January seems to be the month that your child/children experience INSIDE-I-NESS! Have you noticed your child/children behavior changing these last few weeks? At almost every age, this is the time of year children may behave in ways that adults do not find easy or pleasant. However, with creative activities and consistent parenting life can be manageable while we all brave January, February and March!
Listed below are some of the strategies that we implement daily in Preschool. We begin by praying for each of our children and their families every day in our classroom.
· Be consistent. Children like things to be consistent and predictable. Establish regular routines for your child and stick with them
· Respond calmly, speak briefly. Wait until a "teachable" moment can happen once both of you are away from the challenging situation and have calmed down.
· Use redirection. A young child can often be redirected into stopping an undesirable behavior. For example, if your preschooler gets into a squabble with another child over a toy, distract him or her with another toy. Present the toy in a way that shows its wonderful qualities.
· Tell your child in advance what is happening. When possible, let your child know what will happen ahead time. Prepare them for any changes to their daily routine. "Today, after your nap, we will go to the mall and play on the climber."
· Be silly and use humor. Make up games to accomplish tasks. Preschoolers and young school-age children can be calmed with humor. “I can brush my teeth standing on my toes”, "How fast can you jump in the bed?
· Offer choices. Give your child choices to help build independence while also giving some control over his environment. For example, when deciding on what to do, offer "Do you want to play outside or would you like to listen to some music?"
Here are some links to fun winter activities to do with your child/children to cope with INSIDE-I-NESS.
http://chicagofun.com/winterfunguide/
http://familyfun.go.com/
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/activities/
ENROLLMENT: Current Preschoolers re-enrolling to Kindergarten are eligible to register on-line through our Family Access program. All Preschool parents of students in Pre-Kindergarten were sent an e-blast on January 10th explaining this procedure. Please contact the office with any questions. Students re-enrolling Preschool classes can use the Re-Enrollment Form sent in the January 12th e-blast (or pick one up in the Preschool office).
Remember, January is protected time for current HCA students to re-enroll before we open up general enrollment. Hold your spot for next year now! Tuition for Lower School (Kindergarten) will move to $325 from $295 after January 31st.
FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE: We have seen an increase of headaches and stomach aches in many grades this week. Some are caused by allergies or sinus pressure and may be accompanied by watery eyes, sneezing, fatigue, and scratchy throat. Please watch for signs of Strep Throat (decreased appetite, tender lymph glands on the side of the neck, red throat with difficulty in swallowing) and seek medical attention if you suspect this.
Other headaches and stomach aches may be caused by a virus. Some common symptoms are: headache, stomach ache and/or nausea with or without vomiting and diarrhea or fever. Keep your student home if they have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea or are so uncomfortable they will not be able to function at school. With vomiting and diarrhea the most important thing is to keep your child hydrated with electrolyte-rich fluids and seek medical attention if signs of dehydration occur. Click on this link for dehydration symptoms.
Please remember that if your student has had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea they should stay at home for 24 hours after those symptoms have stopped. Taking this action will help your student recover and help keep the school healthy.
VISION & HEARING RE-SCREENING: Preschool re-screens are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 31st.
MARK THE DATES: February 17th is an Early Dismissal Day. Preschool parents are welcome to pick up their students from the classroom at 11:00 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. There is no garage pick-up on Early Dismissal days. We will not have afternoon classes or Extended Care on this Friday.
February 20th is Presidents Day and there will be no classes at HCA.
G.I.F.T.$.: Get your Woodman’s gift cards. We have restocked.
NEXT OPEN HOUSE: Invite your friends and family to come and see what God is doing at our school. Our next Open House is Thursday, February 2, 7:00 P.M. Guests should park in the parking garage (blue door) and head to the second floor Chapel Lobby to sign-in. RSVP's may be done here. If you have any questions contact our Director of Admissions, Eileen Arosen.
ATHLETICS: Tuesday January 24 varsity basketball games start at 5:30 PM in the Mitch. Don’t miss the fun! Free prizes this night and we will be having a contest for greatest percentage of attendance by grade for K-12. If your grade wins Mr. Lockwood will be wearing pies (yes, pies) thrown by you during half time. Free admission for ALL! Students sign-in at the table for credit to your class.
Thursday January 26 is Pack the Place. Our teams play Schaumburg Christian in the Mitch. JV starts at 4:30, varsity girls at 6:00 and varsity boys 7:30.