School Orientation

Tuesday night was the parent orientation at the school that Shay will be attending beginning in August. 

The principal gave an introduction and overview of the school, its philosophies, some policies and what to expect for the parents.  The president of the PTO gave a pitch about involvement with the organization and how it benefits both the school and famillies (which are required to donate a minimum of 35 volunteer hours per year).  Then we went to a couple of teachers’ classrooms for a tour and description of the activities that take place on a typical day. 

This was extremely helpful in helping us to have a good idea of the things that Shay will need to be prepared for.  The kids are expected to be potty trained and be able to undress and dress themselves.  While Shay is potty trained, she still needs some help getting a “clean sweep” and in putting her clothes back on.  She’s good with pulling up her pants but gets frustrated if she can’t easily get a shirt on over her head and her arms in the sleeves.  Same thing goes for zippers that don’t easily pull up.  She hasn’t ever tackled the tricky world of buttons.  Since the kiddos are required to wear uniforms (black, navy or khaki pants, shorts, skirts or jumpers and solid colored shirts with collars), she will need to be able to master these skills.

Her school teaches based on the philosophies developed by Maria Montessori.  Having been raised in a very good public school system in Minnesota, I had never heard the term “Montessori” before and had no idea what a “Montessori” or a “Magnet” school was.  There is a really good FAQ’s page from The Montessori Foundation.  While Montessori learning will not work for every child, we think that Shay will thrive in this sort of environment over traditional schooling.  Montessori has a strong focus on instilling a love of learning into children and is very hands-on, teaching a lot of independence while fostering grace & peace.  Shay takes a lot of joy in being able to do things independently and loves to learn so we really hope that she will enjoy school.

She will go half days on the first week of school and then be full-time, 5 days a week from 8am-3pm.  For the 3 & 4 year olds, the morning is filled with work/play but the state mandates that they must nap for a good portion of the afternoon.  Kindermat supplier recommendations anyone?  After the first week or two, we will also need to be able to drop her off from the car and she will need to walk up to the school door by herself (within site & help of school administrators/teachers of course).  All of these little steps to independence are exciting but I’m not sure I’m ready for it!  The school has a “Boo Hoo Party” for parents after the kids get into their classrooms on the first day!