GTMS Life > News June 14, 2022

End of a year…New beginnings

We are so proud of how much your children have grown this year and we know that you are, too! When I look up from the constant flurry of activity, I feel such gratefulness for being a part of this community, for the chance to know these wonderful young people, and for the overwhelming support […]

We are so proud of how much your children have grown this year and we know that you are, too! When I look up from the constant flurry of activity, I feel such gratefulness for being a part of this community, for the chance to know these wonderful young people, and for the overwhelming support that you, their parents, have given us through a very exceptional school year. Thank you!

  • On the Last Day of school, we will send with each child all of their things, including indoor shoes and clothing. We do our best to collect everything, but if you find you are missing anything in particular, please ask Eileen, Chris, or Jasmin about lost and found items in the lobby.
  • We are on the lookout for a few misplaced Montessori materials. We hope they will all turn up in the classroom during the final clean-up, of course, but if you should come across any small items that may have accidentally traveled home from the classroom, please do bring them back to school! Notably, we hope to soon locate our tiny wooden numeral tile (2), our not so tiny blue painted wooden sphere, and our blue oval metal inset for tracing)

We got to spend time with our 10 colorful, fluffy hatchlings and gave them a slew of nicknames!

Many of you have asked me about ways to support your child’s learning over the summer. Early Childhood is a time of constant learning, and there is really no replacement for summer experiences: nature, water play, special trips and outings, and visits with friends and family.

  • So, my first recommendation is to play play play outside and enjoy all that summer has to offer. Experiences that involve the whole body and the five senses are instrumental to development and by far more important than anything offered via pencil and paper or a screen. Learning how to jump, hop, skip, move, run, interact, and spontaneously play happen now.
  • Second, keep in mind your child’s growing independence. Allow them to practice the things they are capable of doing by themselves, such as getting dressed, and set up a home environment that meets their growing abilities. Avoid replacing your actions for theirs when it is something they could do themselves with just a little encouragement and time to try. Keeping to the summer version of familiar routines will also help your child to feel calm, secure, and independent.
  • Third: Read to your child every day. Model fluent reading and enjoyment of literature. Respect your child’s interest or knowledge of letters and words, but avoid making reading only about skills (there will be plenty of time for work with the sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet, and on and on as they naturally become ready.)
  • Finally, if you really are itching to boost your child’s literacy skills, talk and listen, rhyme, SING, change the lyrics, switch up the starting sounds of words, play games, and have conversations about the world around you. If your child is noticing letters around town, associating the symbol with the SOUND it makes is more important to their reading development than knowing the letter names. Interacting in these ways with real people we care about builds a strong aural-auditory foundation.

This year we must say a fond farewell to Kindergarteners Cora, Hunter, Elliana, and Elise, and also to Savannah, Wesley, and Amalia. We will miss you and we will think of you often!

We wish any families in quarantine a swift return to health and regular routines, and we wish everyone a summer of safety and health.

All the Best, with love,

Mrs. Brown and Miss Kat

This is my school, my place to work and play

My friends and I, we come here everyday

Washing a table and polishing a cup

Every day we’re growing up

We care for our work so lovingly

Here we are, a community

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