And they're off...

I know Graduation officially happened in June but Friday marked a special day. It was the last day for several of our children that will be heading to kindergarten on Monday. These children have been an important part of the community of Mountain Village School for many years. They have helped to shape and mold our school into what it is today. Their interests, ideas, movements, interactions, conversations, and presence has had a big impact on what we have done with our time, where we have gone, what we have chosen to build and create. I want to thank all of those children for being a part of our school and our community.

News and Reminders

Mark your calendars: The PCC is planning a playdate with fire safety information for the morning of Saturday, September 15. More details coming soon.

Kitchen Update

This week the children tried carrot "noodles" which were happily slurped up in all classrooms. Other lunches included Orzo pasta with a pesto sauce and risotto with spinach and cream sauce. The infants enjoyed late-summer strawberries, watermelon, and honey dew melon; in the last couple weeks we've been hearing "yummy!" at the end of each meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed our carrot "noodles" this week.

Classroom Updates

Infant I by Stef and Dana

We've had another busy week! We welcomed two new children to the class, M and T, and we are so happy to have new friends! We are also very excited for C who turned one this week. Our classroom is now full of movers and shakers, and the older children especially have been testing their balancing skills. Our nearly-walkers have been using the scooters outside as push toys. We have also been working very hard to have our older children sit down at the small table together for mealtimes. The younger children have been playing on the small slide together frequently, and we have also been focused on learning how to be gentle with each other. Sadly it was O's last week with us; we wish him well on his new adventures. Overall it was another week we were grateful to share together. See everyone next week!

Infant II by Megan

Our classroom dynamics shifted this week as we had four new children join us. Although there were lots of changes for all of us to get used to, we had a wonderful week together. It seems like we are hearing new words every day from many of the children in our class, and this new oral language is such a great tool for communicating with each other and facilitating interactions. For example, when a child climbs onto a scooter and says, "P!" or "Push!" it doesn't take more than a few seconds for a friend to step in and give her a push. Expressive language abilities within our class range from children who have just a few words to those who can put sentences together and sing whole songs, so it's been fun to push everyone to express themselves and listen to the best of their abilities. We've also spent some time in two groups, dividing the older and younger children, which allows us to differentiate pace and activities according to their needs. Looking forward to another interesting week!

Toddlers by Hannah and Amanda

We've had an energetic week in the Toddler room. The children's favorite activity was sticker art, which kept them very engaged. They worked hard to carefully peel stickers off the sticker sheets and deliberately place them on the paper. They were very patient and persistent in their efforts. They also enjoyed manipulating tissue paper: crumpling, ripping, and folding as well as throwing it up in the air and watching it float down. Group chalk art outside was also a hit. We are finally finding a daily routine that works for everyone and are working hard to define consistent expectations for the children while still having fun!

Preschool I by Shannon T.

While most of our class is adjusting to a new environment, we are working to keep our routine as consistent as possible; we may, however, slow things down significantly to allow for extra attention on bathroom jobs or getting shoes on. These moments have provided ample opportunities for building relationships between teachers and children and singing silly songs. Songs can act as a cue or even a timer for completing a task but overall they make transitions feel less daunting. Turn the routine into a song and, suddenly, the routines begin to click!

Preschool II by Sarah T.

Scissor grip is a tough skill. It is something we have focused on and practice on a regular basis. He was so proud when he cut the entire paper in half, he annouced "I cut all the way through!"

They were testing the speed of each animal and vehicle in the classroom. 

PreK by Jen
Sad goodbyes to the last of our 17 graduating children as they head off to Kindergarten. I love you all so much.