Ms. Wilson's Classroom Blog

June 9, 2008

Wow! Can you believe the end of our school year has arrived?  We have had a burst of energy, but far from the expected “spring/summer fever”.  Children are asking for lessons and challenging themselves at a time that is usually associated with “wild” or “restless” children anxious and excited for summer vacation.

I have been observing the children working with and next to each other, listening to peace-keeping messages, and watching the fast paced play scenarios on the playground. Reflecting on the year I can appreciate the growth of each child: social, emotional, developmental and of course academic!

The end of the school year represents transition, goodbyes, and beginnings!  Our returning children are about to transition into 2nd or 3rd year children with so much to share when new children join our classroom. We are saying goodbye to children going on to new schools for their kindergarten experience.  DMS Kindergarten graduates will be moving to the DMS elementary classrooms or to 1st grade classrooms in other schools. As we all look forward to summer, some may wonder how to help our children say goodbye to friends going to different schools in the fall.

We are emphasizing more about summer time and less about new schools in the fall.  Next fall is an abstract concept and a long way off!  Children who know where they will be after the last day of school will generally have less anxiety. Many of the friendships made here have given your child the building blocks for making friends in her next classroom.  That is not to say that your child won’t miss his friends here at DMS, or wish he were still in the primary classroom! 

When Oliver and I left our school in Bangor to join the DMS community, he was sad to say goodbye on the last day of school, but excited about our summer plans.  In September while making friends, becoming familiar with his new teachers and classroom he began to miss his “old friends”.  We arranged phone calls and coordinated a few play dates with his closest mates.   During these times Oliver and his friends talked almost exclusively about all their new friends and new school adventures. 

Our children look to us during transition not only for comfort, but for how to feel about the transition.  Similar to drop off/ car line, when your child feels your confidence in her ability to transition, she feels more confident of her arrival and entrance to the classroom.  Mother Rabbit in the book Why do you cry? by Kate Klise expresses the sentiments of parents everywhere:

“And sometimes, Little Rabbit, I cry when I look at you.”

“At me?” he asked. “Why?”

“Because you’re getting so big,” his mother said. “You don’t cry nearly as much as you used to.  I look at you and feel so proud and happy.  And that can make me cry.”

Thank you for a great year, it has been such a joy to work and grow alongside your children.  I wish you all good health, safety and peace this summer and for always! 

May 11, 2008

Preparing for our Mother’s Day Tea was almost as exciting as the actual event!  The children took great pride in preparing the strawberries for the strawberry shortcake; scrubbing the chairs with great enthusiasm (after carrying them from the storage barn); and making the beautiful floral arrangements for each table.  We honed our grace and courtesy skills when we greeted, seated and served our friends taking turns being the mom.        While working on the traditional DMS Mother’s Day Interviews the children shared some very touching as well as funny thoughts. When asked “How old is your mom” I learned we have moms aged from 4 to seventysixty to 98! It was a beautiful experience to watch each child’s eyes light up when asked, “What is your favorite thing to do with your mom?” The children were very excited to share when asked “What does your mom look like?” Most moms were described by hair color, others were described as “beautiful”, another shared “she looks like me”, and another responded “she looks like a human”. I really appreciated the opportunity to listen to each child’s answers- filled with their love for mom.

May 1, 2008

April showers bring May flowers!  The first day back to school after April vacation started with some tears, but by mid-morning Dot and I were just fine!  The children were eager to share vacation stories and adventures with friends, and have begun to settle back into the “swing” of things.

We have a small pond habitat in our classroom- complete with frog eggs thanks to Dot!  The life cycle of frogs is currently our science unit of study. We are all excited about the magical transition of a gelatinous collection of bubbles with black spots into polliwogs and then frogs.  When one child heard that those little specks would turn into polliwogs she told me, “You are trying to joke me!”

We will be exploring land and water forms in our geography unit; our first forms of study will be island/lake. Land completely surrounded by water is an island; water completely surrounded by land is a lake.  Materials in the classroom and real life experiences combine and enhance each child’s understanding of these forms.  During the lesson about islands, one child already knew the only way to an island is a boat or“air-copter”.  Osman told us that if someone dug very deep along part of Maine, our state could be an island, too.  This prompted some concern, but Connor let us know that his dad’s boat would be a good idea!

