GETTING TO KNOW YOU - how our systems support the start of the year

At SSP, the first week in the preschool moves at a slower pace.  Monday is a work day when teachers get the systems ready for the children.  This includes putting the children's symbols up to designate hooks and cubbies for their belongings.  Everything is purposeful, and though it may seem merely practical,  the symbol is no small thing.  The message it carries is powerful -  "This is your space.  You belong here.  We have a place just for you".  A message of belonging that implies, on purpose, that each person is important and valued.  And how reassuring is that?

 

The other four days, the children split the week, half coming on two days, and half on the other two.  This allows children and teachers a chance to get to know each other, for new friends to find common ground, and for old friends to reunite in the classroom - or on the playground.  The children's journals facilitate this with an intimate look into each other's home life.  They are eager to share pictures of their experiences and the important people in their lives.



Holding hands with a friend from last year

Meeting old friends on the playground



Sharing journals



We give time to explore the classroom:

We visit the studio where the children will be working all year with Anna - exploring, collaborating, creating, and refining their ideas.

A cupcake machine

discovering materials

starting with a plan helps children organize their thoughts, even if they later
choose to make changes or abandon the idea all together

plan for a horse

And the teachers are already looking for common and individual interests among the children.  Music, dancing, drawing, tinkering, pretend play, birds and nature have already surfaced this week.  These observations guide us in thinking about our room and the provocations that we set for the children.

Every year we have an umbrella project which unites the entire school, preschool through 8th grade, around a common theme.  It provides an opportunity for the teachers across the grades to think together, and is a system that often becomes a bridge to cross-age interactions.  This year the umbrella project is 

 TIME. 

We hope you will be able to spend some of yours, with us.

We know that this slower week of phase-in can be daunting for parent's schedules, but it is  a vital part of the children's transition into new situations. 

Thank you for this gift of time.