SJES NEWS August 2017
Welcome Back to St. James Episcopal School! We have been so busy this summer, not only making improvements to the school, but in training to enhance your child’s experience with us. Our staff is required to have 25 hours of continuing education classes each year. Our staff began our in-service two weeks ago with a beautiful “Commissioning Ceremony” led by Mother Rebecca. We had several trainers come in when we weren’t preparing the environments. Here’s a list of some of our favorites:
Love and Logic in the Classroom Hands-On Science Music in the Montessori Classroom Preparing the Montessori Environment
All of our assistant teachers attended a week long class on Montessori Principles. I attended the American Montessori Head’s retreat and a 3-day training on administering and reading Gesell Developmental testing. I will also attend this year’s Southwestern Association of Episcopal School’s conference as well as the AMS conference this school year. We also all take refresher courses to keep up our skills: CPR, First Aid, Child Abuse Signs, Supervision of Children, etc. We are all ready for the children and just can’t wait to watch them respond to their classrooms and friends.
I am happy to announce that we are bringing Love and Logic to you in our Back to School Community meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 7th. Please mark your calendars to attend! Mrs. Loree
Dear Parents, To our new students and parents, welcome to Mother’s Day Out! To those returning for a second year, welcome back!! We are especially excited to see many younger siblings of some of our former students, and look forward to having not one, but two sets of twins in our MWF class. Did your summer seem to go by all too quickly? It sure did for us. Ms. Eva enjoyed resting up, spending time with her family, and visiting Houston. Ms. Mary went to see family in Illinois and Connecticut, did a lot of sewing, and ate way too much ice cream. Ms. Pamela had fun babysitting, taking lots of naps, and going to the movies. We can’t wait to hear what you all did.
Many masterpieces will be created at our new easel!
Isn't our new kitchen beautiful?
We have been very busy getting the classroom ready, and are pleased to have many new “works” and a beautifully updated kitchen area. The children are going to love washing their hands even more than they already do! Our continuing education has included workshops on health and wellness, music, science, and much more. Our very favorite training was in “Love and Logic.”
What is Love and Logic? With practical tools and techniques, teachers can create more cooperative and motivated students. Parents can get their young children to brush their teeth, pick up their toys, use the potty or just about anything else. If this sounds appealing to you, plan on attending a parent workshop, Thursday, September 7 at 6 p.m. Mrs. Brenda Bird will present a lively and informative workshop for St. James parents. Save the date!! Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you all soon. Ms. Eva, Ms. Mary and Ms. Pamela St. James Mother’s Day Out
The reading corner is our favorite place to be!
Mother’s Day Out
Hello Toddler 1 Parents, Mrs. Andrea and I are very excited for the start of our new 17-18 school year. We have been working in our classrooms and preparing our environment for a wonderful and successful year. We had a fantastic summer but we are more than ready to get back to work. We cannot wait to see how much our returning students have grown and to meet and get to know our new students. Buddy is also returning to our classroom. Buddy is our classroom pet - a very sweet and cute guinea pig. Buddy had a very quiet and restful summer, but is looking forward to getting fresh treats from his classmates. His favorite treats are carrots, cucumbers and lettuce leaves. We hope you have enjoyed your summer break and we will see you very soon!
Much love, Mrs. Anna and Mrs. Andrea
Toddler 1
Welcome back to another exciting year at St. James! We hope everyone had a relaxing summer. We are looking forward to welcoming all our new families into our toddler community as well as seeing the smiling faces of our returning toddlers. Over the summer we had some facelifts in the classroom. Newly painted walls in the class and the bathroom. We have had fun working in our classroom to prepare for another great school year and adding new works in our multi-cultural and science area. Don’t forget to bring a filled water bottle daily, labeled with your child’s name, canvas bag, and lunchbox. Any food that needs to be heated up for lunch, please place in foil and mark with the child’s name. We look forward working with each and every one of you this year. Thank you, Toddler 2 team Mrs. April, Mrs. Lilly and Ms. Annabel
Toddler 2
Welcome to the school year! Good morning Toddler 3 how are you? This is the very first day of school. I'm so glad to meet you, others will be too! Just come in the classroom, There are lots of things to do! St. James teachers have been working hard on preparing our classrooms for the school year. We can't wait to work with all of the children in our toddler classroom and see them blossom into independent learners as well as make friendships! Seeing the children and observing their abilities is what we look forward to. Building friendships and community at this age is something we encourage and it is beautiful to witness. Being in a true Montessori environment is such a privilege and blessing. We take much pride in the philosophy of Maria Montessori. We are not simply here to teach, we are here to "grow the child" as a whole. We can't wait to hear the sound of little feet walking up to our classroom! Toddler 3 Teachers, Ms. Coral, Mrs. Amy, Ms. Brenda
Toddler 3
