From the Desk of Mrs. Brush
JC's Assistant Principal
TIME IS FLYING BY!
PARENT NEWSLETTER AND ROUNDTABLE TOPICS
This year, along with our periodic newsletters, we would like to hold one or more roundtable discussions on topics to help support you as parents. Please click on the link below to fill out a brief survey to help us determine what topics are of most interest to focus on. We've only gotten two responses so far, and want to make sure that we are hearing from all of you! We will be scheduling the first workshop after the February Break, which will focus on "The ABCs of IEPs - How to Read Your Child's Individualized Education Plan."
HOT TOPIC - EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
- Paying attention
- Organizing and planning
- Initiating tasks and staying focused on them
- Regulating emotions
- Self-monitoring
Obviously these skills are necessary for us to get along in every day life, but they are also things that are not always strengths. There are things we can do to help our children - and ourselves - to strengthen these skills.
Each month, our district's PPS staff puts together a resource of suggested activities that can be used at school and/or at home to help improve executive functioning skills. Below are some of suggested activities from this month.
K-2nd Grade:
- Card games (Crazy Eights, Uno, Blink, Set) and board games (Battleship, Checkers, Sorry!) can help practice cognitive flexibility.
- Musical chairs, four square, dodgeball, and tetherball require paying attention and inhibition.
- Simon Says improves attention, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility.
- Solving puzzles and brain teaser books improve problem-solving abilities as well as cognitive flexibility.
2nd - 6th Grade:
- Card games and board games (Hearts, Bridge, Rummy, Chess) exercise working memory, quick decision making, and practice with building strategies.
- Physical activities that require constant monitoring of your environment like soccer, baseball, and flashlight tag improve executive functioning skills.
- Playing a musical instrument, singing, and dancing all improve attention, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition.
- Brain teasers, crossword puzzles, math and number puzzles, and visual/spatial puzzles like Rubik's Cubes improve working memory and mental and cognitive flexibility.
Images from Understood.org
SENSORY FRIENDLY FILMS
Below is a link to upcoming films:
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Mrs. Brenda Brush
Email: brenda_brush@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: www.greenwichschools.org/jcs
Location: 180 East Elm Street, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 869-1896
Twitter: @jcasstprincipal