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Hi!  My name is Emily Page and I  am so excited to be your students Preschool teacher this year.

I am was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona.  I loved Arizona summers because as a child, I loved swimming, going to the lake, hiking and camping.   My husband and I moved to Williston, North Dakota in 2014 shortly after having our first child..  My husband’s career lead us to Williston, which seems to be pretty typical here with the oil boom.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood development.  Before earning my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood, I worked in a preschool classroom as a teacher’s assistant.  It was in that classroom that I fell in love with teaching and teaching children of various diversities and abilities.  From Head start, I took a position as a Paraprofessional in a Special Education classroom.  It was here that I learned so many useful skills for working with children with different abilities.  Advocating for students with special needs and inclusion is one of my passions, as my own child has special needs.

I have a passion for teaching through compassion, care and so much patience.  I believe that all children want to learn and exceed in the classroom and it is my job to teach my students the skills and self-esteem to exceed in the classroom.

I believe that students of this age learn best through hands on experiences and play.  Children need a fun, warm, inviting, safe classroom to learn and grow.  In my classroom we have fun, we paint with our hands, we dig in the dirt, we play with water and mud.  Children are so curious at this age and love to explore.  We plant gardens, watch plants grow, watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly.  I believe that I am my classrooms guide, but my students are the leaders.  We choose activities that interest my students and I help guide and encourage my students to learn through their interests.

In my spare time I enjoy painting, hiking, bike riding with my family and reading.  One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to be silly and goofy with my students and unlike adults, they don’t think I’m weird.

I am so excited to have your student in my class this year and I can’t wait to learn, grow and develop together.

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It has been a rough year with COVID.  Stress is high, some children are still not able to physically go to school.  This has been leaving parents to step in to role of teacher.  And let's face it, it's HARD.  But, learning doesn't have to be about route teaching and in fact, young children learn BEST through play.  Below are some of my favorite websites and learning activities that you can do at home.
1.) Family Education
5 Easy Crafts for Preschoolers
https://www.familyeducation.com/activities-crafts/5-easy-crafts-preschoolers

2.)The Stem Laboratory
This website offers so many activities that will keep your preschooler busy and introduce them to the basics of STEM.  Some of the concepts that they could explore is the water cycle, learning about magnets, mixing water and oil and much much more.
https://www.familyeducation.com/activities-crafts/5-easy-crafts-preschoolers

3.) The Imagination Tree
This website features 40 at home ideas that help support building your preschoolers fine motor skills.  Fine motor skills will help your student build the small muscles in the hands which are needed for writing.
https://theimaginationtree.com/40-fine-motor-skills-activities-for-kids/

4.). Fun-A-Day
Help support your preschoolers math skills at home with this link to the Fun-A-Day website.  This website features over 50 fun ideas for learning math at home.
https://fun-a-day.com/math-activities-for-preschoolers/

5.). National Center on Improving Literacy
This website features many ways to help support your students literacy development as a family.
https://improvingliteracy.org/brief/supporting-your-childs-literacy-development-home

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With so much technology at our fingertips, it is good to have reliable learning websites that our preschoolers can use.  Below are some links to websites that can help support your students learning virtually.

1.) ABCYA
This website filled with educational games that support learning for preschool students up to grade 6.  These games help support students by offering letter, number and strategy games.
https://www.abcya.com/grades/prek

2.) Starfall
This website offers so much entertainment and education for preschool students.  They include games to support leaning numbers and letters.  But what sets this website apart is that it offers books read to students whic helps support literacy development.  Nursery rhymes, which help support rhyming and motion songs which help support gross motor development.
https://www.starfall.com/h/index-kindergarten.php

3.)  PBS Kids
This website offers educational games in disguise.  The games feature many characters from favorite PBS shows.
https://pbskids.org/

4.) National Geographic Kids
This website is great for students who are curious about the world around them.  This website offers educational videos for kids and so much information about different animals.  It also includes games as well.
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

5.) BabyTV
This website is a great resource on a rainy or cold day.  The website provides shows that are perfect for preschoolers that are educational
https://www.babytv.com/

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This week we will be learning all of the different colors of the rainbow.

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1.) Mental Health
At some point or another we struggle with our own mental heath or that of our children's mental health.  If you are ever in need of mental health support, this website provides a list of local resources.
https://www.willistonschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_1544704/Image/Parents/Counselors%20in%20Williston%20Area.pdf

2.) If families ever have a need for food, please use this website for how to contact the school districts food pantry.
https://www.willistonschools.org/about/food_pantries

3.) North West Human Services is located in Williston North Dakota.  They provide disability related services to the community.  This is a good place to start if you’re looking for support in the area.

North West Human Services provides support and resources for:

·      Developmental disabilities

·      Early Intervention Services

·      Home programming

·      Coordinated care through caseworkers

·      Help with locating Respite care

·      Mental Health Services

·      Health Care coordination and services

·      Parent support and training

Visit: https://www.nd.gov/dhs/services/disabilities/dd.html

4.) Family Voices of North Dakota:

Family Centered Care is their principal.

This source provides tools for families to make informed decision, build partnerships, self-advocacy information and provides trusted resources on healthcare.

https://fvnd.org/about-us/our-mission/

5.) For a list of Parent Support Groups in the Williston, North Dakota area check out this website:
https://www.mops.org/groupsearch/index.php