August 2018
During the first two weeks of school we will launch into the Lower School 2018-2019 theme of Make A Joyful Noise. We will also be administering language and math diagnostics. We work to create a relaxed and supportive atmosphere for the diagnostics. As we tell the children, we need to get a sense of what they already know and what they are ready to learn, so that we can plan good activities for them. We will begin our Writing Workshop with the whole class during the first two weeks as well. Once Language Groups are formed, we will move into Writing Workshop within Language Group time.
Dear Sky Class Families and
Caregivers,
Welcome to the new school year in
Sky Class! We are excited to have your child and you in our Sky Class
community.
The first two weeks we will be
doing activities designed to build a sense of community among the children, to
give them an opportunity to get to know one another and us, and to orient them
to the school, classroom, and program. As we work on fostering the sharing
of school supplies in our classroom, we will provide the necessary materials.
Students do not need to bring personal art materials, notebooks, etc.
During the first two weeks of school we will launch into the Lower School 2018-2019 theme of Make A Joyful Noise. We will also be administering language and math diagnostics. We work to create a relaxed and supportive atmosphere for the diagnostics. As we tell the children, we need to get a sense of what they already know and what they are ready to learn, so that we can plan good activities for them. We will begin our Writing Workshop with the whole class during the first two weeks as well. Once Language Groups are formed, we will move into Writing Workshop within Language Group time.
Initially your child may be
confused or anxious about some of the classroom routines and other goings-on.
Some children may be reluctant to share all their questions and concerns with
new teachers (or teachers they have not seen all summer). Please let us know
about things they may have found confusing or worrisome. You can write down
their questions and concerns and send them in. They need not be signed. We will
read these questions out loud and do our best to answer them clearly. It is
likely that if your child is confused about something, there may be others
confused as well.
We invite children to bring items
and stories to our “show and tell” time, which we call sharing. Beginning the
second week of school, we will have a sign-up available and up to four children
may sign up on a given day, Tuesday through Friday. We ask that a child not
sign up more than once in a two week period. We focus this sharing time on
certain items. Unless a child has special permission from a teacher, a sharing
should be 1) something the child has made, 2) a book the child enjoys, 3) an
item from nature, 4) a “telling” about a current event in the child’s life, 5)
a musical performance (a song, a dance, playing an instrument), or a 6) live
share (family member, friend, pet, etc.). Pets may be
shared if you make prior arrangements with the teachers. For
logistics, we need to have just one pet sharing on a given day. As always,
the Star of the Week (more on that later!) can share every day, including
Monday. The Star can share whatever he/she chooses.
We work to create a child-centered
space in our classroom. Our students are at an age where it is increasingly
important for them to have their own space away from home and their families.
That means caregivers’ roles in the classroom may be different than in Early
School or Kindergarten. We still love to have you involved and there are many
ways for you to participate that enrich our program while supporting your
child’s growth into independence. We will provide more information about
volunteer opportunities at Back to School Night.
We will share more information
about Sky Class in the weeks to come, especially at Back to School Night,
Thursday, September 13th. We will be sending out regular information, often by
email; so be sure the school has an up-to-date email address for your family.
For now, please read the attached list of pertinent information. Save this and
other information that you receive from us for future reference. Creating
a “Lower School” file to keep such information is helpful. We are
looking forward to the year ahead!
Warmly,
Natasha, Kate and Katie
nshannon@cfsnc.org
knewman@cfsnc.org
kmactaggart@cfsnc.org
