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Newsletter for the Taylor Prairie School Community
March 25, 2020
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Dear Taylor Prairie Families,
At this unprecedented
time, we hope this newsletter brings a bit of peace to you and your family. Although our staff are no longer in the buildings, we are still here to serve you! Please reach out if you have questions or need support. We are in this together!
All iPads have either been picked up or delivered! Once they got to you, we realized that apps were not working perfectly. Thank you to Elizabeth Wodzinski and our tech department for working tirelessly to resolve the problems we were experiencing.
Your child's teacher sent you an outline of where we are going with virtual learning. As a reminder:
- This week, you will see an activity or two from your teacher. You will want to make sure your child has access to the apps that we will be using. We are going slowly to ensure everyone is ready to go and has access!
- Next week is Spring Break and you won't see much from your teacher. Personally, I will be using this time to get caught up. My family will also try out some of the optional ideas listed in this newsletter.
- Virtual learning begins the week of April 6. Lessons will come at the beginning of each week.
Our Taylor Prairie teachers have done an incredible job of planning with their teams (virtually) and working quickly to deliver lessons in this new format.
We welcome feedback as this is a learning process for everyone.
Should your family need additional support during this time (for example, support with food, shelter, and/or mental health), please reach out to one of the members of our student services team at Taylor Prairie:
We miss our Taylor Prairie students and families greatly and look forward to the day when we are together again at school.
Until then, I wish you all good health and happiness.
Take care,
Emily Foster
(Interim Principal for Connie Haessly until April 6)
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Greetings from TP
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We ALL miss our Taylor Prairie students!
Here are just some of the "Hello's" this week!
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| Mrs. Parkos is getting used to her new home workspace with the help of Coffee & Olaf! |
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Ms. Dieckhoff is teaching her girls about feelings and
what to do when we are not in the green zone!
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| Ms. Ishii and Sachio got some fresh air at Rock Lake this week! |
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Ms. Miller says
"Keep being SUPER!"
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Five-Minute Break
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Screen-Free Ideas:
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Play charades
- try acting out different
emotions
to guess!
~ Do
B
elly Breathing
with a stuffed animal on your tummy - teach your family!
Links to Great Sites:
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Arts & Crafts
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Screen-Free Ideas: 
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Make butter in a jar - takes less than 10 minutes (here's how)
~ Make a sun-catcher with glue and food coloring (here's how)
Links to Great Sites:
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Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo's studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together.
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Outdoor Fun & Recess
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Screen-Free Ideas: 
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Draw with chalk on the sidewalk. Create a hopscotch game or a sensory path for people walking through the neighborhood.
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Play Red Light, Green Light to practice impulse control!
~ Not for this one! Just get outside and move!!!
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Move That Body - Indoors
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Screen-Free Ideas: 
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Make a bowling game with empty soda/water bottles. Try rolling a tennis ball underhand to knock them down.
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Make an obstacle course at home-use couch cushions and pillows to climb over; plastic cups to zigzag through.
Links to Great Sites:
~ Log on to
Go Noodle and choose a movement activity.
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Mindfulness
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Screen-Free Ideas:
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Have a 'mindful' snack by describing the smell, texture and taste of the food.
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Squeeze and Let Go - tense different muscles in the body for 5 seconds and then slowly release.
Links to Great Sites:
~ Try out the Stop, Breathe, Think app
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Science & Nature
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Screen-Free Ideas:
~ Look and Listen for signs of Spring outdoors!
Links to Great Sites:
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San Diego Zoo has a whole bunch of activities, games, videos, and stories to share.
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Music
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Screen-Free Ideas: 
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Ask your kids which Star Lesson song they remember - have them sing it for you!
~ Make an instrument out of...anything! Drums are easy - see what else makes sounds.
Links to Great Sites:
~ Learn how different instruments sound with this video.
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Math
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Screen-Free Ideas: 
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Walk around the neighborhood and look at addresses. Can you make a math problem out of them? 347 -> 3+4=7
~ Sort coins into a muffin pan (all pennies in one cup, dimes in another...)
Links to Great Sites:
~ Number Bonds is a fun game for "Friends of 10" (select target number of 10)
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Reading & Library
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Screen-Free Ideas: 
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Go for a letter hunt around your house! Start at A and go all the way to Z!
~ Act out a Story - Be the Star!
~ Read to pets and/or stuffed animals.
Links to Great Sites:
~ Storyline Online streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children's books alongside creatively produced illustrations.
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Writing
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Keep a daily diary - a notebook will work. Twenty years from now, re-read it!
~ Practice writing your name in a box or on a line - add last name for a challenge!
Links to Great Sites:
~ Take a break from the screens, and stick with the writing utensils!
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Student Services Spotlight...
Corinne Truxal & Kelsy Deickhoff
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There's a good chance you've heard your child say, "
I'm in the Green zone!
" Huh? What is the Green zone? At Taylor Prairie all kindergarten and first grade students have learned to label emotions and identify their feelings, based on The Zones of Regulation. This is an essential skill for students to develop before they can efficiently cope and self-regulate. Below is a description of the four zones
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Blue Zone
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A low state of alertness; Used to describe when someone feels sad, tired, sick or bored.
Green Zone:
The ideal state of alertness; Used to describe someone who feels calm, happy, attentive/focused, or content.
Yellow Zone:
A heightened state of alertness; Used to describe someone who is feeling stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, or fear.
Red Zone:
An extremely heightened state of alertness; Used to describe someone who is feeling anger, rage, explosive behavior, panic, grief, or terror.
It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the zones at different times and in different circumstances. The Red and Yellow Zones are not "bad" or "naughty" zones. All of the zones are expected at one time or another. What is most important is to recognize what zone we're in so that we can use tools/strategies to get to the appropriate zone for the situation!
Please take some time to review the Zones with your child! You can support your child's learning by asking the following questions:
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How are you feeling right now? What is your zone?
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What tool or strategy could you use to get back to _______ zone?
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If someone is feeling _______, what is their zone?
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When observing someone with a strong feeling (at home, in public, in a book, on TV), ask your child to identify the feeling and describe how they made that decision. Follow up by asking what zone that person is in at the time.
Emphasize that when your child is able to understand how s/he is feeling, then s/he will be better able to control oneself. Identifying feelings is the first step towards calming down and using strategies to solve problems.
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General Information & Resources
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