.”
10. Model resiliency.
Of course, kids also learn from observing their parents’ behavior. Try to be calm and consistent, Lyons said. “You cannot say to a child you want them to control their emotions, while you yourself are flipping out.”
“Parenting takes a lot of practice and we all screw up.” When you do make a mistake, admit it. “I really screwed up. I’m sorry I handled that poorly. Let’s talk about a different way to handle that in the future,” Lyons said.
Resiliency helps kids navigate the inevitable trials, triumphs and tribulations of childhood and adolescence. Resilient kids also become resilient adults, able to survive and thrive in the face of life’s unavoidable stressors.
APRIL IS MATH MONTH!
To celebrate Math Month we have planned two activities for our students.
To start off the month we will have our Family Math Night “The Kid’s Marketplace” on Monday, April 3rd from 6:00-7:30. Flyers went home in student folders. Please send RSVP forms in with your student.
We are going to be graphing class usage of TenMarks during the month of April in the hallway outside of the math office. Please encourage your child to use the program not only in class but also at home! We will announce the top weekly winners on Mondays during the morning announcements.
Thank you for your support of Math Month!
APRIL - AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. We now know that there is not one autism but many types, caused by different combinations of genetic and environmental influences.
The term “spectrum” reflects the wide variation in challenges and strengths possessed by each person with autism.
Autism’s most-obvious signs tend to appear between 2 and 3 years of age. In some cases, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months. Some developmental delays associated with autism can be identified and addressed even earlier. Autism Speaks urges parents with concerns to seek evaluation without delay, as early intervention can improve outcomes. To read more about autism click here.
We have many students with autism here in Virginia Beach. Mayor Will Sessoms declared April 2 Autism Awareness Day in Virginia Beach.Virginia Beach, Va. – Landmarks and buildings throughout the area will be illuminated blue on Saturday to bring awareness to World Autism Awareness Day and Autism Awareness Month.
The “Light It Up Blue” campaign, sponsored by Autism Speaks, helps raise awareness for more than 70 million people around the world with autism.
If interested, you can join folks from NewsChannel 3 by wearing blue Saturday to show your support. and Tag @WTKR3 in your pictures on Twitter or Instagram!
Gifted Identification & Notification Timeline
If your child has applied for Gifted Identification, ODS, Dance and/or Visual Arts you will be notified by email.
Please use the following link to the timeline of notifications:
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BIRDNECK MISSION
The mission of Birdneck Elementary is to dedicate ourselves to the success of all children, preparing them to meet today's expectations and tomorrow's challenges.
BIRDNECK VISION
Children are our future. We are dedicated to their success.
BIRDNECK BELIEFS
We believe in a collaborative community in which teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together for student success.
We believe in creating a safe, nurturing, and positive environment in which all students can strive for excellence and achieve their individual potential.
We believe we will prepare our students for success by providing 21st century learning and developing within our students critical thinking, effective communications and problem solving skills.
Website: http://www.birdneckes.vbschools.com/
Location: 957 South Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-2120
Facebook: facebook.com/birdneckes
Twitter: @BNESeagles