Wild Plum Center is wishing everyone well this New Year! We are all back in the classroom and celebrating opportunities for growth. May 2022 be a year of building minds, homes, and hearts.

We have been implementing Conscious Discipline curriculum in every aspect of our program. The core components of Conscious Discipline are safety, connection, and problem solving. Each chapter focuses on one skill to develop children, one power for conscious adults, current brain information, and how to build community in your school, home, and neighborhood.

This month our staff, students and families have been learning about the Power of Unity and the Skill of Encouragement. This power is based in the belief that we are all connected and that we all have value.

It is fun to see Encouragement and the Power of Unity in action in the classroom.

Ms Justine shares how her students were determined to build a snowman upon returning to school, it was the first snow of the school year after all. They worked together to gather snow around the playground using shovels and pails. They each made their own snowball and stacked them together, adding rocks and sticks they found for arms, eyes and buttons. This was a great team effort from Powell 3 and once it was completed they all agreed to name it "Olaf."

Wild Plum Center is convinced that the Powers and Skills of Conscious Discipline are of benefit to kids of any age. If you're interested in Conscious Discipline, be sure to tune into next month's newsletter!

Integral Steps is a music-focused non-profit organization that provides students of all ages and backgrounds with an integrated education experience.

This year, Integral Steps is offering 8 sessions with 2 classes per week to Wild Plum Preschoolers, at no-cost to our families or program.

Through their unique BAMM (Biology | Art | Music in Motion) curriculum, children learn about the water cycle, plants, bugs and more while also expressing themselves creatively through the arts and music. 

The bilingual curriculum includes learning songs in English and Spanish, playing rhythm and pitch games to build musical foundations, moving to music creatively, playing percussion instruments, and beginning to write musical notation.

On top of that, they will be making collages, 3D cards, and creating musical instruments from household items, intentionally exploring a variety of mediums.

Integral Steps and Wild Plum Center believe in connecting our community, and are proud to bring this partnership into our classrooms.

Have you been to the WOW! Children's Museum in Lafayette? It is one of the greatest ways to engage all families in educational, hands-on experiences that connect curiosity, creativity, and discovery.

This year, the WOW! Museum donated

"Play for All Membership Vouchers". These vouchers were given to Wild Plum Center families and can be redeemed for an annual membership.

We are so grateful to their donor that made these vouchers possible and are providing our families the unique opportunity to frequent their museum of discovery throughout the year. It's a great opportunity to expand our partnership beyond classroom field trips and make this fun and unique experience accessible for each of our families.

Do yourself a favor and be sure to check out their countless exhibits. There's truly something for students of any age and we are incredibly grateful that our families will be able to experience hands-on learning at the WOW! Museum.

We are now looking for donors and sponsors to bring the mobile classroom to life. We envision the mobile classroom accommodating students, ages 0-5, and their parents. It is our intention, with the support of the mobile classroom staff, to equip parents with the resources and confidence they need to be the number one teacher in their student’s life. In providing a space for parents to work alongside their student, we hope to familiarize them within a classroom setting so they can advocate for their student’s success and prepare their student for a lifetime of learning.