Book sale

SCHOLASTIC
Customer appreciation book sale

BATES
South campus in Tacoma
2201 S. 78th Street Tacoma, WA 98409 Commons area- building E

Thursday April 26, 10 -9pm
Friday April 27, 10- 8pm
Saturday April 28, 10- 6pm

Activities include:

• Time with Clifford
• Games, Prizes and crafts
• Meet Clifford, the big red dog!

Bates Updates

April 30, 2007

Dear Parent,

One of my favorite parent educators is Bonnie Harris. I subscribe to her on-line newsletter called “Connective Parenting Newsletter”. It is almost always informative and thought-provoking. She is all about the relationship between parent and child and not so much about specific techniques; although she often has practical advice as well.

In her March newsletter she talks about “when the best isn’t good enough”. This resonated with me since I see so many of you wonderful parents struggling with being the perfect parent and raising perfect children. Not only is this aspiration not possible, it is also not even necessary.

Years ago we had the concept of the “good enough” parent. Today we seem to think that good enough isn’t good enough – for ourselves or for our children. I remember complaining to one of my friends that none of my children were musical. She said, “They can’t be good at everything, Carol”. She was so right. Why was I focused in on what they were not good at and not enjoying what they were good at? This attitude put more pressure on me and my children and could have interfered with my relationship with them.

Does this mean that we settle for mediocrity? Of course not. We give our children time, structure, opportunities, resources, encouragement, love and sometimes a gentle push. If we concentrate on what they need for their brains, bodies, and spirits, they will figure out what they like, what they are good at, where they want to excel and where they will just be good enough.

Below are some more suggestions from Bonnie to help your children be less stressed and to be good enough.

 “Listen to your children, allow them to complain

· Provide opportunities and watch which ones your children are drawn to

· Watch for signs of stress: changes in sleep or appetite, a more hostile attitude, frequent headaches and stomach aches

· When you see signs of stress provide a "mental health day", have a heart-to-heart and re-evaluate schedules

· Pull back on saying, "I'm so proud of you." Instead try, "You must be very proud of yourself."

· Make sure your child has plenty of down time. Boredom is necessary for relaxation and creativity.

· Relax. Be more, teach less. “

To being good enough….

Carol

Helping the behaviorally challenging child.....

HELPING THE BEHAVIORALLY CHALLENGING CHILD

“This wonderful class has profoundly changed the relationship with me and my son - my husband,

too. We talk more. He tantrums less. And he feels empowered - he owns the solutions and therefore

works hard to carry it out. Thanks for teaching this class with such passion!” - Emily S

If you are a parent or teacher of a child for whom sticker charts,

rewards and other behavior programs just don’t seem to work, or

your child gets frustrated and melts down or simply puts on the

brakes, this class series will explore these and other issues

through Collaborative Problem Solving* and other positive

communication practices. The presenter brings her personal

experience as well as her experience helping other families and

schools with these challenges.

You will learn:

¨ What’s getting in your child’s way

¨ Why traditional behavior plans aren’t working

¨ Communication methods that will create solutions and foster independence

¨ Common roadblocks and how to deal with them

¨ How to help your child become a flexible, tolerant problem-solver

Presenter Sara Gardner is the parent of a former "challenging"

child, and has been a professional trainer for 25 years. She

teaches parenting classes to parents with children encompassing

a wide range of disabilities, as well as those with typicallydeveloping

children. She has received training from Dr. Ross

Greene, author of "The Explosive Child" at his Center for

Collaborative Problem Solving, and from Stuart Ablon at

Think:Kids. Sara currently serves as President on the board of

directors for the Autism Society of King County, and works at

Bellevue College as Program Advisor for their Autism Spectrum

Navigators program, which she developed.

*Collaborative Problem Solving was originated by Ross Greene, PhD in his

book “The Explosive Child.” For more information on this model, recently

recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as one of only two

methods that work for “defiant” children, go to Think:Kids – Rethinking

Challenging Kids at www.thinkkids.org.

To register or ask a question contact Sara at 425.298.4409 or

sesgardner@gmail.com. Class outline: www.BehaviorToday.info

2 Saturdays

March 10 &

March 24, 2012

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

University of Puget Sound

1500 N Warner, Tacoma WA

Weyerhaeuser Hall

room tbd

Saturday March 10th 9:00-1:00

Collaborative Beginners

$45, includes materials and

e-mail consultation

Additional family member

sharing materials, $30

Saturday March 24th 9:00-1:00

Advanced Collaboration

$45, includes materials and

e-mail consultation

Additional family member

sharing materials, $30

BOTH classes for $80, $50 for

second family member

Register by March 4 to

ensure your spot!

www.BehaviorToday.info

Bates Update

Dear Parents,

The phrase “children learn through play” is a one that we Early Childhood Educators toss around freely and often. I suspect that it is not always as well understood as we think. Hopefully the following will help you understand how this concept works in preschool.

