Hello Kindergarten Parents!

This year kindergarten classes started off the school year with some lessons from me, Miss Mac, the school social worker!  When kids join a classroom, we find they benefit from some basic lessons in listening, getting along with friends, sharing, and calming strong feelings.  I use lots of different resources to design these lessons.  I'll describe the basics below:

Lesson 1: Whole Body Listening
I use the book Whole Body Listening Larry at School by Elizabeth Sautter and Kristen Wilson.  In this lesson, we talk about listening with a bunch of different parts of our body, not just our ears!  
Eyes - looking toward the speaker
Ears - ready to hear
Mouth - quiet and waiting your turn to talk
Feet - quiet and still (sitting criss-cross applesauce)
Body - facing toward the speaker
Brain - thinking about what is being said
Heart - caring about the speaker's feelings
The kids have learned how to "show whole body listening" and are doing a great job at circle time!

Lesson 2: Working Out Problems with Others
For this lesson, I read the book Talk and Work it Out by Cheri J. Meiners.  This book outlines four steps for solving problems:
1. Talk about the problem.
2. Listen to understand.
3. Think of ways to solve it.
4. Choose the best plan.
We also practice taking a deep breath and counting to 5 before we try to start talking about problems so that we can be calm and kind with our friends.  For this lesson, we use Brownie the dog and Mr. Snail puppets to act out friends solving a problem together.  The class also helps come up with solutions!

Lesson 3: Fair Ways to Play
For this lesson, I use the Second Step Program, Kindergarten level.  We discuss how to play fairly by asking people to SHARE, TRADE, and TAKE TURNS.  Again, Brownie and Snail act out how to ask people to share, trade and take turns.  We also listen to the "Fair Ways to Play" song from Second Step: http://www.edtv99.org/video/20886/

Lesson 4: Managing Strong Feelings
The final lesson centers around strategies for calming strong feelings.  Brownie the dog puppet loses his bone and Mr. Snail helps him calm down enough to think clearly!  We listen to "The Calm-Down Song" from the Second Step Program: Kindergarten level.  This song is not available online, but I did find the 2nd grade version of it, if you'd like to share it with your child: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reFVtj9Gb0g&index=3&list=PLbKdM2MlwpGY1XwfEkUz2FX7GUBS1ITj3
In this lesson, we practice the following steps:
1. Put your hand on your belly and say "stop."
2. Name your feeling ("I feel frustrated!").
3. Take a belly breath...and then you'll calm right down!
We also practice belly breathing using a video from the Second Step Program: Second Grade.  Since that is not available online, here is a Sesame Street video that teaches the concept!  Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mZbzDOpylA-- 

We wanted Kindergarten families to have the information about these lessons, as they are much more likely to be internalized if they are reinforced at home as well as in the classroom!  Practice these strategies often with your children, and then they will come naturally to them when they actually have to deal with a difficult situation in real life!

Here's to a great school year!

Annie MacDowell, LCSW
School Social Worker
Westgate Elementary
500 S. Dwyer 
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Westgate main number: 847-398-4292

This year Westgate is implementing a new approach to behavior support!  Right on Track is a school-wide positive behavior system for students who need added support throughout their day.  Behaviors that may lead to you a child qualifying for this program include problems with work completion, difficulties managing emotions, and behavioral disruption in class.  The goal is to intervene early and provide students with more opportunities for positive feedback, as well as to increase the rate of positive interactions for that student with school staff.  If your child is referred to participate in Right on Track, you will be contacted by your child's teacher letting you know what behaviors your child is working on.  In addition, you will receive a weekly progress report from your child's coach.

Program Outline
 
- Right on Track is a research-based intervention for at-risk students to provide opportunities for additional feedback and positive interactions. 

- Students in Right on Track have been recommended by the Tier 2 Behavior Team--a committee of teachers that identifies interventions for students. 

- Some common behaviors that would elicit this intervention are having difficulty completing work and having office discipline referrals. Often, this program is used to help re-connect a student to their school community and build confidence. 

- The students check-in every morning with the classroom teacher and receive a point sheet based on the school-wide expectations.  

-  The point sheet is filled out throughout the day. 

- The students check-out with their “coach” at the end of the day, monitoring progress through goal-setting. 

- Weekly reports are sent home so parents can monitor progress and reward great behavior!!

Roles and Responsibilities
 
Student Participants
- Check-in and check-out daily with classroom teacher/coach
- Get point sheet filled out daily
- GIVE IT YOUR BEST!!!!
 
Parents of Participants
- Review Progress Report with child weekly.
- Provide positive and constructive feedback.
- Communicate with the school when there are concerns or celebrations regarding the student’s behavior.
 
Classroom Teacher
- Complete point sheet daily with students.
- Offer constructive and positive feedback to student
 
Right on Track Coach
- Facilitate the check-out process.
- Provide participants with positive, constructive feedback and small tangible rewards.
- Instruct involved staff members on the use of the form.
- Collect, summarize, and report data each week.
 

Pennies for a Purpose: Westgate Helps Houston!

Make a donation to the Houston Food Pantry.  Donate your spare change!  Students can bring their coins September 11-15!  The class that brings the most coins wins an extra recess.  

If you would like to donate a larger amount of money, we have set up a gofundme page:
houstonwww.gofundme.com/q8q2ct-westgate-helps-houston

I know a lot of kids who LOVE Minecraft and spend hours looking at YouTube videos featuring the very popular game.  Some of these videos are not appropriate for children.  Recently, one of our Tech Facilitators shared the following site to help with this problem.  Enjoy!

https://www.cleanminecraftvideos.com/

I, Annie, just stumbled across this website after looking through the book, How To Make And Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges by Nadine Briggs and Donna Shea, who describe themselves as "friendship experts and social coaches."  The book has lots of ideas that can be discussed, acted out, and practiced at home.  The blog has tons of awesome messages/help for parents.  Check it out!

http://www.howtomakeandkeepfriends.com/category/social-coaching/

Does your child get down on him or herself when challenges arise?  They could benefit from practicing resilience skills that will help them ride the rollercoaster of life.  Check out the following article.

visual.ly/abcs-resilience-bouncing-back-defeat-gozen?scrlybrkr

Parents and Guardians,

Erin's Law implementation is beginning its second year here at Westgate.  The district has sent out emails to all families and specific classroom presentation dates have been sent out online in the Wolverine Weekly.  

Erin’s Law, or Illinois Public Act 097-­1147, requires public schools to provide child sexual abuse prevention education for children in pre­kindergarten through twelfth grades.  District 25 began providing instruction in compliance with Erin’s Law during the 2015­-16 school year.  Age­-appropriate instruction helps students recognize unsafe situations, keep themselves safe, and understand how to respond to unsafe situations. School social workers work with each grade level to provide age-­appropriate information on topics such as safe versus unsafe touching, the touching rule, secrets, and reporting. 

The following link includes more information, including presentations and opt-out forms.

http://www.sd25.org/Page/663

Want your child to succeed in school?  Stop focusing on specific achievements, and start focusing on practicing self-control!  Students who can manage their impulses and delay gratification do better academically and socially, leading to more overall success!

http://linkis.com/www.theatlantic.com/kcTLC

Hello and welcome to another school year at Westgate, from your social workers, Annie MacDowell (school social worker) and Jeff Pawelski (Integrated Services social worker)! We are thrilled to start our fifth year here and looking forward to working with our student leaders! Remember, we are a resource for all families here at Westgate. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].

Also, please welcome our new principal, Dr. Brad Carter!