.
.Tutors: The District does not endorse or recommend specific tutors; however, a list of people providing tutoring services is available.
Attention Early Educators & Parents
Self Control: A Life Skill
By Anne Broderius, West Elementary Principal
Every year educators not only teach important academic skills or standards, but educators also spend time teaching many essential life skills. Often, these life skills are referred to as character traits such as grit, curiosity, self-control, social intelligence, generosity, optimism, and gratitude. Some think these character traits are fixed, but many educators and researchers have proven a person’s character is malleable or can grow, change, and develop over time.
In addition to character traits, educators reflect on a child’s executive function, or a set of mental skills used everyday in life, work, and school. Executive functioning, also known as the management system of the brain, includes working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Children who have trouble in any of these areas will find it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions while faced with challenges or changes in their world in and out of the school setting.
Parents often wonder if their child will be ready for school. All parents want their child to experience school success, and will often ask what they can practice at home to be ready for school. One character trait or executive function important for students’ school success is self-control or also referred to as self-regulation. This is described as the ability to listen, to wait, and to manage emotions, thoughts, and behaviors when faced with challenges, temptations, and impulses. This is a complex skill that develops overtime. As an executive function, self-control is an important cognitive process that is required to achieve tasks or goals, which leads to life, work, and school success. It requires a child to slow down and think through their actions. Most educators would agree that the path to school success and academic achievement is formed at an early age. In addition, most educators would say a determining factor of school success is the extent to which a child can attend to a lesson, story, and multi-step directions. Some studies have found that self-control is often a better predictor of academic success than a child’s IQ or grades earned.
It’s never too late to provide your child opportunities to practice and develop self-control. Consider playing games where self-control is practiced by needing to follow specific detailed directions or being a keen listener. Games might include Simon Says or Red Light Green Light. Even a classic card game like Memory can help build self-control and attention to detail. You have maybe even seen on social media a version of the marshmallow experiment where you ask your child to avoid a temptation for a few minutes. This is another form of self-control or delayed gratification development where a child is asked to wait for a preferred candy or food.
Have family members share examples of times they needed to practice self-control. It’s important for children to hear and see how even adults need to practice this in daily life. These honest conversations are important. Children will take cues from you, their family members, or other important adults in their world. By watching others, they will learn to value and develop this important character trait. In addition, it’s important for the adults to model self-control when faced with life’s challenges too. Think about how all adults are modeling how they manage emotions and challenges around your child.
Children are amazing and our future. When we focus on the environments we create for them, both in and out of school, we will help to create all kinds of positive possibilities for their future.
Kindergarten Parent Nights
Este año tendremos la inscripción de Kindergarten en línea. Si usted necesita asistencia,
llame a West Elementary al 320-587-4470, ext. 3050, y se le conectará con nuestra intérprete, Fabiola. Ella esta disponible de 8:30 am a 3:00 pm.
If you would like to learn more about our Kindergarten program and our school,
please consider joining Mrs. Broderius, Principal virtually for one of the following sessions:
5:30pm Monday, March 29th ~ OR ~ 5:30pm Tuesday, March 30th
To attend the virtual meeting, click on the time, and then click “Ask to Join.” You will be admitted at the meeting time.
To register for the virtual meeting, please visit this website or scan the QR code below.
You must complete the online registration for your child by April 15, 2021.
Click Here to Start Your Online Enrollment
If you have any questions regarding the online registration process,
please call the District Office at 320-587-2860 or West Elementary at 320-587-4470.
Bridging the Gap
Benefits of Closed Captioning
By Dan Olberg, Principal, Park Elementary
I think I can speak for all of us that getting children to stop watching TV or streaming content can be a struggle sometimes. With all the research about screen time, parents are very aware of the damage too much TV and video time has on children. Most of the research I have read suggests that children who have more than 10 hours a week in screen time had lower achievement than those who watch less than 10 hours a week. It is surprising how quickly the minutes add up. Children in the United States are ranked number 1 in the world for the amount of time they watch TV. So how can we use this technology that children love to benefit their learning? Activate the closed captioning button! It seems so easy, but parents around the world are seeing incredible benefits from this simple act.
Parents are finding that when children watch/stream shows with the closed captioning on, their children are learning to read at an earlier age. Some parents are noticing quick results just after a few weeks of having the closed captioning activated on the TV/streaming devices in their house. When adults watch shows, our brains can tune out the closed captioning on the screen if we choose not to read it. In children, their brain is still like a sponge, picking up all that is on the screen. Their mind will see the words, hear them pronounced, and comprehend what is going on through the show without discretion. Closed captioning can help with fluency in young readers. Children have motivation to read the words quickly knowing that the words will soon disappear. It can help with word recognition for those children who have a stronger speaking vocabulary than reading vocabulary. Captioning can build the vocabulary words and definitions through quality programs. The presence of the words on the screen can help familiarize the child with print, sounds and meaning at a very young age. In essence, the characters are reading aloud the story to the child.
Having words running across the screen at times is a nuisance to many adults. Remember the days of accidentally hitting the closed captioning button only to spend the next three days trying to figure out how to change it back? The new TV’s/devices seem to make this easier for us. Most models or streaming sites have the button labeled “CC”. It seems as though all devices and streaming services have this option thanks to legislation many years ago. The children in some countries watch many reruns from the United States through closed captioning because English is not their first language. The children of Finland are some of the heaviest users of closed captioning and you should see their reading scores! Quality shows with the closed captioning activated may be the best electronic gift we could give our children – and least expensive!
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap
Tiger Take Home – Order by 1/25/21
Hutchinson Food Service Program is excited to offer an opportunity for families to order some of their students’ favorite menu items to serve at home.
Families benefit from the low cost bulk products and profits from these items benefit our Food Service Department.
Whether you want to stock up for the winter or split a case with family and friends this is a great way to support Hutchinson Public Schools!
Parents can order by logging into their Tiger Portal and clicking on the Smartschoolk12 icon. Then click School Store.
Community members may order by calling 320-234-2603 and dropping off payment at the District Office.
Orders must be submitted by Monday, January 25th.
Pick up Monday, February 2nd at West Elementary from 3:45-4:45pm.
Click here for nutrition and prep information for items
