Updated Covid Information

You may be aware that part of the Governor’s budget bill that was signed yesterday contains language regarding mask mandates and limiting the power for emergency orders by local health officers.
What does that mean for our schools?  As we have said from the start of COVID, we will continue to require everything that is required and recommend everything that is recommended. 

As a result of actions from the Allegan County Board of Commissioners, the Allegan County Health Department, in order to maintain funding, has rescinded their mask order effective Oct. 1st.  That means that masks will not be required but will be strongly recommended at IAC, except for the bus. Federal law still mandates masks on public transportation, which include school busses. 

Hello Families,

We are participating in the Donors Choose project. If you would like to donate to our school, but do not know what we need, please click on the linkto make a purchase. We appreciate any support. Thank you for considering our school!

Add the promo code LIFTOFF at checkout and their donations will be doubled up to $50 for the next 7 days.

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/innocademy-mountaineers-need-you/5867973/?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=ifproject&utm_term=teacher_8105091&rf=page-dc-2021-10-ifproject-teacher_8105091&challengeid=21821081

October Lunch Menu

10 Things Every Parent Should Know About Play

1. Children learn through their play.
Don’t underestimate the value of play. Children learn and develop:

cognitive skills – like math and problem solving in a pretend grocery store
physical abilities – like balancing blocks and running on the playground
new vocabulary – like the words they need to play with toy dinosaurs
social skills – like playing together in a pretend car wash
literacy skills – like creating a menu for a pretend restaurant

2. Play is healthy.
Play helps children grow strong and healthy. It also counteracts obesity issues facing many children today.

3. Play reduces stress.
Play helps your children grow emotionally. It is joyful and provides an outlet for anxiety and stress.

4. Play is more than meets the eye.
Play is simple and complex. There are many types of play: symbolic, sociodramatic, functional, and games with rules-–to name just a few. Researchers study play’s many aspects: how children learn through play, how outdoor play impacts children’s health, the effects of screen time on play, to the need for recess in the school day.

5. Make time for play.
As parents, you are the biggest supporters of your children’s learning. You can make sure they have as much time to play as possible during the day to promote cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional development.

6. Play and learning go hand-in-hand.
They are not separate activities. They are intertwined. Think about them as a science lecture with a lab. Play is the child’s lab.

7. Play outside.
Remember your own outdoor experiences of building forts, playing on the beach, sledding in the winter, or playing with other children in the neighborhood. Make sure your children create outdoor memories too.

8. There’s a lot to learn about play.
There’s a lot written on children and play. Here are some NAEYC articles and books about play. David Elkind’s The Power of Play (Da Capo, 2007 reprint) is also a great resource.

9. Trust your own playful instincts.
Remember as a child how play just came naturally? Give your children time for play and see all that they are capable of when given the opportunity.

10. Play is a child’s context for learning.
Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, in playing restaurant, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and make out checks. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem.
 


Laurel Bongiorno, PhD, is the director of Champlain College’s graduate program in early childhood education, with specializations in teaching and administration, in Burlington, Vermont. She has taught preschool, directed early childhood programs, and studied parents’ perceptions of preschoolers’ learning through play.

Courtesy of NAEYC Article: https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/10-things-every-parent-play