A New School Year
I want to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome back to each of you. I am excited to explore this year's possibilities with you. Enclosed are some tools to support you through the first days of preschool:
Staff Team Building: Use the Classroom Collaboration Worksheet to find areas of commonality and difference with your team, to discuss communication and feedback, and how to handle conflict.
Family Engagement: Use the All About My Child sheet and Developing Expectations as conversation starters to get to know each child and their family and the hopes and dreams they have for their child.
Classroom Environment: Use a checklist like this one to reflect on whether your environment supports children's learning. Use the Classroom Environment and Peer Interactions worksheet to think about how the environment impacts children's relationships with their peers and adults.
Teaching Routines and Expectations: The graphics at this site may be helpful as you teach common routines and expectations and label classroom shelves. Social stories are a useful tool for teaching routines and expectations. Here's a Going to School social story and a Our Preschool Rules social story.
Relationship Building and Reconnecting with Children: Use this tool to reflect on how you connect with young children and what you'd like to do better this school year. If you have children who are coming back to your classroom after a break, you may find this tool about reconnecting useful. Post this list of sentence starters for positive feedback somewhere where both staff and families will see them regularly.
Let's embark on this new school year with enthusiasm, determination, and a spirit of innovation. Let's continue to inspire, to ignite, and to shape young minds. Together, we will make a difference. Here's to a successful and fulfilling academic year ahead.
