May ELC Newsletter

All of our classrooms are ending the school year with an engaging longterm study on the topic of insects. Children are often naturally curious about insects as they notice their colors, shapes, movements and behaviors. Our students have learned a lot about insects through hands-on experiences as they have observed insects' habitats outdoors, looked for evidence of insects eating plants, carefully captured insects for close examination, watched the process of metamorphosis as caterpillars changed to butterflies, and so much more! They've have had an opportunity to learn about what insects need to live and how they grow and change- all while applying skills in literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts!

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

Please click HERE to complete our End-of-Year Family Survey. Your feedback is valuable to us and will help to guide our future programming! Thank you!

• 5/26--No School
• 5/28--Field Day and Last Day of School

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 Tara to schedule an appointment. Currently enrolled students do not need to be screened.

Important contacts:

Main Office: 309-865-6900

Tara Schofield, Building Secretary (tschofield@emsd37.org)

Melissa McCullough, Principal (mmccullough@emsd37.org)