“There is in the soul of a child an impenetrable secret that is gradually revealed as it develops."
~Dr. Maria Montessori~
~Dr. Maria Montessori~
COMMUNICATION
Community is very important to me. In order to maintain a positive and peaceful community, we need to trust each other and have open communication. By working together, we can provide a wonderful learning environment for your child and for your family. You are your child’s first teacher so help me open the door to the world of learning in a school environment. Communication from the classroom will consist of Friday emails. All classroom information/schedules will be available at any time on our Classroom Website (www.kristinlarrea.weebly.com). Please use this site as a resource for curriculum updates, upcoming events, snack schedules, birthday information and opportunities for involvement. I will post pictures of your kiddos working in the classroom (no names will be used). Please let me know if you would prefer your child not be placed on our site. I will also contact you personally as needs arise or when something great happens. Please know that you may do the same at any time! I love stories about home.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
As I stated earlier, a positive and peaceful community is important for our learning and social development. The following community rules are expected from everyone in our environment. .
Treat others as you want to be treated (Follow the Golden Rule)
Quiet voices
Walking feet
Hands on our own bodies
Respect others work and concentration
Respectful listening
Social and emotional development at the primary level is very important. We aim to guide your children to get along with others and to respect others work and concentration. We also hope to instill a sense of pride in being respectful as well as an understanding that respectful behavior brings peace to our environment.
CLASSROOM LEARNING
Your children will be given lessons in all curricular areas of the classroom. These lessons are a means of introducing many works to your child so that he may then go forth and choose his work according to his interests. During the three year cycle, we see a very interesting transformation of the child. As a three year old, the child spends much of his time absorbing his environment through observation while experimenting with work and learning. As a four year old, the child spends more time making choices in his area of interest, becoming a bigger part of his learning adventure. When the child enters kindergarten, he is ready to take the room by storm, working, teaching, guiding the youngers, and making choices for his own learning that will best suite his development. As teachers, we are there to guide this development, offering lessons and helping him to make choices. We prepare the environment so that it is beautiful and presented as the child's home for learning.:
Please see the Curriculum Corner for more information on classroom learning.
DAILY SCHEDULE
Morning Session: 8:15-11:18
8:00 to 8:10 am Primary Playground Drop Off
Primary families will now park and walk up to the primary playground gates on Thirteenth Street.
Preschool families are required to sign in for the day.
DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF UNTIL A STAFF MEMBER IS PRESENT
8:15-11:18 Morning Work Time (includes a 30 minute recess)
11:18 Morning preschool dismissal - Children will be escorted to the primary gates once the all day students have lined up. Please remain outside the gate.
11:20-12:20: Continued work time
12:25-1:05 Lunch for kindergarten and all day preschool children
1:05-1:35 Preschool Rest Time/Kindergarten Silent Reading
1:05-2:30 Afternoon Work Time for kindergarten and all-day preschool children
2:40-3:07: Recess
3:07 Peaceful Goodbyes - Please park and safely walk up to the primary playground gate. All primary classes will line up outside their classroom doors a few minutes before the bell rings. Once the bell rings, you are welcome to walk in the gate to greet your child. Your child is expected to wait peacefully until you have walked up the our line, shake a teachers hand and say goodbye before leaving the line. Saying goodbye to each and every child allows me to sleep at night!! Thank you!
Specials Schedule:
Monday
Library 9:00
Spanish 11:45-12:15
Tuesday
Gym 9-9:30
Wednesday
Gym 8:25-8:55
Spanish 10:05-10:35
Thursday
Gym 8:25-8:55
Music 11:45-12:15
Friday
Music 11:45-12:15
SNACKYour child will be preparing his/her own snack, as this is part of the Montessori curriculum. A snack menu will be sent home every other month with requested family donations that include a variety of nutritious foods for growing minds and bodies. Water will always be available in the room; however we encourage you to send a labeled water bottle for your child to keep at school. All bottles will be sent home on Fridays for cleaning. The snack menu will begin the first day of school so please take the time to check the attached menu. Thank you!!
*****Allergies: If you child has food allergies, please contact me as soon as possible.
LUNCH TIME
KINDERGARTEN and ALL DAY PRESCHOOL children will eat lunch in the cafeteria. You may choose to pack a lunch or purchase the school lunch. If packing a lunch, please keep in mind child-friendly containers and food packaging. Please take the opportunity to practice packing and unpacking a lunch box with your child and showing him how to take care of uneaten food, trash, etc. We will reinforce these skills during the first weeks of school.
School lunches may be purchased for $2.70 per lunch. There are usually two choices on the menu each day (menus may be found on the Snack/Menus page on our classroom website). You may send money in each day in a sealed, marked envelope OR you may pay in advanced for several lunches and your child will have an account set up with a lunch balance. Lunches should be purchased in advance. Milk may be purchased for 50 cents, daily or off the account.
If your child will be having school lunch or milk on a non-consistent basis it will be helpful if you verbally prep your child in the morning as a reminder. Going over the lunch choices will also help your child make lunch choices independently once they arrive at school.