·         “Preschoolers are wigglers and doers”. No surprise here. We all know that. That is why it achieves better results to work with children by providing engaging activities than to work against their natures by making them sit still for long periods of time, talking at them, having a rigid structure, and having all the children do the same thing at the same time.

·         “Research shows that young children learn best through manipulation of materials and age-appropriate hands-on experiences.” A quality preschool will be noisy and busy. It may look chaotic to the untrained eye. Further looking will reveal real learning going on as children explore, investigate, manipulate, and try something over and over again. They truly are young scientists figuring out how the world works. If a child figures out something for himself he will remember it much better than if someone just tells him. As I saw on a sign in a preschool, “telling is not teaching”.

·         “In a high-quality preschool, learning is embedded in activities….” This is probably the hardest concept to grasp. Children are learning numbers and letters, for example, just not always with paper and pencil. They learn letters through being read to, seeing words on their cubbies, name tags, place mats, doing letter puzzles, singing the alphabet song, and in general playing in a print-rich environment with many adults to answer their questions and stimulate their intellect.  They learn counting through finger plays, counting how many children are sitting in circle, how many place mats to set at the table, how many blocks to make a tower, how many children are absent that day and on and on. The teachers do provide a curriculum – it just doesn’t look like high school or even elementary school. It looks like play and that is exactly what it should be. “The best early childhood programs use play to get at academics. One doesn’t rule out the other.”

·         “When learning through play, progress isn’t gauged in terms of a right or wrong answer.” Preschool activities are usually open-ended. So a three year old may use the same materials, do some of the same activities or read the same books as a five year old, yet get something totally different out of them. Even children of the same age will be at different levels of developmental. Some four year olds recognize all the letters of the alphabet while others may recognize only the one at the beginning of their names. As long as children are in a rich environment with skilled adults, they will learn what they need to succeed. A love of learning and an excitement about life are more important to success in school than knowing particular facts or skills.

I have been involved in early childhood education for over twenty five years. Many things have changed in the field since I started, but the message that children learn through play has not changed.

If you have questions or concerns about your individual child and/or about the curriculum, talk with your teacher or me. Let’s keep doing what is best for children and let them play.

Carol

The words in quotation marks are from a Tacoma News Tribune article “Preschool Students Learn Best Through Curiosity-Building Play” from a Parent to Parent column by Betsy Flagler written a few years ag

Bates Updates

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to preschool! I hope that all of you had a wonderful and restful holiday. These last few months I have truly enjoyed getting to better know you and your children. That process will continue as I will be doing parent shares this month. (Please check dates below.) I will have chocolate and you will earn a parent ed credit. Of course there will be opportunity for your questions and sharing with your fellow parents.

Believe it or not, while we are still enjoying and working hard on this year, it is time to start thinking about the next year. Soon we will be selecting new board members and enrolling for the next school year. If your child will be “graduating” begin exploring ways to facilitate that process. (Take advantage of the Bates Kindergarten Panel - info below.) While you continue to get the most out this year, start planning on what will be happening next. Think about joining the board if you really want to understand the workings of your school and to make the most out of your participation. Ongoing information about what will occur will be coming in the days and weeks ahead.

Mark your calendars with these upcoming dates:

Parent Shares - during class

Vaughn 2-day and Evergreen

Thursday, January 19

Vaughn 3-day

Friday, January 20

Bates Parent Ed.

“Getting School Ready”

Come and visit the informational Kindergarten Fair,

featuring a panel discussion with local public school

kindergarten teachers.

Jan. 18, 7-8:30 p.m., Bates South Campus Auditorium

If you have any questions, feel free to call me @ 680-7517 or cgulczynski@bates.ctc.edu

Carol Gulczynski/ Bates Home and Family Life Instructor

Preparing Children for School Success

Language and Literacy:

Preparing Children for School Success

Bates Technical College’s Home and Family Life Department presents the 15th Annual Brain Series
Thursday, April 26, 7 - 9 p.m.
South Campus Auditorium, 2201 S. 78th Street, Tacoma. This event is FREE.

Language and communication skills are important to help prepare your child for school.

In fact, advances in brain and behavioral research have bolstered interest in preparing children for
school success. At this year’s Brain Series, you can make the connection between the importance of
early experiences (play, language and literacy) and future academic learning from Dr. Lebedeva, an
expert in emergent language and early literacy. STARS credit is available. No registration required.

Dr. Gina Lebedeva

Dr. Lebedeva is the translation, outreach, and education director at the University

of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS). She believes that
by translating research on how early experiences sculpt the brain, we can better
support children’s learning.

Bates Update

Parent shares for January:

          Vaughn 3-day and Evergreen: Thursday, January 19

          Vaughn 2-day: Friday, January 20.

