June 8, 2003 - Personal Web Site: Evelyn Smith joined the Peace Corps and was promptly sent to the island of Dominica

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Dominica: Peace Corps Dominica: The Peace Corps in Dominica: June 8, 2003 - Personal Web Site: Evelyn Smith joined the Peace Corps and was promptly sent to the island of Dominica

By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 11:49 am: Edit Post

Evelyn Smith joined the Peace Corps and was promptly sent to the island of Dominica



Evelyn Smith joined the Peace Corps and was promptly sent to the island of Dominica

Ms. Evelyn Smith

Welcome Letter

Learn More About Evelyn

Class Schedule

Lesson Plans

At-Home Activities

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Welcome Letter

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Room 10. Our motto is "Every child can learn." Our job is to make sure every child has the opportunity to learn while enjoying a safe, stimulating, and fun learning environment.

Our classroom team includes the classroom teacher, Ms. Ev and four instuctor aides, Ms. Jen, Ms. Liane, Ms. Becca, and Ms. Judy. We work with a support staff including a psychologist, an adaptive physical education teacher, a speech therapist, and several dedicated bus drivers.

Our classroom activities provide opportunities to practice academic, commnication, self-help, and motor skills.

We encourage students to be self-reliant by carrying putting away their own backpacks, putting away their toys, cleaning up after their meal, washing their hands, and transitioning independently between activities.

We encourage postive behavior through sharing, taking turns, listening, following directions, and helping others.

Expressive and receptive language is encouraged through a combination of spoken words, gestures, visual cues, and the picture exchange communication system.

We enjoy three hours of fun and learning with the special needs of each child in mind.

Sincerely,

Evelyn Smith

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Learn More About Evelyn

Who is Miss Ev? An Oklahoman by birth, a Kansan during childhood, a Coloradoan during young adulthood, a New Mexican just for fun, a West Indian during the Peace Corps, and finally a Californian.

I loved growing up on a Kansas farm in a family of six. I graduated frm Colorado State University with a bachelor's degree in science, majoring in horticulture. I enjoyed working at the Denver Botanical Gardens in Colorado. Later I worked for Plants of the Southwest in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Then I joined the Peace Corps and was promptly sent to the island of Dominica, West Indies. I have enjoyed the agricultural enviroments of the plains, mountains, deserts, and tropics.

After two and a half years in the Peace Corps, a former professor invited me to be the grower for the research department at the Ecke Poinsettia Ranch in Encinitas, California. Because of his generous invitation, I have enjoyed living in North County San Diego.

After years of teaching the art of gardening to adults, teenagers, and children, I decided to become a credentialed teacher instead of teaching as a hobby off-the-cuff. I received a multiple subject general education credential and two special education credentials from California State University, San Marcos.

Now I have the great priviledge of teaching as a profession, and gardening as a hobby. I have discovered that preschool children are the greatest teachers of all. Everyday they show us their gift for growth and self-discovery. I admire their courage, self-reliance, and endurance. But most of all, I admire their great patience and tolerance with all the adults who "know what is best for them" and help them become "what they should be." I thank them for the patience and love they have given me.

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Class Schedule

Morning Class Schedule Afternoon Class Schedule

8:30am Classroom Play Area-Toileting 12:00pm Classroom Play Area-Toileting

8:45am Opening Circle -Attendance 12:10pm Opening Circle -Attendance

9:00am Breakfast (Feeding Skills) 12:15pm Adapted Physical Education

9:20am Story Time (Language Skills) 12:45pm Lunch (Feeding Skills)

9:30am Centers (Academics/Art/Manipulatives) 1:15pm Story Time (Language Skills)

10:00am Adapted Physical Education 1:30pm Centers (Academics/Art/Manipulatives)

10:30am Recess- Toileting 2:00pm Recess- Toileting

11:00am Closing Circle-Rewards 2:30pm Closing Circle-Rewards

11:20am Backpacks- Board Bus 2:50pm Backpacks- Board Bus

11:30am Bus Departs 3:00pm Bus Departs

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Lesson Plans

Lesson plans provide students with opportunities to use and expand communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, and social skills. Students are encouraged to practice listening, gesturing, and speaking. Each day a story is read aloud during circle time. Students then transition to the puzzle table, the art table, and the work table. Art projects relate to the story of the day. Puzzles and manipulatives are matched to the skills level of each child. Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), alphabet and number recognition, speech sounds, and handwriting are practiced at the work table.

