It was wonderful to see many of you at observations and the looking ahead meeting in January. Things are well underway as the children work on their lessons, hone their skills and gather experiences that will guide them towards the next stage in their school lives.

Our kindergarteners have been working very hard on polishing their reading skills. Phonograms, puzzle words, expressive writing and experiencing the ideas of nouns, adjectives and verbs are just some of the activities that have been very popular. They are discovering the joys of reading through simple readers that they read first to themselves and then after some practice are able to read to their younger friends. Their confidence with reading is growing even more as they read with their elementary mentors during our Reading Buddies visits. During these visits, they spend time in the elementary environment reading to an elementary student from a book that they have been practicing. It allows them an opportunity to get acquainted with some of the elementary students and adults and also take a look around the classroom. This makes it easier for them to transition to elementary when the time comes. After a few weeks, they will begin to visit the elementary classroom for part of the day to shadow an elementary mentor, participate in some of the work in the community and spend more time getting to know what lies ahead. This allows them to have a good sense of what to expect in the next year. Of course, they are all very excited to continue reading with their ‘buddies’ and eventually participate in the visits.

Meanwhile, some of our younger friends are looking forward to taking their spot at the top of the pyramid. They have been working closely with the kindergarteners on the various responsibilities around the classroom. Some of them are beginning to take on independent responsibility during job time as they help maintain the classroom and get it ready for the next day. They are beginning to step up and assist the youngest members of the community with taking care of their belongings and cleaning up their work. It is amazing to see the very children who were asking for help last year with their snow pants and mittens, now turn around and offer to help others with the same practices. This is just a simple example of the importance of the three (or four) year cycle.

Of course, the youngest members of are community continue to be keen observers of all that is happening in our environment, while they continue to hone the skills that will allow them to become more independent and self-reliant and then one day be able to help others with the same. Dressing frames continue to be a favorite with some of these friends who are still working on their zippers, buttons, buckles and snaps.

Speaking of dressing, please continue to send your child to school with all their winter gear even if the weather chooses to be unseasonably warm. It can always change without notice, and it helps us avail of our outdoor environment if we have all our outdoor gear.

Sincerely,

Archana