Dear Parent,

As you are thinking about gifts for your children, keep in mind this list that I “borrowed” from “ExchangeEveryDay” that they got from another source:

          Here is a list of "The 5 Best Toys of All Time," published in, of all places, the high-tech Wired Magazine.

1. Stick
2. Box
3. String
4. Cardboard Tubes
5. Dirt

The staff at “ExchangeEveryDay” would substitute ball for cardboard tubes, but you get the idea. This is certainly food for thought as we all struggle about what appropriate, meaningful as well as fun toys to get for the children in our lives. Remember that the thing that young children want most for the holidays (and anytime for that matter) is time with you. Uninterrupted, focused, relaxed time with you.

Happy Holidays!

Carol

Bates Classes coming up.....

Bates December/January schedule:

December:

“Block play” – teacher inservice

Blocks are tools that provide children with numerous

problem-solving opportunities to explore, discover,

experiment and master skills and concepts.

Dec. 6, 12:30-2:30 p.m., South Campus Auditorium

Art for children

Celebrate children’s art. Learn about art and the

developing child, the importance of creativity, and

emerging writing skills through early drawing. Instructors

will offer hands-on activities.

Dec. 7, 7-8:30 p.m., South Campus, Building E, Room 116

January:

“Getting School Ready”

Come and visit the informational Kindergarten Fair,

featuring a panel discussion with local public school

kindergarten teachers.

Jan. 18, 7-8:30 p.m., South Campus Auditorium

Temperament in Children – teacher inservice

Learn about temperament and how it affects children’s

behavior in classroom settings. Based on Temperament

Talk from the Center for Human Development.

Jan. 24, 12:30-2:30 p.m., South Campus, Building E, Room 116

Early Childhood Education Credit

Our Bates Home and Family Life faculty members will be offering the First Year, Early Childhood Education classes to our affiliated cooperative preschool members as part of your affiliation with Bates Technical College, for the 2011-2012, school year.  ECE - First Year instruction provides students with the skills to work as entry-level child care/early education teachers.  Classes include lecture, discussion and hands-on learning opportunities.

To receive credit for classes, students will be required to register through their Bates Instructor, purchase a text book, attend classes and complete assigned coursework before the end of each quarter.  Students will earn college credits for completed ECE classes.

Bates will offer two of the following ECE classes each quarter:

	WINTER 2011/12
109E	ECE 106  GROWTH/DEVELOPMENT/LEARN	MARSHA HOLAND	11/29-2/16, T/Th, 12-2:30 p.m.
109F	ECE 107  PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT	SANDY MANTHOU	12/3-2/18, Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
109C	ECE 103  STARS	VARIES	1/28-2/11, Saturday, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
109L	ECE 103  STARS  (HYBRID)	TINA SMITH-KLAH	1/10&1/24, Tuesday, 7-8 p.m.
	SPRING 2012
109G	ECE 108  EMOTIONAL/SOC/DVLPMNT	PAT LEBLANC	2/23-5/10, T/Th, 12-2:30 p.m.
109J	ECE 110  COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT	RACHEL SAXTON	2/27-5/9, M/W, 6-8:30 p.m.
109C	ECE 103  STARS	VARIES	4/14-4/28, Saturday, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
	SUMMER 2012
109H	ECE 109  CHILD GUIDANCE	JOAN RAPKOCH	5/15-7/24, T/Th, 12-2:30 p.m.
109C	ECE 103  STARS	VARIES	7/7-7/21, Saturday, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

 Students registering for the ECE classes will need to purchase the text book, “Early Childhood Education” by Eva L Essa and a student ID card.  The Instructor will give you information about purchasing the textbook.         

Registration for continuing students starts:          Oct. 26^th

Registration for waitlisted students starts:           Nov. 2^nd

Registration for new students starts:                      Nov. 9^th

BATES TECHNICAL COLLEGE

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - PROFESSIONAL-AFFILIATE

 How to Register for Classes:
FIRST: Take CASAS test by contacting Lynn Neal at 253-680-7274.
THEN: Send in an ECE registration form with your CASAS scores and Bates registration form to the H&FL Office. (253-680-7500 or 7503)

VISIT: www.bates.ctc.edu/MyBates and click on New Student Orientation for the online orientation.

WE WILL:  register you for classes which will generate your Bates email address.  An email address will be comprised of your first initial then last name @bates.ctc.edu. For email information, go to www.bates.ctc.edu/MyBates. You will get class information sent to you at your Bates email address.

THEN:

1.            Show up by the second class or you will be dropped.

2.            Develop an education plan during the first two quarters, Dan Eberle, Career Specialist will work with you.

3.            Register online for class each subsequent quarter. The ECE instructor will let students know when to register for the next class.  Registration dates are published in the quarterly schedule and on the Bates website (www.bates.ctc.edu).

