April Network Meetings

A few school snap shots...

April 14: St. John, Darien

April 28: Christ the Rock, Rockford

 

Upcoming Conferences:        

            “Literacy in Motion” at Judson College June 21 – 24.  Kindergarten through 8^th grade

Exciting  Early Childhood Program Notes:

·         Trinity, Huntley:  2.5 Million dollar addition was recently approbed to include an expanded narthex,  lower level kitchen, smaller upstairs kitchen, meeting room, elevators, bathrooms,  classroom improvements.

·         Immanuel Belvidere-  Great community outreach event in March 2016 with bringing in children’s author Marc Brown.  Over 600 people in attendance for the church and community.   The event took place in the sanctuary so the community could feel comfortable and welcome in this space.

·         Christ the Rock, Rockford-  “Sockfest”:  Socks were collected by both the preschool and church as a unified mission project.  A goal of 500 pairs of socks were surpassed with over 800 pairs being collected.  A “Silly Socks Sunday” celebrated this mission project and everyone from the school and church were invited to wear their “Silly Socks” to church.  It was a well received project by both the church and school.

·         Rockford, Lutheran:  A building project is nearing completion.  It will house a media center and multipurpose room in the Jr./Sr. High building. It is slated to open in the fall of 2016.   Students from the high school recently made some sweet treats for the construction workers as a way of thanking them for their hard work. 

Suggested topics for 2016 – 2017 NID EC Network meetings:

            Marketing

            New Laws and Updated pertaining to ECE in Illinois

            Faith Integration

            Technology

            Allergies and Other Related Health Issues

Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)Ideas/Resources:

1.      Check in with your local public schools.  Many of them are emphasizing the need for students to be more socially-emotionally ready for kindergarten and above.  They are finding many students being more stressed out with many of today’s curriculum goals and standards.

2.      Share lists of kindergarten readiness skills with parents which are written from a Developmentally Appropriate Practice perspective.

3.      Talk about DAP and why we are practicing it in our schools.

4.      Post DAP activities in your hallways and list/explain standards which correspond to them.

5.      Check out the ELEA “Play with a Purpose” site for ideas.  You might need to be a member to use this site, though.

6.      Learning Station- Great  for DAP “ brain breaks”   http://learningstationmusic.com/

7.      NAEYC: Developmentally Appropriate Practice statements, core values, and resources http://www.naeyc.org/DAP   Share NAEYC’s resources with fellow educators, administrators, and parents:

1.            Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8 (3rd ed.)

2.            Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Focus on Infants and Toddlers 

3.            Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Focus on Preschoolers 

4..           Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Children 3 to 6

5.            Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Focus on Kindergartners