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February 2020 – Elementary School E-Bits

For Educators

Winter Walk Day 2020: Get active this winter and encourage walking to school!

Winter Walk Day is Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Students across the province will celebrate on this day and throughout the entire month of February by going outside on their journey to and from school. Join the crowd by planning a Winter Walk Day celebration in your school community. Get ideas for activities and announcements, and download posters on the Ontario Active School Travel website. We want you to celebrate! Register your school’s Winter Walk Day activities and you could be the winner of a $200 Scholar’s Choice gift card.

Kindness in the Classroom®

The Kindness in the Classroom® program was created to integrate intentional kindness skill building with the development of social and emotional competencies. SEL programs like Kindness in the Classroom® improve attitudes and behaviors and reduce emotional distress. Research shows that students receiving the curriculum had greater empathy and sympathy for fellow students and teachers, were intrinsically motivated to be kinder and caring and showed decreased aggressive and antisocial behaviors. Interestingly, teachers reported they had significantly fewer conflicts with their students after teaching the curriculum and said they had more time for teaching… all resulting in students having more time for learning.

Find the lessons for K-12 by grade under the Mental Well Being and Resiliency section at: Educators – Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

For Families

Your child is having a meltdown and you can feel yourself starting to simmer. How can you keep from making the situation worse? Try these things:

  1. Listen to your child. Take a deep breath, calm down, and don’t take things personally.
  2. Focus on their feelings and talk about what you see and hear. “It seems like you are really worried about your test tomorrow.” Or “you seem really frustrated with your brother right now”
  3. Try to put yourself in their shoes and see things from their point of view. Offer a calm response.

Now you are both in a better place to deal with the situation!

For more parenting tips, call 1-800-660-5853, email [email protected]  or visit www.triplep-parenting.ca Parenting matters!

Attention Parents of children entering Junior Kindergarten in September 2020: Does your child have the speech and language skills he or she needs to be successful in JK?

Children need a variety of skills, including communication and play skills, to be able to participate, learn, and have fun at school. The Language Express Preschool Speech and Language Program provides FREE assessment and therapy services for children from birth to the end of JK in Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville.

We can help you to be sure your child is on track and ready for school. Don’t wait and see! Go to our website www.language-express.ca for milestone checklists, and call us if your child is missing any of the skills expected for his or her age. Children born in 2016 must be referred by November 30, 2020. Children referred before November 30 may continue to receive service until the end of JK. Parents can refer or get more information by calling 1-888-503-8885.