Mother’s Day Tea is this Thursday and the children are excited to be the Host or Hostess on this special morning!  Please plan for your child to arrive at school between 8:20am-8:30am (or morning care if your child already attends).  Mothers should arrive at 9:00 am and Tea is finished at 10:00 – 10:15am.  Our class is then dismissed for the day.  We look forward a joyful morning complete with strawberry shortcake!

We are fortunate that we have more grass and woodchips than mud on our playground!  Please provide your child with footwear that is appropriate for climbing, jumping and running.  Sandals with open toes are great for inside the classroom but are no match for woodchips, stones and twigs.

Mark your calendars for Parent Night in the Classroom May 22 at 5:30, and Parent Teacher Conferences May 29 and 30!

SUNSHINE QUILT UPDATE

We all worked hard on our quilt squares, and our volunteer quilter has assembled and completed our classroom’s donation to the upcoming auction!

(Thanks, mom!)

Thank you to our volunteers for making time in your days to sew with the children: Emma B’s mom, Addison’s mom, Caleb’s mom and Connor’s mom. (Otherwise known as: Sue, Rebekah, Erin and Jessica)!

March 24, 2008

Happy Spring???

We certainly talked about the weather not matching the calendar’s first day of spring this week! We will continue to start our mornings inside; and venture into our small forest and dry land during our outside time when the playground is undergoing the spring-mud-ice-thaw.

We continue to read and rhyme with Dr. Seuss.  Within the rhymes of Yertle the Turtle, Gertude McFuzz and The Big Brag are cautionary tales showing the dangers of being bossy, jealous, and boastful. These stories, although humorous, give the children concrete examples of the troubles that befall those being bossy, jealous or boastful.  We have discussed how the different characters may have felt; what we might do if we were in the story; and what advice we might give to the main characters in these tales. 

March 10, 2008

Happy March!  Well, it is proving to be an interesting weather month!

Our playground offers a creative menu of surfaces to explore:  mud, snow, ice, and water!  We will continue to start our days inside, so that we have dry (mud free) outside gear for the lunchtime dismissal.  We have been heading out around 11:00 to make the most of that gear!  A popular option to heavy winter boots is a heavy pair of socks and rain boots.

We are beginning many interesting mini-units in our classroom.  We have begun reading books illustrated and written by Dr. Seuss. The predictable rhymes combined with hilarious illustrations to match makes for an enjoyable shared reading experience at circle.  As a matter of fact, we have daily requests to re-read this classic Dr. Seuss.  Soon the book The cat in the Hat will be traveling to our homes, along with that troublesome cat, his sleeping bag, and journal.  Each child is encouraged to draw a picture of the cat, or tell of some silly thing he might have done while visiting, a photo of your child at home with the cat could also be included in the cat's travel journal.

"Me on the Map" is our new geography unit.  We have worked on the puzzle maps of the: continents, North America. and the United States. We have the map of Maine, as well as the map of Lincoln County in our classroom.  If your address is listed as a PO Box in the school directory, we would love your street address to include in your child's "Me on the Map" book.

We have begun sewing in earnest, and many of us are quite proficient at sewing on a big button on to burlap.  This requires cutting the yarn, threading the yarn, then sewing on the button.  Since is a "shared" job, with just one button and one hoop, to "get this ready for the next friend", the child then removes the button, tidies up the basket, and returns the job to the shelf!  We will continue the sewing progression starting next week. Our auction item will be a quilt, and our quilt design is going to be a surprise!  My mom has graciously volunteered to "put it all together", and since she lives in Hermon, the grand un-veiling will be at the auction!  (Previewed by the artists, of course!)

I appreciate all the feedback/questions/and general communication with all the families; the quality of your child's experience here benefits from our collaboration.  I am happy to return calls, e-mails or set up times to meet with parents about any concerns, please don't wait 'til May!

Thanks for all the healthy lunches and snacks!  Big favorites are bagels with cream cheese or butter, fresh fruit, crackers and cheese, and of course the home-baked goodies!

February 8, 2008

What exciting weather!  Well, we had our first early release day on Wednesday.  Our goal on these days is to have all children be picked up by 12:30; there were some families who were unsure if they could pick up children before 12:30.  On Wednesday we kept children inside for ease of picking up, since pick ups were at random times.  As soon as the number of children decreases we try to dismiss staff who have to travel the furthest so that they can get home safely!  A good way to know before you get that call from Ms. Kim is to check if Union 74 is having an early release day; that way you can start to make plans for pick up and the rest of your childs’ day!

