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 International Mud Day, Superman Supper, First Day of Swim Lessons on the Googol Bus, and Bedtime Routines-Parent Cafe. Making mud muffins!
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Dramatic Play with Grandpa during
Superman Supper.
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For more information about Bedtime Routines, see the board in the front entry.
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First time on a bus for most!
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Picking out a free book after Parent Cafe.
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Tadpoles Daily Reporting and Parent Communication
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By now everyone is likely familiar with Tadpoles. For our new families you should be receiving daily correspondence from us through Tadpoles. This is a free service to you. You can download the app on your phone, tablet, or computer to take a peek into your child's day. Teachers will send you daily reports, pictures, and videos that will arrive directly in your email in-box. If you are not receiving these or want another parent or guardian added to your child's list for notifications, just let Shanna know in the front office or email us at admin@googolsoflearning.com. We are trying to cut down on using paper, so this digital format has been very helpful. Remember this is also how we get information to you, reminders of upcoming activities, when you need to bring in more diapers, or replenish spare clothes in your child's cubby, so please make sure you are opening emails from Tadpoles as there may not be a paper equivalent in your cubby. Thanks!
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Positive Behavior Support-What is PBS?
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 PBS or PBIS is the guidance and discipline framework we use to guide ourselves at Googols everyday. If you have elementary children in the Lawrence School District you may know they are using a very similar 3-tiered framework already, called CI3T. While PBS covers social-emotional behaviors, CI3T includes that plus academic behaviors.
At Googols, PBS looks like visual aids in the classroom, education regarding social-emotional skills and emotional literacy, teacher guidance after episodes, and clear expectations. At Googols our expectations are that we Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Team Players. These are expected of everyone including staff and parents. Please help us model and teach these expectations to the children.
Talk to your child or your teacher about what the rules and expectations are in your child's classroom. One earmark of this kind of guidance is that we try to frame our comments in the positive. Try to get used to telling your child what they CAN do, not what they cannot. Try to eliminate No, Stop, and Don't from your conversations. Click the link to a short list of ways to rephrase comments. Here's basic flyer that gives you some PBS fundamentals too. You won't remember every time and it doesn't come naturally to many. It takes some getting used to. But, please give it a try!  
When we're all on the same page we can truly make a difference in your child's social-emotional education. If you have questions or want more ideas about implementing PBS at home ask your child's teacher or one of our PBS Coaches (Ms. Kelly & Ms. Beth) or anyone on our PBS Lead Team, (Ms. Shanna, Ms. Amy, Ms. Ashlee, and Ms. Missy). Keep up the good work parents! |
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Other Googols Notes and Reminders
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PARKING LOT-Please remember our parking lot traffic goes counter-clockwise. Please turn right when entering and follow around to the left. Please avoid parking outside of regularly marked spaces as it can cause congestion for others when trying to leave. Do not leave your car running and never leave a child unattended in a car. Also, please drive SLOW.....
NO SMOKING AT GOOGOLS-
We have recently been finding cigarette butts in our parking lot. For the health of our children we request that no one smoke anywhere on the Googols property and that if you need to dispose of a cigarette when you arrive, that you do so in your vehicle and not in the parking lot. Thank you.
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Strengthening Families-What are the 5 Protective Factors?
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Family Focus
You may have heard that Googols is a Strengthening Families center. But, what does that mean? Strengthening Families is a conceptual framework and approach to preventing child abuse and neglect. This framework is not just for some families, it strengthens all families. Do any of you have stress in your lives? Stress can be good or bad. Have you lost a job, got a promotion, or started back to school? Are you dealing with an addiction, moving to a new home, getting married or having a baby? Are finances tight, does your extended family live far from Lawrence, did your car just die, or are you missing some child support payments? These are all situations in which a family needs to be strong and frequently needs some kind of help. The approach is organized around evidence-based protective factors. These five protective factors help make every family a stronger family.
