April is jam packed with tons of events and information that is imperative for all of you to be aware of.
As the year draws closer and closer to Summer, the staff begins to look at our toddler friends who will be ready to join the Primary program in August. We use the information we have acquired as toddler teachers over the past year through observations and then meet with the Primary staff after they spend time in our classroom quietly observing our students to determine the likelihood that some children will transition into the next program at the start of the next school year.
Take a deep breath. This can be an overwhelming thought….
“My toddler in ‘the big kid class.’ “
As a Montessori community, we work extremely hard to follow the child. That means we look at each individual child and assess his or her need based on what he or she is showing us through choices and behaviors. Some friends are ready for a new environment at age 3, some friends need a new environment earlier than age 3, and some friends may need to wait till they are a bit older than three to enter into a new environment. There is not a right or wrong age, there is simply the right time for each child. At our school, we watch carefully to determine when that right time is. When we think we are in the ‘sweet spot’ for transition we begin sharing those observations among the staff and then with the family in preparation for the transition.
We like to transition children around three different times of year: the start of school in August, returning from Winter Break in January, and returning from Spring Break in March/April. Of course, if we observe a friend that needs to transition at a different time, we try to follow that child and transition him/her on his/her personal timetable.
The Primary teachers will be observing friends who fall in the age window of 2 1/2 – 3 at the start of next year along with any friends that we believe will be ready for a new environment next year.
We will then be able to share our observations as well as their observations at our Spring conferences scheduled for Monday April 16th (Professional day, no children, only conferences). Please check your email inbox for an online sign up to grab the beat time that works for your family. Plan to sit with us for 20 minutes with some buffer time built in, just in case. Just like the Winter confernce, you will recieve a Progress Report to review before we meet. Please remember that it is not a comparison or judgement. It is a current snapshot of the child that we get the honor of spending time with in our school
Environment. It is intended to show tangible observations based on the goals/Toddler Learner Outcomes of the program. It provides families with MORE information about their children…. it does not determine whether or not a child is going to move forward or not. It is just information we want to share.
We have decided to reschedule our Parent Education for ——- on just this topic, the Transitioning Toddler, to make sure that we have the opportunity to persoanlly invite each family that we believe will be experiencing the transition between now and the start of next year. It is a night designed to anwser all the pressing questions about the differences between the two programs, what to expect, and offers our families a chance to have a meet and greet with the Primary staff.
If you have any questions, just reach out.
Always,
Ms. Liz
