Week of the Young Child - April 24-28, 2017

The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and families.     

 

We're so excited for a week long celebration of our youngest learners! Start planning your celebration today with event ideas and activities below!

Music Monday!   April 24, 2017 Sing, dance, celebrate, and learn Through music, children develop math, language, and literacy skills - All while having fun and being active! This year, make up and record your own unique version of a song or write your own, and share it on NAEYC's Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17. TRY THIS: Find the beat to connect music, movement, and math. Practice clapping, drumming, or stomping to the beat of the music while counting.

Music resources for families and teachers

NAEYC For Families also has a great collection of family-friendly songs and musicians to inspire more ways to learn with music!

Tasty Tuesday   April 25, 2017 Healthy eating and fitness at home and school This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and crackers. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more. With the rise in childhood obesity, you can encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom. Create your own healthy snacks and share the recipes and photos of your creations on NAEYC's Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17.  TRY THIS: Measure your ingredients while making your snacks! Ask children if they’d like the same or different amounts of each ingredient. For more fun ideas on how to incorporate cooking into your classroom activities, check out how one NAEYC-accredited center prepared for the day! Cooking and nutrition resources for families and teachers Download the Week of the Young Child Taco Cookbook! Work Together Wednesday   April 26, 2017 Work together, build together, learn together When children build together they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills. Children can use any building material—from a fort of branches on the playground to a block city in the classroom, or a hideaway made from couch pillows at home. Build and share pictures of children’s creations on NAEYC's Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc17 hashtag. TRY THIS: Practice organizing blocks by size! Try building a block tower with large blocks on the bottom and little blocks on top! 'Building Together' resources for families and teachers Artsy Thursday   April 27,2017 Think, problem solve, create Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with open-ended art projects where they can make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. On Artsy Thursday celebrate the joy and learning children experience when engaged in creative art making. Use any materials—from crayons to paint, clay to crafts! Create and share a photos of your children’s creations on NAEYC's Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc17 hashtag. TRY THIS: Bring art outdoors! Offer dark and light paper, chalk and pastels, and suggest children create their own versions of the day and night sky! Open-ended art resources for families and teachers Family Friday   April 28, 2017 Sharing family stories Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. NAEYC applauds family members’ role as young children’s first and most important teachers.  Share pictures and stories about your family on NAEYC's Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17 as we celebrate the unique role families play in their children's learning and development. TRY THIS: Invite parents for a Family Friday breakfast, where children can prepare and share breakfast treats with their families! Resources for engaging and celebrating families

IEP Workshops - Space is Limited!

If you are interested in learning about IEPs, The SERC Library is offering a series of 3 IEP workshops - space is limited! Click HERE to register.  All workshops are FREE!

All workshops are on a Wednesday evening from 5:30 pm to 7 pm - register for all three or just the one you are interested in!

March 22nd - Building Bridges:  Working with school staff to inform IEP programming for you child

April 5th - Become Knowledgeable:  Understanding the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and IEP process

April 19th - Intensify Focus:  Connecting the role of advocacy to your child's success in meeting IEP goals

Reading Room Wednesdays - FREE series at the SERC Library for Families & Caregivers of Children, K-Grade 4 with Special Learning Needs

Click HERE to register for these FREE sessions - see below for more information!

Father's Day

Celebrate Father's Day on June 19 with fun, educational lessons and printables! Use our writing activities to open up a discussion about the role of fathers in society. Help students show their dads how much they appreciate them with DIY cards and photo albums.

Father's Day Resources

Summer

Summer officially begins June 20 and with it brings heat, extended daylight, and fun! We have activities for every subject: math, science, art, and more. Enjoy slideshows of our favorite summer reading picks, activities, and other tools to help keep students engaged over the break.

Summer Resources

National Family Month

By learning about families, students will begin to understand their place within communities and the world. Use these worksheets, lessons, and activities to teach students of all ages about the importance of family during National Family Month.

Family-Themed Activities

LGBT Pride Month

June is LGBT Pride Month and is the perfect time to focus on diversity awareness. Teach students to respect differences among people with worksheets and activities that promote tolerance and understanding.

Diversity Resources for Teachers

Hurry Space is limited! Register today!

Register Early!

https://16-09-216.eventbrite.com

IDEAs That Work Site

On the IDEAs That Work site, there is information and resources under each one of these major topics:

Teachers - Academic - College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) are rigorous academic standards that build from kindergarten through 12th grade to support students' preparation and success upon graduation from high school.  There are many factors that directly contribute to a student's academic success.

Teachers - Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills - In order to be successful and meet college and career standards (CCRS), students need support from their families and teachers who work collaboratively to meet both their instructional as well as their social, emotional, and behavioral needs.  In addition, the contect in which they are learning and developing is important, so creating a school climate where a student can feel engaged and connected is critical.

Families - Academic - College and Career Ready Standards, or CCRS, lay out the knowledge and skills students must have from kindergarten through twelfth grade.  The CCRS set high expectations for students and build on previous years’ knowledge and skills.  CCRS are designed to prepare students for college and careers after high-school graduation. You can support your child’s academic success by learning more about CCRS, even if your child has a disability that makes learning challenging.

