Parent Potluck
A reminder that the parent potluck is this Thursday at 6:30. Bring a dish to share!
Halloween
In years past we have celebrated Halloween by dressing up and having a short parade into town. More details to come, but for planning purposes, know that costumes are welcome.
VAEYC Reflections
On Friday, nine of the MVS staff trekked down to Killington to attend the VAEYC conference. While there, we attended a variety of workshops related to the care and education of young children, all of which had the purpose of giving participants knowledge and skills to take back to the classroom.
Professional development opportunities like this one are vital to the work we do with children. Not only do they allow educators the time to examine and discuss the latest developments in the field, but they encourage collaboration and idea sharing. In the morning session I spent time in a workshop on song writing with children, an interest that I've had for many years. I'm lucky enough to sing with our kids on a daily basis and this workshop helped bring some structure to some of my ideas and left me thinking about more opportunities for developing this kind of curriculum at MVS.
In the afternoon, I found myself in a workshop where I disagreed with the presenter's approach and philosophy. That too, was an exceptionally important part of this conference for me. In the time after the presentation, I've been able to reflect on the reasons for my disagreement. This kind of reflection is a valuable practice in education. After a few days of contemplation, I understand my strong feelings came from a place of deep belief and commitment to our philosophy and it's implementation.
Again, on the reflection piece, in an educator's day we need to do this all the time! It's vital to the success of our classrooms that we stop, observe, reflect, then reevaluate and perhaps change what it is we are doing. Professional development opportunities keep up tuned in and in so many ways force reflection upon us. For that, I'm very very glad.
Those not pictured in the photo above recently spent time at another valuable training with Charlie Appelstein on the power of a strength based approach to education. We've mentioned Appelstein here in the newsletter before, but here's a link to his site.
A big thank you to parents and families for your continued support of these opportunities for MVS staff. Being a teacher means being a lifelong learner, and we are grateful to further our own learning!
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: We welcomed a new baby this week, and saw more developmental milestones in the other children. Two of the infants are now able to stand all by themselves and without support. We are also observing determined babies who are working through frustrating moments to accomplish things they have set out to do. We've moved a few pieces of furniture around to encourage gross motor development. This has allowed for even more crawling and climbing as well as more freedom to walk around structures without obstacles. A few friendly reminders for families: 1. Please remember to take all food home at day's end. 2. Please bring in layers and warm winter clothing. 3. We request that you take off your shoes before entering the classroom. We know that this sometimes seems cumbersome, however, with our children spending a majority of the day low to the floor/on the floor, we want to ensure a clean and healthy environment for them. Removing outdoor shoes lessens the dirt and pathogens that are tracked in and left on the floor. Thanks for your attention to this!
Infant II: What a gorgeous fall week. We spent plenty of time outdoors and really enjoyed it. Of special interest are the small pumpkins and crab apples throughout the playground. The older children have seen a bit of a language explosion. They are connecting words in short sentences to express themselves and share things that they observe. The younger children are gaining more and more confidence with standing. We continue to work on gentle interactions with our peers as well as respectful manners. Additionally, Infant II loved seeing and spending time with Sarah's dogs, counting the crab apples and collecting them in containers and watching shadows on the side of the building and making the shadows move by walking backwards.
Toddler I: We are spending time attending to routines in Toddler I, both accomplishing tasks throughout the day and emphasizing what the expected behaviors are during those times. One of the ways we worked on this was thinking about the concept of 'quiet" vs "LOUD." To highlight this we used shakers in circle to feel and hear the differences between the two. Later in the week we built on this concept to think about where we can be quiet and loud. Next week we will examine this even further. Another focus this week has been on care of the classroom and our materials. A few ways we are practicing this include "cleaning as we go;" picking up toys once we are finished and before moving on to another area for play. And, being conscientious with our things: On Thursday we repaired the wheels of our trucks together and talked about maintaining, mending and repairing items to keep them in good working order.
Toddler II: The children continue to ask to paint more and more. We have started painting on cardboard and each day; we paint and allow it to dry. The next day look at the results and add another color. A few of the children experimented with scratching the paint with their fingernails to see what would happen, they scratched slow, fast, with all of their fingers and then just one. We also have brought in the sensory table and have been working with soapy water, small scoops and narrow bottles. Our focus on pouring has developed greatly. This has translated to the lunch table when we are pouring our own water and milk. We have continued our discussion of fall, Halloween, October and birthdays. We have several birthdays coming up and the children are very excited. Outside there has been a lot of kickball. The main rules are: kick the ball and then run, the other children will chase you. We have also spent a lot of time outside reading. Each day the children choose several books to take with us and we find a sunny spot to sit and listen, often just with 2-3 children.
Pre- K: The class has been trying to keep our cubby and hallway space clean and organized. This means shoes in the shoe cubbies, one additional set of clothes in the basket, and minimizing excess and clutter. If you have noticed these changes, help your student maintain the organization! This week at the library we celebrated the letter "F," right in time for fall. We have been reading and talking about Halloween including Spooky Box and revisiting The Dark Dark Tale. During these book times, we are asking specific questions related to the text such as, "What would you put in the spooky box, and why?" "What ingredients would you add to your potion? What would each ingredient do?" We have also been talking about when to ask for adult help. Our focus has been on encouraging the children to persevere through difficult social tasks to try to solve problems with autonomy. When you've exhausted your options, then ask an adult for help. We have also been clear with the children that this approach does not apply to dangerous situations. Our hope is to empower the children and develop their problem solving skills.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
A reminder that the parent potluck is this Thursday at 6:30. Bring a dish to share!
