February 2021 Newsletter

February All School Newsletter

This month we celebrate Valentine’s Day in our classrooms! Please see your classroom newsletters for more information about our celebrations!

Dates to Remember:

February 5th – Tuition Due

February 25th & 26th – Staff In-service – NO SCHOOL

Thank you for supporting the in service days this month! These professional development days truly do benefit your child. A teacher is always learning what excels or impedes an individual child’s learning, and how the teacher’s guidance can increase the student’s growth.

Research confirms that the most important factor contributing to a student’s success in school is the quality of teaching. Good teaching is not an accident at Countryside. This is your child’s first school experience. You chose CMP for that reason. Together we can take your child to the next level of learning and the foundation that is built will enable them to naturally have the love of learning from preschool onward.

Parent Information

Reminders:

Our tax id #- 39-17-53172
Please Email Debby if you need a formal receipt, and please allow for a few days.

Cars may not be left running in the school parking lot at any time unless an adult is INSIDE the vehicle. This is a licensing violation and safety hazard.

Current & Future Enrollment

2021 Camp Registration has begun and spaces are limited and filling. Be sure to turn in the form with the activity fee payment to reserve your spot.

2021-22 Letters of Intent will be out this week. Please ask if you need any help or have questions, we are here for you.

Financially this is an incredible impact to us, as our enrollment is usually an additional 20-30 more students. We are working at slowly increasing and being creative with our scheduling so as to limit loss. We are in an increased demand of need, with a long wait list, as so many programs have been forced to close due to loss and navigating needs, and guidelines.

Winter weather/ School Closings

Winter Weather/Closings: We follow Waunakee School District during this winter. Please watch for closings on local news, and it will be posted on CMP FB Family Page. We thank each of you for ensuring timely pick ups especially during inclement weather. Be safe.

Parent Support

Who wants their child to have positive self talk?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could give the gift of positive self talk to your child? The good news is-you can! It starts with you.

Are you one of those people that are hard on yourself when things go wrong? You think or say things to yourself that you would never say to a friend or a loved one? We all have an inner voice. Sometimes that voice is soft and passing. Other time it is like a loud ticker tape that plays over and over till we actually believe the words on the tape. True or not. Think of the things you vacillate over and what your inner dialogue maybe…

  • Scenario: Something goes wrong at work.

    Your negative self talk: “It is my fault. I am not good at this.”

  • Scenario: You are thinking of trying a new sport or applying for a new job.

    Your negative self talk: “I’m not even going to try. I am not good enough.”

  • Scenario: Your child struggles with a behavior or a transition.

    Your negative self talk: “I don’t know how to do this. I am a terrible parent.”

If you do not have an inner critic, I am happy for you. Feel free to stop reading. For the majority of the adults that do or have had that negative voice in their head at one time or another, you may want to keep reading and know you have the ability to parent your child to have positive self talk and learn something for yourself along the way.

For many of us, being a parent is new territory and incredibly unpredictable. Challenges are continuous. Kind of like life.

This is where we start. You begin with yourself. It is going to take practice just like everything else.

Be prepared when negative self talk comes your way:

1. Notice your thoughts. When life brings you an uncomfortable situation happens and the negative self talk begins. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Is it true? Is there evidence that I am this (meaning a bad parent, a terrible employee)…?
  • Am I overreacting?
  • Is this scenario just not going the way I envisioned it-the perfect scenario or ending? Does it truly have too?
  • How is this negative talk serving me?

2. Re-frame your negative self talk into positive dialogue:

  • Scenario: Something goes wrong at work.

    Your positive self talk: “I did the best I can or I will do this…next time.”

  • Scenario: You are thinking of trying a new sport or applying for a new job.

    Your positive self talk: “I am going to try. What is the worst thing that happens, it is not a match. I am enough.”

  • Scenario: Your child struggles with a behavior or a transition.

    Your positive self talk: “I tried and that strategy didn’t work. Next tool. I am a good and loving parent.”

This re-framing may look easy or heavy like a mountain. Either way, like every good habit, it will take practice and commitment. The truth is, it boils down to what do you want? Do you want to operate under a false belief or do you want to learn from the situation and move on. When you make your choice, think how you will be helping yourself and your child.

Next month we will share strategies and tools you can do when you hear your child repeating negative self talk. Remember life happens and the words we say to ourselves matter.