,Teacher and ,Paraprofessional Welcome parents to our Open House 2005-2006 My name is __________ and this is my paraprofessional _________. This year is an exciting year for us and we are happy to work with your children. Thank you for taking the time to come today. ,Teacher and ,Paraprofessional Prekindergarten Reverse Mainstream Class Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Our Beliefs We believe that teaching is an honorable profession. All children learn and develop at their own pace. Children learn best in a supportive and safe environment. Children need specific strategies and a daily structured routine. It is a tremendous responsibility and privilege for us to form these young minds for the future. All children can learn if we make our teaching practices more meaningful and appropriate for our students, identify their preferred learning styles and provide more opportunities for learning to make sure that we maximize their potential. We believe that providing a safe environment will enhance the learning process.

Our Expectations for Families We expect to create a partnership with you “The family” Maintaining communication between home and school. To be actively involved in your child’s educational experience. Ensuring that the child is ready and prepared for the school day. Participation in field trips, special events. and home visits. We consider our families as valued and respected partners that possess resources and abilities that can promote student’s learning and enrich the context of school, home, and classroom. You are part of “Our School Family”. I plan a home visit at the beginning of the school year to see how I can help your child at home with his or her daily routine. (individual schedule, potty training), and one visit at the end of the school year. I can do more home visits as needed. I am available for you everyday through phone calls, notes in your child’s book bag, e-mail, and in person after 2 P.M. You may come and visit your child’s classroom at anytime. I have an open-door policy for all of my parents and grandparents. It’s very important that you send your child ready for the school day. Children at this age need to develop healthy habits regarding eating, sleeping, and hygiene. Send your child to school wearing comfortable clothes and put an extra set of clothes in his/her backpack. You are more than welcome to chaperone our field trips, after you meet the legal requirements mandated by Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

High/Scope Curriculum Overview Adult-child interaction Learning environment Daily routine Assessment Adult-child interaction- We establish a safe and caring setting where children can be happy and busy pursuing their interests and learning. We also share control of all learning experiences and encourage children to solve problems with materials, turn to other children for help, work together, and resolve conflicts together. Learning environment- Furniture and equipment in the High/Scope setting are arranged and labeled in several clearly laid out and easy-to-see interest areas, such as the block area, house area, art area, and toy area. Labels are marked with symbols that are easily understood by children. This room arrangement allows for children to independently find, use, and return the materials . The labels and symbols form the foundation on which children can build skills in reading, writing, and number. Children also spend time outside every day experiencing all the physical and sensory properties (sights, sounds, smells, and textures) of the natural environment. Taken together, the indoor and outdoor environments provide children with a full range of learning opportunities. Daily routine - I will talk about this later on. Assessment- We regularly write down factual notes about each child’s behaviors, experiences, and interests. We use the Child Observation Record for Ages 2 ½ to 6, to assess development. Based on these careful and direct observations, we plan experiences that will encourage children’s growth and development. We also use these notes to show you their progress and to assist you in supporting and expanding the classroom learning at home. I test your children twice a year. At the beginning of the year to know their levels and at the end to see how much progress they have made. We also evaluate ourselves and our program regularly by using a High/Scope Program Quality Assessment for Preschool.

Instructional Strategies Clear and consistent rules, and limits are established Transitions are planned to eliminate long waiting periods Misbehaviors are stopped and appropriate ways to handle the situation are suggested A safe learning environment is established and maintained Children’s choices are supported Children need to know about the rules and the consequences for braking those rules. Transitions are the most critical part of the routine. They need to be planned, so children can move smoothly from one activity to another. Planned transitions can prevent many problems for the children.