We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with homemade and some school made Valentine Cards. We will make accommodations for children who come on the three day schedule, and collect valentines in their absence; and can be picked up on their next day or by arranged pick up time.

•  We ask that any “special” Valentine’s be exchanged away from school, as “best friends” feels exclusive to all the other friends.

• If your child chooses to send Valentines cards, it is important your child makes or sends a card to each friend in the classroom.

• If your child chooses to send Valentines cards, it is important your child makes or sends a card to each friend in the classroom.

• We are planning to construct our valentine bags during class time.

• Children who are able (and willing) to write their names on their valentines are encouraged to do so.  Valentines will be sent home for you and your child to enjoy at home.

• When your child brings in Valentines Cards, please be sure they understand that a teacher will be collecting their valentines to deliver to friends at a later time.

• During morning arrival children with homemade valentines may bring their valentines to a teacher, so that we may place valentines in the bags in an orderly fashion.

This event/activity is designed to be a peaceful expression of friendship; complete with glue sticks and collage art with valentines day themed materials.  We will be emphasizing “we are all friendly to all members of our classroom.”

We encourage discussion of play dates, birthdays and “best friends” to remain outside of our classroom.

We are going to have an exciting pre-vacation week; and I look forward to meeting with parents on Wednesday for parent-teacher conferences.

 Thanks- julie.

February 4, 2008

Hello!  

     During our morning circle, we sing: “What’s the weather, what’s the weather, what’s the weather like today? Tell us friends what’s the weather, what’s the weather like today? Is it rainy, is it cloudy, is it snowy out today? Is it sunny, is it windy, is it foggy out today?”  It seems like any of these choices are accurate depending upon the time of day!

     Due to mud, slush and the chill, we have been starting our days in the classroom in lieu of the playground. The children arrive into the classroom, where they take the opportunity to greet one another, and go right to work. We convene for circle/group time mid-morning, and then back to work until noon/dismissal outside time.

    You may have heard about our new classroom resident, our gerbil named: chippidy linda fuzzy marshmallow speedy girl chewy zip digger cutie. We have many ideas for names; we have not yet come to a consensus for one name.

    Montessori believed that the care and observation of living things enriched the child’s experience in the classroom.  We are tending to the feeding and “watering” of the gerbil, as well as observation of the cage cleaning process.

    Conversation and observation of our gerbil’s habitat expanded to where gerbils live “in nature”.  We learned that the gerbil’s natural habit is the desert, and have discussed what a desert environment is like. We have located desert environments on our continent globe. The children have enjoyed writing their own books about gerbils, as well as books identifying the parts of a gerbil.

    We have begun the adventure of color mixing in our classroom.  We read Little blue and little yellow, by Leo Lionni. This story is about two friends- one yellow and one blue- who hug and turn green!  We then created our own little blues and little yellows with paint.  At the “paint station” we had the pleasure of observing many positive interactions between the children. With the exception of a teacher helping locate a good spot for the art to dry, the children worked independently and collaboratively; friends practiced peace-keeping and being kid-teachers while waiting for turns at the paint station.

    I look forward to meeting with folks during the “check-in” conferences on February 14th; the sign-up sheet is the office on Kim’s desk.  If you aren’t able to come (or even if you are) I welcome questions or concerns via phone, note or e-mail: juliew@damariscottamontessori.org.  I generally check my e-mail during lunchtime and at the end of the day.

    Thanks for all the delicious and nutritious snacks!  One of our next learning units will be healthy foods, which will really be an extension of what your children already know.  At lunch we always emphasize eating our “brain food” first; identifying the foods that contain protein, fruit, vegetable, dairy or a “sugar”.

    Take care, be safe and stay healthy!

January 2008

Parents of first year children often wonder why their child spends so much time in the practical life area.  I am sharing this excerpt from Michael Olaf, as it is concise and eloquently written. 

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICAL LIFE AREA
Arranging the cooking and dining areas for the work of the child does not have to be a giant undertaking, and it does not need to be done all at once. Consider giving the child one low shelf or one drawer in the kitchen in the beginning. This could contain a cutting board and safe knife, or cereal bowls and spoons—whatever the child is most likely to use most often.

A stool is a good first investment, so the child can reach the sink or the counter, for work. Even better, if there is room, have a small table and chair or stool out of the way where the child can prepare and eat snacks, or do his share of the food preparation.

