Principal Kathryn's Notes

Spring is just around the corner, bringing warmer weather, more sunshine, and longer days! We hope you can take some time to enjoy the changing season with your child. Join us on Tuesday, March 17, for our next exciting and fun family event! The ELC is partnering with the Mead Public Library to host a joyful experience filled with music, creativity, hands-on activities, and opportunities to learn and connect together as a family. We can’t wait to see you there!

This month children will practice being independent problem solvers, expressing feelings, and appropriately identifing feelings of others.

Your child can color in one Tucker every time they were responsible and followed a routine. When the coloring sheet is full, have your child bring the sheet back to the classroom for a special surprise.

This month, we are continuing our work with teen numbers!

Last month, we practiced:

• Counting to 20

• Using ten frames up to 20

• Making our own number cards

Now, we are focusing on ordering numbers 11–20. This means putting the numbers in the correct sequence:

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

You can use the number cards your child made last month to practice putting these numbers in order at home.

We will also be practicing an important math skill called counting on. This means starting at a number other than 1 and continuing forward. For example, starting at 7 and counting: 8, 9, 10…

Thank you for supporting your child’s learning at home!

Dialogic Conversations

In our classroom, we use dialogic reading. This means we don’t just read the words on the page — we stop, talk, ask questions, and think about the book together.

Dialogic reading is:

• Interactive

• Child-centered

• Great for both storybooks and nonfiction books

It encourages conversation, questions, and deeper thinking. Over time, this helps children build strong thinking and reading skills as they begin to read on their own.

How You Can Help at Home

When you read with your child, try pausing during the story to:

• Ask questions

• Talk about what’s happening

• Make connections to your child’s life

It might feel different at first. Many of us think our job is to simply “read” the book. But talking about the book is just as important!

Dialogic Conversations Throughout the Day

We also practice back-and-forth conversations during the day. This means:

• Asking open-ended questions

• Inviting children to share their ideas

• Connecting to their experiences

• Repeating what they say and adding new words or ideas

Here’s an example:

Adult: What did you do at school today?
Child: I played with my friends.
Adult: Who did you play with?
Child: Johnny and Sarah.
Adult: Oh, you played with Johnny and Sarah! What did you do together?
Child: We played with blocks.
Adult: You played with blocks! What did you build?
Child: A castle.
Adult: A castle! Was it small or huge?
Child: Huge!

These simple conversations help children grow their vocabulary, thinking skills, and confidence. Thank you for supporting this important learning at home!

• March 2 - B.E.S.T. Screener
• March 5, 9, or 13 - Dairy Presentations
• March 16 - Wear Green Day!
• March 17 - No School, Outreach Day, sessions run 9 a.m,. 12 p.m., or 4 p.m.
• March 19 - Tom Pease (wear Tucker shirt or crazy sock day)
• March 20-27 - No School, Spring Break
• March 30 - No School, District PD day
• March 31 - School Resumes

It's time to think about registration for 2026-2027 school year. The district school choice is open.

If you or someone has a child that will be 4 by September 1, 2024, we would love for them to come to ELC next year. Please use the QR code or form below to reserve a spot for fall.