Peace Heroes

Have you seen our Peace Heroes Board?  It's in the Great Hall near the Nurse's office.  Every month you will find it loaded up with messages mostly from one child to another.  The children are recognizing others for showing kindness.  Sometimes a child will thank another for playing with them when they were lonely, or helping them pick up their spilled crayons, or cheering them up when they were sad, or simply being a good friend.  At the end of each month a group of fifth graders take them all down and hand out the certificates to the Peace Heroes.  We used to do monthly parties and hand out little trinkets but we found that the kids were just as happy without these things. Knowing that someone caught them being kind seems to be reward enough!

- Linda Ryden

How To Deal With Feelings At Holiday Time

Greetings Parents!  As the holidays and winter vacation approach, we enter into a very exciting time of year.  Both adults and children alike feel the joy and elation of the celebrations, but sometimes the excitement of the season may bubble over and result in meltdowns.  Below are some tips to help you get through the winter months with your sanity intact.  Enjoy.

                                                                      -Harriet Kuhn, Lafayette Psychologist

Temper Tantrums: Guidelines for Parents

By Robert G. Harrington, PhD
University of Kansas
Every teacher of young children and every new parent can expect to witness some temper tantrums in children from age 1–4 years. On average, temper tantrums are equally common in boys and girls, and more than half of young children will have one or more per week.  At home, there are predictable situations that can be expected to trigger temper tantrums, such as bedtime, suppertime, getting up, getting dressed, bath time, watching TV, parent talking on the phone, visitors at the house, family visiting another house, car rides, public places, family activities involving siblings, interactions with peers, and playtime. Other settings include transitions between activities, on the school bus, getting ready to work, interactions with other children, directives from the teacher, group activities, answering questions in class, individual seat work, and the playground.

We said "Thank you!" in Peace Class!

Last week in Peace Class we made cards to thank members of the Lafayette staff who are sometimes overlooked.  We thanked the front office staff, the custodians, the cafeteria workers, and many others who make Lafayette such a wonderful place.  The children love this project every year.  It is such fun to watch them think about just the right thing to say.  Some lucky ones got to deliver their cards in person and got to experience first hand the joy of making someone else happy.  Staff tell me that getting these cards is a highlight of their year.  I've had people hug me hard when I deliver the cards and some have even shed a tear or two of happiness.  I've added a few pictures of some of the amazing cards and the wonderful artists who created them.   - Linda