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Showing posts from August, 2016
Congrats to Shannon We wanted to send hearty congrats to upstairs teacher Shannon, who was recently accepted into the Early Childhood Master's Program at Champlain College. If you've not met Shannon, you can find her in the afternoons here at school,  Well done Shannon! Classroom Happenings Infant I: We want to welcome Hannah back to MVS, many of you know her already; she previously worked upstairs with the older children. We are happy to have her back and working with our youngest students. This week, a few children have been out of the room due to illness, and while we never like the children to be away, this does allow for a little more one on one time with the remaining children, getting to play and explore at an even closer level. We are persisting through movement struggles and providing gentle support and encouragement to children who are pushing themselves to the next step, whether that step be a literal one, going after objects just out of reach, or learning to ro
As of tomorrow, we will be just one month away from the Autumnal Equinox. The goldenrod is out, gardens seem to be in all stages of harvest and “fair season” is in full swing. While plenty of summer still awaits, this is certainly a moment to take it all in! Classroom  Happenings Infant I: A new baby has begun school and we wish them a warm welcome! We have been observing more social interactions between the infants. The older children try to make eye contact with peers, even if their peer’s head is bent down, they persist in connecting until they lock eyes. Another social interaction among the children who can sit has been rolling balls back and forth to one another. They have also been trading toys. The infants that are on their bellies more are usually spending time together over one toy. At times when our classroom door is open and the gate is up, the children will head over to say hello to those in the Infant II room. Infant II: There are a couple of exciting things the childre
In-service: Hot, humid, productive As I write this the teachers are busy finishing up all the final projects of the two day in-service here at school. On Thursday morning, we talked about the core components of our philosophy. We broke out into small groups and worked hard to tease out concepts related to building children's autonomy, becoming better observers, and making our practice an intentional one from how we chose the materials in our classrooms to the specific language we use when interacting with the children. We also spent time on vital projects such as cleaning and re-organizing classrooms, tidying the playground, and watching webinars on topics connected to our Early Head Start partnership.  Our handy painters were hard at work on painting the downstairs hallway! Thanks to Pete and Zeth.  Moreover, staff worked hard to build and revise their Individual Professional Development Plans. These plans root educators in their professional practice and serve as a tool for
In-service Closure We are closed this Thursday and Friday (8/11 and 12) for in-service. We will re-open on Monday. Thank you for your continued support of in-service days.  Just Say "No" to Pouches We are not anti-kangaroo...but we are however, anti-food pouch here at MVS. A friendly reminder of our pouch policy here at school: Please no pouches. Why? We work hard to create a mealtime culture that encourages the use of silverware, and allows us to eat at a comfortable pace, without the super quick consumption that comes naturally by eating from food pouches. Additionally, food pouches are difficult to clean, and must be shipped away for recycling. Thanks in advance for your attention to this! Congrats Chase Kalisz! Photo by Rob Schumaker, USA Today Sports We wanted to send a very special shout out Sarah's cousin, Olympian and now, silver medalist Chase Kalisz. Chase competed in the 400 Meter IM on Saturday, bringing home one of the first medals of the Rio game
In-service Closure We are closed this Thursday and Friday (8/11 and 12) for in-service. We will re-open on Monday. Thank you for your continued support of in-service days.  Just Say "No" to Pouches We are not anti-kangaroo...but we are however, anti-food pouch here at MVS. A friendly reminder of our pouch policy here at school: Please no pouches. Why? We work hard to create a mealtime culture that encourages the use of silverware, and allows us to eat at a comfortable pace, without the super quick consumption that comes naturally by eating from food pouches. Additionally, food pouches are difficult to clean, and must be shipped away for recycling. Thanks in advance for your attention to this! Congrats Chase Kalisz! Photo by Rob Schumaker, USA Today Sports We wanted to send a very special shout out Sarah's cousin, Olympian and now, silver medalist Chase Kalisz. Chase competed in the 400 Meter IM on Saturday, bringing home one of the first medals of the Rio game