New Student Letter

Welcome To Your New School

YAY! I am so happy to welcome you to The Castaneda School House. This is a special place for me and now a special place for you too. I am your teacher, Mrs. Castaneda, but you may call me Ms. Brook. I am already so smitten with you! We are going to have so much fun and learn so many new and exciting things!

I want you to feel so comfortable and cozy in your classroom. The best way I feel I can ensure that is to fill you in on what it will look like in our space every single day. We will have a few limits, a rhythm, and a lot of play!

1. Every day you will have a big job. You will need to bring three things: a backpack, a water bottle, and your lunch.

On your first day of school I will need you to bring a small bag of extra clothes in case of an accident. Throughout the year as the seasons change, it would also be helpful to bring the right attire for the weather, including a rain jacket, rain boots, a sun hat, gloves, etc.. Our goal is to be as planned as possible to ensure our day runs smoothly and joyfully. I am so happy that you are here to be my helper with these big jobs!Our classroom has special rules that will keep you and all your new friends safe, happy, and engaged.

2. Our classroom has special rules that will keep you and all your new friends safe, happy, and engaged.

Always use your listening ears when others are speaking.

All questions are wonderful questions.

Our body parts are our body parts and we will keep them to ourselves..

Inside our classroom, we must use our inside voice and our walking feet.

Germs are yucky so cleaning is essential.

Everyone is important in this space. We are always kind to each other.

Play is our favorite and most effective way to learn so we will do a lot of it!

3. Our schedule is our rhythm. It is the way we flow and move within our day, but we are not limited by it.

Arrival + freeplay w/ practical setup

Goodmorning, breaths, and yoga

Creative Arts (art, science experiments, sensory, etc.)

Lunch

Outdoor exploration (focus on gross motor)

Mat learning (math, geography, science, etc.)

Rest period

Snack

Daily journaling

Freeplay + departure

We do not have a scheduled time for history or language, but we will be incorporating those within the books we read, the explorations and experiments we do outdoors, and during our fine motor activities. The most important thing for me is that each child delights in learning and I want this to be a place where they are free to explore, engage, and grow at their own pace. To ensure this, our schedule is fluid. We use it as a compass to guide us throughout our day but if we get lost within a discussion or activity, we will embrace every bit of that joy and move on when we are all ready to do so. It is also so important to me to bring discussions and activities into the classroom that the students enjoy most. Once I get to know everyone and what they love, I will write my lesson plans and curriculum around those special interests.

4. Dress in your coziest, most play friendly, and weather appropriate clothes.

It is so fun for your parents or guardians to dress you up in your fanciest clothes (I’m a mama too so I know all about it), ensuring you are ready to walk the runway all day long. But when we are at school, we play and we play hard. We splatter paint, we spill juice, we roll around in the grass, we make mud pies, and we create big messes. And we do this type of thing all throughout the year. It would be best if you dress in your cozy clothes, your clothes that can be stained, your clothes that can handle being washed repeatedly, your clothes that encourage exploration and play, and your clothes that are well paired with the current weather.

5. Lastly, please stay home if you are not feeling your very best.

As we have already talked about, germs are yucky. Not only are they yucky but they are also not very nice. If you come to school with any of the following symptoms below, you could spread those bully germs to all of your classmates. This could make your classmates sick as well and that is no fun for anyone. By staying home, not only are you giving your body the rest it needs to heal, you are also being a wonderful friend by protecting your peers and Ms. Brook from those not so nice germs.

Fever of 100 or greater for 24 hours | Runny Nose | Cough | Sore Throat | Unknown Rash | Vomiting or Diarrhea | and/or any other symptoms that might indicate you have caught some type of bug or virus.

Now my new friend, you are ready for school!