Hurray for Giving Tree….We are so excited to be back at school, with many old friends and new friends, as well.  It is a wonderful balance of experienced students and those who are joining us in their first classroom experience. 

Our first week of school went beautifully and we are hoping this is an indication of how this year will be.  The group settled into the classroom easily, eagerly exploring the different areas of the classroom.  Our returning students were also happy to see the changes we have made to the classroom, in response to our observations from last year.  If you have not had the chance to see the room yet, please take a look. 

As we begin the year, we are closely observing the work of the children.  Through observations of their play, interests, conversations and interactions, we are able to begin assessment of their development in various areas.  This observation also allows us to plan curriculum that is based on the interests of our students. 

We have added a new area to the classroom-The Writer’s Corner- in an effort to expand our work in language and literacy.  We will also be adding an Investigation Table, where we will place interesting natural items that we hope the children will investigate.

We are also carefully planning our small group work so that children become exposed to each area of the classroom.  Each day, we will focus on a different part of the classroom, emphasizing the name of the area (ex. Invention Area, Sun Space, etc.) while talking about what type of work might be done there and how the materials within can be used.

Get to Know our Classroom…..As the children get to know the classroom, you will likely hear them mention specific areas by name.  Here is a list of the classroom areas, along with a brief summary of what might take place in each area:

	Stage- While we have the trains available for use now, this area will typically be used for storytelling and acting out.
	Block Area- This area features various building materials along with wooden blocks, marble rollers, trucks and planes.
	Reading Loft- Our beautiful loft, built last year, is a cozy space for relaxing and reading a book or watching the activity in the classroom.
	Play House- This area features a child sized kitchen and chairs, and will be rotated with various themes throughout the year.
	Invention Area- This area features assorted art supplies, along with recycleables and raw materials that can be used to create various items designed by the children.  It also includes a sensory table and easel.
	Writer’s Corner- This space is our work-in-progress.  It will feature writing materials and props.
	Sun Space- This area is used for mealtimes, as well as large group in the afternoon.

Separation Anxiety and the School Community…. On Monday, August 25^th, Giving Tree School hosted a workshop for families and staff.  In the workshop entitled Supporting Transitions, Supporting Families: Building Resources for Life, Megan Bathory-Peeler reminded us that is takes a village to grow a family and we are lucky to have a village that works together at Giving Tree.  As the group of about 15 discussed the many challenges we face as parents and teachers of young children, we were reminded of our common needs for support and guidance in working with young children.   

We were also reminded that separation anxiety is a healthy developmental milestone.  “Universal, separation from parents can be a stressful experience for children…. Separation anxiety can occur even with familiar caregivers and in familiar environments….It can be upsetting for the child experiencing the fear, anger, grief, frustration or confusion, and unsettling for the adults and other children within the shared tension field.”

So how can we support our children, one another and ourselves? 

• Be consistent, with reassuring greeting/goodbye rituals.

• Offer predictable routines.

• Respond to distress and crying
   

  	Acknowledge feelings through active listening and accurate reflection.
  	Offer empathy, presence and patience.
  	Slow the pace.
  	Allow for completion of the expression of feelings.
  	Include a transition “love”, parent object, family picture or stuffy.

Finally, and most importantly at drop off time, please know that the teachers will never take a child away from or pry a child off of a parent.  It is important that the parent initiate a “handing off” of a child in distress, as teachers are trying to build the bond of trust with children.

Conversations with Teachers…. As teachers, we appreciate the importance of communicating with parents about the individual needs of every child.  We love to share news of exciting observations we have made or to tell parents stories of what happened during the day. 

Unfortunately, because we have many children in our care, it is difficult for us to speak to parents at length during drop off and pick up times.  We are glad to check in and share a quick story with you, or to hear about something that might have happened at home.  However, lengthy interactions draw us away from the group and the needs of the other children. 

We ask that you please remember these guidelines for drop-off and pick-up times:

• Please share any news that might impact a child’s day at school with the teachers at drop off time.  This could include a difficult morning transition, a lack of sleep, missing breakfast or other family news.

• Please limit conversation with the teachers during drop off/pick up.  The teachers are supervising children who need our full attention.

• Please read the “Today at Giving Tree” posting next to the front door to see what took place at school each day.

• When you arrive at school for pick up and teachers acknowledge your presence, know that you assume responsibility for your child. 

• Remember to sign your child in and out of school everyday.  The sign in sheet will be used in the case of an emergency evacuation from the building and must be current at all times.

