Happy April A. Sophie Rogers’ families! In this month’s newsletter, please find information about upcoming events in the school and the community, library updates, and more.
UPCOMING EVENTS & CLOSURES
If you would like to subscribe to the school’s event calendar you can do so here. Or you can download the printable calendar here.
Week of the Young Child April 3-7
Every Wednesday
Thursday, April 27
Friday, April 28
Monday, May 15
Monday, May 29
Wednesday, May 31 (4 p.m. closure)
ASR school will celebrate this most important time of life with several activities and events during the week! Here is the schedule and ideas for home.
Stop in the library after dropping off your child between 8:30-9:30 a.m. Wednesdays for coffee, tea and muffins to chat with other families and school staff.
Professional Development Day
Professional Development Day
Professional Development Day
Memorial Day
End of year celebration from 4 – 5:30 p.m.
NEWS
Penelope Rex Visits ASR!
We are happy so many families could join us to share the book, We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins on March 28. In addition to a guitar craft, we enjoyed a visit and dance by Penelope herself! Miss Sarah’s storytimes include tips and best practices to get the most out of your storytimes at home. Reading routines at home and school are some of the best ways to support overall kindergarten readiness. Please check out our family storytimes and activities for families coming up for April!
Library Update
If your family would like to share aspects of your family’s culture or identity in celebration of upcoming Heritage Months, please reach out to Family Engagement and Literacy Specialist Sarah in the library or by email at Simpson.962@osu.edu.
May
June
September
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month
LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Hispanic Heritage Month
ASR School featured in Statewide Early Learning Standards Document and Trainings
All schoolteachers and classrooms participated in filming and photography with the Ohio Department of Education for training on best practices. Photos from ASR School will be on the cover of ODE’s newly revised Early Learning and Development Standards, and video from classrooms will be used in online training across the state as examples of best practices. Thousands of copies of the standards, resource guides and training materials featuring the school and teachers will be printed and shipped to schools throughout the state by ODE. We are so proud to be a model demonstration site for this important work!
Best Wishes to Annie, SFC Couples and Family Therapy Intern
Annie’s year at our school as a CFT intern comes to an end with the end of spring semester. We thank her for her time in the preK classrooms providing weekly Prosocial Curriculum lessons and resources for families as well as the counseling work she conducted with individuals and families! Our school plans to host a new student this summer. In the interim or if you are interested in counseling services off-site, please contact OSU’s Couple and Family Therapy Clinic at 614-292-3617.
Prosocial curriculum update
Over the month of April, our Couple and Family Therapy Intern will continue the prosocial curriculum lessons in each classroom on Friday mornings. This prosocial curriculum was developed by Second Step Elementary, a leading research-based social emotional curriculum. The Second Step Prosocial Curriculum is designed to teach young learners about self-regulation and social-emotional skills to prepare for Kindergarten. Each week there is a new lesson that includes activities, readings, and mentally stimulating games that help children to implement the new skills that they have learned.
There are two lessons in April to finish out the prosocial curriculum for the school year.
- The first of the final two lessons will teach children how to problem solve. Children will practice thinking through the problem and coming up with solutions in the moment themselves.
- The second lesson will teach preschoolers how to speak up for themselves assertively. In this lesson, children will learn that if someone treats you in unsafe or mean ways, speaking up assertively is a respectful way to deal with it. Children will practice speaking up assertively in response to various scenarios.
Parents can access materials for the prosocial curriculum through the teacher’s weekly link in with curriculum guides. Each prosocial curriculum lesson comes with a flyer that parents can use at home to keep the learning process consistent for children 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.
Family Volunteer Opportunity in the School Gardens
Please join us during the following dates and times to help prepare our school gardens for the spring and summer! Adult family volunteers can join Chef Mark for some or all the dates/times below and help to establish and plan our courtyard gardens. Dress for the dirt!
Thursday, April 13 from 2 – 4 p.m.
Friday, May 5 from 2 – 4 p.m.
Cleaning and prepping the beds in the courtyard for sunflowers
Plant and mulch the items we started growing in classrooms
RESOURCES
Importance of Regular Attendance
Establishing consistent routines for school attendance is an important part of early learning opportunities. Our partners at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy have created a fact sheet to support families.
Local Activities for Families
Symphony Storytime on Sunday, April 16, 2023
Dress up as your favorite storybook character and join Associate Conductor, Andrés Lopera, and the musicians of the Columbus Symphony as they play the greatest hits from Tchaikovsky and other storybook heroes.
Pre-Concert activities begin at 2pm and will include create your own crown, magic wand, and story time bookmarks.
Families will also be treated to three floors of activities, games, and can even have a picture taken with our lovable mascot, Bee-thoven!
Tickets are $8.50 for children, and $12.50 for adults. Purchase online through CBUSArts, or in person or by phone at the CBUSArts Ticket Center at 614-469-0939.