In the classroom, there should always be a space for children to prepare snack at any time of the day, and lessons on how to do the work, and how to clean it up in preparation for use by the next child.

This is an exercise in contributing to the good of others—preparing and serving snack, and cleaning up.

In our classroom we have a table designated as a snack table.  Two children may serve themselves snack, enjoy conversation, and guide one another while “tidying the table so it’s ready for our next friend”.  We are peacekeepers when we take the amount of snack that is written on our menu board; if someone serves themselves three huge scoops of goldfish (when the menu shows 2 scoops) there may not be enough for everyone to have a full serving of snack.  When there isn’t enough snack for everyone, it doesn’t keep our classroom peaceful!

A new and very popular job on our practical life shelf is a food preparation job.  Many are calling it “the eating job”.  The children spread butter, sunbutter or other spread on two crackers.  Just like snack, the child washes the tray, and spreader.  The “drying spot” is where the trays, spreaders and mugs are dried all over.

PRACTICAL LIFE TASKS AS THE FOUNDATION FOR ALL LATER WORK
It is not uncommon for the value of practical life or family life exercise to be misunderstood. I have heard parents exclaim in dismay that their child is "wasting time cleaning in her new Montessori school when she should be doing math!" However, math and all other intellectual work requires the ability to move carefully, to focus, to complete sequential steps, to concentrate, to make intelligent choices and to persevere in one's work. This is exactly what is learned during practical life work. As a result of periods of time spent concentrating on such a task a child becomes calm and satisfied and, because of this inner peace, full of love for others.

Perhaps an even more important result of this work is that the child sees himself already as an important and contributing member of the group, and as an intimate friend, when he is welcome to participate in the work of the adult. Think about the difference between how close you feel to your own guests. If all the work is done by you in anticipation for the guest's arrival, that is one relationship. When a friend joins you in your preparation of the meal, that is a closer relationship. The child benefits most from this close relationship with the parent, whether it be in scrubbing or cutting up the vegetables, washing or drying the dishes, setting the table, cleaning out the cupboards or refrigerator, mixing the muffin batter, and so forth.

When a child has a lot of experience with the important developmental tasks called "practical life" he becomes more successful in all other areas of study and in relating to others.

PLAYGROUND TIP for the January thaw, the February thaw, the March thaw and the April thaws

Rubberized rain pants, rubber rain boots and thick socks make wet snow suits a thing of the past.  Your child may also appreciate two pairs of mittens, for when the wet ones don’t dry before our next outing!

December 8, 2007

With almost a foot of snow on the playground we certainly have a “winter wonderland”.  This week we followed footprints in the snow, identified areas with no footprints and left our footprints on the path towards and on the field just a short walk from our playground. We continue to identify authors and illustrators of books shared during group time.  Jan Brett is our featured author AND illustrator.  I invite children to bring a Jan Brett, or winter themed book to school to share at circle or at read/rest.

During Parent/Teacher conferences or impromptu conversation I may have described some of your child as being in the “sensitive period” for order, language, math, etc.  I am providing an overview of Montessori’s Sensitive Periods, as published by The Montessori Foundation. In future blogs I plan to identify how jobs in different areas of our classroom support the needs of children within these sensitive periods.

Sensitive Periods

Montessori believed in a necessary relationship between children and their environment. Children must find a properly prepared environment if they are to fully develop their unique human potentials.

In addition to determining children's eventual height, hair color, and other physical characteristics, there is another cognitive plan which determines the unique emotional and intellectual qualities of each child. These qualities develop through what Montessori referred to as "the sensitive periods."

Each sensitive period is a specific kind of compulsion, motivating young children to seek objects and relationships in their environment with which to fulfill their special and unique inner potentials..

Montessori believed that children will develop to their full human potential when everything in the environment is "just right."  Food, furniture, learning activities, social relations, clothing, routines, and rituals must all be "just right" in order for them to develop their fullest potential as human beings. Young children are neither consciously aware of nor capable of directly communicating their interests and developmental needs. In Montessori's Early Childhood programs, teachers are charged with providing learning environments in which everything is "just right." For almost one hundred years, Montessori educators have observed a set of motivations shared by young children around the world. What Dr. Maria Montessori discovered in the St. Lorenz Quarter in 1907 was that children are self-motivated to learn from their environment.

