Kernals of Practice at ggie.berkeley.edu/student-well-being/sel-kernels/

This website offers multiple ideas for children of all ages to support chidlren's emotional and social wellbeing. Each activity is intented to be 'kernal' that is accessible and implementable in the everyday, ordinary moments in our lives. 
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ggie.berkeley.edu/practices/

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A great video shared amongst staff from Tracy. Parent or caregiver, we all have our own 'shark music.' This is a short little video to help us remember and identify our 'shark music.' 

As a prototype centre, we are lucky to be trying out a new early childhood education ‘inclusion coordinator’ position. This has given us the opportunity to think more about what inclusion is. Inclusion is a bit of a buzz word; it seems like a great model that is hard not to get behind but what is inclusion exactly? It encompasses so much complexity and grappling with what inclusion actually is has been a difficult and on-going task! I see inclusion as a way of looking at the world. It encourages us to question our environments and habits and asks us to think about the way we do things, and what people we privilege and messages we put forward through our environment, language, materials, routines, etc.  It encompasses thinking about culture, ability, family structures, age, and more. When I think about inclusion in the childcare setting I like to refer back to the quote “equality is not always about treating everyone the same – it is about treating people in such a way that the outcome for each person can be the same” (NYCI, n.d). This means realizing we all have capacities to be successful and to meaningfully contribute to a classroom, work place, relationship, etc but at the same time recognizing that we live in a world of social inequities that does not provide people with equal opportunities. We value particular abilities, ways of being, appearances, talents, family structures etc over others and tend to have trouble seeing beyond the ways we already do things. This means working to unpack our normalized distinctions and realize that many of the lines we draw between “able” & “disabled” or “successful” vs “unsuccessful” are arbitrary and culturally dictated and thus can be changed.

By working towards inclusion we make space for not knowing the answers & asking others how they want to be represented and known. Creating more inclusive spaces can provide opportunities to learn and to grow, to try new things and to consider new ideas, activities and ways of thinking. To me, inclusion means not simply accommodating or tolerating a difference or celebrating aspects of it, but truly learning from and valuing it. 




References
NYCI (n.d). What is Equality. National Youth Council of Ireland. Retrieved from: https://www.youth.ie/articles/what-is-equality/


Miss Frances

We will be putting out coffee and/or baked goods (made by the kiddos) every Friday! We would love it if you took a moment out of your morning to spend some time with us and the children. We’re hoping that this will be a positive way for you to start your Friday as well as a chance to build stronger relationships between families and create a stronger sense of community within The School House. There are so many benefits of parents being involved in their child’s care centre and we would love to work toward stronger partnerships between families and staff :)


I know mornings are often very rushed -  if you don’t have any time to stay, feel free to bring your own mug and take some coffee to go!

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"When a baby falls down or gets hurt, even if it is obviously a minor injury, our instincts might tell us to rush over, pick her up immediately and shower her with sympathy or distraction in an attempt to calm her as quickly as possible. Infant expert Magda Gerber advised something a little different and counter-intuitive (especially for those who find a baby’s cries difficult to hear…namely, all of us!). She encouraged parents and caregivers to remain calm so as not to add our alarm or distress to the equation, and to take our cues from the child. She also suggested that we take the time to reflect on the experience to help the baby understand it, acknowledge her feelings and support her to express them freely and completely. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better example than this one..." 

​Follow this link to read the full article from Janet Lansbury and watch the tender video. Follow Janet on Facebook to see several more informative posts!

 Please come out and join the School House in attending the 2019 Earth Day Parade this coming Monday April 22nd. Miss Ashley will be there representing the School House with our parachute painted by the School House children. We'll be meeting at 2pm at the Hall St. Plaza. There will be a parade, planting, parachute games, and a recycled instrument band. The Lynx room will be constructing instruments from recycled materials for the parade this week.

Please dress up as your favourite animal or insect :)