Our Journey Begins!

 

Did you feel that cool, early morning air flowing in your window this morning?  The first day of school has certainly snuck up on us!
 
I wanted to take a minute this morning to give you some housekeeping information that you might be looking for as our first day nears.
 
Children are welcome to bring their breakfast with them in the morning. We have a small fridge that the children can keep milk or juice in.
 
We are asking that each family pack-in their own snack and lunch for the day.   For children that are in the program until late in the afternoon, you might consider packing a separate afternoon snack bag.  This will ensure that there is something left to eat in the afternoon, and that it stays cool.
 
Each child should have a pair of indoor shoes or slippers in addition to their outdoor shoes.  These shoes and an extra change of clothes can be kept in the child's cubby.
 
Each child will have a rest and yoga mat to take a break on each day.  The mat rolls up nicely and even has a little pillow.  If your child has a stuffy or blanket which they would like to have at rest time - that can be left at school as well.
 
Teacher Netta and I believe firmly in the Responsive Classroom approach to classroom management.  In this approach teachers and children spend the first six weeks of school laying foundations for behavior, material use, and culture.  The time spent at the beginning of school ensures that everyone has a successful and positive year.  Throughout the first six weeks the children will be practicing routines and  Teacher Netta and I will be doing informal assessments to benchmark each child.  These benchmarks will help us best meet the academic needs of your child and will also give us the opportunity to look back on each child's growth in the spring.  Many of or assessments will be anecdotal, or we will take pictures of an activity the child is doing.  We can look at these together at parent teacher conference time. 
 
August and September will be filled with insect fun as we explore butterflies, their life cycle and habitat.  By the middle of September we will be starting our first map study, looking at the Earth, North American, the United States and our town.  We will end September with a look at the life cycle of an apple tree.  Should your child have any interesting items at home that relate to these themes or books on these topics, they are more than welcome to bring them to school to share.
 
As a teacher of reading, I have always found results when using Wilson Reading.  In Wilson, children are introduced to a group of sounds that will enable them to quickly make words.  You might think it odd when your child comes home the first week of school talking about the letter sound for r, instead of letters at the beginning of the alphabet.  No need to worry!  We will get to all the letters in time.    The first set of letters we will work on will be f.l,m,n,r,s,d,g,p,t,a,i, and o.  If you have small objects that start with these letters around the house, please feel free to send them in.  The kids will have a ball sorting objects by initial consonant sound.  For example, a little tiny dolls fork could be the object for f.
 
I am so excited about this coming school year.  I truly believe that the program we are offering is distinctive and encompassing.  I know we are going to have a wonderful year together as parents and teachers watching 'our' children grow.  If you have any questions or concerns about anything prior to the first day of school, please do not hesitate to call us.
 
We will see you tomorrow.  We open at 7 and everyone should be in by 8:30.
 
With Love,
 
Teacher Jen & Teacher Netta
 
A website you might be interested in.

 

Jennifer MacDonaldFirst Day of School 20141 Comment