Merryhill School News

1. Merryhill School News October 2012 Merryhill Mailer From the Principal’s Office Dear Merryhill Preschool Parents, Fall has made a very welcome arrival. We are eagerly anticipating the cooler temperatures fall is sure to bring. In the mean time, we are enjoying the ability to play outside in temperatures less than 100 degrees! Surely fall weather is just around the corner. We have many exciting events coming in October. We are eagerly anticipating our Fall Festival and hope everyone is able to join us. This is a great opportunity to enjoy fall activities and games in a safe environment. It is always fun to see how creative our families are with all the great costumes – not to mention how adorable our kids are! We sincerely appreciate any donations of candy, prizes, or baked goods; your support helps to make our Fall Festival a great success. We also have several fun spirited events coming. Texas/OU day will be Friday, October 12 – support your team by wearing their gear; Spirit Day will be Friday, October 19 – wear your Merryhill gear. In addition, all of our ancillary programs are up and running. Please do not hesitate to see the office for more information. Also, please check you calendar for other upcoming events. Please be reminded I am always available to help with any questions or concerns. You can reach me by e-mail (michelle.bechtel@nlcinc.com) or telephone (817-472-9494).Thank you for your ongoing support of our school. Sincerely, Michelle BechtelPrincipal

2. Minds in the Making: Focus and Self Control This month we continue our exploration of “minds in the making,” as we delve into the first of the seven critical life skills every child needs. Ellen Galinsky, author and former president of National Association for the Education of Young Children, notes the first critical life skill to be Focus and Self Control. Living in a technologically-immersed world, we live in a fast-paced society with expectations of constant availability. Many children also feel this same sentiment of high-pace, rush, and stress. A group out of Columbia University recently concluded a series of studies to determine what skills acquired in early childhood children need to be successful in school. Out of hundreds of complex analyses three skills emerged as the strongest predictors of achievement in school: strong emergent literacy skills at entry to K-12 schooling, strong foundational math skills at entry to K-12 schooling, and attention skills (Gunn, 2008). It is these attention skills, focus and self control, that we will explore in more detail this month. Focus and self control are actually comprised of four sub-skills. These are focus, or the ability to orient and remain alert; cognitive flexibility, or the ability to shift one’s attention and thinking; working memory, or the ability to hold something in one’s mind and actively process it; and inhibitory control, or the ability to stick to a task with a purpose in mind. While these are skills that continue to develop across the childhood years and into early adulthood, the foundation for these skills begins at the earliest ages.

3. Minds in the Making: Focus and Self Control (Continued) • Focus and self control begin with paying attention; be this the deep stare of a newborn, the curious gaze of a young infant, or the wide-eyed joyful watch of an older infant, attending to the world begins early. Helping children learn to focus and pay attention should be a part of your daily interaction with your child in a variety of ways. • Read books in a dramatic way—change your voice, point to the pictures, involve hand movements, and encourage children to listen and repeat repetitive portions of text in the book. • Play games that encourage attention—Games like “I Spy,” “Red Light/Green Light,” and guessing games force children to listen, attend, process, and use inhibitory control. • Play games that encourage flexible thinking—Puzzles and games of pretend are the best examples. Play a game of pretend with your child and then change the scenario somehow. This forces him or her to rethink the pretend play in a new and different way. • Encourage interests—Play into your child’s interests and help him maintain focus on these areas of interest. If your child wants to sell lemonade, work with him or her to make a plan, go through the steps, actually do the task, and reflect. If your child is focused on firefighters, encourage him to look for fire trucks on the ride to school or to count fire hydrants. These tasks all encourage focus and are a chance to engage working memory and inhibitory control, or the ability to continue to process information and to stick with a task. • Lastly, model these skills for your child—While it is easy to get swept up in checking email on your phone or listening to the football game playing in the background, model the ability to switch focus, fully attend to the situation, and to stick to a task. Your child will do, or attempt to do, what he or she sees. • Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East