January 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
Family Fun Event Info & Sign up
The Power of Attention and Skill of Assertiveness
Mathematizing Daily Routines
Conferences Sign up
February Teacher Gratitude
Winter Weather Reminder
IMPORTANT DATES
January 2nd - First day back from Winter Break
January 16th - Family Night
January 20th- No School - Martin Luther King Day
January 21st - No School for Students
January 20th- No School - Martin Luther King Day
January 21st - No School for Students
February 7th - No School for Students
February 17th- No School 4K and Early Childhood - Conferences (other dates/times throughout the month also available as communicated by teacher)
February 17th - Block Party
April 8th - Library Event
Message from Principal Schendel
Parent-Teacher Conference Time
Your Child’s Progress
How is my child doing?
Progress Reports will be coming home with 4K children by Friday, February 14th. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in February for all 4K classrooms. Our team of teachers look forward to collaborating with you during this time around your child’s progress in learning so far this school year.
Please know that the range of development between ages four and six is significant. Each child learns at their own pace and that’s ok. At conferences, teachers will be providing you with several activities that you can do with your child at home to help them continue to build skills that lay the foundation for success at school.
The only requirement that exists for your child to go to kindergarten is that they are five years old on or before September 1, 2025. Please note that the anticipated progression in the Oshkosh Area School District is for each child to spend one year in 4K, one year in 5K, one year in 1st grade, etc. Children in 4K fall under the OASD’s retention policy and retention in the OASD is very rare and must be based on data. If you have concerns about your child’s development and kindergarten readiness please let your 4K teacher know as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Beth Schendel
Principal, Oshkosh Early Learning
Join us for a Fun Family Event!
Learn more about cutting the chaos and reducing power struggles with your kids within your daily routines!
Join our Oshkosh Early Learning Team for an evening the whole family can enjoy. We’ll kick off the night with a meal for the whole family, followed by an opportunity for your kids (of all ages) to learn and play with one another and our teaching staff, while the adults get some time to learn about the Power of Assertiveness and the Skill of Attention. We’ll help you figure out strategies to cut the chaos and reduce power struggles within your daily routines. Would it be nice to have some of these daily routines go smoother in your household?
- Bedtime
- Bathtime
- Getting out the door for work/school
Join us to learn more!!!
Where: Jacob Shapiro Elementary
When: Thursday, January 16th from 5:00 - 7:00 pm (dinner and childcare included)
See the attached visual schedule and invite for more information.
RSVP HERE
Social Emotional Tidbits
Power of Attention and Skill of Assertiveness
The month of January we are working on the Conscious Discipline power of ATTENTION and the skill of ASSERTIVENESS. The goal of assertiveness is clear communication that paints a picture of what we want others to do. It has a tone of “no doubt” and comes from an intention of helping children be successful instead of making them behave.
As a parent, you can use your assertive voice with your child by paying close attention to your tone and your nonverbal communication. An assertive voice is one that does not ask a question, is calm, is not passive, and is not aggressive. When a child hears a “matter of fact” statement, they will also notice the facial expression of the person making the statement. Together, the tone and facial expression indicate to the child that you mean what you say.
Below is an activity to try at home. On the left side of the chart is an example of a statement that an adult may have said and on the right side is the way to say it with an assertive voice. The first two are examples. See if you can improve the statements on the left and make the statement an assertive one.
Supporting My Young Learner
Mathematizing Daily Routines
Looking for a fun way to fit learning into your daily routines? Then these ideas are just for you!
Compare & Contrast in the bathtub: During bathtime, you can use language to help point out things that are alike and different.
For example:
- “Your arm is dry. I’ll pour some water on it and then it will be wet.”
- “Your hair is wet. My hair is dry.”
- “The washcloth is dry just like your hair.”
- “I’m sorting your toys. Look, all of these squirt water and all of these do not.”
- “These toys are red, these toys are blue.”
Counting in the Shower/Tub: When your child is washing up, ask them to count different body parts.
For example:
- “How many fingers need to be washed?”
- “One leg, two legs. You have two legs!”
Writing Numbers in the Bathtub: If you have glass shower doors, call out a number for your child to write on the door. If you have bathtub crayons, they can practice writing them in the tub.
- Here’s a helpful tool for you to use when teaching your child how to write numbers. We use Verbal Number Paths to help kids learn the motions.
Signing Up for Conferences
PTC Fast
We look forward to seeing each of you at your child’s conference in February. In order to make the sign-up process as convenient and easy for you to get a time slot that works well for your family, we will be using an online conference scheduler called PTCFast.
Conference sign-up will be available beginning January 31st, 2025 at 8:00 am.
To sign up for conferences please follow the directions below:
- Follow this link: https://ptcfast.com/schools/OshkoshEarlyLearning
- Choose your teacher from the choices listed
- Schedule the time that works best for you and your family from the available time slots.
Teacher Love Bombs
February Teacher Gratitude
If you or your preschooler think their child’s teacher is pretty fantastic, send them a little extra love this February through our e-card system. You fill out this form between now and February 20th and we will turn your note into a little “Love Bomb” note that gets printed and put in your teacher’s mailbox. It costs $0 and is a nice way to let your child’s teacher feel the positive impact they make for your child and your family each day. We hope you’ll consider filling one out.
Need to Report an Absence? Here are 3 ways!
- Call the Office of Early Learning at 920-424-1004
If we are unavailable leave a detailed message with your child’s name, teacher and reason for absence.
- Absence Request through your parent portal
- Send us an email: Teresa.Doemel@oshkosh.k12.wi.us & Amanda.Brayton@oshkosh.k12.wi.us