Little Cat Ledger- February

Message from Leadership

Hello Clark Little Cat families,

We were thrilled to welcome so many of our families who attended their child’s Student-Led Conferences on January 23rd. We truly appreciate your involvement and the opportunity to celebrate your child’s achievements and progress together. These conferences are such an important part of building a strong partnership between home and school, and your presence and engagement make a big difference in your child’s educational experience. If you were not able to attend a conference and would still like to, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule one.

We look forward to another month filled with learning, growth, and fun!

Warmly,

Caitlin Smith + Kerry Lindstrom

Upcoming Dates:

February 17- President’s Day - Closed for Students

February 18- Professional Development Day- No Students

March 6- Math Night

March 24- Spring Conference Balance Day - No Classes

March 25-28- Spring Break - No Classes

⭐ Staff Spotlight

Linsy Howard- Registered Nurse

How many years have you been in education?

20 years in Nursing, 2 in education setting

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I always thought that I would be a teacher.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My three children: Hannah, Thomas and Grace

What makes you smile?

Seeing the kids come in for the day, ready to learn and with a big smile

What is your favorite thing about Clark Early Learning Center?

Clark Preschool is my favorite building in the district. I love this age group and the kids. They are full of wonder and so excited to learn! Our staff at Clark is amazing. I am surrounded by people that love what they do and love the children.

Little Cat News

🐾 Check out Clark's SLC teacher, Rachel Miller, on WDTN discussing her involvement with Crayon's to Classrooms and the campaign for "pocket hugs"- https://www.wdtn.com/video/one-local-organization-is-spreading-the-love-ahead-of-valentines-day/10429235

🐾 We want to hear from you! Parents, please consider filling out this link for our Positive School Climate Parent Survey for Clark Early Learning Center-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0oKxkcFuteVjBjkDpNGuEr14TtY-ftPbYByZ-OEMvZho8kQ/viewform?usp=dialog We would love your feedback.

Little Cat Learning ✏️

Building Roads

Geometry- Measurement

Materials:

4-5 blocks of different lengths, but the same width
Cars
Rulers, yardsticks, and or tape measure
Small figures (people, animals)

Steps:

Show your child two cars to begin the story- Once upon a time, there were two cars that wanted to race each other. There was just one problem. One car had a long road, and the other car had a short road. Set out a long block and a short block. Ask- what can we do so the cars can race on the same length of road?
Place a variety of blocks on the table in front of you, and ask- What would you do to make both roads the same length? Follow your child's suggestions, and try different ways to make the roads equal lengths.
Move to an open area of the room where your child can build roads. Give them both cars and several blocks and encourage them to build their own roads. Add more blocks as needed so your child can extend their road.
Talk with your child about the length of their road- use measurement terms such as long, longer, short, shorter, same length, twice as long, and half as long. Encourage your child to compare the lengths of the blocks and explore how shorter blocks can be combined to equal the length of the longer ones. Challenge your child to make their road shorter or longer than or the same length as roads that you build.
Offer rulers, yardsticks, and or tape measure so that your child can compare what number on the measuring tool each size block reaches. Use position, direction, and distance words to describe the roads and the paths the cars travel.
Encourage your child to sort and stack their blocks by length before putting them away. Ask your child to take steps as long as (or as short as) the blocks on the way to the next activity. Encourage them to guess how many steps it will take and then count the actual number of steps.

Extension:

Ask- How can you make these roads the same length?
Order three or more blocks or roads by length (i.e. mine is the longest, this one is the next longest, and yours is the shortest)
Point out the different lengths of other building materials (i.e Lincoln Logs or Legos)

📋 Attendance Corner

Contact Information

Families, please make sure that your contact information (phone number, address and persons that are eligible to pick your child) is up to date in FinalForms. This contact information is used to communicate with you in case of emergency, when your child is sick, and to share school-related information.

You can update this information from home on FinalForms.com. However, if you want to update your contact information in person, please come into Clark's main office with your ID.

Leader in Me 🌳

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Listen Before You Talk

WHY IS LISTENING ESSENTIAL TO A FAMILY?

List as many words as you can in 30 seconds related to the word “family.” The goal is for everyone in your family to list as many of the same words as possible. You get one point for each word every member of your family has in common, but you can’t discuss the word or share your answers until time is up. If there are family members who can’t write, have them team up with a parent.

How many points did you get? Why do you think you got the score you did? Repeat the activity using the word “love.”

• How many points did you get this round?

• Was your score higher?

• Why is it difficult to get a high score?

We all see the world differently. The problem is, we think we see things the same way others do. Communication is important to achieve understanding because no two people see, think, or experience the world the same way. Therefore, there is a great need, especially in families, to seek first to understand and talk second so we understand one another’s point of view.

STEPS

1. I listen to others without interrupting.
2. I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings.
3. I look other people in the eye when listening and talking.
4. I try to see things from other people’s viewpoint.
Family Activity:
When someone is speaking, the listener can use reflective listening to let the speaker know they are really listening to what is being said.
Here are some simple examples of reflective listening:
Speaker: “I love you.”
Listener: “You seem to feel love about me.”
Yes, that is a very simplified example; however, reflective listening can be that easy! Now, take turns making statements and practicing reflective listening. See below for a few more examples to help you get started.
In some situations, discerning a feeling and a subject may be more complicated.
Here are some simple phrases and questions you can use to keep the door open for understanding:
• Tell me more about that.
• Can you give me an example?
• You’re saying…
• I am hearing that… Is that what you are telling me?
• How does that make you feel?

The Little Cat Ledger 🐾