Understanding the High-Scope Curriculum…

Preschool MILESTONES

Giving Tree School uses the High-Scope approach to educating young children and is a High-Scope accredited school.  The educational content of High/Scope Preschool programs is built around 58 "key developmental indicators" (KDIs) in five curriculum content areas.  The KDIs are early childhood milestones that guide teachers as they plan and assess learning experiences and interact with children to support learning. 

Approaches to Learning
Making and expressing choices, plans, and decisions; Solving problems encountered in play

Language, Literacy, and Communication 
Talking with others about personally meaningful experiences; Describing objects, events, and relations; Having fun with language: listening to stories and poems, making up stories and rhymes; Writing in various ways: drawing, scribbling, letter-like forms, invented spelling, conventional forms; Reading in various ways: reading storybooks, signs and symbols, one's own writing; Dictating stories

Social and Emotional Development
Taking care of one's own needs; Expressing feelings in words; Building relationships with children and adults; Creating and experiencing collaborative play; Dealing with social conflict. 

Physical Development, Health, and Well-Being
Moving in nonlocomotor ways (anchored movement: bending, twisting, rocking, swinging one's arms; Moving in locomotor ways (nonanchored movement: running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, climbing); Moving with objects; Expressing creativity in movement; Describing movement; Acting upon movement directions; Feeling and expressing steady beat; Moving in sequences to a common beat.

Arts and Sciences
Mathematics
Seriation Comparing attributes (longer/shorter, bigger/smaller); Arranging several things one after another in a series or pattern and describing the relationships(big/bigger/biggest, red/blue/red/blue); Fitting one ordered set of objects to another through trial and error (small cup—small saucer/medium cup—medium saucer/big cup—big saucer)
Number Comparing the numbers of things in two sets to determine "more," "fewer," "same number" ; Arranging two sets of objects in one-to-one correspondence ; Counting objects 
Space Filling and emptying; Fitting things together and taking them apart ; Changing the shape and arrangement of objects (wrapping, twisting, stretching, stacking, enclosing) ; Observing people, places, and things from different spatial viewpoints; Experiencing and describing positions, directions, and distances in the play space, building, and neighborhood; Interpreting spatial relations in drawings, pictures, and photographs 
Science and Technology
Classification Recognizing objects by sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell ;Exploring and describing similarities, differences, and the attributes of things; Distinguishing and describing shapes; Sorting and matching; Using and describing something in several ways; Holding more than one attribute in mind at a time; Distinguishing between "some" and "all"; Describing characteristics something does not possess or what class it does not belong to 
Time Starting and stopping an action on signal; Experiencing and describing rates of movement; Experiencing and comparing time intervals; Anticipating, remembering, and describing sequences of events 
Social Studies
Participating in group routines; Being sensitive to the feelings, interests, and needs of others 
Arts 
Visual Art Relating models, pictures, and photographs to real places and things; Making models out of clay, blocks, and other materials; Drawing and painting 
Dramatic Art Imitating actions and sounds; Pretending and role playing 
Music Moving to music; Exploring and identifying sounds; Exploring the singing voice; Developing melody; Singing songs; Playing simple musical instruments

Birthday Celebrations… Celebrating birthdays is a favorite event of young children.  As they grow older and develop concepts related to age, number and time, they build a more abstract understanding of who they are and how they grow. 

As teachers, we feel lucky to share these special events with children.  This year, we would like to offer the following ideas for celebrating a birthday at school: 

1. Bring in animal crackers and juice as a celebratory snack. Or send in your child’s favorite fruit or fruit salad.  Because cakes and cupcakes are typically high in sugar and we cannot be sure of the ingredients, we will not be able to share them with the other children.

2. Send in a favorite story about your child when he or she was young.  Or write down how he or she was named.

3. Send in baby pictures that can be shared with the group throughout the day.

4. If you wish to make the celebration particularly festive, we welcome you to send in special party decorations for use at snack time.

Thank you for your help in following these guidelines.  We look forward to hearing the stories you will share with us!

A Reminder to all--- Planning, an important part of the learning process at Giving Tree, takes place at 9:00 each morning.  Children need to arrive at school in time to participate in the day’s events.  Additionally, on days that your child cannot arrive before 9:00, please know that teachers will not be able to provide your child with the one-on-one assistance sometimes needed when you depart.  After planning, teachers are engaged in Active Learning and the observation of the group.  Thank you for making every effort to allow your child to participate fully in our routines.