Borrowing a term from biology, she called these stages the sensitive periods, after similar developmental stages in animals. The idea seemed revolutionary at the time, and took many years, following Piaget's extensions of Montessori's initial explanation, to become generally accepted in child psychology. Today, whether we use Montessori's terminology or not, the description of child development she first presented at the turn of the century rings true.

Each sensitive period is:

-A period of special sensibility and psychological attitudes.

-An overpowering force, interest, or impetus directing children to particular qualities and elements in the environment.

-A period of time during which children center their attention on specific aspects of the environment, to the exclusion of all else.

-A passion and a commitment.

-Derived from the unconscious and leads children to conscious and creative activities.

-Intense and prolonged activity which does not lead to fatigue or boredom, but instead leads to persistent energy and interest.

-A transitory state once realized the sensitive period disappears.

-Sensitive periods are never regained, once they have passed.

Dr. Montessori identified eleven different sensitive periods occurring from birth through age six. Each refers to a predisposition compelling children to acquire specific characteristics as described below. When Montessori teachers speak about children being "inner directed," they are referring to an inner compulsion or sensitive period. A Montessori teacher would say, for example, "This child is in her sensitive period for order." These phrases point to each child's predisposition to follow her own daily classroom routine in which she chooses the same materials and in the same sequence. Ages of the onset and conclusion of each sensitive period are approximate and are indicated before the general description.

Movement: (birth — 1) Random movements become coordinated and controlled: grasping, touching, turning, balancing, crawling, and walking.

Language: (birth-6) Use of words to communicate: a progression from babble to words to phrases to sentences, with a continuously expanding vocabulary and comprehension.

Small Objects: (1-4) A fixation on small objects and tiny details.

Order: (2-6) Characterized by a desire for consistency and repetition and a passionate love for established routines. Children can become deeply disturbed by disorder. The environment must be carefully ordered with a place for everything and with carefully established ground rules.

Music: (2-6)  Spontaneous interest in and the development of pitch, rhythm, and melody.

Grace & Courtesy: . (2-6) Imitation of polite and considerate behavior leading to an internalization of these qualities into the personality

Refinement of the Senses: (4-6) Fascination with sensorial experiences (taste, sound, touch, weight, smell) resulting with children learning to observe and with making increasingly refined sensorial discriminations.

Writing: (3-5) Fascination with the attempt to reproduce letters and numbers with pencil or pen and paper. Montessori discovered that writing precedes reading.

Reading: (3-6) Spontaneous interest in the symbolic representations of the sounds of each letter and in the formation of words.

Spatial Relationships: (4-6) Forming cognitive impressions about relationships in space, including the layout of familiar places. Children become more able to find their way around their neighborhoods, and they are increasingly able to work complex puzzles.

Mathematics: (4-6) Formation of the concepts of quantity and operations from the uses of concrete material aids.

Note: This list does not include the sensitive periods found in the development of older children and adolescents. However, it does suggest to the early childhood educator some of the things that young children absorb, or will if they are given exposure and opportunity.

Keep in mind that the child's learning during these early stages is not complete, nor has it reached the internalized abstraction stage that will develop as she grows older. It is, however, the foundation upon which much that follows will be built. Wherever this solid foundation is lacking, children will experience difficulty in learning and operating later on.

© 2007 The Montessori Foundation

November 2007

 ‘Tis the season for hats, mittens and warmer coats!

The other morning I was wiping the dew off the slides, when the children and I discovered the dew drops were not being absorbed by the towel!  There was silence as the children observed the glistening drops frozen during the night.  One child rubbed a towel over the drops again and reported, “They’re still not coming off!” Several hands reached to the slide and began feeling the cold, the bumpy texture of dewdrops against mittens, and melting the drops with the solid touch of a warm finger.

One of the many features of DMS that attracted me as a parent was the playground, and the potential for outside learning. Warm feet and hands help the children appreciate the beauty and excitement of the Maine winter. 

Independence in dressing for the weather is facilitated by providing time for you and your child to explore their new boots and mittens:

• Listen to the sound the velcro makes when opening, the sound emphasizes the act of loosening the straps/fasteners.

• Stretch the  cuff of the mitten, emphasize how it can be big enough for the hand, but will hug the wrist.

• Choose mittens for school. Mittens keep the fingers warmer because they are  together.  Getting the thumb in the thumb hole can take several tries, and a minute or two.  Gloves quadruple the effort, time spent, and the heavy cost of the child's frustration.

"Thumb in thumb place, fingers all together, this is the song we sing in mitten weather!"