REST TIME
Kindergarten rest time is called “silent reading”. It consists of sitting quietly on a rug for 20-30 minutes while reading from personal book boxes. These book boxes are filled with books the children “shop” for from around the room. Kindergarten children will not use bedding during silent reading.
All day preschool children will rest on cots for 20-30 minutes with more time for sleepers. Please send blanket/small pillows in at the beginning of the week. All bedding should be able to fit in a 5 gallon zip lock bag. We use these for sanitary safety. We will send bedding home on Fridays for cleaning.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays, in the Montessori classroom, are celebrated in a very unique way. This special celebration includes the children in class, parents, siblings and any other family members you wish to invite. All of the children sit in a circle on the floor around a candle that represents the sun. The birthday child walks around the circle while carrying a small globe. Each trip around the “sun” represents one year in the child’s life. As the child walks, his or her parent talks about the milestones for each year.
Example: “Joey was born on March 3, 1997 in Traverse City, Michigan at 6:00 in the evening. During his first year of life, he learned to crawl, stand-up and feed himself. He smiled first at his mom. At the end of the year, Joey was one-year-old.” The story continues until the child reaches his or her current age. We realize that schedules are tight and busy, if you cannot be here, we will be more than happy to tell the story for you. You may also wish to send a few photos of your child to show his/her growth. The pictures will be placed on a table for the children to look at during work time.
Sharing a snack for a birthday celebration is a favorite among the children. You may choose to do this by providing a nutritious snack for the class or by preparing a cooking project for the children. Appropriate snacks include cut fruit or veggies, crackers/cheese, muffins, bagels/cream cheese, trail mix, fresh bread. Fun cooking projects might include smoothies, bagel or english muffin pizzas, quesadillas, pancakes, etc. Please contact us at least a week in advance if you want to cook with the children. Snacks sent in will be served during work time.
Please save “sweet treats” for your at-home celebration.
PARENT OBSERVATIONS
Parents are welcome to observe in the classroom. We do ask that you please wait until after the first six weeks of school so that the children have time to acclimate to our environment. Our hope is that you will be able to observe the environment when it is normalized.
Normalized: A Montessori term meaning the process that occurs in the Montessori classroom, where young children learn to focus and concentrate for sustained periods of time, while deriving self-satisfaction from their work.
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year in October and again in February. This is a time when you join the teacher in the classroom to discuss your child's learning and social/emotional growth. At the primary level, it is helpful to have parents come without children. You are always welcome to visit the classroom during the school day to have your child show his/her work. You may also contact me anytime before or after conferences to discuss your child's progress.
Community is very important to me. In order to maintain a positive and peaceful community, we need to trust each other and have open communication. By working together, we can provide a wonderful learning environment for your child and for your family. You are your child’s first teacher so help me open the door to the world of learning in a school environment. Communication from the classroom will consist of Friday emails. All classroom information/schedules will be available at any time on our Classroom Website (www.kristinlarrea.weebly.com). Please use this site as a resource for curriculum updates, upcoming events, snack schedules, birthday information and opportunities for involvement. I will post pictures of your kiddos working in the classroom (no names will be used). Please let me know if you would prefer your child not be placed on our site. I will also contact you personally as needs arise or when something great happens. Please know that you may do the same at any time! I love stories about home.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
As I stated earlier, a positive and peaceful community is important for our learning and social development. The following community rules are expected from everyone in our environment. .
Treat others as you want to be treated (Follow the Golden Rule)
Quiet voices
Walking feet
Hands on our own bodies
Respect others work and concentration
Respectful listening
Social and emotional development at the primary level is very important. We aim to guide your children to get along with others and to respect others work and concentration. We also hope to instill a sense of pride in being respectful as well as an understanding that respectful behavior brings peace to our environment.
CLASSROOM LEARNING
Your children will be given lessons in all curricular areas of the classroom. These lessons are a means of introducing many works to your child so that he may then go forth and choose his work according to his interests. During the three year cycle, we see a very interesting transformation of the child. As a three year old, the child spends much of his time absorbing his environment through observation while experimenting with work and learning. As a four year old, the child spends more time making choices in his area of interest, becoming a bigger part of his learning adventure. When the child enters kindergarten, he is ready to take the room by storm, working, teaching, guiding the youngers, and making choices for his own learning that will best suite his development. As teachers, we are there to guide this development, offering lessons and helping him to make choices. We prepare the environment so that it is beautiful and presented as the child's home for learning.:
Please see the Curriculum Corner for more information on classroom learning.
DAILY SCHEDULE
Morning Session: 8:15-11:18
8:00 to 8:10 am Primary Playground Drop Off
Primary families will now park and walk up to the primary playground gates on Thirteenth Street.
Preschool families are required to sign in for the day.
DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF UNTIL A STAFF MEMBER IS PRESENT
8:15-11:18 Morning Work Time (includes a 30 minute recess)
11:18 Morning preschool dismissal - Children will be escorted to the primary gates once the all day students have lined up. Please remain outside the gate.
