Thursday, February 11th, 2021, Volume 15 Issue 78
If you have been with us at Thurgood Marshall for more than this year, you may recognize this article. I usually run it each year, as we just can’t stress the importance of sleep for your child enough! This year, more than any other, keeping your child on a schedule may feel difficult, however it is very important. When students are overtired, they are not fully ready to learn. Lately, as we approach the upcoming break, I have seen students in their classes laying in bed or yawning throughout their sessions. Please be sure your child has a set bedtime each night with the appropriate amount of sleep for their age so they can do their best. Thanks for your partnership on this!
The importance of sleep for a child – or for any of us! – cannot be underestimated. When students come to school well-rested, it is easier for them to attend to instruction and produce their best effort. When they haven’t slept well, getting through the day becomes more of a challenge. Sleep is important to other aspects of children’s health and development, too. Pediatric researchers are also connecting inadequate sleep with health risks such as developing diabetes, becoming overweight, and learning and attention problems. Getting enough rest boosts children’s immune systems, reducing the chance of them getting sick and missing time from school.
We often hear parents mention the difficulty of getting their child into a good sleep routine. Here are some tips from Parents Magazine:
Create a solid routine: Keep to a consistent bedtime. Having a set routine of bath, teeth brushing and bedtime stories helps a child know that it is time to wind down. Sticking to this as much as possible on the weekend, too, can help a child fall to sleep more easily.
Set the stage for sleep: Remove distractions from your child’s room that may interfere with sleep. Make sure the room is sufficiently dark and the temperature is not overly warm or cool. Devices or electronics are best kept stored in another room. There is evidence that the light generated by computer screens (including tablets and phones) lowers children’s melatonin levels – the chemical that signals your body to sleep. Try to avoid screen time close to bed time.
Add another bedtime story: Listening to books being read to them is a great way to help your child wind down for sleep. Being read to also helps children develop vocabulary and phonemic awareness – skills that will aid in their reading development.
Run a sleep audit: Pay attention to the amount of sleep your child is getting, even writing it down for a week or more. Is your child waking frequently in the night? Track this, too. You may be surprised by what you find. Try getting your child to bed thirty minutes earlier for a week and see what impact that has on your child’s behavior.
Consider a medical check-up: If sleep issues persist despite your efforts, or if your child continues to seem overly tired despite getting the recommended amount of sleep, talk to your child’s pediatrician. Certain medical conditions can interfere with children’s sleep and impact their health and learning. Your doctor can help you determine if this is a concern for your child.
Dear TM Family Member:
As part of our collaboration with the Advanced Learning department we will be forming a team to support the upcoming enrichment clusters that all our 4th and 5th grade students are participating in.
The enrichment team will consist of Thurgood Marshall staff, parents, and Advanced Learning department staff. We are looking for a total of 4 parents, and ideally, we want to be sure parents from each of our programs (Scholars, AC Scholars, and PEACE Scholars) are represented.
This team will:
Review student interest questionnaire data to identify topics for the enrichment clusters
Brainstorm ideas for resources to provide clusters (e.g. guest speakers, virtual field trips, etc.)
Provide ongoing support to cluster teachers during the six-week experience
As part of the enrichment team you will be required to:
Attend 3 two-hour meetings on Zoom
Friday, February 26th
Friday, March 5th
Friday, April 9th
Collaborate over email a couple times a week!
Please let us know if you are interested in being part of enrichment team by responding to this email and letting me know in a sentence or two why you would like to be part of it. Thanks for your interest!
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