We began our week with a meditation break. Children of all ages, adults too, really need an opportunity to take a few minutes to "unplug", relax and focus. Meditation offers this break! Ms. Webb led the class in some guided breathing to start our day. As you can see, the children really enjoy this. A good way that you can practice meditation is during your child's bedtime routine. A few minutes of deep breathing in a child's bedtime routine can help them to wind down after a long day. This practice will make taking a break easier to do when other situations arise.
Lunch/Snack Reminders:
-Please make sure your child has 2 napkins every day. One is used as a place mat and the other is used to wipe their face and hands.
-Please include the necessary utensils for your child's lunch. We do not have access to plastic utensils.
-NO PEANUT OR TREE NUT PRODUCTS. The entire Early Childhood division is nut free.
-Please fill your child's water bottle prior to coming to school. We will re-fill if necessary.
Manners are a way of showing kindness to other people. We have been working on table manners this week.
Good manners begin before we sit at the table!
HAND WASHING
The children know that it is important to wash their hands before every snack or meal. To reinforce this behavior at home, make sure your child sees you washing your own hands. Or, have them join you in hand washing prior to sitting at the table.
PRAYERS
At school. we say prayers before we eat lunch and snack. The children know that this is a time of quiet and we will be able to eat and talk as soon as the prayer is done. To reinforce this behavior at home, ask your child to lead the meal time prayer.
The prayer we say at school is:
God is great
God is good
Let us thank him
for our food and friends
Amen
AT THE TABLE
There are lots of teachable moments at the dinner/lunch table! By three, children should be eating with utensils. Sometimes they get confused which foods can be picked up (chicken nugget) and which food requires a spoon/fork (rice), don't assume he/she should know better, gently correct the mistake.
Three is a good age to teach the use of a napkin instead of a sleeve or shirt as by now, she/he should not be wearing a bib and be able to wipe her/his hands and face.
At school, children must sit in their chair until everyone is done eating. At home, this can be reinforced by having your child sit at the dinner table for a few minutes after they have completed their meal. Show your child how to bring his/her plate to the sink or counter.
POOR TABLE BEHAVIOR
Some behaviors just should not happen at the table. If your child should burp or pass gas at the table, remind them that it is important to say "excuse me". Remind your child to chew with their mouth closed. This is a learned behavior that can be corrected with a few reminders.
Teaching your child to use a fork and spoon correctly may prevent them from playing with their food; or playing around all together. If your child is misbehaving at the table, give them one opportunity to stop the behavior with a warning, if it happens again, remove them.
Family dinner times or lunch time gathering with friends is a perfect time to practice manners beyond "please" and "thank you". It is also a great time for adults to model the behavior they would like to see in their child.
The most important thing in teaching children manners is that it is OK if mistakes are made. Learning and showing manners is something we all do over our lifetime.
PLEASE WEAR SNEAKERS EVERYDAY! Children will not be permitted to play in PE or on the playground equipment without sneakers.
Reminders:
Summer camp registration is open! You can find more information on our website https://www.holychildacademy.com/page.cfm?p=533.
March 17 will be a St. Patrick’s Day dress down day - be sure to wear your green!
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on March 25-26. More information will follow next week.
Spring/Easter break is from March 26 through April 5. Classes will resume on Tuesday, April 6.
Spirit Week will kick off on March 19 and will continue into the next week. Stay tuned for more information!
March is Women’s History Month when we will be celebrating women in history. If you or someone you know would be willing to share with a class, a division, or multiple groups to enhance our celebration in any way, please email jmyers@holychildacademy.com, and we will make it as easy as possible.
Looking forward, April is Arab American Heritage Month and May is Asian and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. If you have ideas or suggestions for our celebrations for those months, please email jmyers@holychildacademy.com.
