May ELC Newsletter

See below for some fun ways that classrooms are celebrating the learning from their studies. Since many of our classrooms are studying insects, we had a guest expert come to our school! Mr. Doug Emerick with Emerick Pest Control joined us to learn all about insects. He explained the different kinds of bugs that live in our community and how they help our Earth. He even brought a hornet's nest to show our friends just how incredible insects are at building their own homes! Each class was able to walk by the nest to see the masterpiece that the hornets created. It was a great learning experience and we are super grateful for Mr. Doug's time and expertise!

If you know anyone that is an expert in these topics and would be willing to be a guest at our school to teach the children about it, we would love to have you! Remember, to be considered an "expert" you just need to know more than a 5 year old! :)

With summer right around the corner, it is a good time to start thinking about home routines during the day. It is not uncommon for children to seek boundaries and challenge the limits during the summer months, especially is their routines are disrupted. The Pyramid Model has a great resource to help families navigate daily routines at home, and how to prevent challenging behaviors from occurring. Also, by providing frequent positive reinforcement for expected behaviors, you will be noticing and reinforcing the good behaviors that you want to see more of!

This Family Routine Guide can assist parents and caregivers in developing a plan to support young children who are dealing with challenging behavior. Children engage in challenging behavior for a variety of reasons, but all children use challenging behavior to communicate messages. Challenging behavior, typically, communicates a need to escape or avoid a person or activity or communicates a desire to obtain someone or something. Once caregivers understand the purpose or meaning of the behavior, they can begin to select strategies to change the behavior. They can do this by selecting prevention strategies, teaching new skills, and changing the way they respond to eliminate or minimize the challenging behavior. The Family Routine Guide includes strategies for the common routines and activities that occur during the family’s week.

Positive Solutions for Families: Family Routine Guide

• NOW OPEN! Registration for 24-25 school year
• 5/6 - 5/10--Spirit Week
• 5/10--No School
• 5/29--Field Day and Last Day of School
• 5/30-Developmental Screenings

Do you have younger children? Bring them in for a developmental check-up! Open to EMSD residents with children aged 0-5 years old. Call Pam to schedule an appointment for an upcoming April or May screening. Currently enrolled students do not need to be screened.

Click HERE to get started.

• 23-24 Family Folder you will find general information about our school and programming. This folder contains information about school supplies, our daily schedule, policies/procedures, communication platforms, the school calendar and more!
• Your family's health, well-being and partnership is important to us! Use this form to easily request information, resources and/or support for your family.
• 23-24 Early Learning Center School Calendar

Important contacts:

Main Office: 309-865-6900

Pam Webster, Secretary (pwebster@emsd37.org)

Lindsey Johanson, Family Educator (ljohanson@emsd37.org)

Melissa McCullough, Principal (mmccullough@emsd37.org)