The PreSchool Years
This is the second part of a two part article on The Preschool years. In the first article I wrote about the growth of curiosity, the development of interests, and the formation of character. The preschool years are perhaps the most critical years in so many different aspects of a child’s development.
Shaping of Personality – Most students of human development agree that the foundations of an individual’s personality are laid early. Attitudes and dispositions may change later in life, but early childhood experiences are crucial contributors to the complex mix of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make up each person.
Social Development – Modern psychology tells us that childhood experiences have an enormous impact on the ability to form close emotional ties with others. In their earliest relationships with parents, in particular, children gain understandings of how others will treat them and how they should treat others. These expectations are long lasting, helping to shape social behavior throughout adulthood.
Brain Development – A child’s brain structure continues to develop after birth. Cells are still growing. Microscopic nerve connections are being formed. Some research suggests that early childhood experiences – the images a youngster sees, the language he hears, the books he’s exposed to – may affect the actual wiring of the brain.
Language Development – The amount of language learned during the first few years is awe-inspiring. By the time a child is three years old, he should be able to understand most of the words he will use in everyday conversation for the rest of his life. Language skills honed in the preschool years have a heavy bearing on whether or not a child gets off to a good start in school.
In some respects, the chances of your child doing well in school are determined before he reaches kindergarten. Likewise, your greatest contribution to what you hope will be a lifetime of learning comes now, in the preschool years. It is import to understand that early developments are under considerable genetic control. We all come into the world with some inborn abilities, limitations, and predispositions. Youngsters are malleable, but not infinitely malleable. To some extent, parents must work with the unique faculties that nature has given their children. Still, nurture – your nurture – has a great deal to say about how you child’s natural gifts will unfold and grow. Excerpts from The Educated Child by Dr. William Bennett.
Rich Webb |
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Hot Lunch Menu & Servers
Monday ~ Steakfingers ~ Lori Becker
Tuesday ~ Fazoli's Spaghetti ~ Len Brown
Wednesday ~ Pizza Hut Pizza ~ Carla Darden
Thursday ~ Hamburger ~ Shelly Negrete
Friday ~ Chick-Fil-A Sandwich ~ Ellen Hack |
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Volunteer Opportunity
We are looking for an extra set of hands in the three year old classroom on Wednesday mornings. If you are interested in helping and are available on Wednesdays, please let Rich know as soon as possible. |
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Dress Uniform Reminder
Boys - khaki pants, navy blue shirt, brown belt, tennis shoes and white socks
Girls - Plaid skort, navy blue shirt, tennis shoes, white socks or navy tights
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This Week at St. Paul's
November 12 ~ Sixth Grade and Kinder to Veteran's Day Parade
November 13 ~ 4th-6th to Symphony (Dress Uniform - see below)
November 14 ~ Exec/Finance Meeting (11:30)
November 16 ~ Sixth Grade to Food for Families, Fourth Grade to Zoo, Kinder through Second to Hippodrome
November 17 ~ Final Parking Lot Fundraiser (4-7)
November 18 ~ Literary Day at Barnes & Noble (11-9)
All week ~ Please bring your canned food to the Parish Hall in the morning for our Food for Families Drive.
Next Week at St. Paul's
November 20 ~ Thanksgiving Service 10:45 for grades K-6 ~ All students early release at 11:30 (NO AFTER SCHOOL CARE) |
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IB in Action
Asking the right questions ~ Students are naturally inquisitive. I'm sure you've had times when you had to take a deep breath because your child continued to ask "why." It's that natural insatiable curiosity that the IB program hopes to cultivate in students. Young children are not placated by the simple answer, they want to know the answer backward and forward. As they grow older, they typically become frustrated if your answer is longer than yes or no. What happened in the in-between time? It is our hope that we can encourage students to never stop asking questions, and to learn to ask the best questions that will help them find the complete answer to the question. IB does that through key concepts. A set of eight concepts was drawn up, each of which is of major importance in the design of a transdisciplinary curriculum. The following concepts serve to drive the curriculum in the direction it will go.
Form - "What is it like?"
Function - "How does it work?"
Causation - "Why is it like it is?
Change - "How is it changing?"
Connection - "How is it connected to other things?"
Perspective - "What are the points of view?"
Responsibility - "What is our responsibility?"
Reflection - "How do we know?"
In any unit of inquiry, a teacher will select the key concepts that she feels will best drive the curriculum. Students will be encouraged to think about these types of questions and to ask questions about the topic that would go with that concept. As situations arise at your home, I'd encourage your family to be inquirers and to use the key concepts we are using at school.
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Literary Day at Barnes & Noble
Sunday, November 18, 2007
11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Please support our school by coming to Barnes and Noble on Sunday, November 18! This will be a great day to spend with your family as you meet real pirates and princesses, hear Harry Potter’s latest story from the wizard himself and enjoy tea with the newest American Girl Girl of the Year, Nicki! Our sixth grade class will also be present dressed as traditional storybook characters. To help make holiday gift-giving easy, there will be teacher selections and librarian recommendations of books for all ages. As always, we will have exciting raffle prizes that will delight your children.
The schedule of events and vouchers will be coming home in today’s Monday folders. Please pass along the extra vouchers to family members and friends as St. Paul’s will receive a portion of all items, including books, games and gifts, purchased that day with an accompanying voucher. Everyone is welcome!
If you have any questions, please contact Denise McClinton at dmcclinton@hot.rr.com. |
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