S.M.A.R.T. News
February/March 2008

Better Tools

Representitive Sertich is S.M.A.R.T. in Chisholm by Nancy Farnham

What's CORE with the CORE in Vision? by Cindy Harvey

Better Training

Movement and Brain Development by Cathrine Burns

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) by MLRC Mentors

Better Results

S.M.A.R.T. MOVE: Turn Off the Tube and Turn On the Fun! by Cheryl Smythe

 

T.E.A.M.---Together Everyone Achieves More!

That's what the teachers at Rutherfordton Elementary School in Rutherfordton, NC know. In order to keep the S.M.A.R.T. obstacle course interesting and exciting for the children, the teachers take turns to maintain the room and to add variations to the course.
Kids love tracing a " Chocolate Kiss" pursuit chart

Each grade level team is responsible for a particular month: The Kindergarten teachers had a "Reindeer in Training" theme in December. The first grade team created a "Winter Wonderland" in January and the second grade team had a "Valentine/Friendship" theme in February.  
Clipping clothespins and counting by 5's
Crawling through a "Hoop of Hearts"

The teachers are also taking turns keeping the room straightened up and changing and rearranging some of the equipment to provide lots of variety. The children at Rutherfordton love the changes and variety and the teachers also find the system working well for them...together everyone achieves more!

Balance beam variation: bend down and pick up a die and place it on the other end of the beam

Register Now for S.M.A.R.T. Summer Workshops
Check Out New FRAP Workshop (Fairmont Reading Acceleration Program)

(workshop schedule)
(FRAP Brochure)

Be sure to continue to check out the website for updates on the workshop schedule!


S.M.A.R.T. Results

"One of my students struggled academically through first grade. She was reading below grade level and math concepts were hard for her to retain. She made progress, but stayed below grade level throughout. When she came back in 2nd grade, I noticed that some of her reflexes were still not integrated and causing her difficulties.  

We worked hard this past fall on the reflex exercises in the SMART room. Just about the time that those reflexes showed signs of being integrated and Lori not having trouble with the exercises anymore, she made a huge jump in both reading and math. She went from reading at a Level C to a Level J and everything seemed to click for her in math (she could independently complete grade level work in her math journal). I don't think this was just coincidence. I think it took her that long for her reflexes to become integrated and once she accomplished that, other learning could occur."

Vicki Jensen
2 nd grade teacher
Jeffers Pond Elementary
Prior Lake, MN

CONTENT
Representitive Sertich is S.M.A.R.T. in Chisholm by Nancy Farnham
Representitive Tony Sertich and Kim Jordan, Vaughan Steffensrud teacher

Dear Readers,   

We had a great gathering with House Majority Leader Tony Sertich at Vaughan Steffensrud Elementary School in his hometown of Chisholm early in January. Principal Jim Varichak, Representative Sertich’s mother, Nancy, a five year S.M.A.R.T. veteran, and the school's entire S.M.A.R.T. staff hosted the gathering. We were joined by the area MLRC mentor, Ann Borich, and other S.M.A.R.T. educators from across the region for observation of Vaughan Steffensrud's outstanding program followed by a time for all to share their experiences with S.M.A.R.T.
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What's CORE with the CORE in Vision? by Cindy Harvey

In the last newsletter we gave you "What's CORE with the CORE on the Floor" and promised in this edition to give you the same for VISION. Here are several S.M.A.R.T. CORE vision activities and the five most important things to remember for quality eye exercises.
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Movement and Brain Development by Cathrine Burns

We often run across articles or books that relate to the S.M.A.R.T. Program or support the principles of child development behind it. But once in awhile, we find a publication that summarizes what we know and believe about children, and makes us NEED to share it with all our S.M.A.R.T. teachers. Just such an article appeared in the Nov., 2007 issue of the My Healthy Beginning magazine. The author, Catherine Burns is a kindred spirit and movement therapist specializing in core neural integration through developmental movement for babies and children.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) by MLRC Mentors
As mentors travel to many schools watching teachers masterfully integrate their required academic content with S.M.A.R.T. activities or using S.M.A.R.T. methods to teach their curriculum, they encounter questions from teachers, many of which are common and frequently asked. We've compiled some of these frequently asked questions below with answers agreed upon by our mentors in the field.

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S.M.A.R.T. MOVE: Turn Off the Tube and Turn On the Fun! by Cheryl Smythe

Did you know...the average child watches 6240 hours of television before entering 1st Grade? Yes, we said...over 6000 hours, which translates to about 2 hours and 45 minutes per day! We all know there can be significant consequences for watching too much TV. But it has been shown that children who watch TV more than 10 hours a week suffer negative academic effects.
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For every additional hour of TV watching a day for young children, their chance of having ADD or ADHD increases by 10%. So, children who watch TV 3 hours a day have a 30% higher chance.
(Daniel Amen - Nov., 2007 report)

 
 


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1800 2nd Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
www.themlrc.org