S.M.A.R.T. Newsletter - Sep. '16

S.M.A.R.T. Spaces
The children at Little Knights Preschool in Lake Crystal, MN are excited to explore their brand new S.M.A.R.T. Room! The LCWM (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) school district constructed a new wing last winter and the Little Knights Preschool and ECFE moved in. Once the classrooms were settled in their new location a S.M.A.R.T. room was formed.

During a recent mentoring visit Jessica McFarland, MLRC Assistant Director, was able to check out how the room was set up and gave suggestions on how to use the space in the first few weeks of school. To her happy surprise, these seasoned S.M.A.R.T. teachers had established a floor course of core activities complete with two spaces for creeping and crawling!  This room is a beautiful upgrade from what S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K looked like before.

Since 2014, Little Knights Preschool has been implementing S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K. The challenge they faced was a lack of space.  The solution was to have S.M.A.R.T. in the hallway.  While this space was not their first choice for these movement activities, they found a way to make it a success.  Students were able to move through a course of at least six activities as well as perform some of the reflex activities as a group out in the hall. 

Classroom teachers found ways to incorporate other activities in the classroom that did not require a lot of space for movement on the floor.  Circle time, transitions, and small group centers were all ideal pockets of time throughout the day to round off 20 minutes of S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K.

Making the best of the space they had is what makes LCWM such a S.M.A.R.T. site!

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S.M.A.R.T. at Home
The beginning of the year is the best time to communicate to parents about the S.M.A.R.T. Program. It's easy: download the appropriate letter to distribute to families.
 
Downloads:
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K Letter to Families
S.M.A.R.T. Elementary Letter to Families
 
The S.M.A.R.T. program is an excellent avenue to strengthen a school-home connection.  
Each month, we will provide a S.M.A.R.T. activity you can share with families. We also encourage you to watch for the S.M.A.R.T. at Home post on our Facebook page and share it on your school, center, or program's Facebook page.

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​Time Saving Tips
Want to add to your S.M.A.R.T. materials?
Short on time? Join us for a Make and Take session!!
 
You will spend two hours with MLRC professionals and fellow S.M.A.R.T. educators making new items for your program. We provide the materials, you supply the creativity! Simply click on a date below to register for a session that works best for you.
 

• Saturday, September 24, 2016
• Thursday, October 20, 2016

 
Both sessions are held from 1:00-3:00 pm at A Chance To Grow in Minneapolis, MN. Registration required. $10 fee. Courses can be found on Develop using Course ID #213128 and #213134

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That's One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher!
It was the first day of school at Southern Bluffs Elementary and One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher, Michelle Powell, started S.M.A.R.T. off in her classroom with a bang by introducing two CORE activities! Michelle began with Alligator Crawls and Balance Beams. She explained how the children should do each activity, emphasized the proper form, and had each child try the activity several times.