How was your day? Tips to Get Your Child to Talk About Their Day

Does this conversation sound familiar?

Parent: How was your day?
Child: Fine.
Parent: What did you learn at school today?
Child: Nothing.

This type of conversation is very common with children and their parents. As parents, you want to know what happened during your child's day. What did they do, who did the play with, what happened in the past 7 hours since you dropped them off at school? The usual responses of "fine" and "nothing" can sometimes elicit feelings from parents that your child doesn't want to communicate with you, or maybe they don't want to talk about school. In most cases, that's not really what's going on. There are a million things that happen from the time you drop them off until you pick them up in the afternoon. They spend the day making decisions for themselves, working with their peers academically and socially, and basically navigating the day without you. Some children have trouble transitioning back to the parent-child dynamic and become overwhelmed with broad questions that they simply don't know how to answer.

Here are some tips I've compiled that may help keep your child from clamming up during conversations:

1. Ask open-ended questions. Instead of "What did you do today?" try "Who did you play with at recess?" or "What did you have for lunch?" Sometimes those types of questions can lead to more meaningful conversations, but it's important to not ask questions that can lead to yes or no answers.

2. Use their artwork or take home papers to start a conversation. Children love to talk about themselves and their masterpieces. Ask open-ended follow up questions.

3. Know the classroom schedule and ask questions about specific parts of their day.

4. Be aware of the themes or units they are studying and ask questions related to those topics.

5. Ask them to tell you one good thing that happened today and one bad thing.  When children have to define for themselves what is good and bad, that often lends itself to more meaningful conversations and give parents more insight into their child.

6. Does your child like to stall at bedtime? Take advantage of those extra minutes after their bedtime story. They are looking for any excuse to stay up for just a few more minutes. Use that time to create parent and child conversations.

Be patient and sensitive!

October 2013 Newsletter

College Center Montessori School Newsletter

October 2013

Dear Parents,

Where has the year gone?!  It’s October already!!!  It seems like only yesterday we were ushering in the new year – now we’re about ready to usher in 2014!

This October is a month of many happenings.  It also ushers in the holiday season!!  (Again, where has the time gone?) 

Before we go the fun stuff, there are a couple major “housekeeping” items that need to be addressed!

PLEASE Parents, bring your children to school on time.  When your children are late to school, it is disruptive and disrespectful to the rest of the class who come on time.  It interrupts their learning time, and it is not courteous or fair to the rest of the class – AND your child is missing the day’s classroom instruction.  You are also teaching your child that it’s ok to be late and that your child’s education is not important to you.  The children know when they are late and it is upsetting to their schedule when they are not on time.  Our teachers have spent much time preparing to teach as well as many years teaching children.  They want and desire to give your children the best education they can.  If your child is not here, your child’s teacher cannot teach him/her and your child will not learn to his/her full potential.

We have another fund-raiser that takes very little, if any, extra time to do.  This one is Target.  If you sign up for either of the red cards (one is a charge card, the other is a debit card) and the school of your choice – and College Center Montessori School is on their list – you save 5% at the cash register, and our school receives 1% of what you buy from Target each time you shop there.

School happenings for October include the following:

• Conference month – Please, parents, take the time to come to school, sit down with your child(ren)’s teacher and see all the things your “little people” are learning!  It’s all pretty spectacular!  There is a sign-up calendar page on each classroom door.  Conferences for Rooms 120 and 130 are held from 3:00 – 3:30.  Come see the good work your child is doing in the classroom.
• Our annual “nag” about your paperwork is happening right now – even as I’m writing this letter!  If you have paperwork outstanding, PLEASE do all of us a favor and return it ASAP!  Community Care Licensing (our licensing agent) requires these papers to be in your child’s file, and if they are not there, we can be fined.  We want our income to be used to the betterment of the school, not to the betterment of the State Department of Social Services, so please – look in the back seat, truck, under the seats – in your car, your spouse’s car, or other “safe” places to locate the required paperwork!  We do NOT want to have to send a “search and rescued” to get our paperwork!
• Picture day is October 11, 2013.  Each child will be photographed individually, and siblings can be photographed together, as well.  Fiesta Photography will be starting the photo shoot at 9:00 a.m., so please be on time.  Late comers may not be photographed, and you really do not want to miss this opportunity for good quality and inexpensive professional portraits that make really good gifts!  (And you know how grandparents are always clamoring for pictures of the absolutely most wonderful, intelligent, gifted, and beautiful grand children in the whole world!)
• October 25, is the date for our Halloween celebration this year, the children will be able to wear their costumes to school (please send clothing to change into after our party).  They will parade through the classrooms and go out to the playground where they will be given treats to take home after school.  For lunch, we will have our first Pizza Day of the school year.  You will be given a reminder and order form later.  *See the information printed below where you will find the school Halloween costume guidelines!*

October 25 is our day for costumes. 

The children will not be allowed to wear their costumes on October 31.

·       November 11 is Veteran’s Day.  There will be no school or daycare on November 11.  School will be closed.

