Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the
2013-2014 school year.
I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. We hope that all of you
are as eager to start the school year as we are. If this is your first year, we
hope to look forward to knowing you and helping you to know our families at
Lincoln Elementary. If you are returning, we are very happy to work with you
and help your child reach even greater success.
Please plan on joining us for a picnic before school starts for
the Primary Montessori Families at Platt Park, on Fri, Aug 23rd,
2013 between 5:30 to 7:00 pm, more details to follow soon.
First day of school will be Monday, Aug 26th for
kindergartners. Four year olds will start on Wednesday, Aug 28th,
2013. Three year olds will start Sept 3rd onwards and will be staggered
in two or three at a time.
The first couple of weeks will be a transitioning period. Even though
the classroom and the layout will be the same, I might make a few changes with
regards to furniture and placement of materials. The first week will go by with
children getting used to the classroom, catching up with buddies and getting to
know new friends and learning new works and routines.
Please note that Ms. Kristy has taken up a job at Montessori School
of Washington Park and Ms. Paula, who is a trained Montessori teacher, will be
replacing her. We are very fortunate this year as we will have almost three
trained teachers in our classroom as Ms. Kelly is also training to be a
Montessori teacher and she will be my student teacher for this year.
A
few reminders before school starts-
- Please remember
to apply sunscreen on your
child.
- Please remember
to sign in and sign out your child every day.
- Lunch bags,
snack and water bottles must be labeled.
- Full day children should bring in a morning and an afternoon
snack.
- Please place a pair
of clothes in your child’s locker throughout the school year.
- All students will
need clothing and shoes that they can easily manage themselves. If your
child cannot yet tie laces, please provide school shoes with buckles,
Velcro or slip-on styling.
- Children can
bring items for show and tell starting Sept 3rd. We will again be using the alphabet sounds
to guide your child’s choice of items. The sound for the first week is ‘a’
as in apple. The sound for each week will be posted on our bulletin board.
We ask that you help your child choose an item that begins with the sound
of the week. Also, help your child think of clues such as what color the
object is, or what the item is used for, as your child will keep their
item hidden and give these clues to the children at Circle Time. The other
children will then guess what the item is. These items will be available
to take home from the basket at dismissal. These can be anything interesting
and educational such as books, drawings of the child, pictures, any nature
collections etc.
8.
Please
always make sure a teacher is in attendance before leaving your child.
There will be one of the assistants at the door each morning until 9:00 am. All
students should be reminded to say good-bye to their teachers when
leaving, not only as a matter of etiquette but also to ensure your child's
safety.
- Please look out
for our food prep calendars
every month on our sign in sheet clipboard. We hope you can help us out by bringing
in fruits or vegetables for that week. Children will learn how to clean,
cut and prepare the food which will be served as an additional snack to
have in the morning.
- Please make sure
to add names to the emergency contact sheet, of people who will be
picking up your child other than parents. Let us know about any allergies or special circumstances.
- Please check in
with front office to see if your child’s immunization records are
up to date.
The beginning of school is both exciting and a bit overwhelming. Occasionally children become teary eyed when thinking about their parent leaving them at school. If your child cries as you leave them at school, please know that the adults in the room will give lots of tender loving care to the children. We have such a wonderful time at school that children usually move quickly into the classroom activities and thoroughly enjoy their day.
Please say good-bye quickly, lovingly and go. This is important for your child's transition. The teachers are skilled at easing the transition for your child and we will let you know if there is a problem. Groups of parents lingering in the classrooms or in the hallway can affect an otherwise calm routine.
You may want to discuss and/or role-play saying good-bye with your children. Be sure to convey your confidence that school is a good place for them to be. Some families establish a ritual such as "hug-kiss-snuggle" that reassures them both at parting. Saying good-bye quickly, warmly, lovingly and matter-of-factly just as you rehearsed (no matter how anxious you are feeling!) will ease them through this transition.
Enjoy
the last few days of summer vacation!
See
you all soon!!!
“Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
Thanks and regards
Sheela, Kelly and Paula