The protective factors are: 1) Parental Resilience 2) Social Connections 3) Concrete Support in Times of Need 4) Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development 5) Social and Emotional Competence of Children
How does Googols help build these protective factors for your family? We offer a parent lending library, Parent Cafes on various topics, and parent parties so you can meet and make friends with other families at Googols. We also host Grandparents' Day Tea, Superman Supper, and Muffins with Mom mornings.
We invite parents to volunteer and participate in the classroom when they can and try to organize social events outside of Googols like those we've had at Laugh Out Loud and the Indoor pool. Maybe making some friends is all you need. Someone who can pick up your child when you are running late, give you a ride to work when you have a flat, bring you a meal when you are too sick to cook for the family, or a family to hang out with on weekends.
We also utilize the Positive Behavior Support model to increase the social and emotional competence of your children. We try to provide lots of flyers and links to information regarding parenting, safety, health & wellness and child development. We have a resource notebook hanging in the front hallway. Do you want to go back and get a GED? Do think you or your child could benefit from some kind of therapy? Do you need an interpreter to help navigate? If you need assistance from an agency in Lawrence we'll be able to help you find the right one in that book. Simply put, sometimes we all need to lean on somebody. We want you to know, at Googols we are here help and we want you to be strong.
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August Family Fun Events in Lawrence
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WHO: Family Friendly: Activities for kids of all ages and for adults.
There will be something for everyone, with a goal of bringing the community together for a fun, free, family-friendly event while promoting the role of Making and creativity in the home, classroom, workplace and community. You'll find everything from traditional arts and crafts to hands on Making activities hosted by Makerspaces from both Lawrence and Kansas City to coding classes, 3D printing, drones, robotics, Virtual Reality and MUCH MORE! All for FREE! Click here for the Facebook link.
WHEN: August 06, 2016, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
WHERE: Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St
WHO: All Ages
COST: Free
Join us for a family-friendly baby storytime and breastfeeding journey through photos and storytelling with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Douglas County. Connect with local partners for support, information, and resources for families.
WHEN: August 15, 2016, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
WHERE: Watkins Museum Of History, Union Pacific Depot, 402 N. 2nd St., Lawrence.
WHO: Ages 7-12 and an adult
COST: $30.00
The famous Mud Forts are back again! Get down and really dirty as we learn about 1850s Lawrence and dig a real fort in the mud on the banks of the Kansas river. This two-morning camp (for kid/adult pairs) explores the history of Territorial Kansas-era Lawrence and how townspeople prepared themselves for potential attacks. On day 1, we meet at the Lawrence Visitors Center, discuss the history, take a walk over the river, and build miniature models of mud forts....
WHEN: August 28, 2016, 5:15 pm - 7:15 pm
WHERE:
Laugh Out Loud Family Zone, 1000 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence WHO: 6 months - 10+ years
COST: Donation
Have a kiddo who processes things in a special way, or who struggles to fit in to the world's expectations? They are ALWAYS welcome at LOL!! And... Every month, we also host a special night of play and parental support. Come relax at this AFTER HOURS event at LOL, and know everyone in the room "gets it". If you want a chance to meet & share experiences with other understanding parents, while your child(ren) play in a welcoming environment, than...
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Heatstroke Prevention for Little Kids-Top Safety Tips
- Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children, and it can happen to anyone.
- Avoid this tragedy by remembering to do these three things:
Reduce the number of deaths from heatstroke by remembering to ACT.
A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you're not in it so kids don't get in on their own.
C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you're not following your normal routine.
T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.
For more health and safety information, please take a look at the following flyers.
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Please Write a Review
We'd appreciate your support!
We love when you share your positive Googols experiences with your friends and family. You can also support us by writing a review. There are many places on the web you can do so, but Google is the biggest by far. We'd appreciate anything you can do, whether it's on Google, Facebook, LJWorld, Yelp, or Yahoo please leave a few words if you have a chance.
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