September is traditionally a month of beginnings. New children have joined our
program, replacing the kindergarteners we said good-bye to. Over the summer we have
transitioned our children into their older groups and higher learning demands…they are
ready! We know you will share our excitement and enthusiasm as we progress through
the year! This month in most of our classrooms, students will be participating in
activities that will help them get to know their classmates. At Sunset Academy, we want
students to feel like the classroom is a second home, and that means making sure
everyone knows each other like family! They will also be learning about seasonal
changes as the summer weather fades into a beautiful and exciting fall!
REMINDER: Sunset Academy will be closed on Monday, September 5 th  in
recognition of Labor Day. Picture Day is September 1 & 2.
Make sure that your contact information is updated so you can stay in the loop with
everything that is happening at our center during the upcoming school year!
As a reminder, we are having our staff meetings again on the 2 nd  Friday of each month.
This is for staff training and development. We will be closing at 4:00 p.m. on those days.
Dates are posted at the check-in area. September 8 th  will be our staff meeting this
month.

Guiding Your Child’s Behavior:

Your child is learning positive behaviors just like she’s learning new words and skills.
Challenging behaviors often happen when children feel they don’t have another way to
express their feelings or another way to get what they need. It’s important to stay calm,
patient, and consistent as you help your child understand your expectations.
Your child is very upset and having a temper tantrum.
Try this:
  Think about what might be connected to the tantrum. Is he hungry or tired, or
does he need to go to the bathroom? Address those needs first.
  Encourage your child to take deep breaths; you can do them together.
  Speak quietly and bend down to your child’s level.
  Develop logical consequences related to the undesired behavior, promise them,
and follow through on using them. (“If you can’t wait for your turn on the swing,
we’ll go over to the slides.”)
 

When your child is calm and relaxed, it is a good time to put some things in place to
encourage positive behavior.

Try this:
  Talk about family rules and expectations. Your child can help come up with rules
and the consequences for not following them.
  Reinforce positive behaviors (“You’re using your words to explain what you
want!”).
  Help children with behaviors they’re struggling to learn, such as waiting for their
turn. Practice them together.
  Be supportive by modeling positive behaviors.

Samantha Emmer- Director- Sunset Academy