Progress Reports

Dear Parents,

This is the season of preparation.  Just before the fall break, the teachers were very busy reviewing the work of their students, looking at what they have accomplished and determining the skills and understandings that need to be targeted.  Each student has a unique constellation of strengths and weaknesses, skills and understandings. These are affected by the developmental stage they are in as well as the circumstances surrounding their learning.  It is with this in mind that the teachers enter into progress report writing, aware of the power of their words and the responsibility to lead and guide their students in effective ways for each one to reach his or her potential.  This is daunting, to say the least, and the teachers have entered into this endeavor with reflection, collaboration, and care. On Monday, December 5, your child's progress report will be accessible to you through the Family Portal.

While the focus of the conferences held earlier in the year was about how children learn, the focus in the reports turns to what they are learning.  Students participate in self-evaluation, often with good insight into areas in which they need to grow.   As the reports are finished, the information in the reports is often shared with the students in one-on-one settings, which allow teachers and students to celebrate accomplishments and target areas for growth.  We encourage you to speak with your child about his or her successes or challenges, but would ask that you not show them the report itself as children can often get caught up in the marks, which are only a part of the content of the report.

The progress reports for the second and third grade classes have a slightly different format this year. Let me walk you through what the report looks like.  The report opens with a note on absences, tardies (late arrivals), and leaving early (early departures).  We track these carefully and note that students who have from 5-10 of these in any term may be setting a pattern that can affect their engagement at school and learning for the year.

Also, at the beginning of the report, is a list of four marks and their explanation.  These have the following gradations: consistently meeting expectations, satisfactory progress, minimal progress, area of concern.   While a student may be making much personal progress in an area, the marks are meant to indicate the level of progress expected from a second or third grade student.  The explanations are clearly stated, and a teacher's hope is that a student is being consistent or moving in that direction with satisfactory work. However, there are students who are making minimal progress on their own and need teacher support or, even with teacher support, are unable to meet the expectations.  This is when a conference is most helpful for teachers to share a plan to target the growth area and for parents to come alongside and support it.  Often, when a child is experiencing difficulty it is with how they learn, the habits they need to develop to be successful students.

The marks or grades are used in four areas of the report: habits of mind and work, reading, writing, math.  There is not just one mark or grade in each section, but three to six of them targeting specific objectives within that area of study.  There is also supportive narrative to explain the marks given or state areas of strength and growth.  Goals are often part of the narrative.

Throughout the report there is a curriculum review in each area of what has been studied during the term.  Directly below this are comments that are personalized for each student.  The comments come from the teacher who has taught that area of study.  This year we have many specialists:

• art and Shared Space - Mr. Nordling
• PE - Mr. Licato
• music - Ms. Mauldin
• science - Ms. Paffenroth
• social studies - Ms. deJong

As you read through the report, you will see your child's areas of strength and you should see the goals or areas in which they need to focus.  If you find that you have questions as you read the reports, do not hesitate to ask your child's teacher about them or request a conference.  Teachers will do the same.  We know that when we understand and work together, your children will make the most progress.

We hope the progress reports help you gain a clearer picture of your child as a student, giving you insight into what they know and where they need to grow.  The season of Advent is one of preparation, a fitting theme as in this season of the school year we prepare for new insights and learning together.

Blessings,

Shanna

Dear Parents,

Self-regulation or self-control is the work of the preschool age child.  The teachers see over and over again how hard it is for the children to learn to stop what you are doing, to wait for a turn, to not be disappointed if you don't have a turn, to walk with a partner and stay in your place, to use words when you are angry, to ask for something rather than snatch it from someone.  There is so much that children need to learn, and it seems so hard in the moment.

We know that it takes much practice, and we are practicing a lot these days.  On the teacher's part this requires lots of watching and listening.  It requires cueing to help children think about how to be in a group or how to wait.  "I will choose someone who is sitting criss cross and has their hand raised. If you don't get a turn today it will be OK, you might get a turn the next time.  It is hard to wait, but I know you can do it."  Sometimes it requires trying again: "Oh, we can do better than that; let's try it again.  Let's do that one over again."

For the child it requires an understanding of cause and effect, and teachers use language to help them understand this also.  "If we all have our jackets on we will get to the park sooner. We can learn more songs if we can work together.  If you line up now we will have more time for . . ." Language mediates the experience and helps children make connections.  As children learn the rules of school we often hear them repeat them.  "I can't do the puzzle right now, but I can do it at activity time.  I can be at the end of the line, and it will be OK.  We need to wash our hands first, and then we can have snack."

All of this takes lots and lots of energy for all the little decisions and choices that need to happen during the day, for both the teachers and the children.  All of these small decisions are building up patience and endurance, stamina and impulse control, all necessary for self-regulation - the work of the preschool child. 

