“We have a lot more activities planned,” Preschool Administrator Lenora “Ponie” Mojado said. “We have more than 15 new students this year but a lot of returnees, too.”

She said there will be more focus on social emotional learning (SEL) which involves self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Lessons will revolve around identifying feelings and learning how to express them in a positive way and be adapted to each specific age group. Preschoolers will learn more through play therapy while kindergartners can understand bigger concepts and grasp ideas since many already possess social emotional intelligence.

Preschool teacher Julissa Garcia has assistance from Instructional Aide Jess Thompson and preschool staff member Jasmine Basquez where they have dubbed it the “Home Sweet Classroom.” They have set it up to closely mimic a household to help the children make the transition from their first experience of being away from home. They have a reading garden, a kitchen and laundry room. There are framed photos of family members throughout the room.

“We want to make them as comfortable as possible, making it feel homey in here,” Garcia said. She said the children are opening up a lot more already and they are seeing their unique personalities emerge. The focus will be on improving fine and gross motor skills that will be achieved through crafts and fun activities. They are also trying to incorporate the Luiseño language into their lessons a lot more this year.

Pre-kindergarten teacher Ana Garcia and Instructional Aide Alaina Adkins have a “Welcome to the Jungle” classroom theme and the children are loving it. From a reading hut area where they can pretend to be animals in the forest to areas for art and life skills, students are encouraged to be “wild about learning.”

“We are offering a lot of hands-on learning for the first part of the semester and after winter break we will offer more in-depth lessons to prepare them for their transition into kindergarten,” Adkins said.

She said many of the children in her classroom attended the preschool last year, so they are familiar with the campus already. There are three new students that have been added so far and she said they are adjusting very well.

“It’s their first experience being in an environment with other children their age but they all love doing the new things we put out for them, so it makes us happy that they enjoy it,” Garcia said.

Marian Chacon’s great-grandson Brian is four years old and his older sister Violet, who graduated from the Soboba Tribal Preschool, is in second grade now. Brian treated his family members to a grand tour of all the different areas he utilizes in his pre-k classroom.

Shakoora Kabeer has two daughters at the school this year—Daiya Muhammad, 3, and Sumaya Muhammad, 4. She said enrolling them at the preschool came at the perfect time as she also has a newborn, Safiya, who is only a month old.

Kindergarten teacher Laura Aldrete said things have been going well since school started in early August. To conserve paper, the children are using dry erase workbooks and are working on their fine motor skills. The students are seated in small groups of three, which is a change from last year’s class where each desk was independent.

Chase Davies has a son, Hunwut Castello, in preschool and a daughter, Moyla Castello, in kindergarten and loves the school. She said Moyla has lots of friends and cousins in her class.

“They do a lot with their culture and teach them words of the day and week in Luiseño,” Davies said. Even though this is his first school experience, she said once Hunwut gets on campus he loves it.

Families were treated to a delicious stew created by Head Chef Anita Morillo and her kitchen staff Arturo Horta and Perry ReDonde, served in the multipurpose room. Also on hand were vendors that offer resources to families with children of all ages. School psychologist Rachelle Peterson shared her role with families, which includes spending mornings at the preschool to provide emotional and behavioral support, counseling, skills building, family support and more.

Representatives from Soboba Tribal Family Services shared the various programs they offer to support families. Alicia Golchuk, Desiree Salazar and Catherine Gonzalez were available to answer questions and share information.

Health Education Assistants Hosea Jones and Taylor Hart with the CalFresh Healthy Living program for Riverside University Health System offered activity books that make it fun for young kids to learn about eating healthy. They also brought along a fresh fruit punch to show there are delicious tasting healthy alternatives to sugary drinks and sodas.

“We plan to stay connected to the preschool and provide nutritional information whenever we are invited to do so,” Jones said.

Sylvan Learning has tutors working with some of the kindergarten students Monday-Thursday and they also offer assistance to Soboba Tribal TANF students of all ages. “Parents find it helpful that the tutoring closes any gaps their child may have,” Lead tutor Victoria Valenzuela said. She added that being able to do their homework in that setting is a huge benefit for the students.

Tribal Family Partners Project Coordinator Jessica Plumlee shared a fishing game with the young people that helps enhance hand-eye coordination, while bringing awareness to her program to the adults. The home visitation program serves mothers and babies as it is built around mindfulness and can help reduce any postpartum issues that new mothers may have. “It’s all about keeping our families strong and healthy,” she said.

Also hosting tables and handing out goodies for the children at the event were members of the Soboba Fire Department and the Department of Public Safety.

The Soboba Tribal Preschool provides comprehensive education for children from preschool to kindergarten and staff is committed to creating a pathway to success. Age and developmentally appropriate lessons and activities are designed to engage children and promote growth in all areas. Its quality programming and nurturing environment meet the educational and developmental needs of children living on the Soboba Indian Reservation and surrounding tribal communities. The Luiseño culture and language play a significant role in the school’s curriculum.

Mojado, who works closely with Administrative Assistant Maria Hernandez, said she hopes to get more parent volunteers this year. She said they are also encouraging parents to make sure the students arrive on time so as not to cause a classroom distraction. Mojado added that while there are definitely times children need to stay home due to illness and other factors, she wants parents to understand that missing school means their children are missing out on important lessons as many things are taught on a graduated basis and all steppingstones are necessary to reach their full potential.

For more information, call 951-487-8732 or visit https://preschool.soboba-nsn.gov/.

The post A new year of learning begins at Soboba Tribal Preschool appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Preschoolers invited family members to the Soboba Sports Complex for a Fall Feast that included entertainment from each of the classes. The event began with a prayer from Soboba Elder Marian Chacon who thanked the Heavenly Father “for all the gifts you have given to us. We ask your blessings on all the children, parents and family here today and especially on all the teachers and helpers who do such a wonderful job teaching our children; and this food we are about to receive.”

