By: Alex Chiu, Hannah Ferris, and Jax Pisciotto<\/p>\n
As we turned the calendar page to August, we realize that the beginning of another school year is right around the corner. Last year, we shared with our families some helpful hints in preparing for the first day of school, and we thought it might be important to share this information once again for our new families and as a reminder to our returning families. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer vacation, and we look forward to seeing you all soon!<\/em><\/p>\n Your child\u2019s first day of school is a major milestone for your family. It is undoubtedly a very exciting time and likely will be marked by new clothes, a new backpack and lunchbox, and many adorable \u201cFirst Day of School\u201d photos. While the anticipation of a new school year is very exciting, it can also be stressful, for you and your child alike. Many years of experience have provided the staff of The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy (MCA) with special insights into some simple things parents can do to prepare their children, and themselves, for preschool. We hope you find that these tried and true methods will help alleviate any stress that may be surfacing as the new school year approaches and that they will allow your family to truly enjoy the excitement of your child\u2019s first school experience<\/p>\n 1. Don\u2019t miss \u201cMeet the Teachers\u00a0<\/strong>Day\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The first day of school at MCA is a bit different than what one might expect. We call this special day \u201cMeet the Teachers Day\u201d, and it\u2019s coming up very soon! Parents and children come to MCA together to visit their new classrooms and meet their teachers face-to-face.<\/p>\n Meet the Teachers Day is followed by a \u201cPhase-In\u201d period that is aimed at helping to alleviate any separation anxiety and provide the children with a smooth transition into their new school environment. Meet the Teachers Day is just one piece of the school orientation that allows the children to acclimate both socially and emotionally to being apart from their parents and begin to take part in all aspects of their classroom community.<\/p>\n 2. Take your child shopping for school supplies<\/strong><\/p>\n Allow your child to get excited about going to school by bringing him or her with you when you go shopping for school supplies. Giving your child the freedom to pick out his or her backpack and lunchbox will also create a sense of ownership of these items, which will inherently point your child in the direction of being responsible for his or her belongings.<\/p>\n 3. Begin evening and morning routines before<\/em> school starts<\/strong><\/p>\n Many of our teachers at MCA have already begun to re-adjust their internal clocks, which have been set to summer mode for the past two months. During the summer, we often stay up later, knowing that we can sleep in a bit. However, as we approach the start of a new school year, it is helpful to get back into a \u2018school day rhythm\u2019.<\/p>\n We know that it\u2019s not always the simplest task to settle your little ones down for bed, especially when the sun is still shining, but it is important to establish a healthy bedtime for the school year. School days at MCA start early, at 8:30 or 8:45AM. If an early bedtime is proving to be tricky, you may consider implementing family \u201cquiet time\u201d in the evenings. This can involve quiet play, or you could engage in the time-honored tradition of reading before bedtime. Have your child pick out 3 or 4 favorite books to settle down with if he or she isn\u2019t quite ready to sleep. As your quiet routine continues in the days leading up to the first day of school, cut back to 2 – 3 books until your child is prepared to settle down a little earlier.<\/p>\n In the morning, try the lure of a favorite breakfast to help rouse your little one while your family\u2019s bodies adjust to school mode. Perhaps even do a practice run, where you and your child have breakfast and leave the house together to drive past the school. This will also allow you to assess how much time it takes to actually get out the door.<\/p>\n 4. Differentiate your<\/em> anxieties about separation from your child\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether this is your first child heading off to preschool or your fourth, it is normal for parents to have some hesitation about leaving their children in the care of others. In order to assist children in making a smooth transition, it is important for parents to display a positive attitude and send children off with a big smile, a brief hug, and the assurance that you are looking forward to sharing stories about each of your days when school and work are done. Your<\/em> positive attitude helps your child sense that you believe he or she will be able to manage the school day just fine, and that positive attitude just might be contagious!<\/p>\n To help you maintain a smile before you say goodbye, take some time to reflect on the successes your child has exhibited in playgroups or at other times when you were not by his or her side. Be confident that should your child need some extra support, the teachers at MCA will help you both through this transition until everyone is comfortable with a new school routine.<\/p>\n 5. Talk about school at home using the names of teachers and classmates<\/strong><\/p>\n After Meet the Teachers Day, and then throughout the school year, invite your child to share stories about the events of his or her school day. Keep a class list handy to help you both remember the names of new teachers and friends until they become familiar. Ask open-ended questions to encourage your child to share details, and be patient if it takes some time to remember events from the day. You might ask, \u201cWhat story did you listen to during circle time?\u201d, \u201cWho did you eat snack with today?\u201d, or \u201cWhat did you do on the playground?\u201d Gradually, you may find that your child will initiate and guide the conversations about school.<\/p>\n 6. Take the time to meet other parents<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Chances are you won\u2019t be the only parent who is nervous about leaving your child at school for the first time. Some veteran parents may feel the very same way! We can guarantee that there will be friendly and sympathetic faces willing to lend advice to a first-time preschool parent. Take the first step and introduce yourself to another parent after drop-off, and set up time to meet over coffee to share your experiences. The other parents in your child\u2019s class will be wonderful resources at the beginning of the school year, and in time, you may find that they become good friends as well. Just as your child will be experiencing new things and making new friends during his or her school experience, so will you.