·       Our school Thanksgiving Feast will be on Wednesday, November 27.  There will be more information concerning our feast later.

·       Thanksgiving break is November 28 and 29.  There is no school or daycare on November 28 and 29. 

·       Our annual Secret Shopping days will be in early December.  You may bring your donations any time after our Thanksgiving recess.  We also need parent volunteers to help the children with their shopping.  Please see either Nikki or Ardeth in the office if you are able/willing to help with this really fun event!  You will enjoy your time watching and helping the children as they choose treasures for their families.

·       December 23, 2013 – January 3, 2014 is our Winter Break.  Day Care will be provided depending on need and availability.  There is an additional charge for Winter Break day care.  This charge is NOT included in your monthly tuition charge.  It is an additional charge if day care is used.  More on this topic later.  

Costumes:

 The children may wear costumes to school on October 25, no costumes on Wednesday or Thursday the 30 and 31, but there are serious restrictions concerning the kinds of costumes that may be worn to school.  (You may wish to send your child with a change of clothing in case the costume is too restrictive or loose.)

ABSOLUTELY NO:

Super heroes (including Power Ranger, Ninja Turtles, Spider Man, Bat Man, Pokemon, etc.)

            Vampires

            Ghosts

            Skeletons

            Witches

            Monsters, etc.

            Horror creatures

            Anything that might depict violence in ANY way

Children who come to school wearing inappropriate costumes will be required to remove them and wear regular clothes.  This will be strictly adhered to!  If you have ANY questions, contact the office staff before selecting your child’s costume.

Examples of what may be worn:

            Occupational costumes

            Traditional Disney characters

            Historic characters

            Zoo animals

            Circus animals

            Clowns

            Ethnic costumes

            Art figures (painters, dancers, musicians)

            Story characters

            Seasonal figures

We want our students to have wholesome fun.  Fun can be achieved while avoiding the frightening, the violent, or the bizarre.

For further information and other suggestions, please refer to the following Halloween Idea page (orange paper).

 

Halloween Ideas

Make

Make a costume for your child of his/her favorite animal.  This can be very simple, using face paints or paper mache’ masks, appropriately colored clothes and then a tail tacked on the back of the pants or a set of ears glued onto a headband.

Dress

Dress your child up as his/her favorite positive fairy-tale or story-book character such as The Cat in the Hat, the Lorax, Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, Madeline, etc.

Thrift

Visit thrift stores with your child to gather a collection of dress-up clothes for year-round use, so that Halloween costumes can be formed from the dress-up closet in a creative and economical way.

Borrow

Borrow from around the house to form costumes from already owned garments – kids can trick-or-treat as mom, dad, or grandma, or as a businesswoman, construction worker, nurse, depending on the closets of family members.  You may own the perfect hat, gloves, or scarf for your child’s active imagination, and not even know it!

Think

Think of humorous, imaginative, nonviolent characters like extraterrestrial creatures who’ve come to make peace with Earthlings!

Why not Superheroes?

            Many people think that pretending to be a Superhero like He-Man or the Power Rangers is okay because they are the “good guys.”  The problem is that all the currently popular Superheroes use violence as part of solving problems.  Before you let your child pretend to be a Superhero, ask yourself to what extent violence plays a part of the character.  Does the character use violence to solve problems or does he or she use peaceful, nonviolent conflict resolution?  Which type of person would you want your child to use as a role model?

Remember, Be Creative and have fun with your child!

We love to watch our children learn and play!

Books of the Month - September 2013

Preschool - Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller

Like many families this time of year, Sophie's parents take her to the farmer's market and she chooses a squash to bring home. Instead of letting her mother cook it, Sophie decides to name it Bernice and she carries Bernice where ever she goes. As the months go by, Bernice begins to rot and Sophie starts to notice. What will Sophie do with her beloved Bernice?

Lower Elementary - The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

Have you ever wanted to get your child to read more about history and science? Author Mary Pope Osborne has solved this problem with her beloved series about Jack and Annie and their Magic Tree House. Jack and Annie are siblings who one day find a tree house magically appear in their backyard. They quickly find that by entering the tree house, and saying a few magic words they are taken to a point in history and have to solve a mystery, help someone, discover something new, or many other adventures. Book #1, Dinosaurs Before Dark, is a great place to start your adventure with Jack and Annie!




***We are not affiliated with any booksellers and are not getting paid for these recommendations. These books were picked by teachers.

Off and running!

We're well into our second week of school for the 2013-2014 school year! The beginning of school is exciting for children, as well as teachers, and our students and teachers are no exception!  The building is buzzing with new friends learning the expectations and meeting new friends, while old friends are jumping up and down to see their teachers and classmates again.

As always, the staff has many new ideas to make this year even better than the last. To stay posted and aware of events happening at our school, be mindful of the flyers and information that you will find in your child's sign in/out folder.

