Shabbat Shalom, Room 7 Families!
Throughout the year, we have been practicing common courtesies, such as greeting one another each morning with a smile and a friendly “Hello” or “Good morning,” or even just a wave of the hand, and through offering, “Please,” and “Thank you,” when communicating with one another. We are also working to build the children’s self-help skills, from being able to put on their own jackets and shoes to setting up snack and caring for the materials in the classroom. Ask your child to show you how to do the “flip trick” when putting on their jackets! These skills, while seemingly simple, empower the children to feel competent and capable. Our class responsibilities include being the line leader, door holder, meeting caller, book helper, snack helper, and the line caboose. All of these roles are equally important for the children to help their teachers and their class lead an organized, successful day so that the focus can be on meaningful learning experiences. We have found that this practice ties in beautifully with the Jewish values of Kehillah (community) and Gemillut Hasadim (deeds of loving kindness). Through the children learning how to do for themselves and having responsible roles, these values are embedded in our class culture. Every day, the children surprise us with their random acts of kindness, from pushing in one another’s chairs after lunch time, to kindly getting their friends’ water bottles and drawing pictures for one another. Our kindness jar, nearly full, is evidence of these daily gestures. Our children are able to respectfully carry on conversations without speaking over one another, listen to one another at morning meetings and collaborate in board games, working through dramatic play scenarios on the yard, and building structures where everyone's voice is being heard. This simple give and take of everyday life is what makes our class run smoothly and be a joyful community of learners. As teachers, we appreciate and cherish spending our days with this delightful group of children. Vertical Learning At the math center, we presented the children with spiraled springs, wooden beads, dice and wooden numbers to challenge them in counting the beads as they strung them through the spring. At the art center, we placed Wikki Stix and loose parts along with a mirror and photos for the children to explore self portraits. At the literacy center we offered magnetic mazes for the children to practice moving letters to create words or their names. We also provided the children with yarn, colored thick tape, and black paper to create the lines and curves in their first and last name. Since the start of the school year, the children have been counting each day we’ve been in school, working on counting bundles of tens as well as by ones and we have reached 78 days of school! The children are eager to hit 100 days of school so that we can celebrate this class milestone.
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