SJES NEWS August 2016
We have been so busy preparing the big environment for this school year. I’m not sure we’ve left a thing untouched! Please be sure to explore the facilities and take note of everything last year’s Auction helped us accomplish. You will notice three administrative offices where there used to be two; fresh coats of paint on walls and cubbies; new tile floors in the hallways; new floors in the Garden classrooms; a remodeled school kitchen; storage cabinets in Primary 3 and 4; new After School Care cubbies and new bridges in the garden and on the playground! Not only have we been preparing the environments, we’ve been preparing ourselves. We’ve taken some wonderful workshops in these past two weeks. We learned “The Secrets of Observation” through Maren Schmidt, experienced “Brain Awake” with Jane Shook, and were enlightened by “The Spiritual Preparation of the Teacher” with Jonathan Wolff. We are ready and eager to begin this fresh new year! Mrs. Loree
Before
Front Hallway
After
Before
Before
Back Hallway
School Kitchen
After
After
These improvements were only made possible through your generous donations to our Spring 2016 Auction
Dear MDO Parents: We are very happy to welcome you to the 2016-2017 school year. We are looking forward to a very productive partnership with you to ensure your children can achieve their highest potential. Your children need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. We think that parent-teacher relationships are neessary for maximum student success. The MDO team feels provleged to be a part of this school family. We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you. Sincerely, Ms. Eva, Ms. Mary and Ms. Pamela
MDO
Hello Toddler 1 Students and Parents, We are excited about the upcoming school year and all the things we will learn. Please make sure all school items are labeled with your child’s name.
Buddy, the class guinea pig, is also very excited to be back at school. He had a great summer break!
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. We also want to welcome Ms. Annabel to our classroom this year! We have had fun working in our classroom to prepare for another school year. This year we focused on our science and math area. We can’t wait to be able to use the new works. Every child needs to carry their school issued canvas bag (if you lose it you will need to purchase a new one from Ms. Lisa) to school daily with a labeled, filled water bottle and lunch box (for whose who are full day.) Any food that needs to be heated up for lunch, please place the food on a piece of foil and fold up and label with you child’s name on it. Thank You, Mrs. April Mrs. Lilly Ms. Annabel
Toddler 2
Welcome! The St. James teachers have been working hard on preparing our classrooms for the 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 how they work together to accomplish a task is a beautiful thing to see at this age, and we look forward to teaching such understandings. Being in a true Montessori environment is a 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 class! Toddler 3 Teachers, Ms. Coral, Mrs. Amy, Ms. Brittany
Toddler 3
Dear Toddler 4 Class, We are excited about the upcoming school year and all the things we will learn and do! Hear are a few helpful tips for the beginning of the school year. Now is a great time to introduce your child to the potty! Toileting is a big part of what we do in the toddler class. We love and recommend Diaper Free Before 3 by Jill M. Lekovic M.D. Lunch time is a great time for building independence and social skills. Be sure to include a protein, carbohydrate, fruits and veggies. Save the sweets and chips for home, please. No fruit snacks, juice, or chocolate filled granola bars are welcome. Food needing to be heated in the oven should be wrapped in foil and clearly labeled with permanent marker. (We do NOT microwave lunches, but do warm in a class toaster oven!) Please stray from lunch boxes, water bottles, nap mats, and clothing with cartoons characters to avoid distractions. Drop off time between 8:15am-8:30am sets the tone for the rest of the day. Tears are normal in the beginning. Be sure to reassure your child with a tender hug and kiss and simple goodbye at the door (not in the classroom). Children settle in quickly and are more secure when you have a consistent drop-off routine! You should have of received an email with multiple options regarding our “Montessori Movers.” We will change shoes daily in the classroom. Also, please provide a pair of Crocs to keep at school for potty learning and gardening purposes. Nap time is from 1pm-3pm and is an important time of the day for the children to rest their bodies. If your child uses a small security blanket or “lovie” to self soothe, please feel free to send it.
Montessori Compass is the way we will communicate what the children are doing daily and concerns or questions with parents. It is a great place to email with any questions or concerns you may have! What to bring to school: please label all items clearly with your child’s name: 1. 20 diapers / pull ups / 1 pack of wipes / 1 pack of boogie wipes. We typically use 4x a day. If your child is potty trained please send 3 changes of underwear 2. 2 changes of clothes and socks 3. If your child is full day, a lunch and nap mat 4. Water bottle. No sippy cups please. 5. Movers and Crocs 6. Tooth brush / toothpaste 7. Hair brush Pictured below is our art corner! We look forward to making memories with your children and creating beautiful art work. All our best, Mrs. Amanda and Ms. Ashley Toddler 4 team
Toddler 4
Dear Primary 1 Friends, I hope all of you had a fun-filled, and relaxing summer. We are so excited to start a new school year with you. This summer I was able to make several trips to visit my son, Jacob, in Nacogdoches and my daughter, Jessica, in Austin. My husband Antonio and I also went to Tyler to see his mom and dad several times. We had a lot of fun making the family rounds! Ms. Kim has moved to Boston to live closer to her family. I made a lot of changes to the classroom this summer, rearranging the layout and adding new works! We bought a new Brown Stair and new dressing frames, and we also added a clothes washing (by hand) work. Our best addition however was Ms Emily, our new assistant teacher. Ms Emily and her husband Nathan have a 3 year old son named Ethan who will be in Primary 2. We have had some great workshops and a lot of fun preparing for our students. We are very excited to meet our new students and to welcome back our 2nd year and Kindergarten class. I will continue to have a daily devotional before lunch and will write each days verse on the small chalkboard next to the iPad where you sign your child in by the P1 door.