Dear Toddler 4, Welcome, Toddler 4 Families, to the St. James Episcopal School community! Can you believe a new school year is upon us? We have been working hard and diligently setting up the classroom for our precious students. Ms. Anna and I are so excited to welcome our second-year toddlers, as well as welcoming our first-year toddlers to their new classroom environment. The beginning of the year can be a time of excitement, but it can also be a scary transition. We will do our best to ensure that each child feels respected, loved, and safe. “Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.” –Maria Montessori As Montessori teachers, we are committed to support and guide each of our students everyday. Here’s to a wonderful, fun year! Love, Ashley and Anna
Toddler 4
Dear Primary 1, We are so excited for the new school year! I can’t wait to see all of the returning children and how they have grown over the summer. We are also looking forward to meeting the new friends joining our class! We learned a new language program this year called Waseca, that is not only beautiful but very organized and easy to use. Most importantly, we have a new teacher in the classroom! Her name is Ms. Martha. She is AMS certified, and very sweet. Please remember to bring extra clothes for your child for the classroom and the nap room if they nap. They will also need to bring a water bottle every day, and their Crocs for gardening. Separations can be hard for children, though oftentimes it is harder on Mom and Dad. Have a routine ready, I like one kiss, one hug, bye-bye. Please do not linger. This sends the message that you are not confident in leaving your child. Children need to feel that you know they are safe and not hesitant to leave them in our care. We will love them and will be there for them whatever they need. If you have any questions please email me through Montessori Compass. It’s going to be a great year! Ms. Amaris and Ms. Martha
Primary 1
Welcome and welcome back! We have a great school year planned for your children, our students. Here are a few items that will help us get off to a great start. 1. EXTRA CLOTHES: Please send an extra change of clothes for your child to leave in the classroom. They will only be used in case of accidents. (If you have a 3 year old, please leave 3 or 4 pairs of underwear.) 2. CUBBIES: Please allow your child to independently put lunch boxes, sweaters, etc., in their cubbies and also independently retrieve those items at the end of the day. One of the goals of the Montessori classroom is to lead the child to independence. 3. SNACKS: Snack schedules will be put in your child’s cubbie. Please post the schedule with other family reminders. If you cannot bring the snack on your assigned week/weeks please arrange a trade with another family. Any questions, please ask. 4. Lunch guidelines: We ask that your send your child a healthy lunch. Please no chips of any kind. Please do not include sweets. Please include a protein in your child’s lunch. We are ready and looking forward to a wonderful school year! All the best! Mrs. Barrineau and Ms. Sheila
Primary 2
Parents of Primary 3, Welcome to the 2017/2018 school year! I am thrilled to announce that Anna Murphy is joining the Primary 3 family! Mrs. Anna has been working at St. James for a year. She has two beautiful children Cole and Claire who are in the primary classrooms. We are so thankful she is here with us this year! The first month of school will be spent getting to know each other and the order of the classroom. Our new first year students will be first introduced to the practical life area of the classroom. This will help them develop coordination and concentration to be able to move onto more advanced works. In the Montessori classroom, a child must first have a lesson on a material before they are allowed to choose it on their own. Our returning Kindergarten and second year students will assist the teacher in giving lessons and taking on the role as leaders in our class. Our students that are already reading will be introduced to our new Waseca reading program. This year we are committed to embracing the developmental period of each specific child. Through the Montessori method we will follow the child and aim to create a safe and fun learning environment. We are going to make learning in the classroom less about the product and more about the process. We are so excited to get the new school year started! Please feel free to contact me (Eloise) through Montessori Compass if you have any concerns or questions! -Mrs. Eloise & Mrs. Anna
Primary 3
Dearest students and families of Primary 4, Ms. Brenda and I have been busily preparing the classroom for the arrival of our new and returning students. I am eager to greet our old friends and exchange stories about summer time. Ms. Brenda and I are also eager to meet our new friends and welcome them to their new classroom. The start of a new school year always gets me excited. I’m ready to give new lessons, present new works, and watch the children explore their new environment. The wonder of growth and development never cease to amaze me, especially at this tender age. Ms. Brenda and I both spent the summer relaxing. I kept myself busy finding fun things to do with my own children. We went to the movies, enjoyed the Arboretum, the Texas Discovery Gardens, and numerous parks in my area. I spent a weekend at Lake Bob Sandlin enjoying the beauty of nature and trying to catch fish (I only caught one!). Ms. Brenda traveled to Florida to spend some time on the beach and attended a week long training for Montessori assistants. The first day of school cannot come soon enough for us. We are ready to be back in the routine of the school day and are eager to hear the small voices and big laughter of our friends in the hallways and classroom. Here’s to a new school year! Sincerely, Ms. Bianca and Ms. Brenda
Primary 4
Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a relaxing and wonderful summer! A lot has changed around here this summer - the library has been completely revamped! The books have been organized, the shelves have been rearranged, the computers have been moved, and we’ve made space for art tables. This year we will have technology and art class in the library! I’m looking forward to seeing all the students back in the building. It is too quiet without them! We are going to be doing a lot of fun projects this year, and I hope you are as excited as I am! I can’t wait to see everyone next week! Ms. Hanna
Art & Technology