Thanks to everyone for another great week. Most of us have settled into - or back into - the school routine. If you find your child has bouts of crying about coming to school - particularly Mondays or after holiday times no need to worry, this is perfectly normal. There is some adjustment back to these routines and each child has their own timespan for settling in. The MOST important thing you can do - and often the hardest since they are crying - is to keep positive about school and bring them in no matter what! Giving in may seem the easiest thing to do but just ONE day of giving in can set you up for dozens of traumatic mornings/afternoons since your child has just learned that the tears may work!
After teaching nearly 25 years now...yes I am that old haha...I have seen some extreme cases of upset and panic about coming to school. Most extreme cases are rooted in a major change of routine, loss of adult closeness or one to one time, or some form of anxiety about things that are happening either at school (language/cultural differences) or at home (divorce, separation, illness etc). The occasional upset is perfectly normal, after all don't we all have those feelings about work sometimes?
A great way to talk to your child about it is to call school their "work/job" and just as you have one, so do they. They need to go to work each day just as you do - whether that be inside or outside the home work, there are things that you must get done and for a child school is the thing that must get done. In most cases these bouts disappear over the first month but again, every child and each circumstance is unique. Talking to your child about school regularly, when they aren't upset, gives you information about what's going on so you can hear if there may be an issue in class but also lots to say about what they may miss by not going! If the problem persists or worsens, by all means, try an expert - perhaps even a child therapist. Being young and missing you is normal but crying excessively without being able to identify the cause is not good for anyone.
Scissors came out in the class this week! For some, cutting can be very challenging but is indeed a necessary skill. Cutting requires the skill of hand separation - using the thumb, index and middle fingers separate from the ring and pinky finger. For small hands this can be a workout and while many 3 or 4 year olds have the skills to cut, scissor skills may actually not be fully developed until around age 6. The key here is practising - exercising those fine motor skills that will be so necessary for printing names, words, stories and many other school challenges. It may seem scary to give your child scissors but they can't learn without practising and you're going to invest in a good pair of children's scissors for safety (make sure your lefty gets lefty scissors or they won't work properly) and NEVER leave them unattended while using their scissors. The rule that ONLY paper (which you have identified as OK for cutting) can in fact be cut, must be STRICTLY enforced and scissor privileges need to be removed for breaking this rule. Show your child how to carry, store and handle scissors safely - an easy thing to make is a "Craft Station" - turn your egg carton upside down and puncture the "bumps" so that a pair of scissors can be stored blades down. The other "bumps" can be for a pencil, ruler, glue stick etc so that tidying up - another necessary school skill :) - is a breeze also.
This is a busy week around the school with photos, Terry Fox - keep collecting those pledges! and the Sharing Assembly. As well, it appears the weather has cooled off so working on coat skills (independence in dressing) will keep us busy! Please remember that if YOU have difficulty dressing your child because of stiff buttons, sticky/broken zippers, too small/too tight clothing; chances are very high your child won't be able to manage either and this will upset him/her in the class where we all want to do everything the big kids can!
This week:
Monday - AM Outside first, PM Outside first
Tuesday - PHOTO DAY (remember NO GREEN!), PM see Ms. McGee
Wednesday - AM Outside first, PM Outside first
Thursday - AM Reading Buddies, Terry Fox Walk - AM 10:45/PM 12:45
Friday - Sharing Assemblies 9:00/12:35 in the lunchroom, Congratulations again to Marley, Henry
and Daniel, AM see Ms.McGee
*Please know the each child will have a certificate over the year, just because your child isn't recognized for a particular trait certainly doesn't mean they don't exhibit it in the class. We try to match a trait to each child's strength and in a large group situation, strengths may appear differently than in your home.