Families - Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills - Your child’s engagement in school, and his or her social, emotional and behavioral learning play an important role in educational success. Explore these links for family resources to support your child’s engagement, growth, and transition to postsecondary education and employment.

Resources - Additional Resources - Teachers and parents may find these additional resources useful as they partner to support students in achieving college and career standards (CCRS).

SRBI Symposium II - Thursday, May 21, 2015

Family Saturdays! - Taking the Learning Outside: Fun with Nature and Math - Grades K-3!

To register for this FREE event, click here!

Connecting the Dots! - FREE Autism Conference!

Family Saturdays! - Having a blast with math - Grades 3-5

For program questions, please contact Barbara Slone, Consultant, at
(860) 632-1485, ext. 340 or slone@ctserc.org

To register and for registration questions, please contact Lauren D. Johns,
Education Services Specialist, at (860) 632-1485, ext. 256 or johns@ctserc.org

Para registrarse en español, por llame a Leticia Garcia Guerra, al
(860) 632-1485, ext. 233 or guerra@ctserc.org

Webinar for this week and next!

Free webinar: Newteacher tool kit: Using web 2.0 tools to support your practice

Join us on Thursday, April 17 at 3 p.m. Eastern for New Teacher Tool Kit: Using Web 2.0 Tools to Support Your Practice with Lisa Dabbs, educational consultant and blogger/social media marketing team member at Edutopia.org. Learn more and pre-register. Visit the Digital Decisions for Collaborative Learning community at www.edweb.net/digitaldecisions.

Free webinar: What weknow about families' use of educational media

Join us on Wednesday, April 16 at 4 p.m. Eastern for What We Know About Families' Use of Educational Media with Vicky Rideout, Ph.D., independent researcher, VJR Consulting; with Michael Levine, Ph.D., founding director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Learnmore and pre-register. Visit the Digital Citizenship community at www.edweb.net/digitalcitizenship.

  

Identifying 'Rigor': District Strategies for Transitioning to the Common Core in Math
School districts face numerous systemic challenges in transitioning to the Common Core State Standards, including integrating new instructional methodologies and a new framework for mathematical practices across classrooms. In this webinar, two eminent math specialists-the co-authors of the recently published Realizing Rigor in the Mathematics Classroom-will offer practical strategies for district and school instructional leaders on ensuring cohesive implementation of the math standards. They will focus on defining what rigor looks like in connection with mathematical practices, identifying potential instructional and systemic obstacles, and effectively monitoring student and teacher progress toward established goals.

Guest:

Ted H. Hull, mathematics-education consultant and co-author, Realizing Rigor in the Mathematics Classroom
Ruth Harbin Miles, K-12 mathematics instructional coach and co-author, Realizing Rigor in the Mathematics Classroom
This webinar will be moderated by Anthony Rebora, managing editor, Education Week Teacher.
Register now for this free live webinar.

Tuesday, 04/15/2014
The Power of the PowerLink 4 Control Unit
Environmental Control Units make it possible for individuals with physical challenges to control electrical devices in school and in the home environments. These units encourage participation and independence in academic, leisure and self-care activities. This session will share ideas for use of the PowerLink 4 Control Unit.

• Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT
• Presenter: Mary Sagstetter, M.A.Ed.
• Level: Beginner

Wednesday, 04/16/2014
QIAT Session 8: Professional Development and Training in AT
Assistive technology professional development and training efforts should arise out of an ongoing, well-defined, and comprehensive plan designed to develop and maintain the abilities of individuals at all levels of the organization. The goal of assistive technology professional development and training is to increase educators’ knowledge and skills in a variety of areas including, but not limited to: collaborative processes; a continuum of tools, strategies, and services; resource; legal issues; action planning; and data collection and analysis.

• Time: 11:30 PM to 12:30 PM CDT
• Presenter: Kathy Lalk & Scott Marfilius of QIAT.org
• Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Common-Sense Approaches to Math Curriculum and Assessment Success
Learn how to equip educators and students for success at a time when schools are being asked to do more with less-while meeting new math standards. Practical considerations and strategies will be addressed by our panel of math experts, who will discuss important topics in mathematics education and field audience questions throughout the session. They'll share insights about current trends and issues in mathematics education related to curriculum, assessment, and instruction that are applicable in all states and schools.
Join the conversation as they take a bird's eye view while also sharing on-the-ground classroom strategies and ideas for supporting increased achievement for all students. Key discussion topics include:

• Current trends and issues in math curriculum and instruction
• Formative and Summative Assessments
• Strategies to support achievement for all student populations

Guests:

Joanna Bannon, assistant coordinator of K-12 Instructional Services, West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, Wis.
Francis (Skip) Fennell, past president of NCTM and professor at McDaniel College
This webinar will be moderated by Tim Hudson, senior director of curriculum design, DreamBox Learning.
Registernow for this free live webinar.