Dear Montessori Parents,

Our classes will begin Wednesday September 4th. If your child is scheduled for a Wednesday class this will be his/her first day of class. If your child's schedule is a Thursday class his/her first day will be Thursday September 5th. We have chosen to keep each class a little shorter in time to allow your child to transition into the classroom with more confidence rather than anxiety. Please refer to the school calendar for dates and class times.

Saying good-bye for the child as well as the parent can sometimes be very difficult and upsetting for both. At various developmental stages, preschoolers may exhibit separation anxiety, as a parent you may have already experienced this with your child. This is a positive sign that your child is attached to you. We are including several tips and techniques for this time period. By working together with the teachers, anxiety around drop off times can be alleviated for both the child and the parent.

1. Communicate with the teachers: As teachers we can be an excellent resource for you. We will be able to communicate accurate details regarding your child's behavior during the time after you leave the classroom and will have many age-appropriate guidelines for the best approach.
2. Be consistent: Your child will really benefit from the same drop off routine day-to-day. When your child knows what to expect, he or she will be less anxious about the whole process. Develop and stick to a solid routine.
3. Please do not sneak out on your child: Leaving without saying "good-bye" will undermine your child's trust. Always try your best to make your departure clear.
4. Don't insist on a goodbye: After you say "good-bye" to your child, leave in a timely fashion. Some parents make the mistake of waiting too long after saying "good-bye" in order to wait for a response. Some children will respond and others will not. However, if a parent lingers too long in the classroom, it can confuse the child and make him/her feel like he/she doesn't know when his parent is really leaving.
5. Help prepare your child for drop off: As you approach the school each day, prep your child for what is about to happen. Take a few minutes to describe your set routine. Knowing what is coming next will go along way toward making your child feel more comfortable.
6. Include your child in the process: Children feel empowered when they are included and have some control over their environment and what happens to them. Try giving your child set tasks to complete upon entering the classroom. Your child can hang up his or her own coat, find their shoes in their shoe bag , etc. We are more than welcome share more helpful hints with you.
7. Be positive: Drop offs can be just as hard on parents as it can be for the child, if not harder. It is extremely difficult to leave your child when you feel he/she is sad, or upset. Remember that your child will be taking cues from you. If he/she can sense that you are anxious, chances are he/she will be anxious too. However if you are happy and excited about going to school, then your positive outlook will rub off on your child, too.
8. Acknowledge your child's feelings: Instead of saying, "now don't cry" or "don't feel that way", acknowledge how your child is feeling and reassure him/her.
9. Let your child know that you are always coming back and I love you!  

Children are constantly observing, learning and mimicking the adults in their lives. And imitation is the truest form of flattery, is it not? So why does it often stifle the success of our children with our eagerness to perform tasks they are perfectly capable of doing for themselves? Sometimes we do this in the interest of saving time, but mostly we do it from a place of love. We love our children and spend years being their sole caretaker. However, at some point, we have to present our children with opportunities to succeed and aid their move towards independence. Our love does not change or become less it just changes form. This will be our very first step in the classroom; is showing and guiding the children in their steps toward their independence. "I can do it for myself".

                                            Practical Life Work in the Classroom

 The children, when first arriving in a Montessori classroom, are passionately interested in practical life activities because the activities respond to all the sensitive periods (important periods of childhood development). Practical life activities build a foundation on which the children will grow and carry over into the other areas of the classroom, and over in to their every day life. The Montessori Practical Life exercises respond to the need for: 

1. Order: of activities (sequences, routine, hierarchy, a cycle or full rotation of an activity).
2. Movement: All practical life activities involve great movements that are varied and attractive. The variety of movements help the child's self awareness within the environment and increase the child's acquisition of intelligent movement.
3. Sensorial Exploration: (sights, sounds, smells, and language).
4. Needs and Tendencies: are responded to, to help the child adapt so that he/she can actively participate and grow within their environment.
5. A Child's Love of Work: Practical life activities feed their natural desire to work and play an active role in their classroom.
6. Logical Thought: through the practical life activities the children develop logical thought process which allows them to understand that there is a beginning, middle and an end to each exercise.
7. Concentration: The child will concentrate on completing an activity as perfectly as possible; all activities are intelligible, logical, sequential, and exact. The children internalize this and try to repeat over and over again until they reach their own perfection.
8. Emotional Stability: This helps the children become familiar with the real world and their environment. It builds self-esteem, and through that, their personality flourishes. Materials and activities are therapeutic, meaning mind and body work together.