The OEL Monthly: News from the Nest

We are approaching our first learning checkpoint of the school year in 4K! This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the growth your child has made so far across social-emotional development, language, and cognitive skills, alongside a few foundational literacy and math. Following this checkpoint, conferences will be scheduled on an as-needed basis at the request of either families or teachers on Wednesday, November 18th between 3:00 - 5:30 pm.

Please keep in mind that this checkpoint is simply a quick snapshot of where your child is right now. It helps us understand their unique strengths and guides how we support and build their skills throughout the rest of the year.

Our next checkpoint will occur in February and will feature a broader look at early literacy and math development, as well as continued focus on social-emotional, cognitive, and language skills. We will hold conferences with all families then to discuss your child’s progress and individualized growth in greater depth.

Follow the learning and fun happening in our OEL classrooms by connecting with us on social media!

Facebook @OshkoshEarlyLearning & Instagram @oelowls

Sincerely,

Beth Schendel

Principal of Early Learning

Office of Early Learning

325 S. Eagle St.

Oshkosh, WI 54901

Phone: 424-1004 Fax: (920) 236-3815

• November 2 - 📸 Oakwood Picture Retake Day
• November 3 - OEL Family Night! (See info below)
• November 12 - 📸 Peace Picture Retake Day
• November 13 - No School for Students - Professional Development for Staff
• November 25 - No School - EL/MS/HS Conferences
• November 26-27 - 🦃 No School - Thanksgiving Break
• December 11 - No School for 4K or Early Childhood

One of our school goals is to have children identify or produce 4-9 letter sounds by the end of the 4K school year. Children should also be able to recognize and name at least 11 letters. Here is the chart we use in our classrooms to teach letters and sounds.

Here are some fun ways to support learning letters and sounds daily!

Alphabet hunt--Look for letters everywhere! When you see a letter, name the letter and then produce the sound it makes!

• around the house

• on signs while driving in the car

• at the store

• in the restaurant

I Spy something that starts with the letter sound /P/

Have your child name all the things they see that start with that sound…

(pizza, people, purse, pencil)

Read ABC books

Talk about each letter and the things that start with that letter on the page. Notice the letter sound at the beginning of each item.

Number Corner is an interactive bulletin board that sets the stage for much of the other instruction each month by introducing and developing a theme early in the unit corresponding to natural and cultural events in children’s environments.

Calendar Grid is the daily constant of Number Corner. Each day, children will identify today’s name and date on a class calendar. Early each month, children make and help pattern theme-related markers that will be displayed on the calendar to mark the passing days. Children use the pattern to predict how each new day’s marker will look. Birthdays and special events are also posted on the calendar each month, adding a sense of anticipation (and a “real” reason to count) as children keep track of the days until the field trip or their birthday.

Problems & Investigations are short activities, called investigations, most of which are taught in small groups. Often two investigations are offered in the same session. The idea is that one half the class will do one of the activities while the other group does the second activity. After 10 or 15 minutes, the groups switch so that each child gets to do both activities in the same day.

Problems & Investigations activities are often related to the month’s theme, shared with Number Corner. In September, for example, children compare apples by size during one investigation, and by weight in another. They also represent and solve counting problems about apples, cut apples in half to count and compare the number of seeds, and learn an apple counting chant. Teachers also model and have children work with materials, activities, and games that will later appear during Work Places.

• Numbers: Count to 10, read numbers to 6, and match sets and numbers to 6

• Shapes: Identify, describe, compare, and sort shapes, put shapes together to make pictures and larger shapes

• Comparing: Compare sets of objects and tell which has more

• Patterning: Identify and extend AABB repeating patterns

• Give your child plenty of time to play with building toys and puzzles, including wooden blocks, Magna-Tiles, Tinker Toys, Lego, Duplo, and marble-run sets.

• Look for a certain kind of shape with your child. Count how many you find. Label some of them if you like.

• Play a shapes version of “I Spy,” as in, “I spy with my little eyes a blue rectangle on the table. Can you find it?” or, “I spy with my little eyes three small circles on the refrigerator. Can you find them?”

