Becoming a mench starts young

Dear Preschool Parents,It was so lovely to see so many of you at Preschool Preview. The purpose of the preview is to give parents a glimpse of what goes on in our Preschool every day and to have an opportunity to visit your child’s classroom.I am attaching a link to a pertinent blog written by a teacher at a co-operative preschool. B'nai Shalom's preschool is quite different from a co-op preschool (we are a preschool within a Jewish day school, and most of our teachers have Early Childhood credentials and degrees and are not just parent assistants) but like a co-op, we are a community. Through practiced Jewish values, the children learn to become menches (good people) and through play, your children learn all the fundamental skills that prepare them for their future.The Preschool Team often make reference to two books that we have read. One is LOOSE PARTS by Miriam Beloglovsky and Lisa Daly and the other is REALLY SEEING CHILDREN by Deb Curtis. The term loose parts is a “loose” definition of anything that children can move, manipulate, control and change in their play. We use Loose Parts in all of our classrooms from Infants through Pre-K. Really Seeing Children helps direct the teachers on how to hone in on our observations and to be reflective of our practice.We are very proud to be recognized as a licensed preschool by the state of North Carolina. There are strict rules and regulations that we must adhere to, to retain our license. The teachers write monthly goals, which are consistent with the PS curriculum for the state. In these goals, it is mandated to include the following domains: Emotional and Social Development, Health and Physical Development, Approaches to Play and Learning, Language Development and Communication and Cognitive Development. As a team we feel that writing these goals helps remind us to keep the best interest of each and every child at the focus of what we do every day.As you walk into our Preschool Wing, we have posted our philosophy on the wall.  It highlights everything that we, as a preschool team and as a school believe about Early Childhood. When you read the classroom newsletters, we are sharing not just what your children do while they are at school, but more importantly, why! It’s our opportunity to tell our story and illustrate how the children learn. Keeping the philosophy of "loose parts" in mind promotes active learning, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and fine motor skills. The teachers are not merely supplying random objects for play, but are creating intentional environments.It's our hope that this blog will help you understand that everything that your child does and experiences at school is a learning opportunity. As the teachers observe the children’s play, they can see what to work on next and as was shared by the teachers at Preschool Preview, learning is a scaffold and at preschool we are building the foundation. There is a natural progression that takes places from infancy through Pre-K and the teachers are providing opportunities to support learning that is also taking place at home.As always I thank you for sharing your precious children with us.Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy, and Sweet  New Year.Shabbat Shalom,Lisa LasovskyPreschool Directorhttps://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-we-will-learn.html#.W4fycdmytYs.facebook