School Newsletter: January 2023

Winter weather updates

The A. Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning and Schoenbaum Family Center is a part of The Ohio State University and follows the university’s closure policies. When checking for school closings on local radio, television and internet sites, look to see if Ohio State main campus is closed. In case of severe weather closure, our automated system will send each family a text/email informing of closure. 

We do love to explore the snow and winter weather!  When the temperature allows (above 25 degrees), classrooms will go outside even if only for a few minutes. Please dress accordingly with winter weather clothing and label hats, coats and other items with initials. 

Prosocial curriculum update

Throughout the month of January, our Couple and Family Therapy Intern will continue the prosocial curriculum in each classroom on Friday mornings. This prosocial curriculum was developed by Second Step Elementary, a leading research-based social-emotional curriculum. This curriculum is designed to teach young learners’ self-regulation and social-emotional skills to ease the transition from preschool to kindergarten.  

In January, children will learn that we feel feelings in our bodies. This lesson will help kids understand that clues in your body help you identify your feelings. Children will gain an understanding that some feelings are comfortable, while other feelings can be uncomfortable. More specifically, children will identify worry as an uncomfortable feeling. In this lesson, children will learn that it is important to talk to a grown-up when you feel worried. Children will build skills to identify a grown-up to talk to when they experience feelings of worry.  

The next lesson will cover strong feelings. In this lesson, children will learn that sometimes your feelings can be strong and that strong feelings need to be managed. Children will recognize and name when they or others are feeling frustrated. Kids will practice putting their hands on their stomachs and saying “stop” to calm down their bodies.  

 The third lesson is all about naming feelings. Children will learn that naming your feelings can help you calm down. Children will practice naming their feelings in response to scenarios. Children will demonstrate how to calm down in response to certain situations. 

Parents can access materials for the prosocial curriculum through the teacher’s weekly link. Each prosocial curriculum lesson comes with a flyer that parents can use at home to keep the learning process consistent across home and school environments. If you have questions about how to adapt these lessons to your home setting, feel free to reach out to our Couple and Family Therapy Intern Annie. Annie can be reached via phone at 614-247-7007 or via email at schoenbaumtherapy@gmail.com.  

Library Update 

Family storytime is back in the new year! Please join Miss Sarah for stories, songs, and rhymes every Tuesday from 4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. The upcoming January dates are Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31. 

Cascade from Buckeye Paws will be visiting the SFC library on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 4:30 p.m. -5:30 pm. Sarah will do a brief storytime followed by a special craft for Cascade’s monthly visits.    

If you are on-the-go and don’t have time to stop and pick up books at the library, you can fill out this Qualitrics form to get the perfect books delivered directly to your child’s mailbox. 

SFC Book Club  

January’s books are Don’t Wake the Dragon by Bianca Schulze for preschool classrooms and Families Belong by Dan Saks for infant/toddler classrooms. This month’s literacy tips are pictured below. 

Featured project

In this months featured project toddlers explore their curiosity in science and art. Check it out!

Is Your Child Going to Kindergarten in the Fall? 

ASR School supports families as they facilitate their child’s transition into elementary school. Winter is when many school districts begin to plan for fall enrollment and informational sessions about what options are available for school choice. In addition to resources about how to support overall kindergarten readiness, ASR will host a representative from Columbus City Schools on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 4:30 p.m. to learn about Columbus City Schools enrollment process and school choice options. Look for more information about other kindergarten transition activities in the coming weeks! 

Ohio State University School Psychology Partnership 

ASR is happy to share a partnership in our college with the Educational Studies Department to support School Psychology graduate students. We are fortunate to have. Kyanna Johnson and Marcel Jacobs joining us for the school year. Kyanna and Marcel will work with school administrators and teachers to devise curricular, and learning supports for children and classrooms, collect classroom observations and interventions, and support the preschool prosocial curriculum implementation and coaching. Please check the November School Newsletter for Kyanna’s biography and take some time to learn more about Marcel below! 

Marcel Jacobs is a third year PhD student studying School Psychology at Ohio State University. Marcel has gained training and experience in providing students with support in academic, behavior, and social emotional competence. He has learned to do so through the implementation of evidence-based practices, providing assessments, and collaboration with school staff and families. He is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the School Psychology program at Ohio State University, teaching both a cognitive and achievement assessment course. During his time at Ohio State, Marcel has engaged in various research projects examining social emotional and academic outcomes of students.  

Kyanna Johnson is a forth year PhD candidate studying School Psychology at Ohio State University. As a School Psychology intern, Kyanna is trained in implementing evidence-based interventions for students to help with academic and behavioral concerns. She has also received training in providing cognitive and academic assessments for students.