• Read books about shapes with your child. There are lots of good ones, but here are a few of our favorites:

• The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns

• Perfect Square by Michael Hall

• Cubes, Cones, Cylinders, & Spheres by Tana Hoban

• Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins

• Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert

• Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Thank you for partnering with us to build a strong math foundation for your child!

The upcoming holiday season is about being grateful, giving, and connecting with those you love. When you turn on the TV, flip through a store ad, walk through the store, etc. it is often difficult to keep sight of the “reason for the season.” This is even more true for young children who are naturally egocentric little beings - and it is developmentally appropriate for them to be that way! It is our job to teach and model for young children empathy, kindness, compassion, helpfulness, and so on. If you are like most parents (including me!) this is no easy task! Do you sometimes struggle with helping your child learn that the world does not revolve around them? Below are some helpful hints for helping to instill an attitude of gratitude in your little one this holiday season through being of service to others.

Did you know being of service is not an option? Research shows being of service is a biological imperative that is required for optimal brain development. Every kind act, every contribution we make reanimates our own life force (Creating the School Family, Dr. Becky Bailey, p.224).

Children can be of service in so many ways during the holiday season. Share with them that you know they are great helpers and involve them in helping you think of ways to be helpful during the holidays. You will be amazed at how involving them in the brainstorming process will help give them some ownership over being helpful - I bet you will even be blown away by some of their suggestions! Remember, for children to feel successful finding things that they can do independently will be important. Here are a few ideas (we can’t wait to hear what you and your child come up with as well!):

• Leave kindness notes for family, friends, and neighbors. Have your child notice how others are being helpful in the world and draw them a picture/write a little “thank you” note for being so helpful! Example (note to sister): Marissa you picked up my socks and put them in the hamper. Thanks! That was helpful. (Child can draw a picture to tell the story of this message as well.)

• Be of service to the family by helping out around the house. Even young children can be helpful with completing daily household chores. Taking out the garbage from the bathroom, unloading the dishwasher, drying dishes, wiping dirty windows or the kitchen table/counters, picking up toys around the house, taking laundry out of the dryer and putting it in a hamper, and bringing folded laundry up to their bedroom and putting it away are all examples of chores that young children can help with. Providing positive feedback along the way and sharing what an impact that has on the time you have to spend with your child can be incredibly encouraging and models for them the importance of gratitude and being of service. Example: Johnny, you brought your laundry upstairs and put it in your dresser. That was so helpful! Now we have time to read an extra book together tonight before bed.

• Random acts of kindness are things that young children are quite good at coming up with! After all, they are the givers of finger painted masterpieces (often ad nauseum) and beautiful dandelion bouquets and mud pies. During a stressful holiday season there is no shortage of people in your child’s life who could use a little smile. Involve your child in brainstorming who could use a fun surprise and using what they know about that person to come up with a good idea for what the surprise could be. It is important not to judge your child’s suggestions but steer them towards using what they know about people (children are sponges and excellent observers) to come up with their idea. At the end of the day, knowing that someone took the time to think of you is what will matter most to whoever your child has chosen. :) Examples: Bring your teacher a cup of coffee/tea or a bottle of hand sanitizer during this cold/flu season when everyone is sick. OR Make dad a small bowl out of clay to keep his keys in when he gets home so he can find them right away in the morning when he needs them. OR Donate some gently used or new toys to a shelter, hospital, etc. for children who may not be getting presents this holiday season.

Most importantly: Share with your child when you see them being helpful and kind. Noticing and appreciating this within your child sends a message that you value kindness and helpfulness and models how to be grateful towards others.

In an effort to provide families with peace of mind and information about their child’s bus rides to and from school, the OASD is pleased to offer an app called Stopfinder.

Click Here to Read the Full Stopfinder Transportation Update

Note: If you have questions about Stopfinder, please reach out directly to Kobussen at (920)424-7575. For all other transportation related inquiries, please contact Teresa Doemel or Amanda Brayton in the Office of Early Learning (920)424-1004 or amanda.brayton@oshkosh.k12.wi.us and teresa.doemel@oshkosh.k12.wi.us .