School Notes for February 1, 2013
Happy birthday to Nancy Rynalds, cafeteria, on Feb. 7!
Love and Logic Moment:
BEDTIME
From posts on Facebook, we’ve seen one question come up time and time again: “How do I get my kids to go to bed and stay there?”
During the first year or so, simply comfort them.
Emotional bonding and the development of trust are the critical emotional tasks during the first year of life. Therefore, parents of very young children are wisest to respond to crying by comforting and meeting needs…not by ignoring them or trying to apply consequences.
Create a calming routine.
Make the bedroom time routine as fun, loving, and predictable as possible.
Turn off the electronic stimulation.
Television, computer games, and other electronic stimulation make it much more difficult for children to calm down and get some rest.
Give plenty of choices.
Have you noticed that we use “bedroom time” rather than “bed time”? We can’t force our kids to sleep and to stay in their beds, but we can give them plenty of choices about what they do as they remain in their rooms. Here are some possible choices: lights on or lights off, music on or music off, sleeping with their head at the top of the bed or at the bottom, playing quietly or going to sleep, etc.
Model confidence.
Children take their emotional cues from the adults around them. When saying “good-night” make it quick and positive. Excessive reassurance simply elevates everyone’s anxiety.
Enforce “bedroom time” without emotions or too many words.
After your kids reach their second birthday, it’s okay to begin showing them that they’ll be okay at night without being right next to you. This requires taking your child back to their room and lovingly informing them that the door will stay open as long as they stay inside. When they try to exit, close the door and remain outside of it, ensuring that they are safe and that they remain in their room. While upsetting in the moment, most parents find that staying firm actually allows their children to become far happier and confident in the long term.
In my DVD, Painless Parenting for the Preschool Years, I discuss how to do all of this in caring ways that leave kids feeling capable and loved.
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.
Dr. Charles Fay
CALENDAR
Feb. 4 GET meets 8:10 in the library
AGENDA includes fundraising kick off times for students; most efficient use of BIST consultant
Feb. 5 Grade 4 Young People’s Concert 1:00 at Lied Center
KINDERGARTEN RECESS LUNCH CHANGE FOR DAY:
12:20-12:30 recess; 12:35-12:55 lunch
Fourth Grade recess = 11:20-11:35; lunch= 11:35-11:55
Feb. 5 PTA meeting 6:30 in the library
February is “Bring a Friend” Meeting!
Feb. 8 MOVIE NIGHT: “Hotel Transylvania”
FEB. 8 REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR Girls on the Run
Feb. 11 School Improvement Process Committee (SIP) meets 8:10
Feb. 11 Building Flex Offering: Teaching Children of Poverty 4-5:30
Feb. 12 Staff meeting: Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers
Feb. 12 BIST Consult Day
Feb. 14 Randolph Safety and Security Committee meets 8:10
Feb. 15 Class Pictures Taken
Feb. 15 Friendship Parties: Room Parents! Contact classroom teachers ASAP!
Teachers! Contact room parents ASAP!
Feb. 18 NO SCHOOL FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS: PLAN DAY
Feb. 19 Staff Meeting: Testing Hypotheses
Feb. 20 Sheldon Art Museum trips
Grade 5 at 9:30
Grade 4 at 10:15
Feb. 20 Principals Council 7:30-1:00
Feb. 21 Parent Teacher Conferences AND Book Fair
Feb. 25 Principals Curriculum Meeting 12:30-4:30
Feb. 26 Parent Teacher Conferences AND Book Fair
Feb. 26 PLC EARLY OUT 2:18 DAY 0
March 2 BIST Workshop on Teaching Students with Mental Health Needs
8:30-4:00 at Randolph
* Feb. 5th – Kindergarten has agreed to switch lunches with us so that we can have lunch prior to our 1:00 concert at the Lied Center. Thanks K!
For that day 4th grade will go to recess from 11:20-11:35 and lunch from 11:35-11:55. Kindergarten will have recess from 12:20-12:30 and lunch from 12:35-12:55.
In honor of Nebraska Teacher Recognition Day – Tuesday, March 5 – Lincoln Public Schools and KFOR/KFRX Radio are again collaborating to thank our educators with the annual Thank You Teacher contest.
Children, teenagers and grownups can pay tribute to a teacher who has made a difference in their lives – by nominating that teacher for recognition from the Thank You Teacher contest. Five teachers will be chosen and honored at a special breakfast on March 5 at the Governor’s Mansion, where the five students who submitted the winning nominations also will be invited to attend and read their winning letters. The winners will all receive gift bags and prizes awarded by KFOR/KFRX and their sponsors.
Anyone who lives in Lincoln/Lancaster County can nominate a teacher in any of five categories: preschool-grade 2, grades 3-5, middle school, high school and retired. In addition to a written description, explaining why a teacher made a difference in your life, entries should include the teacher’s name, grade level and school (or contact information), as well as the nominator’s name, address and phone number.
Nominations should be postmarked or sent by Friday, Feb. 22, at 5 p.m. and mailed to: Thank You Teacher, Communications, LPS District Offices, 3801 S. 14th St.: Lincoln, NE 68502. ** You can print out an entry form from the LPS website, or submit nominations online at: http://lps.org/go/recognize.
The event is part of Nebraska Teacher Recognition activities. Sponsors include Lincoln Public Schools, KFOR/KFRX, the Lincoln Education Association and the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools.
For more information contact Mary Kay Roth, 436-1609, mkroth@lps.org.