Newsletter - December 17, 2021
Lakeside
Elementary School
Black Wolf Bulletin
December 17, 2021; Issue 8
To email the COVID-19 Response team please click the button below.
Dear Lakeside Families,
I hope that you enjoyed our live holiday concert this year. I was so proud of the students and their hard work preparing and performing on stage. The week ahead will be short, but exciting. We will have a live performance by the Oshkosh West Madrigal singers, a school sing-along, and classroom holiday parties on Wednesday. I hope your family has a fun, relaxing, and safe holiday break. We look forward to seeing your child(ren) in the New Year!
Building Strong Relationships through Communication
From the beginning of life your child has been communicating with you. Communication with your child can be amazing. Do you remember seeing your child’s first smile or celebrating your child’s first word? Communication can be challenging, too. It doesn’t feel quite as amazing when a child communicates by having a temper tantrum, rolling his eyes or slamming a door. Naming emotions and showing your child examples of body language can help them understand how actions may express what someone is feeling or thinking.
Body language is a type of non-verbal communication where actions are used to show feelings.
What we know:
As kids get older it can still be really difficult for them to understand and express their feelings, thoughts and emotions. It may also be difficult for them to pick up on body language (non-verbal cues) from other people. Our job as a parent is to help them build strong and positive relationships by using good communication skills.
You might think, I can’t get them to put away their backpack, how will I get them to listen to a lesson on communication? Don’t worry. Communication can be taught by little everyday actions.
Try this:
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Describe Actions: You can help your child better understand how actions communicate. You can look at someone who is looking down with his arms crossed and ask your child, “What might he be feeling?” Or when your child communicates with actions you can describe it for them. For example, you can say to your child, “When you roll your eyes at me, you seem annoyed and I feel disrespected.”
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Start the Conversation: You can teach your child how to start a conversation. Talk to your child during car rides about where you are going and what you see. Talk during commercials about the TV show you are watching. Just as you taught your child new words as a toddler, you can show them how to start a conversation.
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Build on the Story: You can help your child learn to listen and build on someone else’s story. After your child has told you something, repeat some of it back and then follow up with a related question like, “it sounds like she was really excited about getting the award. How did other people around her act?”
For fun:
The Pixar short film For The Birds is a fun way to have a talk with your child about how body language and tone are used to communicate with others. Do you both agree on what the birds are saying? (Source: UW Extension)
Health Office Update
Please read the update from the health office below. This will help you figure out when to keep your child(ren) home from school in the event of an illness in your household. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our health staff. Our nurse (Katie Draxler) and health assistant (Megan Lembcke) included their contact information in the update, but you can also send them an email by clicking on the "COVID Response Team @ Lakeside Elementary" button above!
Specialist Updates
Collaborative Family Video Game Play Study
Amanda Anderson, a doctoral student at Northcentral University, is conducting a study to better understand how families play video games collaboratively together. To learn more about participating in this study, please click HERE.
Community Events
Check out our Community Events page on our website for information about events happening throughout the Oshkosh community!
Food Service Is Hiring!
OASD Food Service Department has a number of openings for both part-time and full-time employment. Please click HERE for more information.
December/January Calendar
- 12/16/21 through 12/22/21 - Spirit Week (flier here)
- 12/23/21 - 1/2/22 - Winter Break - No School
- 01/12/22 - Early Release
- 01/14/22 - End of 1st Semester
Important Information
Lakeside Elementary School 2021-2022 Family Handbook