Last night we enjoyed getting a chance to speak with parents in more detail about our plans for this year at our Back to School Night. If you missed this opportunity, please plan to attend the next parent nights we host. Parent involvement is important and by attending after school activities and meeting with your child's teacher for conferences, you are showing your child in another way how much you value the work they put in to their education.

If you have an idea for an after school activity with other parents, for our students, or both, please speak with Mrs. Kosanke or Mrs. Majka in the office.

Fun Fact Friday

The Montessori method holds the most important years of education for children between the ages of 0-6 years because intelligence is formed with in the first 6 years. At College Center Montessori School, we have classrooms for children between the years 6 weeks and up to 5th grade!

Fun Fact Friday

President Woodrow Wilson's daughter, a trained Montessori teacher, had a Montessori classroom in the basement of the White House while her father was the president. Can you imagine going to school in the White House?

Fun Fact Friday

We love Mister Rogers and he loves us too! Mister Rogers was a supporter of the Montessori method for many years.

Fun Fact Friday

Famous people who have chosen Montessori schools for their own children:

Patty Duke, actress
John Bradshaw, psychologist and author
William Jefferson and Hillary Clinton, former president/senator, NY
Yo Yo Ma, cellist

Fun Fact Friday

Famous people who have attended Montessori schools as children:

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google.com
Julia Child, chef, author and star of many TV cooking shows
Katherine Graham, owner/editor of Washington Post
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, editor and former first lady
Prince William and Prince Harry, English royal family
Anne Frank, famous diarist from World War II
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Noble Prize winner for Literature

Fun Fact Friday

Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, made his first observations of children in a Montessori classroom.

Fun Fact Friday

Montessori schools can be either public or private. College Center Montessori School is a private school.

Fun Fact Friday

Most of a child's day at a Montessori school is spent on self-chosen work. At College Center Montessori, our Montessori trained teachers present work that is appropriate for the child's learning level. The work is then displayed on shelves for children to pick up on their own. This not only enriches each child's learning but fosters the skill of making appropriate choices - a skill that will last them a lifetime.

Fun Fact Friday

In a Montessori classroom, children of different ages are mixed together. At College Center Montessori, we have a classroom for ages 6 weeks - 2 years old, a classroom for ages 2 - 3, a classroom for ages 3-5, and an elementary classroom for Kindergarten  - 6th grade.

Fun Fact Friday

Montessori techniques can be used successfully with all children, whether they are gifted, have learning disabilities, or other special needs. The Montessori curriculum meets your child where they are in their education journey.

A Peek Inside the Classrooms

Our 2-3 year old classroom is studying the letter F and the parts of a fish. When I stopped in to say hello, they were all learning about the dorsal fins, pectoral fins and anal fins.

In the 3-5 year old room, they are studying the short vowel sound of the letter A. The children are learning   -at and -an words.

I gave one child an impromptu spelling test while we were waiting for the other children to arrive!

PERK!

It's Monday and at CCMS that means Mr. Jeff and P.E.R.K! The children look forward to every Monday and love learning how to play a large variety of sports with Mr. Jeff.

Play time!

After all of that hard work, what could be better than playing with your friends on a sunny Friday morning?

Fun Fact Friday

While some Montessori schools are tied to a religion, most are not. College Center Montessori School is not affiliated with any religious belief.

Loose Change + 5 Minutes = Math Lesson!

If you have a pile of coins laying around, you can easily use them with any age child to reinforce counting and begin to introduce value.

For younger preschool-aged children, stick with pennies and have them count by ones.

For older preschool-aged children, give them pennies and dimes to count by ones and tens. Transitioning from counting by tens to ones (ex. one dime and 2 pennies is 12) may be tricky at this age. Advanced children can tackle nickels as well.

Younger elementary children can count with all the coins. Again, transitioning is tricky but they can do it!

If you have older children, have them help out your younger children and older children can also practice giving change (a lost art in our technological world, but still important to know)!

Fun Fact Friday

There are over 8,000 Montessori schools in the country and 20,000 Montessori schools around the world.

Books of the Month - February 2013

Preschool - We Are In a Book! by Mo Willems

 

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In We Are in a Book! Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends? Using vocabulary perfect for beginning readers (and vetted by an early-learning specialist), Mo Willems has crafted a mind-bending story that is even more interactive than pervious Elephant and Piggie adventures. 

Lower Elementary - The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Tinka Hakes Noble

It starts off an an ordinary class trip to the farm - boring, kind of dull. But before very long, chaos takes over as one zany incident leads to another, even zanier, one. Soon the entire farm is uproariously out of control.

Upper Elementary - The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Ralph the mouse was terrified. All he had wanted to do was ride the little motorcycle someone had left on the table. Instead, both Ralph and the motorcycle had taken a terrible fall - right into the bottom of the wastepaper basket. He was trapped, left to wait for whatever fate was in store for him.

***We are not affiliated with any booksellers and are not getting paid for these recommendations. These books were picked by teachers.

Valentine's Day

Love is in the air at CCMS and we sure do love to show it!

We love our students and staff at College Center Montessori School!