ELC at George Earle Weekly Update

A big congratulations is in order for our beloved Mrs. Mindy Kusbel! Friday morning, Mindy was named the IASP's Secretary of the Year! She is SO deserving! Thank you for Being Excellent On Purpose every day! We are so very lucky to have you in our Brickie Family!

The ELC looks forward to it's Family Game Night every year! This is such a wonderful event that reminds us to open that closet and pull out one of those tabletop games!!Thank you to all the ELC families, our ELC PTO and the Hobart High School Cheerleading girls Chandler, Bailey, Ariella, Olivia, JoJo, Rachel, Mia Kate, Kennedy, and Payton for coming to our Family Game night. We hope you all had as much fun as we did!! Keep playing those games at home!! Also a big congrats to Topanga and her family that won the family game night basket! So much fun!!

Did you know that all of the special education staff in the School City of Hobart are employed by both NISEC and SCOH? NISEC is a cooperative that serves 7 school districts across Lake County. Marsha Horn is the Executive Director of Special Education, servicing seven school districts in Northwest Indiana. NISEC services thirty-three public schools and thirteen private schools within those seven school districts. NISEC has close to four hundred staff members and is growing every day. Those 7 school districts include; Hanover Community School Corporation, School Town of Highland, School City of Hobart, Lake Ridge New Tech Schools, Lake Station Community Schools, River Forest Community School Corporation, and Tri-Creek School Corporation.

Here at the George Earle Early Learning Center we have 15 staff members that serve the special education community. Each week for the month of March (National Disability Awareness Month) we will introduce you to our special education staff in the ELC weekly newsletter.

Virginia Sanders - ECD (Early Childhood Development) Facilitator

• Years at the ELC: 14 years (44 total teaching years!)

• College attended: Glassboro State in New Jersey

• Degree: Bachelor’s in Special Education Early Childhood

• Hobbies: gardening, reading, spending time with family

• As the ECD teacher, I create and implement IEP’s for 3-5 year olds. I teach AM and PM classes 4 days per week.

Emma Juhnke - ECD Paraprofessional

• Years at the ELC: 3 years

• College attended: currently attending WGU

• Degree: Elementary/Special education

• Hobbies: sewing, reading, hanging out with friends

• As the ECD paraprofessional, I am responsible for assisting with the students in the ECD classroom.

Mireya Carrillo - ECD Paraprofessional

• Years at the ELC: 1 year

• College attended: Albany Georgia College

• Degree: Bachelor’s in Child Development

• Hobbies: reading, camping, watching movies

• As the ECD paraprofessional, I am responsible for assisting with the students in the ECD classroom.

Jill Page - ECD Paraprofessional

• Years at the ELC: 1 year

• College attended: Hyles Anderson

• Degree: Elementary Education Bachelor’s

• Hobbies: draw, ceramic painting, gardening

• As the ECD paraprofessional, I am responsible for assisting with the students in the ECD classroom.

Miss Newton - Kindergarten LRE (least restrictive environment) Facilitator

• Years at ELC: 4

• College attended: Purdue University

• Degree: Bachelor’s in Elementary and Special Education

• Hobbies: thrifting, walking, being outdoors with my family

• As the LRE Facilitator I am responsible for creating and implementing IEP’s. I teach small groups in the subject areas of math, english language arts, social-emotional learning, and behavior. I work very closely with all of the kindergarten staff.

Mrs. Kuehl - Kindergarten LRE Paraprofessional

• Years at ELC: 3

• College attended: Brown Mackie College

• Degree: Bachelor’s in Business Management

• Veteran: Served 4 years active duty in the Army, 3 years active duty in Indiana National Guard

• Hobbies: reading, crafting, latch hooking, diamond painting

• As the kindergarten LRE paraprofessional I work mostly in the K classrooms doing push-in services with our students. I also work with Miss Newton in some of her groups.

Ms. Fraze did lessons in library on both physical as well as mental disabilities with the Kindergarteners this week. She read this story and discussed how even though they had physical disabilities, it did not stop them from achieving these major physical milestones and how they were still able to do things that they love to do. They also discussed and watched the short video about things such as autism that you can't see when you look at a person but that is there. They discussed always being kind and never not including someone just because they are not exactly like us!

About the story:

Meet fifteen remarkable athletes who use adaptive equipment in this beautiful and truth-telling picture book.

A downhill skier whose blindness has sharpened her communication skills. An adaptive surfer who shreds waves while sitting down. A young man who excels at wheelchair motocross--but struggles with math. Tenacious tells their stories and more, revealing the daily joys and challenges of life as an athlete with disabilities.

These competitors have won gold medals, set world records, climbed mountain peaks, claimed national championships, and many more extraordinary achievements. Get to know them in Tenacious!

If you see anything in these pictures that belongs to your child... please email our SRO at dserrano@hobart.k12.in.us and let him know. He will then get the item back to your child.

Did you know that you as parents can nominate a staff member to be recognized as someone who is Being Excellent On Purpose? Dr. Buffington LOVES to know about and celebrate the positive!

Click here to check out the March edition of Ms. Louie's Counselor's Corner newsletter!

Care for a young child?

Bright by Text is for anyone who cares for and loves a child, prenatally through age 11: parents, parents-to-be, grandparents, babysitters, aunties, uncles, neighbors, friends, teachers, and more.

Bright by Text can help!

We send free text messages with easy, practical tips and activities right to your cell phone. Our content comes from trusted partners like PBS and Sesame Street. Messages are targeted to your child’s age and include information on development, language and early literacy, health and safety, behavioral tips, and more.

Winter is here, so please be sure to dress your children for the weather. We will continue to have outdoor recess as much as possible, but students will not be able to go out if they are not properly dressed for the weather. If you need any assistance with winter clothing please reach out to us at 219-942-7263!

If your child isn't feeling well, please keep him or her at home. You must report the absence IN SKYWARD before 10:00AM. There is no need to call the school to let us know. If there are any questions about the absence, we will reach out to you.

Brickies from the Start needs your help! We are a non-profit, self funded program that relies on donations to provide services like developmental screenings, parent support and Community Playroom to Brickie families. During our Month of Giving, you can create a team and collect donations to win a prize. Sign up here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/monthofgiving/

The School City of Hobart Building Brickies' goal is to strengthen families by empowering parents as their child’s first and best teachers. Every day, we advocate for families so every child-in every neighborhood-can thrive.

School City of Hobart families with children under the age of 5 are invited to join Brickies from the Start for Cabin Fever Frenzy on Saturday, March 15th from 10:00 a.m.- noon. We will meet in the ELC cafeteria for active indoor play! Please RSVP at: https://forms.gle/RTfDBdnwGSxyfXYc6