Preschoolers performed two songs they learned about scarecrows and falling leaves, which was partially in the Luiseño language. Pre-K students had songs about leaves on the trees as well as one titled, “Hello Mr. Turkey.” Kindergartners delighted the audience with their “Turkey Dance,” followed by the Cha-Cha Slide, a dance they enjoy in class almost every day.

Preschool staff and teachers scooped out turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce and vegetables as guests made their way along the line of hot serving pans filled with great smelling food.

The gymnasium walls were decorated with class projects. Teachers shared 18 reasons why they are thankful for their kindergartners such as “Jensen’s leadership,” “Kai’s dance moves,” “Anthony’s singing,” and “Palkí’s kindness to all.” Preschoolers filled up turkey feathers with what they are most thankful for and Brian Chacon III said, “Making rainbows for Violet and mom and dad and grandma.” Willow Valdez said she is thankful for “Mom and dad loving me.”

Cheyenne Chacon, whose son Anthony Ortega is in kindergarten, said she likes the preschool because it is in the community where they live. “And it teaches the children about our culture,” she said.

Hope Chacon, wife of Brian Chacon Jr., said their daughter Violet Chacon graduated from the preschool and is now in first grade at San Jacinto Valley Academy. Their son Brian is in preschool and really likes his teachers. Anthony and Brian III are great- grandsons of Marian Chacon, who has 10 other great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Palki Herrera is in kindergarten and her mother, Alyssa Salgado said she likes the preschool because it is very family oriented. “They have events like this where we can all come together,” said Alyssa, whose son Gabriel Herrera graduated last school year. “Also, I got to go to school here so my kids get to experience what I did.”

Soboba Elder Alice Helms enjoyed the morning with her great-grandson Jonathan Helms Jr., 5. His parents, Jonathan Sr. and Evelyn said they like the school because they do a lot of things revolving around culture, like teaching the children their (Luiseño) language.

In the weeks leading up to the Fall Feast, the children enjoyed having Carrie Garcia share acorn games and acorn tops with them. Bird dancing and singing was offered every Friday, when students were encouraged to wear their bird skirts and ribbon shirts. On Nov. 18, Tashina Miranda Ornelas, Culture Department Coordinator/Instructor at Noli, visited to help the kids make acorn necklaces. Soboba Tribal Member Tekla Diaz, who teaches a Fancy Shawl dance class for the community twice a month, put on a demonstration for the students. Preschool Director Lenora “Ponie” Mojado said it was like a mini-pow wow and everyone loved it. She added that Soboba’s Tribal Council Secretary Monica Herrera comes to the school every other week to work with the students on proper pronunciation of words in their native language.

A potluck “Honoring Our Elders” was held at noon at the Noli campus with cultural sharing through traditional songs and dances. A combined lunch for middle and high school students allowed all to participate at the same time.

Mrs. Ornelas welcomed everyone to the annual event. “On behalf of all students and staff, I want to personally thank all of our Soboba Elders first for always supporting our students and student programs here at Noli. I’d like to say thank you to all of our Elders who have shared in the past and continue to share their experiences and cultural knowledge and traditions with us here at the school. And I would also like to thank all the elders who are here with us today to continue this tradition of sharing song, dance and food together. And lastly, I would like to honor and thank our Elder relations who are not able to be present with us here today but who still remain here with us in spirit and in memory.”

She then introduced Soboba Tribal Member Damon Miranda who opened the event with prayer, followed by some bird songs. Elders were then invited to be served first, followed by the community, as is customary.

Helping to plate the meals of turkey, dressing, potatoes and more were Noli staff members Tanya Rivera, Seandee Brown and Camille Diaz. They planned on serving 200 meals, half of which were for students. An entire table dedicated to desserts from pumpkin and pecan pies to cookies and chocolate covered strawberries was enough to satisfy everyone’s appetite.

The Pechanga Singers and Dancers invited students to join them. The Desert Cahuilla Singers and Dancers from Torres Martinez included some of Ornelas’ family members, which was an added treat.

The Elders potluck had been held for many years but was discontinued for a while. Ornelas said she wanted to revitalize it so the students could have a connection to the generations that came before them and started holding it again in 2023.

Leading up to this year’s event, students had been shown portions of Soboba’s heritage video which includes first-person remembrances from Elders about what things used to be like on the reservation when they were growing up. Several came to the school to talk to the students in person and answer any questions they had about the past after viewing the video.

“Some of the Elders came to the classes, sharing their experiences of life on the reservation; what life was like prior to gaming,” Ornelas said. “Many of the students were shocked to hear the Elders share their stories and it was eye opening for them to compare their lives to how they live today; it helps them appreciate what they have now.”

Caroline Post, mother of Noli Principal Donovan Post, was one of the guest speakers and recalled when you could buy a hamburger, fries and a drink for 40 cents. He said the stories of their lives at Soboba were not negative, just honest. Such as sharing how there was a time when they had to have water trucked in from the city of San Jacinto and now there are 15 or so wells and aquifers on the reservation.

He said, “It’s so great having the Elders come by and talk to the kids and have them listen and be able to ask questions. Many from that generation are gone so it’s important to hear their stories now. There has been so much change and so much progress has been made in the past 25 years. These kids today never grew up needing a lot. I think it’s important for them to hear the stories from when there wasn’t much here to learn what they came from.”

He said the students always enjoy having the bird singers visit and a combined lunch is rare. “It’s nice to have everybody together,” Post said.

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