A sharing relationship with parents as partners is a major goal of our Montessori program. Ways of Communicating
When parents bring children to the school, we believe staff has the opportunity to exchange a few sentences twice a day. These sentences can add up to an important relationship over time if they are seen as central to the program rather than casual extras.
We will have a family of the month throughout the year. During your chosen month we will invite parents to arrange their lunch hour so they can join the children for lunch as a special guest. We will collect favorite family photos from parents and display them in the monthly photo album. It will make parents and the child feel special.We will always respond to parent suggestions or criticism. You may want to discuss your concerns with the director. Parents appreciate an honest disagreement more than being ignored.Parent meetings- for working parents this must be carefully planned and worth their effort. Must be a convenient time for working parents.Parent conference- with young children this should not be the most important way of communicating. Conferences should be a time to discuss to a fuller extent what the child is doing at The Nurtury and at home. We will be sure to plan ahead and have a written pre-conference report. We want to know as much as we can about your child. We will give you the facts, not our interpretation.
Together we can try to make sense of the facts. You might have some questions to pose to us also and we will have questions for you such as:
Real communication takes place when each person recognizes the other’s power, and each person is able to reveal his or her own vulnerability. This is where positive friendly encounters each day will really pay off. Try not to go down the path of one-way communication.
Each child will have a communications book placed in its cubby. Teachers will write notes daily to parents about the child’s day and progress. Parents will write instructions and important messages in the book as needed.
Parents will drop the child off inside the room and can also verbally relay any information to the child’s teacher.
In addition to this the Nurtury Baby Book will be a special book about all the significant events and moments that happen here at school including pictures. This book will be given to your family when your child leaves the house.
The first conference for parents of new children is scheduled three weeks after the start of the program. It will be conducted in the child’s home and will help to provide a complete picture of what makes up the child’s life. The parent can give the teacher a tour of the child’s environment and help her understand the family relationship.
There will be three formal conferences per year about your child and his or her development.
A monthly newsletter will be posted and mailed to all parents at the beginning of each month. This newsletter will allow you to keep up on all upcoming events, programs, and special happenings that involve your child and the Nurtury house.