2015-2016 E.C.E.C. Executive Donna Lawson -President

Karin Rivard - Treasurer

Carla Nickel - Secretary

Executive:, Joy De Nance, Karin Rivard, Meghan Clark, Wendy Duha, Jennifer Gray, Donna Lawson, Anna Vilaysane, Karen Smith, Carla Nickel, Katarina Rivard, Michelle Schulz, Grace

Leung-Chow, Anna Li-Wang, and Julie Rinaldi

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President’s MessageDear Colleagues,We hope you had a wonderful and restful holiday. We are embarking on an exciting new year!

It was great to see so many of you at our Annual ECEC Conference in Kananaskis. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity for professional development, the time to spend talking and sharing with our peers and of course the peace and tranquility of being in the mountains. Thank you to the Conference Committee for all their work.

We are pleased to announce our next PD opportunity for you all. Our Canadian Literacy guru, Miriam Trehearne, is about to release her newest book, “Multiple Paths to Literacy” and the book launch is taking place at our Primary Potpourri on January 23rd. Miriam will be discussing the book along with a panel of Calgary teachers who were involved with her. Her book is guaranteed to be current and contain numerous activities that you can use in your classroom. Those ECEC members in attendance will not only benefit from the ideas and suggestions presented, but will receive their own copy of “Multiple Paths to Literacy” as our gift to you. It is our way of acknowledging and thanking you for the work that you do each day with young children.

In order to receive your own copy of the book “Multiple Paths to Literacy” you must have a current ECEC membership. Please check your ATA Specialist Council Membership to make sure it is updated. Only current members in attendance will receive a copy of the book. Please return your registration and workshop payment as soon as possible in order to guarantee a spot at the January 23rd workshop.

For further information please contact me at dmlawson@cbe.ab.ca

On behalf of the ECEC Council, Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you on January 23rd at Douglasdale School.

Respectfully,Donna Lawsondmlawson@cbe.ab.ca

A publication of the Calgary Regional

Early Childhood Education Council

E.C.E.C. Newsletter No. 75 January 2016

NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS Setting learning goals with our students

Our youngest learners are capable of setting and working towards academic and social goals should they be given the support and platform to do so.A five step plan to goal setting:1. Write it down2. Make it specific3. Consider Pros and Cons 4. Define small steps by asking the Three W’s.Who can help?What do I need to do?When?5. Monitor Progress

*Source: Jim Wiltens, author of Goal Express as printed in March 2006 issue of Parents magazine

Occupational Therapy Insight - Activities for Crossing the Midline of the Body (and why it is important)

10 Crossing Midline Exercises for Kids 1 Playing cars on a large path – draw a line on a large piece

of paper or make a large path on the floor with blocks for your child to drive their toy cars. Put lots of turns in the path. Encourage your child to just use one hand to drive the car.

2 Use large (adult size) paint brushes and/or rollers and let your child paint the sides of the house with water. Encourage using one hand at a time.

3 Play flashlight tag 4 Wash the car – Encourage your child to use his/her

dominant hand and reach in all directions. Wash the windows.

5 Practice windmills or cross crawls (hand to opposite foot or hand to opposite knee).

6 Wiping the table with one hand (put a light coat of shaving cream all over the table and have your child wipe it off with a wet cloth).

7 Practice step and throwing with a water balloon! 8 Draw a large figure eight (the number eight facing side to

side, not top to bottom) with sidewalk chalk for your child and have them walk the figure eight OR draw the infinity sign and have your child trace it with their finger of their dominant hand.

9 Set up squirt gun target practice. Use both hands on the squirt gun to try and knock over cups, wash away chalk etc.

10 Water flowers with the garden hose using two hands.*Ideas taken from www.growinghandsonkids.com by Heather GreutmanThese types of movements are important because they cause our brains to communicate across the corpus callosum - allowing the brain’s two hemispheres to communicate and new pathways in the brain for higher levels skills like reading and writing.

Posting the PositiveHave students write one thing that they learned from someone else in class on a Post-it note and stick it to the chalkboard. At the start of the next day, read these notes aloud. This affirms that a classroom is a community of learners and validates participation because it does so much more than answer a question -- it helps others understand more deeply.

Teacher’s Bookshelf

IF: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbersby: David J Smith

An intriguing guide to better understanding all

those really big ideas and numbers children come across on a daily basis.

Nana in the Cityby: Lauren Castillo

A magical picture book about a young boy

visiting his Nana in the city and the a magical cape she makes him. A 2015 Caldecott Honor

Book.

It Makes Sense! Using Ten-Frames to Build

Number Senseby: Melissa Conklin

This teacher resource includes 20 classroom-tested routines, games and problem-solving

lessons.

“MAKERSPACES” moving in and setting up in an educational setting

near you…

“A makerspace is a metaphor for a unique learning environment that encourages tinkering, play and open-ended exploration for all.” ~Laura Fleming

“The most important quality of a makerspace is that it encourages creativity…The culture in a space should support the idea that anything is possible.” ~3 Key Qualities for a School Makerspace

“A makerspace can be anything from a repurposed bookcart filled with arts and crafts supplies to a table in a corner set out with LEGOs to a full blown fab lab with 3D printers, laser cutters, and handtools. No two school makerspaces are exactly alike, nor should they be. Makerspaces are as unique as the school cultures they represent.   There is no such thing as one form of making being more valid or better than the other.  Makers are artists, crafters, knitters, seamstresses, builders, programmers, engineers, hackers, painters, woodworkers, tinkerers, inventors, bakers , graphic designers and more.” ~Renovated Learning by Diana Rendina

For more inspiration and information visit MakerSpace.com

Mark your calendars:

2016 Primary Potpourri - January 23rd at

Douglasdale School. Please join us for PD at Mariam Trehearne’s

book launch, “Multiple Paths to Literacy”. All

attending ECEC members will receive a copy of this fabulous

resource!

Please register ECEC as your free ATA specialist council. The benefits of being an ECEC member include reduced prices

for workshops and conferences, and our

newsletter. (contact your school’s ATA

representative for help in selecting your specialist council)

Copyright by the Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)

Early Childhood Education Council, Calgary Regional

Number Bracelets taken from the

website mathcoachscorner.com by

Donna Boucher.

Please visit for more information

and ideas