The first weeks of school can sometimes be hard for the children and parents to separate. Dr Maria Montessori said, “Little children, from the moment they are weaned are making their way towards independence.� It is best for your child to have a routine with you in the mornings and a loving, yet quick goodbye be a part of that routine. For example, a favorite song or prayer in the car on the way to school, followed by 1 hug and 1 kiss at the door. I will be at the door to greet your child and help them in to the classroom. It is best for the child if you show that you are comfortable leaving them at the school with his or her teachers. This allows them to feel safe and begin the process of adjusting to the classroom. If you have any questions or concerns you can contact me through Montessori Compass. I check my messages every morning before school and every day after school around 3:45. Here is to a wonderful new year! Ms Amaris Ms Emily
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 you being a healthy lunch. Please no chips of any kind. Please do not include sweets. Please include a protein in your child’s lunch. The classroom is prepared. We are ready and looking forward to a wonderful 2016-2017 school year! All the best, Mrs. Barrineau and Ms. Sheila
Primary 2
Families of Primary 3, Welcome to the 2016/2017 school year! I am so thrilled to be joining the St. James family and I can’t wait to get to know each of you! Miss Jaymie and I have been busy preparing the classroom and are so excited to get this year started. A little about me… I grew up in California and moved to Dallas five years ago. I grew up a competitive swimmer and started working with children when I was 14. I live in Lake Highlands with my husband and black lab named Bodie. In my free time I love to spend time outside and exploring new restaurants in Dallas. Ms. Jayme had a wonderful summer break filled with adventures. She enjoyed camping at Possum Kingdom lake, and spent many days at the arboretum and local pool. She began her journey to finishing her BA degree at the University of Texas at Permian Basin. She’s excited to apply what she has learned to the classroom! I’m eager to get to know all the wonderful families at St. James. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to get to know me or the classroom better! Mrs. Eloise & Miss Jaymie
Primary 3
Dear students and families of Primary 4, We are so excited to welcome each and every one of you back for the 2016-2017 school year at St. James. Ms. Bianca and I hope that each family was able to delight in all that the Summer season has offer! I know we sure did. I spent my summer visiting family in Tulsa, friends in Fayetteville, AR, and at the happiest place on Earth, Walt Disney World. Congratulations are in order for Ms. Bianca as she spent her summer weeks finishing up her Montessori certification at The Shelton School and will receive her certification this winter! We have been very busy preparing a beautiful environment for all the children and look forward to hearing their little voices and big laughs fill our space very soon. We have worked so hard and cannot wait to see the children’s faces when they see the classroom. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Teacher Meet and Greet. We very much enjoyed seeing familiar faces and had a wonderful time meeting our new families. We are sure to have a splendid school year! Sincerely, Ms. Sarah and Ms. Bianca
Primary 4
Welcome back! I hope everyone has had a fun and relaxing summer! I am excited for the new school year and to see all the children’s smiling faces! I have lots of fun art projects planned this year. I cannot wait to see the creative and beautiful pieces the children make! We’re going to have a lot of fun in Technology too! Learning the parts of the computer, how to type, making robots, and working on special projects are a few of the things we’ll do this year! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone soon! Ms. Hanna
Art & Technology
We are looking forward to a great year in ASC. ASC is from 3:30pm to 6:00pm Monday Friday. Please use the back entrance to pick up your child. When you enter, we will call your child to come to the double doors for pickup. Please do not enter the ASC area. Thank you, Lisa Wilson
ASC
Love The Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind
Mathew 22:37
Welcome back to a new school year! I am very excited about sharing God’s love with your children in our beautiful chapel, and assisting Ms. Hanna in chapel lessons for the Kindergarten class. The first two chapel services will be teaching the children how special the chapel is and how fortunate we are at Saint James to have a beautiful chapel to share God’s love in. We really want to teach the children that the chapel is a Holy place, and a place to get quiet with our Lord and be reverent. We will also be using a book called The Hand Prayer by Kathy Allday Timberlake to teach the children how how to pray. I love you, God (praise) I’m sorry, God (confession) I thank you, God (thanksgiving) Help others, God (intercession) Help me, God (petition) I’m listening, God (meditation) Amen The first Eucharist and birthday blessings will be on September 14th with Father Gardner. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Ms Amaris
Chapel
The St. James Episcopal School 2016-2017 staff at our commissioning ceremony, August 8, 2016.