Having our classroom open for observations, Parent Night in the Classroom and Parent Teacher conferences has provided many wonderful opportunities for us to share, and to gain an appreciation of the “whole child”.

If the conference/observation times didn’t work for your family, you can still participate- please drop me an e-mail, note or catch me on the playground so we can schedule a mutually convenient time. 

My e-mail is: jwilson@damariscottamontessorischool.org

Emma Tolley brought her dad to school recently. During Captain Tolley's journeys to Africa he has collected an extensive variety of handmade instruments. Our classroom friends loved having him share pictures of his ship, and the animals, people and landscape of Africa.  Without question our favorite part of the morning was when Captain Tolley invited us to experiment with sounds: rhythmic, musical and LOUD. Thanks for sharing!

   

October 24, 2007

Just a reminder that the sign-up for an observation time is in the front office.   This is a great time to come and see our classroom in action. Sign ups for the November parent teacher conferences will be posted in the front office in a few weeks--stay tuned for more information.

Many parents have asked "What can we do at home?"... so in answer to that query- here are a few suggestions for Montessori in the Home.  Following are some simple, everyday suggestions for Montessori in the home, encouraging independence, self-confidence, reasonable freedom of choice, orderliness and responsibility.

1. Arrange bathroom facilities for the child- a stool to reach the sink, his/her own washcloth, towel, hairbrush, toothbrush, clothes basket, etc.

2. Small pitcher of water and cups on a child sized table, or low shelf for all those "I want a drink" requests.  Simply say "You may get it."

3. Small pitcher or liquid measuring cup (with spout and handle) so your child can serve himself at mealtime and later, others.

4. Invite your child to help make her own bed, dust, sweep, care for pets, sort laundry for washing-darks/lights, match socks, etc.

5. Create the "possibility" of order for the child's toys and belongings. Being sure that each item has its own place on the shelf, instead of haphazardly stored into a toy box means less missing puzzle pieces,  fewer lost legos, etc.

6. Teach the child how to clean up when finished with a toy or material and showing where it belongs so "It will be here the next time you want to use it." (Sort of like what some of us need to do with our car keys, wallets, etc....)

October 2007

Is it really October? All the excitement of the first few weeks of school really kept our classroom energized and our children busy! We made new friends, learned new songs, and celebrated the birthday of one of our friends! 

When a child has a birthday, we celebrate with a "Birthday Walk".  The child holds a globe, and walks in a circle around our "sun".  Each trip the child/globe makes around the sun represents one year in the child's life. 

We have have been classifying living and non-living things in our world.  In our classroom, we respect all living and non-living beings. There has been scholarly debate about which category cars should be in since cars move and can die!

We have discussed the four elements all living things need: Air, Land, Water and Fire (aka the sun).  We have identified the need/purpose of each of these elements. 

Our classroom has a peace area, and a peace shelf with various activities the children may do during work time.  We have read The Peace Rose as a community a few times, and children continue to choose this book from the peace shelf to enjoy during work time.  The story and pictures depict children resolving hurt feelings and disputes by giving messages while taking turns holding the peace rose. The friend holding the rose gives a message, while the other friend listens to that message.  Often a teacher will be part of the peace-keeping conversation while friends are learning to listen to each other. 

Just a note about lunches:  We encourage the children to re-pack items they didn't finish or like so that they could talk about that item at home.  This should help you and your child identify foods they will eat at school.

Carline update:  During the first few days of carline, our classroom community greeted one another and cheered, offered encouragement and hugs; so by the third day of carline we were completely tear-free (on the playground, anyways!) 

In October we will continue with apples/pumpkins- a natural lead in to our Harvest Festival! 

September 2007

First Week of School, September 4-7, 2007:

Miss Dot and I welcomed 16 students new to DMS, giving our 8 “veteran” students many opportunities to model the friendship skills of being kind, caring and respectful.  During the first weeks of school, many lessons in Grace and Courtesy are modeled and given by the teachers; these ground rules help us build a peaceful and cooperative classroom community.

When your family provides snack for school, please include the list of ingredients used (for home made) or the packaging (for purchased).  Packing enough snacks for “Ooops” servings is especially appreciated, as our children will be serving themselves.

Bridging the transition from home to school requires communication between families and teachers. Thank you for understanding that playground conferences need to be brief to ensure the safety of our children. I am happy to return phone calls or arrange for a meeting for issues requiring more attention.

We look forward to a great school year!