TIGER TIMES
April 2020
Inspire, Engage, Empower!
Wayne Center Elementary School
1231 East Appleman Road
Kendallville, IN 46755
Phone: 260-347-2548
Fax: 260-347-7172
Jaime Carroll - Principal
Website: http://wc.eastnoble.net
Twitter: @WayneCenterElem
Letter from Mrs. Carroll
Dear Wayne Center Families:
I just wanted to extend our thanks and gratitude for making the commitment to help us and your children through these different and challenging times. We appreciate your overwhelming support and are making an effort to keep things as normal as we can for our students on our eLearning days as we finish out this school year.
I wanted to communicate with you that our teachers are working hard on connecting, communicating and maintaining our academic focus that we had before this pandemic started. With the guidance that came out less than a week ago from the state, we are trying to navigate our way through this remote learning that we are expected to do. We will continue to set high expectations and maintain rigor with our lessons while we deliver in a different manner with remote learning.
Teachers have been asked to prioritize the most important standards without lowering expectations.
Teachers may find that they have to scale back and adjust after this first week back after our break and adjustments may be ongoing.
As we plan, teachers take into consideration the state’s minimum recommendations and considerations knowing that we need to try and meet the needs of all learners ( struggling and those who need challenged).The state has also advised us that these are general practices to utilize, but may be individualized or altered based on the ability of our students.
Wherever we set the bar, is where our students will stretch. We will get through this….one day at a time!
Once again thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. jcarroll@eastnoble.net
Thank you,
Mrs. Carroll
Updated Information:
Case Conferences-We will do these via a conference call/Skype.
Teachers will contact you to arrange times.
Pictures- If you are picking up a popcorn fundraiser order next week, we will also have your child's picture proofs for you. All spring pictures must be ordered online this year. The link is on the proof paper. If you are not picking up a popcorn order, your picture proofs will be mailed to you.
Popcorn Fundraiser - Please see information below.
Yearbooks- We will devise a plan to get these to you.
Our School Carnival has been cancelled for this school year.
Kindergarten and Pre-School Round up - Please see the information below.
End of 5th Grade trip sponsored by PAC is cancelled for our May date. Depending on what happens with the Governor's recommendations, we are going to try and work on a summer gathering if possible. More info. to come.
End of the Year awards will be created into a video that will be shared on our Facebook page. Physical awards will be mailed.
e-Learning Reminders:
- Assignments will be posted by 9:00 a.m. each day of eLearning.
- Teachers are available during the day by email and your Skype during their office hours.
- If we have not heard from your child by noon each assigned eLearning day, we will call and send you a friendly reminder that your child has not checked in yet. Feel free to call the office or email and let the teacher know when eLearning lessons will begin. We understand that some parents prefer to start them in the evening, but we are still informing you to keep in contact about eLearning status.
- If you do not have internet, you can come and sit on East Noble property with your child. They should be able to use the internet on our property.
- eLearning for the week of April 7- 9 will be due Monday, April 13 by noon.
- eLearning for the week of April 14-16 will be due Monday, April 20 by noon.
- eLearning for the week of April 21-23 will be due Monday, April 27 by noon.
- eLearning for the week of April 28- 30 will be due Monday, May 4 by noon.
May dates will be posted in our May newsletter!
Calling all parents/guardians of upcoming preschoolers and kindergarteners....
With schools closed due to COVID, ENSC was not able to hold kindergarten and preschool round up. If you have a child who will be a kindergartner this fall or a preschooler this fall, please use these links to begin the registration process.
Kindergarten: www.tinyurl.com/Kindergarten2020ENSC
Preschool: www.tinyurl.com/Preschool2020
PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE!!!
Note from Mrs. Ruse, Dean of Students
As our new ‘normal’ continues, I just wanted to share a few reminders about eLearning.
- We are aware that some households do not have internet. Please feel free to come to our parking lot and download/upload your child’s assignments.
- It is imperative that your child is engaging with the activities their teachers are providing for them. We want this time to be productive and our teachers are working very hard to make sure your child is continuing to learn during this unprecedented time.
- Take care of yourselves! We are all in this together! Please reach out to us if you need ANYTHING at all! We want to support you as much as we possibly can during this time. We are all checking our school voicemail messages; however, you will probably get a quicker response from us if you use email. You’re also welcome to use your child’s device to Skype his or her teacher.
- I sincerely hope you are able to find ways to make this time at home productive. Remember that anything you try new with your child is a way of teaching them. Also, if they haven’t mastered something, you can let them practice. I have included a few ideas to keep brains working! Don’t feel like you need to do all of these ideas. Pick one that you would enjoy so you can share it with your child.
· Cooking/baking: lunch, dinner, desserts
· Building: Use wood, Legos, popsicle sticks, blocks, anything! And you can build anything!
· Art: draw, paint, color, paper Mache,
· Music: Dance, write a song, sing, make music, create musical instruments (think Moroccans – use a cup and add dried beans, tape the top)
· Play games: cards, board games, create a game
· Go outside! Play, draw with chalk, walk the dog
Lunches
Meals will be delivered twice each week on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Mondays will include two lunches for Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday delivery will include three lunches for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Need help with Technolgy?
STUDENT TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT PROCEDURES:
- EMAIL TECHSUPPORT@EASTNOBLE.NET: East Noble students and their parents can email any technology issues to techsupport@eastnoble.net. Please be sure to include the student’s full name, a contact number for us to reach you at, and specific details about this issue. This email account will be monitored continuously by the technology staff from 7:30-4:00 on Monday-Friday each week.
