What a great week last week was! It has been wonderful to have you all back in the building. The first week is always filled with special activities and a schedule that is a bit irregular. This week we’re getting back to our routines. It’s feeling good and looks like a lot of fun!
A few school reminders are below.
Snack and Lunch
1. Choose balanced snacks and lunches that are filled with lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, water or milk. Please avoid (for nutritional reasons and attention span longevity) soda and sugar sweetened juices. Please limit sweet cookies, pastries, chips, and packaged foods.
2. Pack a refillable water bottle.
3. Include a fabric napkin in your child’s lunch. (If every household in the U.S. used just one less 70-sheet roll of paper towels, that would save 544,000 trees each year.)
Uniform
1. Backpacks—backpacks should be solid navy blue. We have extras you can purchase for $15 each. Just ask Ms. Peterson in the office.
2. Footwear – Sandals with open toes, clogs, heeled shoes, wedges, rain boots, flip flops, and the like are not acceptable footwear. Sneakers and sandals with toe coverage and ankle strap are the safe and expected choice.
3. Label everything: shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, lunchboxes, water bottles, etc.
Lost & Found
Why is it that kids seem to forget and lose everything?
This is a natural stage in a school-age child’s development. Kids are egocentric in their thinking and that means they can be quite oblivious to things outside of themselves. See below for a few tips on how to curb this. Until you have solved this for all of us please know that we will have a lost and found. We are in the process of creating one for our new year but if you lose something ask Ms. Peterson in the office!
Dojo
1. Be sure to connect to your child’s class dojo. This is where you will have an eye into their classroom and activities. It’s a great resource to use when you want to hear a bit more about their school day. “I saw on dojo that you enjoyed playing kickball at recess today. Did you hit the ball or not this time?” Most parents get the short and sweet answers so dojo can help you pull information out of them!
How to escape the buying, losing, and replacing cycle?
1. Create memory cues
One of the most effective ways to recall a memory is by using a mnemonic device. Create mnemonics with your child, such as a funny acronym or catchy rhyme, that’s easy to recite and will prompt them to recall the things they always seem to forget. For example, the acronym “MESS” may help a kid remember to bring home their mittens, earmuffs, scarf, and snow pants at the end of each school day.
2. Stop, look, and think
Since children tend to lose their possessions during transitional times at school, teach your kid to stop, look around, and think about whether they’ve gathered all their belongings before they make their next move. This can be tricky for children to grasp at first, so it’s important for you to routinely model this behavior as well as encourage your child to practice it when they lose track of an item in the home.
3. Set consequences (and provide rewards!)
Although it’s common for kids to struggle with staying on top of their things, when your child constantly forgets homework assignments at school or their new pencil case suddenly goes missing (again), for instance, it’s time to implement a meaningful consequence. Perhaps this means a timeout from technology for an evening, or maybe they have to dip into their piggy bank to chip in for the cost of a replacement item. Setting consequences holds children accountable for their actions and teaches them to be more cognizant of their responsibilities in the future. And when you see an improvement, be sure to balance those consequences with positive reinforcement. Treats are great, of course, but your acknowledgement alone goes a long way.
4. Establishing a weekly knapsack declutter day is one way you can improve your child’s aptitude for organization, as well as locate any items that may have gone missing during the week. Once clean, have them neatly place their belongings inside their bag in an order that makes sense to them.
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