<\/p>\n We can\u2019t believe that the summer is almost over, but we are anticipating a wonderful school year ahead! Our teachers are busy preparing their classrooms, just as your family is preparing for the school year in your own way. Everyone at MCA is excited to welcome you in September!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Alex Chiu, Hannah Ferris, and Jax Pisciotto As we turned the calendar page to August, we realize that the beginning of another school year is right around the corner. Last year, we shared with our families some helpful hints in preparing for the first day of school, and we thought it might be important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[28,87],"tags":[26,17,10,71,4,144,54,145,140,147,6,70],"coauthors":[13,15],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Photo-for-Preschool-Blog-1.jpg?fit=4182%2C3027&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7icff-7G","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":603,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/reflections-at-the-montessori-childrens-academy\/","url_meta":{"origin":476,"position":0},"title":"Reflections at The Montessori Children’s Academy","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"January 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As we enter this new year, we thought we\u2019d take a look back at just some of the MCA special events and highlights from September through December. In just a few short months, the children have experienced so much both inside and outside of the classroom. Reflecting upon the fall\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/FIREFIGHTER-VISIT-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":269,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/11\/five-questions-to-ask-at-a-preschool-open-house\/","url_meta":{"origin":476,"position":1},"title":"Five Questions to Ask at a Preschool Open House (Repost from October 2016)","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"January 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As this is a common time of year for families to begin their preschool search for the next school year, we would like to once again share with you some pointers when attending a preschool Open House. An Open House provides parents with a firsthand impression that cannot be replicated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/3-children-with-globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C844&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/3-children-with-globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C844&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/3-children-with-globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C844&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/3-children-with-globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C844&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/3-children-with-globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C844&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":483,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/29\/what-not-to-wear\/","url_meta":{"origin":476,"position":2},"title":"What (Not) to Wear","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"August 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 By: Alex Chiu Many parents anticipate that perfect \u201cfirst day of school\u201d photo with their children wearing fresh, new outfits, slinging those bright new backpacks over their shoulders, and smiling as they exit the front door ready to start a new school year. Before you begin your back-to-school shopping\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_0504.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_0504.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_0504.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_0504.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":401,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/24\/preschool-profiles-mcas-2%c2%bd-3%c2%bd-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":476,"position":3},"title":"Preschool Profiles: MCA\u2019s 2\u00bd – 3\u00bd Program","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"January 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"To ring in the new year at The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy (MCA), we welcomed five new families to our 2\u00bd - 3\u00bd class at our Morristown campus. Despite their tender age, our seasoned MCA students gently welcomed these new friends, showing them around the classroom and modeling the manners and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL NJ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_3713.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_3713.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_3713.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/14\/a-word-of-welcome-from-mca\/","url_meta":{"origin":476,"position":4},"title":"A Word of Welcome from MCA","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"March 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By: Alex Chiu and Hannah Ferris \u201cMontessori Education\u201d\u00a0 For some, those two words might not mean very much.\u00a0\u00a0For others however, they bring about many misconceptions of discipline, pedagogy, or purpose.\u00a0But for those who have become familiar with the Montessori Method and have seen the beauty of its effectiveness as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori Philosophy"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Montessori Childrens Academy NJ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1304,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2024\/06\/12\/understanding-montessori-math\/","url_meta":{"origin":476,"position":5},"title":"Understanding Montessori Math","author":"Tori Inkley","date":"June 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Arati Joshi, Early Childhood Head Teacher \u201cChildren display a universal love of mathematics,which is par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.\u201d~ Maria Montessori Dr. Maria Montessori, the founder of the Montessori Method of Education, believed that a child is born with a \u201cmathematical mind\u201d. 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