ONGOING- BEFORE YOU START THE SECOND YEAR:

·         If you plan on going on to the second year ECE classes, attend an information session at least two quarters before you are going to start the second year ECE classes.  Dates and times are published in the quarterly schedule and on the Bates website (www.bates.ctc.edu).

·         Apply for financial aid online at www.bates.ctc.edu/financialaid.  For Financial Aid questions call 253-680-7020.

·         Scholarships from Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network- for information go to www.childcarenet.org.

·         WAIT LIST for second year- Call 680-7002 to make an appointment with the career advisor and bring with you your CASAS or COMPASS scores and pay an application fee to be put on a wait list.

·         Complete the registration and enrollment form with your career advisor (Dan Eberle).  Tuition and fees are due at this time.  If you have any type of funding that is going to cover the cost of your class the career advisor will sign your registration off at that time.

Bates Updates

Dear Parent,

It’s November; Thanksgiving time and the start of a busy holiday season. I’m guessing that you want to see your children be sensitive, tolerant and grateful. J

 Even though preschoolers are typically very self-centered, they do show kind and sensitive acts throughout the day. You need to watch for it and do your own modeling to make it a solid family value.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Encourage & Recognize - If you notice your child doing something unselfish, name it and give them recognition for their sensitivity. Let them know that what they are doing is a kind and caring thing (without being too over the top about it). If they do not show sensitivity, patiently ask them to ‘try again’ – allowing for‘do overs’ is a favorite way to correct and encourage.                                                                                                                         

2. Give Responsibility- research shows a correlation between the amount of responsibility children have and their tendency to think of others. A child with no responsibility may become spoiled and begin to lose their sense of caring and concern.

3. Teach by Example and Active Listening - Show children this attitude of empathy in your own actions, by modeling the same behavior and values you want to instill in them. Actively listen to your children by hearing what they have to say, then paraphrasing it back to them so they know you understood it and are concerned with their thoughts and feelings.

4. Say, "I'm Sorry" If you’ve made a mistake or were insensitive to your child, let your child know you are sorry for this. Just be mindful about asking for forgiveness too often without an effort to do better in the future!                                                                                                                             

5. Remember that Unselfishness Does Not Come Naturally - Becoming unselfish is a process that "takes thinking and practicing and a certain amount of maturity to develop." Do not expect your children to naturally always think of others first or know how to be empathetic to those who are suffering. It is a character virtue that you as a parent must model and help them learn.

Enjoy the glorious month of November and all that we have to be thankful for.

As always, I look forward to seeing you and your children at school!

Gratefully,

Carol

You can read more tips for teaching values in Teaching Your Children Values, by Linda and Richard Eyre

Bates parent ed...

November

Media and Children: Join in the discussion and recent research on how all forms of media effect young children’s brain development. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 7-8:30 PM, Bates South Campus.

Bates Updates

Dear Parent,

Welcome to co-op preschool! The beginning of school is always such an exciting time, as the possibilities for a great new year are endless. It is personally an exhilarating time as I get the opportunity to meet and to get to know all of you a little better.

One of the ways that this meeting happens is through the parent shares that I facilitate once a quarter; in October, January, and March. For those of you who don’t know what a parent share is there is a description at the end of this article. For those of you who do know, you already know how fun and informative that they can be.

The upcoming parent shares for October are:

Vaughn 3-day – F 10/21
Vaughn 2-Day – Th 10/20
Evergreen - W 10/12.

In addition to your concerns and questions (which we always spend most of our time on), I usually highlight a book at the shares that I think is an invaluable addition to a parenting library. Since I know that most of you are too busy being parents to read a lot of information about parenting, I will do the reading and give you nuggets of information that may help in your parenting journey.

The book I have chosen this year is “Mind in the Making – The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs” by Ellen Galinsky. The seven life skills are listed below.

§  Focus and self-control
§  Perspective taking
§  Communicating
§  Making connections
§  Critical thinking
§  Taking on challenges
§  Self-directed, engaged learning

As you can see, this is a pretty impressive list. I look forward to helping us all understand more about this list and seeing how we can assist our children in acquiring these necessary skills while at the same time dealing with the immediate issues of getting our children dressed in the morning, to get them to stop hitting their sister, to eat nutritious meals, to sleep in their own beds, etcetera, etcetera.

I look forward to seeing you all at the next parent share.

Carol

What's a Parent Share?

A parent share is a fun and helpful informal discussion held during your child’s class time in another room. This is your chance to talk with (or just listen to) me and other parents in your class talk about whatever is on your mind regarding parenting issues, ages and stages of development, your child’s and/or your role in the classroom, etc. Because these sessions are informal, you may come and go as you please. Siblings are welcome (please bring things to entertain them). Earn a parent education credit.