Each month the lesson plans incorporate a theme as the backdrop for instructional materials. Storybooks, art projects, speech lessons, and adapted physical education lessons reflect the monthly theme.

Monthly Themes are as follows:

August School Days Feburary Family

September Nursery Rhymes March Off-Track (no classes)

October Body Parts April Community Helpers

November Off-track (no classes) May Farms

December Winter Fun June Insects

January Bears July Off-track (no classes) end of school year

Storybooks read aloud during DECEMBER are as follows:

Corduroy's Christmas Surprise- Don Freeman

Elmo's Christmas Colors- Sesame Street

Clifford's First Christmas- Norman Bridwell

Biscuit's Christmas- Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Spot's First Christmas- Eric Hill

Barney's 12 Days of Christmas- Guy Davis & Gayla Amaral

Bunny's Firs Snowflake- Monica Wellington

Dream Snow- Eric Carle

I Smell Christmas- Mercer Mayer

Frosty the Snowman-Little Golden Book

The Wild Toboggan Ride- Susan Reid

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer- Little Golden Book

Footprints in the Snow-Cynthia Benjamin

Winter is Here- Kimberly Weinberger

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow- Shirley Neitzel

Night Tree-Eve Bunting

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At-Home Activities

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH::

Educational Kinesiology

1. Read to your child as often as possible. Choose stories with clear pictures and simple stories.

2. Give your child board books with easy to turn pages or worn books with easy

3. Encourage your child to squeeze and roll Play-Doh or soft clay to strengthen their hands and fingers.

4. Encourage your child to grasp a crayon, marker, or pencil. Cover a tabletop with paper, and then tape the paper in place. Allow your child freedom to experiment with the marker.

5. If your child cannot grasp the marker independently, then place your hand over his/her hand and assist in making vertical or horizontal lines, and circles.

6. When your child has gained strength and coordination in his/her grasp, then encourage him/her to trace vertical and horizontal bold lines that you have drawn on paper.

7. To encourage your child to stay within the borders of a paper, place masking tape around the edge of the paper onto the table or use contrasting paper for a background. You may also tape the paper to thick cardboard the same size as the paper, so the child can feel a raised edge off the table.

8. Let your child sit and play in front of a mirror. Talk to the child, show, touch, and point to what he/she is wearing and doing. Point out body parts. Use the child’s name, such as "I see Tommy’s nose." Play peek-a-boo with a cloth draped over the child’s face while sitting in front of the mirror. Do finger plays and songs with gestures in front of the mirror.

9. Discuss and name your child’s clothes when dressing and undressing. Ask the child to choose the shirt he/she would like to wear. This can be done with all articles of clothing. Only give the child two choices of the same type of clothing, such as two shirts, two dresses, or two colors of socks. Too many choices at one time can overwhelm and frustrate a child.

10. Discuss similar objects that are found in and around the house, and are placed in the same containers. Point our crayons in the crayon box, clothespins in the bag, apples in the bowl, spoons in the tray, etc.

11. Place a pile of spoons (or other familiar objects) in front of a container. Place one spoon into the container. Hand one spoon to the child, and say, "Put in". If your child does not understand what you want him/her to do, then place your hand over his/her hand and place the object into the container. Hand your child another spoon, and say "Put in" until all the spoons are in the container.

12. When learning to sort objects, start with two very different kinds of objects. Use objects familiar to the child. Start with two of each kind of object. Place one object into a container and a dissimilar object into a second container while the child watches. Give the child one object. Ask him/her to drop it into the appropriate container. Continue until all objects have been sorted. Increase the number of objects to sort as the child becomes more successful.

13. Play with your child with enthusiasm and joy. Hugs and laughter make learning fun and comfortable. Reward success and effort immediately with praise or a favorite food.

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Story Source: Personal Web Site

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Dominica; Primary Education

PCOL5119
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By Pattan Dial (mdrd.aphis.usda.gov - 168.68.1.127) on Thursday, December 16, 2004 - 2:59 pm: Edit Post

Message for evelyn smith http://www.smusd.org/WebSites/TOESpreschool/Evelyn%20Smith.htm#Back%20to%20top

Worked with ES during the 80s in Dominica.
Also Stephen Hilyard!

LIke to connect Happy Holidays.

pattan_d@yahoo.com


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