- GET INSTANT SUPPORT THROUGH OUR ONLINE SUPPORT PORTAL AT 2HELP.EASTNOBLE.NET: Students and their parents may now use our ONLINE SUPPORT PORTAL by opening a browser on the device and going to 2help.eastnoble.net. Once you are there, you will go to the bottom of the page and choose the issue from the drop-down menu. Fill in the student’s full name and a complete description of the problem and then hit SUBMIT. You will be placed in an online queue, and when a tech staff member is available, you will be alerted on the screen and they will assist you at that time. This portal will be monitored by the technology staff from 7:30-4:00 on Monday-Friday each week.
Is your child having difficulties completing eLearning assignments because of lack of internet service at home? Don’t forget these options!
EAST NOBLE OUTSIDE WIRELESS COVERAGE: Wireless is provided in areas around ALL ENSC buildings! To see where the strongest signals are around the buildings, open the attached PDF or go to https://5il.co/e6id.
LIGTEL WI-FI HOTSPOTS: There are now three new wi-fi hotspots provided by Ligtel Communications—two in Kendallville and one in Avilla. In Kendallville, Ligtel wireless is provided outside of the Community Learning Center in the parking lot (401 E Diamond Street) and at Hidden Ego Event & Recreation in the parking lot (555 W Ohio Street). In Avilla, that coverage is located in the Cody’s Pizza front parking lot (538 E Albion Street). While accessing these HotSpots, please be courteous to the businesses and park toward the outer areas of the parking lots so that their employees and customers can still access their buildings.
- To Access Ligtel HotSpots:
- Click on the Wi-Fi named school.ligtel.com.
- Use the password Ligtel2020 to connect.
Counselor's Corner - Mrs. Soberalski
Intentionally supporting our children’s emotional well-being during these unpredictable and stressful times can seem daunting. We are bombarded daily if not hourly with confusing media coverage about COVID-19. It is important that we talk to our children about the virus and reassure them that although disappointing; schools are closing to help keep us all healthy and safe. We want to offer age appropriate and accurate information to our children. I encourage you to let them lead the conversation and gently correct any misunderstandings. It’s important that we acknowledge and listen to their fears while not projecting our own. Other than checking in with your children frequently, here are a few tips I found from the Child Mind Institute to consider for your family:
-Stick to a consistent routine daily. Set expectations about getting up, getting dressed and eating breakfast.
-Limit endless snacking (this one is hard for me!)
-Create a schedule with your children. There’s no need for a rigid schedule but all family members may be comforted by a predictable structure. Make sure to include play and physical activity into your days.
-Put a limit on social media. This is more for us adults. We want to stay connected but avoid obsessively reading the news.
For many of us our new routines are forcing us to slow down. This time together is perfect for practicing mindfulness at home. Mindfulness is being present in the moment and recognizing the feelings, sensations and environment in that moment with openness and without judgment. Practicing mindfulness can help children and adults learn to focus, manage stress, regulate emotions and develop a positive outlook. I would encourage your families to take time throughout the day to practice mindfulness at less stressful times. The more frequently we practice mindfulness in a calm state the easier it is for us to handle the stressful situations that arise each day. Here are a few mindful activities for you to try:
1. Take a Listening Walk—Go somewhere even your backyard and walk together in silence. Listen for the sounds you typically overlook. You can even bring sound amplifiers by cutting a hole in the sides of two cups attaching a string and placing them over your ears, drinking side facing forward.
2. Mindful Tasting—Ask everyone to spend the first few minutes of certain meals silently noticing the food in their mouth. Pay attention to the taste, textures, and temperatures of different foods. Do these foods remind them of special memories?
3. Do A Body Scan—Lie or sit with your children then starting with the toes bring awareness to that body part for a moment noticing how it feels (i.e. tight, relaxed, hot, sweaty, aching). Continue this with each body part until you get to the top of the head. Another variation to this is that everyone takes turns naming one part of their body out loud and telling how that part feels. Example “ I’m focused on my stomach, and it feels rumbly.”
4. Savor some silence—During a period of enforced quiet, everyone goes through their regular routines, but they don’t speak. Start with 5 or 10 minutes and try to work up to an hour or more. Other types of communication like writing or signaling should be discouraged but each family member could have a pad of paper to write or draw thoughts to share later.
5. Try a Meditation—A formal meditation where you sit without moving and focus on a single thing can be difficult not only for children but adults as well. However, it is an effective practice for calming. Turn down your lights and put your electronics on silent. Have everyone sit on the floor or in a chair with a back for a few minutes. The most common form of meditation is to focus on the breath. We practice many types of breathing at school—hot chocolate breathing, figure eight breathing, rainbow breathing, belly breathing, etc. It can be awkward at first. Acknowledge this but encourage children to pick a spot in the room to focus on or close their eyes to help avoid distractions.
Please know that we are thinking of you during this challenging time. I’m available for you and your children through SKYPE, SEESAW and E-mail. Do not hesitate to reach out if you are concerned about your child’s mental health. We are all in this together.
Love,
Mrs. Soberalski
Information from Nurse jenny
COVID-19 has introduced us to a new “normal” and children are filled with lots of questions regarding the virus. The CDC has provided guidelines on how to discuss COVID-19 with your children and to answer questions that they may have. Here is the link to documents that may help with talking to children https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html and https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/NASN/3870c72d-fff9-4ed7-833f-215de278d256/UploadedImages/PDFs/02292020_NASP_NASN_COVID-19_parent_handout.pdf.
Here an experiment to complete with children that shows the importance of washing hands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KirHm_sYfI
Stay Healthy Tigers!!!
Contact Information
Email: jcarroll@eastnoble.net
Website: http://wc.eastnoble.net/
Location: 1231 East Appleman Road, Kendallville, IN, United States
Phone: 260-347-2548
Facebook: facebook.com/waynecenterelementaryschool
Twitter: @WayneCenterElem