EC Assembly
What a joy it was to gather together for our first Early Childhood Assembly of the year before the break. We came together to celebrate last month's virtue of Love and our Concordia core values of Respect and Care. Students jumped into fun and engaging games that brought these values to life. We also had a special moment preparing to show our Concordia pride as we learned the Concordia Fight Song, getting ready to cheer on our athletes at the next APAC event. See the photos below.
Seniors visit the EC
One of the highlights of our Early Childhood community is the beautiful connection between our oldest and youngest learners. Our High School Seniors joined us for a special visit where students explored a wonderful range of activities together, from coding with Beebots or tossing the ball to sharing a snack or tracing their bodies. These cross-campus connections remind us that belonging at Concordia stretches across every grade.
Parent Connect Next Week
Mark your calendars for our next Parent Connect on Tuesday, October 13. We are thrilled to welcome one of our expert consultants, Kirsty Liljegren, who will be joining us to share more about the world of inquiry and what it looks like in our Early Childhood classrooms. It is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your understanding of how your child learns and explores. We hope to see you there!
Parent Tip of the Week
Last week, we introduced the five areas of stress that can affect our children. This week let’s take a closer look at one that can be surprisingly easy to miss: biological stress.
When our bodies are tired, hungry, thirsty, too hot, or working hard to stay comfortable, we use energy. For young children, these seemingly small stressors can make listening, concentrating, managing emotions, and navigating the demands of the day a little harder.
One simple example is hydration. According to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, children ages 4–8 generally need around 5 cups of beverages throughout the day, with needs varying depending on activity and weather. Young children can become so busy with their day that they may not notice thirst right away, so rather than waiting until they tell us they are thirsty, we can help them build the habit of drinking water regularly throughout the day.
At school, children have regular water breaks during recess, after recess, lunch, and during afternoon recess, and they may drink water as needed during class. At home, families can continue that rhythm—a glass after waking or with breakfast, with meals and snacks, after active play, and at other natural pauses in the day. Over time, these routines can go hand in hand with helping children notice and respond to their own body’s signals.
Try this this week: Help your child make drinking water a regular habit rather than something we do only once we feel very thirsty. At the same time, invite them to notice: What is my body telling me? Have I been running or sweating? When did I last have some water?
Want to learn more? Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shares practical guidance for helping children develop healthy hydration habits. The MEHRIT Centre also offers ideas for recognizing and reducing the many other biological stressors our children encounter throughout the day.