Halloween
In years past we have celebrated Halloween by dressing up and having a short parade into town. More details to come, but for planning purposes, know that costumes are welcome.
VAEYC Reflections
Professional development opportunities like this one are vital to the work we do with children. Not only do they allow educators the time to examine and discuss the latest developments in the field, but they encourage collaboration and idea sharing. In the morning session I spent time in a workshop on song writing with children, an interest that I've had for many years. I'm lucky enough to sing with our kids on a daily basis and this workshop helped bring some structure to some of my ideas and left me thinking about more opportunities for developing this kind of curriculum at MVS.
In the afternoon, I found myself in a workshop where I disagreed with the presenter's approach and philosophy. That too, was an exceptionally important part of this conference for me. In the time after the presentation, I've been able to reflect on the reasons for my disagreement. This kind of reflection is a valuable practice in education. After a few days of contemplation, I understand my strong feelings came from a place of deep belief and commitment to our philosophy and it's implementation.
Again, on the reflection piece, in an educator's day we need to do this all the time! It's vital to the success of our classrooms that we stop, observe, reflect, then reevaluate and perhaps change what it is we are doing. Professional development opportunities keep up tuned in and in so many ways force reflection upon us. For that, I'm very very glad.
Those not pictured in the photo above recently spent time at another valuable training with Charlie Appelstein on the power of a strength based approach to education. We've mentioned Appelstein here in the newsletter before, but here's a link to his site.
A big thank you to parents and families for your continued support of these opportunities for MVS staff. Being a teacher means being a lifelong learner, and we are grateful to further our own learning!
 |
| Killington brings the foliage! Courtesy of VAEYC |
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: We welcomed a new baby this week, and saw more developmental milestones in the other children. Two of the infants are now able to stand all by themselves and without support. We are also observing determined babies who are working through frustrating moments to accomplish things they have set out to do. We've moved a few pieces of furniture around to encourage gross motor development. This has allowed for even more crawling and climbing as well as more freedom to walk around structures without obstacles. A few friendly reminders for families: 1. Please remember to take all food home at day's end. 2. Please bring in layers and warm winter clothing. 3. We request that you take off your shoes before entering the classroom. We know that this sometimes seems cumbersome, however, with our children spending a majority of the day low to the floor/on the floor, we want to ensure a clean and healthy environment for them. Removing outdoor shoes lessens the dirt and pathogens that are tracked in and left on the floor. Thanks for your attention to this!
Infant II: What a gorgeous fall week. We spent plenty of time outdoors and really enjoyed it. Of special interest are the small pumpkins and crab apples throughout the playground. The older children have seen a bit of a language explosion. They are connecting words in short sentences to express themselves and share things that they observe. The younger children are gaining more and more confidence with standing. We continue to work on gentle interactions with our peers as well as respectful manners. Additionally, Infant II loved seeing and spending time with Sarah's dogs, counting the crab apples and collecting them in containers and watching shadows on the side of the building and making the shadows move by walking backwards.
Toddler I: We are spending time attending to routines in Toddler I, both accomplishing tasks throughout the day and emphasizing what the expected behaviors are during those times. One of the ways we worked on this was thinking about the concept of 'quiet" vs "LOUD." To highlight this we used shakers in circle to feel and hear the differences between the two. Later in the week we built on this concept to think about where we can be quiet and loud. Next week we will examine this even further. Another focus this week has been on care of the classroom and our materials. A few ways we are practicing this include "cleaning as we go;" picking up toys once we are finished and before moving on to another area for play. And, being conscientious with our things: On Thursday we repaired the wheels of our trucks together and talked about maintaining, mending and repairing items to keep them in good working order.
Toddler II: The children continue to ask to paint more and more. We have started painting on cardboard and each day; we paint and allow it to dry. The next day look at the results and add another color. A few of the children experimented with scratching the paint with their fingernails to see what would happen, they scratched slow, fast, with all of their fingers and then just one. We also have brought in the sensory table and have been working with soapy water, small scoops and narrow bottles. Our focus on pouring has developed greatly. This has translated to the lunch table when we are pouring our own water and milk. We have continued our discussion of fall, Halloween, October and birthdays. We have several birthdays coming up and the children are very excited. Outside there has been a lot of kickball. The main rules are: kick the ball and then run, the other children will chase you. We have also spent a lot of time outside reading. Each day the children choose several books to take with us and we find a sunny spot to sit and listen, often just with 2-3 children.
Pre- K: The class has been trying to keep our cubby and hallway space clean and organized. This means shoes in the shoe cubbies, one additional set of clothes in the basket, and minimizing excess and clutter. If you have noticed these changes, help your student maintain the organization! This week at the library we celebrated the letter "F," right in time for fall. We have been reading and talking about Halloween including Spooky Box and revisiting The Dark Dark Tale. During these book times, we are asking specific questions related to the text such as, "What would you put in the spooky box, and why?" "What ingredients would you add to your potion? What would each ingredient do?" We have also been talking about when to ask for adult help. Our focus has been on encouraging the children to persevere through difficult social tasks to try to solve problems with autonomy. When you've exhausted your options, then ask an adult for help. We have also been clear with the children that this approach does not apply to dangerous situations. Our hope is to empower the children and develop their problem solving skills.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
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