Reed's September Newsletter
Looking forward to a great year!
Thank You for a Great Start to the Year!
Extra Face Masks in Backpacks
End of the Day Dismissal Changes
The Second Step Program: Addressing the Illinois Social Emotional Learning Standards
For Families
To kick off our Social-Emotional Learning focus this year, our school-wide theme Somebody at Reed School Loves You! creates a welcoming environment where every student knows that he or she belongs, is accepted, and loved. Our Reed Pledge and Three B's Matrix (see below) also help to create a safe and nurturing learning environment for all who enter our building.
Once again we will be teaching the Second Step program; these lessons support social-emotional learning and the CASEL Wheel that was introduced district-wide last year. (See last month's Welcome Back Newsletter for details on the CASEL Wheel)
During October, Second Step lessons and skills for learning include the following: listening, focusing attention, using self-talk to stay on-task, and being assertive when asking for help with a learning task.
Reed's Monday Morning Pledge
Every Monday we collectively recite our Reed Pledge after the Pledge of Allegiance. This helps to remind our students about the importance of demonstrating our three B's throughout the day.
Our Reed Pledge
I am proud to be a Reed Rocket.
I promise to be respectful.
I promise to be responsible.
I promise to be peaceful.
Today I will be the BEST I can be!
Today I will be all THREE!
In addition, we have a behavior matrix that outlines expected behaviors throughout the building. Teachers reviewed these expectations with their classes during the first week of school. This matrix is also posted in the building as gentle reminders for students.
Character Education
CASEL Connection: Self-Awareness and Social Skills
Helping Your Child Make Friends Again
Taken from PBS Kids for Parents/Kayla Craig
As our children’s social worlds begin to expand and return to a new normal after so many unknowns, parents are wondering how to best prepare young kids to make friends outside the home. And to be honest, it can feel overwhelming for both kids and grown-ups. My son often reminds me of something when we’re working through big feelings and life transitions: “Well, you never lived through a pandemic as a kid!” And he’s right!
A year and half isn’t so long for grown-ups, but my 5-year-old has spent a quarter of his life primarily playing with his siblings at home, missing out on a typical preschool experience. Every family has a different comfort and safety level, and I’m working to prepare my kids to know their personal boundaries and respect others’ boundaries, too. As my family arranges to interact more with neighbors and plans for school, I talked with Dr. Traci Baxley — a parenting coach, educator, and mother of five — about how to navigate nerves, ease anxieties, and empower little ones as we ease into more social situations.
“The isolation — when we needed each other the most — was the hardest. It impacted our mental health and our children’s mental health,” Dr. Baxley said. “In a world that needed more compassion and connection during the pandemic and social unrest, our kids got denied all of that. The basic human connection was missing in a time when we needed that the most.”
Here are some tips she shared with me for helping kids make friends and build social resilience in this transition time after a tough year.
- Be ready to provide extra support. “I think there’s going to be an extra layer of support needed. As we’re coming out of this unprecedented time, I think a little more hand-holding in the beginning is warranted,” Dr. Baxley said. “I think parents should be very patient with their children. Be a safe space for them to be able to deal with those feelings.” Dr. Baxley also said sharing our experiences and emotions normalizes the varied feelings our kids might be holding. “Offer your kids a time that you felt the same way, so they know it’s common. Say something like, ‘I remember how I felt when I had to go back to work’ or ‘I remember when I moved to a new school’ — normalize those feelings for them.”
- Stay positive. “The more we can teach them about the power of friendship in a positive way is important,” Dr. Baxley said. “Friendship teaches them empathy and compassion, how to trust, and how to be vulnerable. It teaches them how to treat others, how to trust, how to be open-hearted, and how to create safe boundaries for themselves, too.”
- Be proactive, but start small. When approaching a big change, like entering the school building after doing remote learning or joining a new playgroup for the first time, Dr. Baxley said to start small. “Be proactive in trying to create small circles or spaces for them to socialize, or try to arrange more one-on-one playdates or outings.” For kids returning to school after time away, she suggests taking advantage of fall orientations or back-to-school nights to not only meet the teacher, but perhaps get introduced to a new friend, too.
- Play pretend. “I always think things work better when you role play at home,” Dr. Baxley says. “The more you can anticipate things, the better.” She recommends playing with puppets to act out different situations that may arise when your child interacts with peers. Pretend to be a new friend asking to play or have one of your characters be nervous about not knowing anyone. “Going through these roles and scenarios in their mind can help them feel relaxed,” Dr. Baxley said. “When things come up, they’re going to say, this feels familiar.”
