Dear Hummingbird families,
Welcome!
To
all of our new families, we are delighted to welcome you and your child to the
Hummingbird room; we look forward to meeting you all. We are also very excited
to welcome back our returning Hummingbirds! We hope you had an enjoyable,
relaxing summer. The start of a new year holds the promise of new discovery and
learning as well as the prospect of personal growth in all areas. We look
forward to learning more about each child as we venture out this next year
together.
This will be a
year full of firsts for your child and we look forward to sharing in those with
you and your little one. Here at MDS, we will spend the year exploring,
building our community and fostering
independence through classroom routines and work time.
We
will start the year by phasing the new Hummingbirds in. For some of you, this will be the first time your child
spends the day away from you. For others, your child has been doing this for a
year. Either way, there will be tears. This is okay, and to be expected.
Don't worry; once your child becomes comfortable with the new classroom there
will be smiles and new friends!
There's
a lot of excitement ahead of us, including new friends to meet and new skills
to achieve. We look forward to sharing in those exciting times!
Thank
you for your attention and participation and we look forward to seeing you in
the near future!
Sincerely,
Your Hummingbird Teachers
Ms. Sophia
Ms. Maribel
Ms. Mariya
____________________________________________________________________________
What to Bring to School
*** PLEASE
LABEL EVERYTHING***
Lunch
box with food
· Please
include a cloth napkin
· Any
utensils needed
· Two
Snacks (one for morning, and one for after nap)
· Water
bottle labeled with child’s name
Bedding
for naptime
· Fitted
crib sheet labeled with child’s name
· Blanket
labeled with child’s name
· Tote
bag labeled with child’s name
Extra
clothes
· Three
bottoms
· Three
tops
· Three
socks
· Three
or more pairs of underwear (if child is potty-trained)
· One
extra pair of shoes
· One
hat
· Sunscreen
Diaper supplies
· One
bag of diapers
· One
bag of wipes
· Any
required creams
Please label all
diaper bags, wipes and creams
*** PLEASE
LABEL EVERYTHING***
A Final thought
Please send clothes to school that can be
played in! The Hummingbirds do all types of physical and creative activities
throughout the day and we don’t want to ruin any special outfits. Thank you for
reading through this list and taking the time to prepare your Hummingbird for a
great year!
_____________________________________________________
Separation Anxiety
a few thoughts…
You know your child best,
so do what works!
However, here are a few
general tips to take into consideration...
What to Do Before School
1.
Start counting down the days on a calendar before school starts.
Kids
need time to get used to the idea of leaving you. Be sure to keep it positive
and exciting.
2.
Give your child a sneak peek at a school day.
Try
playing pretend school, says Sharon Landesman Ramey, PhD, director of the Georgetown
University Center on Health and Education, in Washington, D.C.. Practice saying
goodbye, calling on her the way the teacher will, and having snack time.
3.
Keep any anxiety under cover.
If
you're worried that your child will cling to your leg on the first day, keep it
to yourself. If he thinks you're nervous, he will be too.
What to Do at School
**
Take the intensity out of goodbye. Give your child a hug, say "I
love you," and say you'll see her later. Then leave. She might cling
and cry, but lingering will make things more difficult for both of you.
(Explanations
or negotiations just prolong the difficult part. Often children
“forget” to be sad once you’ve gone and they’re engaged.)
Hide. Peeking into the
classroom to see if your child stopped crying or to offer her a reassuring look
may just send her into a meltdown, says Dr. Denham*. "She'll think, 'If
Mommy's so worried that she has to watch me, this place must be scary!'”
Don't
overdo your reunion. Follow your child's lead at pickup time. He may run to you
for a hug, he may just say "Hi, Mommy," or he might even be upset
that you're taking him away from the fun. "If you go on and on about how
much you missed him, your child may feel guilty for making you sad," says
Dr. Pianta*. Ask your child about his day and keep things positive.
*This
information is culled from various internet sources and from our own
experiences. Please excuse the doctor quotations without a true source, eek!
Looking
forward to meeting you all and working together to ensure a successful year!