Daily Routine 8:15-8:30 Breakfast 8:30-8:45 Greeting Time 8:45-9:00 Phonological Awareness 9:00-9:20 Small Group Time 9:20-9:30 Planning Time 9:30-10:20 Work Time 10:20-10:30 Clean-Up Time 10:30-10:45 Recall Time 10:45-11:00 Large Group Time 11:00-11:20 Shared Reading 11:20-11:30 Self Help Skills 11:30-12:00 Lunch 12:00-12:15 Story 12:15-1:00 Rest Time 1:00-1:30 Outdoor Play 1:30-1:45 Snack 1:45-1:55 Closing Circle- Wishing Well 1:55-2:00 Prepare for Dismissal Everybody has received a copy of our daily routine. Greeting time is the time to connect with each other. It’s also the transition from home to school. A daily plan-do-review process gives children the opportunity to decide what they intend to do, to follow through on their course of action, and then to reflect on their experiences with other children and adults. During Small-group time children experiment with materials and solve problems. Although we choose each small group activity for a particular purpose, children are free to use the materials we supply in any way they want during this time. Large-group time builds a sense of community for children. Children have many opportunities to make choices about how they will carry out the large-group activity and to express their personal preferences and inventiveness. Although we generally initiate the large-group activity, children are always given the opportunity to be leaders. Phonological Awareness, Shared Reading and Story time make up our literacy component. Phonological Awareness introduces children to the relationship between word and sounds through the use of nursery rhymes. Shared Reading and Story Time build vocabulary and provide children the opportunity to predict what the story is about by creating their own version of the story. They are also introduced to print concepts, such as reading from left to right and book concepts such as title, author, illustrator, etc. Outside time - We spend at least 30 minutes outside every day so that children can enjoy vigorous and often noisy play in the fresh air. Without the constraints of four walls, children are free to make large movements and experiment with the full range of their voices. They run, climb, swing, roll, jump, yell, and sing with all their might. Transition times are the minutes between the blocks of the day during drop-off and pick-up times when children move from one period to another. Since transitions set the stage for how children will enter the next segment of their day, our goal is to make these times pass as smoothly as possible. Transitions can also be useful learning times. Eating and resting times - meal and snack times allow children to enjoy eating healthy food in a supportive social setting; resting time is for quiet, solitary activities. Since both of these experiences happen at home as well as the school, we try to respect family customs at these times as much as possible.

Classroom Management Conscious Discipline A Brain Smart Way to Start our Day Start your day with an activity to unite Start your day with an activity to connect Start your day with a stress reducer Start your day with an activity to commit Conscious Discipline is an emotional intelligence program consisting of Brain Smart strategies for responding rather than reacting to life’s events. It is a research-based program targeting problem behaviors, and improving the quality of relationships. We, as teacher, can choose a brain smart way to start our day. Start your day with an activity to unite: builds affiliation and safety, builds endorphins. Sing a uniting song School family song or chant I Love You Ritual Safety Ritual Start your day with an activity to connect: helps to maintain focused attention and motivation to learn. I Love You Rituals Greeting ritual Absent Child ritual Start your day with a stress reducer: prepares brain for cortical learning. Be a S.T.A.R. (Stop, take a deep breath and relax) Meditation or visualization exercise Yoga movement or story Breathing and stretching exercise Start your day with an activity to commit: produces serotonin, teaches responsibility. List commitments Journal commitments Draw a picture of your commitment Symbolic commitment for the year

Home School Connection Home-Visits Calendar of activities Newsletter monthly Open Door Policy Workshops for parents/families I plan a home visit at the beginning of the school year to see how I can I help your child at home with his or her daily routine (individual schedule, potty training) and one visit at the end of the school year. I can do more home visits as needed. The Pre-K Activity calendar should be in your kitchen and you should do activities with your child at least three times a week. The monthly newsletter is to inform you about the activities we are doing in the classroom and the future events we have planned for you. I think that written communication is an effective way to keep in touch with you, but I am available for you in person everyday at school or through a phone call. You may come and visit your child’s classroom anytime you want. I have an open-door policy. After I have developed a relationship with you, I will be able to identify some of your needs in order to plan workshops that can address those needs.