Blessings,

Shanna

Dear Parents, Habits are much on teachers' minds these days as they prepare for conferences. In education circles there has been much discussion about habits of learning or 21st century skills or neurodevelopment constructs - these are all ways of considering how to develop the whole child as a learner.  At Mustard Seed we reviewed these different ways of approaching learning and identified our own set of habits that we work to instill in all students; habits which connect with our emphasis on academics and the arts, faith and service.  We identified twenty habits, five each in the areas of heart and mind, learning and work.  These habits are integrated throughout the curriculum and can be developed in three-year-olds as well as fourteen-year-olds. Each year teachers work with these habits, emphasizing different ones at various grade levels, or ones that connect with a theme or focus of study.  By the time students graduate from Mustard Seed they will have been nurtured in the development of each of these habits, which in turn, will not only affect their academic work as they move on to high school, but will influence their character and life long learning.   During the first six weeks of school the teachers are learning about their students and their approach in the work of learning.  At this point in the year we are most interested in how students are learning as they begin their studies.  If teachers understand the different ways each child learns best or where they may struggle, then teachers are more equipped to teach what students learn throughout the year. Thursday and Friday many of you will be coming to school for a parent teacher conference.  In this conference the teachers will be reporting to you about how they see your child as a learner in the context of these habits.  The teachers will share with you what they now know about your child, note areas of strength and concern, and propose a few goals for future learning. Teachers will not tell you about their progress in academic areas, which is the focus for the progress reports that you will receive in early December. To help you prepare for this conference, please click on the link and review the twenty habits.   There is a saying that our acts become our habits and our habits are the stuff of which character is made.  It is one of the reasons why we are so intentional even about the little things, such as saying I am sorry or taking only the amount of snack you need.  We know that something as small as a mustard seed can become a great and welcoming presence, our small acts become the seeds for a flourishing life. Blessings, Shanna

Dear Parents,

Here we are at the end of the year, a year of flourishing.  With great delight the Rocks Class were able to be outside yesterday as the rain held off.  Today the Rivers Class blessed their marine animal painting by the storm drain.  The Sky and Trees watched a play performed by the Trees Class beneath a colorful "party rope" created by the Sky Class.  In these last days the children have looked and reflected on work they have done earlier in the year, and all of us have noticed the flourishing.  This time to reflect is so essential to help learning consolidate in the memory, and to spur new possibilities. We hope there will be time this summer to make pancakes, discover more marine animals, and look for bugs and insects.

I have not forgotten about our book possibilities and Michele and I are ready to announce, but before that read Michele's comments about the two recent reads.

"While I was waiting for a copy of the just-published book UnSelfie:Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World to arrive at Little City Books, I read another brand new book that a new Nest parent recommended: The Awakened Family by Dr. Shefali Tsabary, who is also the author of The Conscious Parent.

The section of chapters in The Awakened Family about Our (7) Parenting Myths is incredibly insightful!

This might be a great book to read next fall as a parent community. The book is very thought-provoking, with clear examples for parents of children of all ages.

Now that I have started to read Unselfie, I even used some of the suggestions about developing empathy in children right here in Shanna's office. On one occasion this week, a technique for helping a student recognize his feelings really "worked!"

This book is definitely a "How-to" book, and even the format of the pages and chapters give that impression. The author uses both home and school examples, which helps support the practical aspects of the book.

My personal favorite chapter deals with cultivating moral imagination and describes the essential role that reading plays in developing empathy.

Did you know that....?

1. Today's children are reading less than previous generations. (This didn't surprise me.)

2. As digital entertainment choices increase, children's literary habits shrink. (Again, not a big surprise.)

3. Reading literary fiction --even for short periods--nurtures empathy and perspective-taking ability. (As a big fan of fiction, I completely agree and I cheered!)

4. Children who read exclusively on digital screen are three times less likely to say they enjoy reading, a third less likely to have a favorite book, and far less likely to become strong readers. (WOW! WOW!)

5. Part of the secret in helping children step into the shoes of a character with literature is offering material that matches their interests as well as reading abilities. (A challenge for parents and teachers alike.)

Dr. Borba's story of using Beverly Cleary's great book Ramona the Pest in her classroom almost brought tears to my eyes, for Ramona and her family are near-and-dear to many generations of Postema readers.

Another great book and highly recommended, but we must choose one for the common read and so we have landed on The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D."

We are looking forward to discussing The Whole-Brain Child with you in the fall.  Have a safe summer and happy reading!

Blessings,

Shanna

Dear Parents,

Relentless.  In these days of honoring with one word qualifiers, this is the word that comes to mind when I think of the teachers, the students, and Michele, who has found yet another book possibility for the common parent read this summer.

Today students passed my room looking for pirate treasure and indeed did end up discovering some downstairs.  This was a favorite activity that our youngest students did to help them navigate the stairs and passages to the dismissal area in the first days of school.  Now the teachers can see how much they have grown, indeed one group of usually quiet children were quite vociferous in my being able to keep a secret about where the treasure was so that other students who were still searching could find it (a tribute to their sense of community). One of these treasure seekers, a child who barely spoke at the beginning of the year, was the last to declare quite clearly to me what I should not do.

