Thank you for attending parent’s day last week! It was wonderful to see kids and parents playing together, and kids explaining how things go here at school. From our handwashing routine at arrival, to helping themselves to toys and activities, kids know all about school and they relish being the experts as they show you around their classroom. Kids have learned that school is their place, and that things are set up for their size and pace. They’ve become familiar with where to find the playdough and how to set up favorite board games, they’ve gotten to know the teachers and the rest of the kids in their class. They are also getting to know themselves more as they navigate group life, and discovering their own interests, strengths, and challenges.
Friendship
At this point in the year it’s fun to see the ways kids are connecting with one another in all our classrooms. Children are growing socially, from the youngest toddlers to the oldest JK kids. The process of connecting with another child, playing together and making friends is an exciting and delightful part of being in Nursery School. It can also be a messy, emotional, and thought provoking process for little kids.
Happy New Year and Welcome Back to School!
As your child renews their connection to their teachers, classroom, and classmates they may need a little extra support to get back into the school routine. This doesn’t mean that they’re regressing, or that they will need another extensive separation plan. Now that they know their classroom and teachers, they will pretty quickly reacclimate to the classroom rhythms and embrace the routines that are already familiar.
During these first few days back, it can help if their adults do some things with and for them - even the things they already know how to do. So maybe they will need help with dressing before you leave, or want you to stand right with them at the sink to help wash hands when they arrive at school. They may shy away from teachers or kids after such a long time away. You can offer teachers your own greetings, and make some observations about the classroom to help your child find something they’ll want to play. You can be assured that teachers are ready to help your child reenter, and will offer you support as you settle them in and say goodbye.
We all look forward to continuing the school year and beginning a new calendar year with our Park West Community!
Best,
Anita
Adapting our Responses
Navigating life with young children can really keep us on our toes, and requires an ability to constantly adapt and adjust. Just when we figure out the demands of our sleepy newborns, they become more alert and awake, and require a shift in the kinds of stimulation and support they require. Toddlers need a different kind of input, as do preschoolers, then primary age kids and tweens, then teens, and so on. Each stage places different demands on parents or caregivers, and requires us to always be shifting our approach to meet a child’s changing developmental needs.
Here Come the Holidays!
Many of us will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week and some of the things I’m most grateful for are my Park West community, and for the part each of you plays in our Co-op. As the days grow colder and darker, it’s nice to take a moment to think of the light you all bring to our school. Your children brighten our days, with their lively ideas and fresh outlooks. Your work for school bolsters our efforts to provide a meaningful place for children to play and learn. I’m thankful to share these days at school with all of you.
Helping Children Manage Difficult Feelings
Emotions are a natural part of life, and young children have big feelings that can shift quickly. At Park West we don’t think children need to be protected from their feelings, and we don’t try to jolly them through feeling sad that mom left, or feeling mad that they can’t have all the turns with the dump truck. We think it’s important to help children recognize, express and manage their emotions.
Routines
Sharing, Taking Turns and Protection of Work
Have you heard teachers in your child's classroom helping children take turns with toys? Some of the most common squabbles occur when more than one child wants to use a toy or material. We like to protect kids' work with materials, but we also help them find the language to ask each other for turns, tell somebody when they're not finished, and ultimately pass the toy along to the child who is waiting when they are finished.
There are bound to be bumps
Although teachers do their utmost to prevent children from getting hurt, we know that there will be the occasional need to use the bandaids in our backpacks or the ice packs in the freezer. Usually this is the result of an accident, but what do teachers do when children hit or hurt each other? Teachers at Park West take physical aggression and conflict resolution seriously and set firm boundaries to ensure everyone’s safety. It is not uncommon for children to resort to physical acts when frustrated, especially at school where they are already working hard. If a teacher sees a child hurting someone else, they will help the child stop and will state a clear limit, ie “It’s not ok to hit.” In addition, teachers will help comfort the child who is hurt, and encourage or help them to say stop, and that they didn’t like being hit, or that it hurt.
At the same time, teachers will investigate to try to understand, and help kids understand, what happened. Sometimes, a bump is accidental, or inadvertent, but other times a child might be lashing out in anger, trying to connect, or seeking physical input. Most kids are still learning to reign in physical impulses. They might be upset about what another child did or have a big reaction to a misunderstanding. Teachers help talk through conflicts, offer tools for children to manage big emotions and help them find acceptable ways to express them. If a child struggles to stop hitting or hurting, however, a teacher will help them move to another part of the classroom, and will later help them reflect on why they had to move and what they need to do in the future if they don’t want to move next time. If teachers notice that a particular child is routinely pushing or hitting, they make a plan to track those behaviors and try to head off further incidents.
Keep in mind that young kids are just developing language skills, find it hard to take another’s perspective and can’t always understand or manage their own emotions. They are still attuning their thoughts and feelings with their physical movements. Often a child reacts physically when they feel threatened, or when they don’t have the language to communicate about their needs or concerns. Many conflicts are territorial. It may be that
somebody comes too close, or tries to take their toy or a child suspects someone is about to take it. Teachers spend a lot of time helping kids learn some basic interactive skills, like asking for a turn, telling somebody when they’re not finished, remembering to give the asking child the toy when they are finished, telling other kids how they feel about things. Teachers take every opportunity they can to model and encourage communicating verbally and not physically.
Teachers also aim to help kids recognize and express their emotions in acceptable ways. When kids have angry outbursts, teachers try to provide help and a safe space for a child to settle down, along with protecting other kids from a child who is lashing out in anger. Teachers have ongoing conversations and read books in the classroom about what kids can do when they are mad, or frustrated, or disappointed, and place firm limits around hurtful actions like hitting. Kids learn from both their own experiences and through watching teachers help other children work through challenging situations.
As an assisting parent you will likely see a wide range of behaviors. Some might delight or inspire you while others might surprise or concern you. While you’re in the classroom, please call a teacher over if you see something that needs their attention. As you watch
teachers work through disputes and challenges, we hope you’ll be reassured that our approach helps all children further their abilities to both advocate for their own needs and begin to understand and respect the rights and needs of others. If you have further questions or concerns, you can reach out to your classroom teachers or the Education Directors. Together we can help kids develop the ability to express their needs and wants verbally and learn strategies to negotiate conflicts, making the classroom a safe and comfortable place to explore everyone’s ideas.
Helping Your Child Manage New Experiences
The start of school is full of new challenges for young children. It may be their first school experience, or they may be changing schools or classrooms. They may be meeting new children or teachers, and separating from parents and other caregivers. It’s not hard to imagine the feelings this newness may inspire. Even the most adventurous child might feel shy, nervous, uncertain or afraid. You can prepare yourself with some tools to support your child as they face a new school year, or any new challenges that arise.