- Remember your people. It’s normal for kids (and grown-ups!) to feel anxious when experiencing big life transitions or forging new relationships. If your little one is feeling nervous about heading back to school or having playdates at the park, Dr. Baxley recommended reminding children who’s in their corner. “It’s important to talk to your child about who their team is. Ask them, ‘If you're feeling anxious, who are the people you can talk to?’” Those people may be parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, guidance counselors, or even a new friend.
- Make a plan. What can your child say or do if they’re feeling left out? What will they do if they’re in a new space where they don’t know anyone? Will they (or others) be wearing a mask? Having a plan helps your child navigate new social spaces. “Help them brainstorm ideas about what to say when situations are hard,” Dr. Baxley said.
- Bring in the pros. When approaching transitions, talking it out with a mental health professional can be helpful for kids and parents alike. If that’s not an option, Dr. Baxley suggested being in touch with your child’s guidance counselor. “I’m a big believer in getting professional help. Be open to getting support both at school and outside of school,” Dr. Baxley said. “A lot of times, if guidance counselors know there are issues, they’ll create special small groups for kids.”
- Share your perspective. As I parent my four young kids, I know each one brings a unique perspective to their approach in making new friends and casting a wider social circle. They’re holding so many emotions all at once — excitement and anxiety, happiness and nervousness — and if I’m being honest, so am I! Dr. Baxley said that it’s good to acknowledge our multifaceted feelings with our kids so they know they’re not alone in having different emotions (like Daniel Tiger feeling two feelings at the same time!). “Model to your kids how to handle those emotions: deep breaths, meditating, writing out in a journal… let them see you use strategies that they can also do.” We are also going to be trying these self-care tips for kids.
As parents and caregivers, we’ve seen the youngest among us grow resilient in unknowns and become courageous in challenging times. With compassion and care, we can honor their emotions and help them create strong foundations from which they can build a lifetime of friendships.
Continuing at Reed: Composer of the Month
October- Camille Saint-Saëns
November- John Philip Sousa
December- Peter Tchaikovsky
January- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
February- Scott Joplin
March (4 Women are Featured)- Chen Yi, Fanny Mendolssohn, Undine Smith Moore, Sarah Bareilles
April- Duke Ellington
May- John Williams
Trex Plastic Film Recycling
Smile!
News From the Music Room
Welcome Bach to school! We will be learning about Johann Sebastian Bach, and listening to lots of his music this month. We will also be singing, playing classroom instruments and dancing, using precautions that the students stay socially distanced and masked.
It is wonderful to be back in the music classroom this year, and such a joy to be in person making music with the children!
Third Grade parents, stay tuned for more information in the next couple of weeks about our Third Grade Choir! Beginning September 21, rehearsals will take place on Tuesdays for Mrs. Billquist, Mrs. Shramuk, Mrs. Lustyk and Mrs. McEleny’s classes, and Thursdays for Mrs. Sinram, Mrs. Larson, Ms. Haywood and Mrs. Bohanan’s classes. Rehearsal time will be 11:50-12:05. This is normally the students’ lunch recess time. This is an optional musical ensemble for children who love to sing, and don’t mind giving up one recess per week!
News From Art Class
The 2nd grade classes will be learning about Canadian artist Ted Harrison, who is best known for his colorful landscapes of the Yukon. We'll be drawing simple landscape elements in the style of Harrison, and then using a glue technique and chalk pastels to add color.
The 3rd grade classes will be creating a Southwest desert landscape using one point perspective. We'll be drawing landscape elements such as mountains, mesas, etc. along with different desert cacti. We'll be using Sharpies for outlining, then adding color with colored pencils and watercolors.
Physical Education News
Mrs. Kolcz and Mrs. Dietz are your P.E. teachers here at Reed School. We also have a paraprofessional this year, Mrs. Magyar!
We are very lucky this year, because we got to up the amount of days that we have P.E. Third grade has P.E. 5 days a week now and Second grade has it 4 days a week. This means we get to cover a lot more material!
Please be sure that you are wearing clean gym shoes to class and if you have a dress or a skirt on that you have shorts on underneath it. We have to make sure that we are staying safe, that is priority number one here!
We do take a couple weeks to cover each unit. At the beginning we cover playground games and we will move on to soccer. If you have any questions feel free to reach out through email! It is the quickest way to get ahold of us.
Help Wanted
Reed School
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Email: cslee@d92.org
Website: www.d92.org/index.php/reed
Location: West 143rd Street, Homer Glen, IL, United States
Phone: (708) 301-0692
Twitter: @PrincipalSlee