11:20-12:20: Continued work time
12:25-1:05 Lunch for kindergarten and all day preschool children
1:05-1:35 Preschool Rest Time/Kindergarten Silent Reading
1:05-2:30 Afternoon Work Time for kindergarten and all-day preschool children
2:40-3:07: Recess
3:07 Peaceful Goodbyes - Please park and safely walk up to the primary playground gate. All primary classes will line up outside their classroom doors a few minutes before the bell rings. Once the bell rings, you are welcome to walk in the gate to greet your child. Your child is expected to wait peacefully until you have walked up the our line, shake a teachers hand and say goodbye before leaving the line. Saying goodbye to each and every child allows me to sleep at night!! Thank you!
Specials Schedule:
Monday
Library 9:00
Spanish 11:45-12:15
Tuesday
Gym 9-9:30
Wednesday
Gym 8:25-8:55
Spanish 10:05-10:35
Thursday
Gym 8:25-8:55
Music 11:45-12:15
Friday
Music 11:45-12:15
SNACKYour child will be preparing his/her own snack, as this is part of the Montessori curriculum. A snack menu will be sent home every other month with requested family donations that include a variety of nutritious foods for growing minds and bodies. Water will always be available in the room; however we encourage you to send a labeled water bottle for your child to keep at school. All bottles will be sent home on Fridays for cleaning. The snack menu will begin the first day of school so please take the time to check the attached menu. Thank you!!
*****Allergies: If you child has food allergies, please contact me as soon as possible.
LUNCH TIME
KINDERGARTEN and ALL DAY PRESCHOOL children will eat lunch in the cafeteria. You may choose to pack a lunch or purchase the school lunch. If packing a lunch, please keep in mind child-friendly containers and food packaging. Please take the opportunity to practice packing and unpacking a lunch box with your child and showing him how to take care of uneaten food, trash, etc. We will reinforce these skills during the first weeks of school.
School lunches may be purchased for $2.70 per lunch. There are usually two choices on the menu each day (menus may be found on the Snack/Menus page on our classroom website). You may send money in each day in a sealed, marked envelope OR you may pay in advanced for several lunches and your child will have an account set up with a lunch balance. Lunches should be purchased in advance. Milk may be purchased for 50 cents, daily or off the account.
If your child will be having school lunch or milk on a non-consistent basis it will be helpful if you verbally prep your child in the morning as a reminder. Going over the lunch choices will also help your child make lunch choices independently once they arrive at school.
REST TIME
Kindergarten rest time is called “silent reading”. It consists of sitting quietly on a rug for 20-30 minutes while reading from personal book boxes. These book boxes are filled with books the children “shop” for from around the room. Kindergarten children will not use bedding during silent reading.
All day preschool children will rest on cots for 20-30 minutes with more time for sleepers. Please send blanket/small pillows in at the beginning of the week. All bedding should be able to fit in a 5 gallon zip lock bag. We use these for sanitary safety. We will send bedding home on Fridays for cleaning.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays, in the Montessori classroom, are celebrated in a very unique way. This special celebration includes the children in class, parents, siblings and any other family members you wish to invite. All of the children sit in a circle on the floor around a candle that represents the sun. The birthday child walks around the circle while carrying a small globe. Each trip around the “sun” represents one year in the child’s life. As the child walks, his or her parent talks about the milestones for each year.
Example: “Joey was born on March 3, 1997 in Traverse City, Michigan at 6:00 in the evening. During his first year of life, he learned to crawl, stand-up and feed himself. He smiled first at his mom. At the end of the year, Joey was one-year-old.” The story continues until the child reaches his or her current age. We realize that schedules are tight and busy, if you cannot be here, we will be more than happy to tell the story for you. You may also wish to send a few photos of your child to show his/her growth. The pictures will be placed on a table for the children to look at during work time.
Sharing a snack for a birthday celebration is a favorite among the children. You may choose to do this by providing a nutritious snack for the class or by preparing a cooking project for the children. Appropriate snacks include cut fruit or veggies, crackers/cheese, muffins, bagels/cream cheese, trail mix, fresh bread. Fun cooking projects might include smoothies, bagel or english muffin pizzas, quesadillas, pancakes, etc. Please contact us at least a week in advance if you want to cook with the children. Snacks sent in will be served during work time.
Please save “sweet treats” for your at-home celebration.
PARENT OBSERVATIONS
Parents are welcome to observe in the classroom. We do ask that you please wait until after the first six weeks of school so that the children have time to acclimate to our environment. Our hope is that you will be able to observe the environment when it is normalized.
Normalized: A Montessori term meaning the process that occurs in the Montessori classroom, where young children learn to focus and concentrate for sustained periods of time, while deriving self-satisfaction from their work.
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year in October and again in February. This is a time when you join the teacher in the classroom to discuss your child's learning and social/emotional growth. At the primary level, it is helpful to have parents come without children. You are always welcome to visit the classroom during the school day to have your child show his/her work. You may also contact me anytime before or after conferences to discuss your child's progress.