For a long time students in Sky and Trees have wanted to build pirate ships in the block area. Given the freedom to do so now, we see how quickly they are moving from design to strong structures to adding necessary details that will inform their play.  This kind of work could not have happened at the beginning of the year.  Daily, stories are being drawn, written, and read in the Sky and Trees Classes.  We have seen students be catalysts for starting to use letters and sounds in their writing, and they have formed into small groups from time to time, to share their stories.  What a wonderful way to be ready for the formal introduction into writing next year.

The Rivers Class is making final plans for the storm drain they are painting, and I know parents are coming alongside to assist.  So, you can see that the students are relentless in their desire to keep learning and we, teachers and parents, are relentless in our support of this very important task.  And, yes, Michele is relentless in placing new parenting books on my desk.  The latest being The Awakened Family by Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D.  Next week there will be a final review and a decision.

Finally, let me say that after I met with The Nest teachers on Wednesday, I sat in the classroom where we had been meeting so I could finish up a few loose ends.  As I was doing so, I heard two teachers working on how to individualize the honors they were giving to two children who share many qualities in common.   When I left the room, I saw another teacher was staying late to work on an art display in the main hall.  These are my colleagues, your child's teachers, the ones who stay late to honor the children's work.  Relentless!

Blessings,
Shanna

Dear Parents,

We were ready to announce the common read, but then Michele noticed that there was a new book coming out next week, Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in our All-About-Me World, which according to Michele already has rave reviews.  So we are waiting until we can get it hot off the press and then will make a decision.


The children and teachers are finishing up some work with the habits that we introduced during the school year. Rocks and Rivers have been working with the habit of wonder and awe.  This seems to be a natural expression of the young child.  How do you sustain that sense of wonder and awe as you grow older? By looking at the process the students went through, the teachers gained some insight into this. The ability to notice - Look!, wonder - Wow!, celebrate - Yay! were expressions that the teachers started noting and highlighting.  One of the natural outcomes of this was a diminishment of the terms like disgusting or yuck from the students.

The Sky and Trees team worked on organizing thoughts.  As many students are heading off to kindergarten where there is more independent planning that the students will be involved in, this seemed like a good way to prepare for the next step.  Some children were given clipboards so that they could make a plan and then they would check in with teachers afterwards about their plan.  The teachers noticed the power of the clipboard, which seemed to make the students work seem important.

We continue to honor the children during worship and we continue to marvel at the unique qualities of each student as the teachers share stories of who they are and how they have grown.  Truly, there is flourishing in The Nest.

Blessings,

Shanna

Dear Parents,

The Importance of Being Little:  now there's a title of seeming paradox.  When MIchele started breezing through various books and leaving them on my desk with one exclamation or another, this book by Erika Christakis seemed to get the most enthusiastic comments from her, repeatedly.  So much so that one morning, I checked if the library had a copy and whisked myself down the block to pick it up from the new book section.

As I was reading it, I kept nodding my head and thinking: this book describes The Nest.  I thought of my recent presentation at the new parent orientation and this seemed an echo, perhaps a more articulate explanation of what I had tried to condense into twenty minutes.  

A recurring theme of mine is that young children need lots of conversation. "It's not the words themselves that are so important but, rather, the process by which children learn to think properly, through their use of words . . . in a high-quality program adults are building relationships with children and paying a lot of attention to children's thinking processes and, by extension, their communication.  They attend carefully to children's language and find ways to make them think-out-loud."

I read the description of "complex cognitive and interpersonal skills that are important for preschoolers to master.  These essential skills include, according to early childhood expert Ellen Galinsky and others: self-regulation and self-direction; perspective taking; communication; forming connections; critical thinking (the buzzword of the moment); and a willingness to try new challenges."  

This too describes the work and play of the children in The Nest, and teachers often discuss and reflect on how to develop children in these intellectual goals.  

This is a great book if you want to understand how preschools can develop students who are well-prepared to learn, and this learning goes beyond knowing the alphabet and numerals.  

As a parent you can gain some insight and learn how to support your child at school and home, but this is not a book on parenting. So, as good as it is, I think it may not be the best common read for the summer, but let's see what Michele thinks:

"I have rarely read a book that is so affirming and thought provoking as The Importance of Being Little! I was absolutely entranced as I read it, have brought up anecdotes in conversation and discussion with countless people, and have recommended it to all my colleagues.

This book describes the features of an outstanding, high quality early childhood education... and I feel as though the author has stepped into The Nest. Her stories and descriptions are real, humorous, and poignant. She understands young children, their teachers, and their parents!

But--and here is where I was both stricken and convicted--the author talks about how the very best early childhood education is not often-- or even rarely--available or accessible to all families and children.

She clearly names the huge challenges that families face as they balance work and home schedules, and she strongly states that families make choices based on many considerations. What she means is that excellent programs (such as ours) which do not offer a 7am to 6pm option (extended day, or before and after-care) are simply not meeting the needs of many families. 

This book will be food for thought and visioning in the Mustard Seed Community, but I agree with Shanna that The Importance of being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups may not be our best choice for a parent read this summer. 

I have added it to the "choose to" parent summer reading list for your consideration, and you are welcome to borrow my book anytime! I am a huge fan of our local library, but this was a book that I wanted on my shelf."

Blessings,
Shanna