Dear SHPS Families , It is re-enrollment time!

1. Preschool Department 11500 Southern Highlands Pkwy Las Vegas, NV 89141 702.617.1184 February 2011 Griffin Gazette Calendar Upcoming Events PAC Meeting Wednesday, February 2 @ 9:00 am in the cafeteria Dental Week Week of February 7 President’s Day/No School Monday, February 21 Dr. Seuss Wacky Week Beginning February 28 Spring Camp April 18-21 Arbor Day April 29 Dear SHPS Families, It is re-enrollment time! The 2011-2012 school year tuition rates were sent via e-notify and copies were sent home this week to all of our preschool families. Any families that enroll by February 11 will receive $50.00 off their materials fee. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me in the preschool office. Preschool Playground We are also excited to announce that our Pre-K playground now has patted turf and a bike trail. It is exciting to see the smiles on children’s faces as they run, exercise, and play on the turf. Look for upcoming news on preschool Olympics and bike-a-thon that will be held this spring. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments you may have at 702.617-1184 or email me at terry.mapson@nlcinc.com. For more information on any of our events please log onto www.southernhighlandsprep.com Sincerely. Mrs. Mapson, Preschool Principal Tuition Payments Due Friday, February 4, 2011 (25$ late fee on the 7th) Please stop by the lower school office to drop off your payment. Thank you! Administrative Numbers Mrs. Terry Mapson, Preschool Principal Ms. Michelle Howard, Preschool Assistant Principal Phone: (702) 617-1184 ext. 115 Email: terry.mapson@nlcinc.com For information about our school visit www.southernhighlandsprep.com www.nobellearning.com BOX TOP$ for Education Our preschool department is collecting BOX TOPS for education year round. Check the lower school lobby for flyers!

2. PAC Events Family Night/TBD Next PAC MeetingWednesday, February 2th, 2011 @9:00 am in the cafeteria For information on PAC and how you can volunteer contact: President: Donna Rosenberg Vice President: Michelle Randazzo Treasurer: Becky Sullivan Secretary: Jessica McConnico PAC email:  shpspac@yahoo.com for volunteer oportunities PAC NEWS Preschool Vision Statement “The vision of Southern Highlands Preparatory preschool department is to offer a professional learning community between administrators, staff, students, and families to reach and enrich the needs of every student by use of team-developed formative assessments for improving student achievement.” Preschool Mission Statement “We will prepare our students to become independent learners with the desires, the skills, and the abilities necessary for lifelong learning. This will require creating a professional learning environment which is centered around students, directed by teachers, and supported by home and the community.” SHPS Playground and Bike Safety Many thanks to Nobel Learning Communities, Inc. for the wonderful turf and bike trail they provided for our Pre-K playground. PAC also purchased tricycles, a shed, and helmets for our preschoolers. Additionally, nursing students from Touro University provided a bike safety training and discussed the importance of helmet use to our preschool students. Share our story. Bring a friend to our Open House and share our school’s success story. It’s a great opportunity to meet our principal, tour our school, and see firsthand how we make a difference in the lives of our students every day. Call for a tour of our school or a Discovery Day! 702.617.1184

3. Preschool Newsletter: February 2011 • Supporting Early Conflict Resolution Skills • The argument is one that is heard all too often, be it between siblings or friends: Child A: “Give it back to me!” Child B: “No, it’s mine. I had it!” Child A: “Give it back!” Adult: “I’ll take the toy, thank you.” • Unfortunately, this common argument could have been a prime opportunity for both children to learn some valuable conflict resolution skills. What began as a simple incident of sharing gone awry can be a perfect, natural opportunity for the adult to guide the children into appropriate problem solution. • There are numerous ways we can alter and change behavior of children: we can tell them what to do, we can tell them what not to do, we can even offer explanations of which behavior is best. Research shows that children by 3-4 years of age have the ability to tell us what the correct behavior is (or should be) and can even give us reasoning as to why that is the case if we allow them the opportunity to do so (Woodard, 2010). Children as young as 18 months, while not able to give reasoning for correct behavior, are still able to work through conflict resolution with some adult guidance. • During situations in which there is a great deal of emotion, it is advised to follow the following six conflict resolution steps with your preschooler: • Approach child(ren) calmly and halt any actions that may be causing harm. • Acknowledge the feelings of the child(ren) in the conflict. “I can see that you are both very angry about who should be able to play with the guitar right now.” • Gather important information about what is transpiring. “Can you tell me who got the guitar out of the toy box?” “Ok, Jack, did you put the guitar down after you were done playing with it?” Remember to remain objective as you ask the child(ren) these questions. • Restate the problem. “So now you both want to play with the guitar but there is only one guitar.” • Ask child(ren) for ideas and possible solutions on how to solve the problem. If the child(ren) are younger or are unable, then make one or two suggestions for them to select from. “What do you think we should do so that you both can have a turn?” “Maybe you can play with the guitar until this timer goes off. Then you can have a turn. Does that sound fair?” • Be prepared to give follow-up support. Help the child(ren) select a viable solution and then help the child(ren) enact the plan. • While simple in procedure, these steps will allow your child to take control over his or her own conflicts and will empower them to be independent conflict resolvers. • Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East