Dear Parents,
I would like to welcome all of you to a new and exciting school year. I’m looking forward in working with your children and talking to all of you in our special up-coming school events. The classroom has been especially prepared for your child in each of their developing stages of their young lives and I thrilled to have this opportunity to guide them as they grow.
For those parents who do not know me just yet, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I started working for Valley Forge Kinder House Montessori school as a volunteer summer camp counselor when I was in tenth grade. However, I always was very interested in working with children well before my camp counseling years. In fact, by age nine my parents knew I would someday be a teacher for I was known as the best kid in the neighbor who other parents could trust and who’s children loved to play with. While working as a camp counselor I was given a great opportunity to work with a variety of children of different ages as well as work with my little brother who was only three at the time when he joined the camp.
I have worked as a summer camp counselor for twenty-six years and have loved every moment of it. During this same time period I also finished High School in North Platte, Nebraska, my Early Childhood Education degree at West Chester University, my Montessori teaching degree at the Washington Montessori Institute in Washington D.C. and have been teaching for twenty-nine years. This year is my official thirtieth year and I’m so excited to be guiding your children through our wonderful Montessori environment with my fantastic assistant Mrs. Irene Zulkoski. Mrs. Zulkoski has been my assistant for fifteen years and also worked at our Phoenixville location as an assistant for four years. She will be greeting your children each morning if they are in the Early Bird program. We all know that Mrs. Zulkoski is a very caring and loving person who diligently loves working with children and we all love her.
I would like to give you a little bit of insight on your child’s first few days of school. On your child’s special day in joining the class during our phasing-period your child will be introduced to a variety of unique lessons we like to call Grace and Courtesy and Movement skills. These lessons will help guide your child to become more familiar with the classroom routines and develop confidence, as well as, independence as they work throughout their day. They will also be given a variety of lessons on the various classroom materials which are patiently waiting for them to enjoy in our prepared environment which is designed just for them.
Each year I often am asked by parents what it is that my child is doing each day. This is a very common question that most parents have to deal with but sometimes their child isn’t always willing to provide. I would like to suggest that when you are asking your child about their day, you start the conversation first by telling them what you actually did during the day. We know that you are all very eager to find out what your child worked on during each day in school but when children are very young and are still working in the present moment with hands on lessons it is very hard for them to express themselves with a lot of details without having the materials right in front of them. On average your child may have worked with about twenty different activities just in the morning session. I would just suggest that you be patient and in time your child will share their special days with you. However, in case they are not sharing very much information with you on Saturday September 24 th your child will be able to show you the classroom through their eyes and point out some of the activities they have been working on.
I would also suggestion you read the Parent Handbook frequently if you have any questions about the school regulations. There is a lot of information to remember but it is a very helpful resource book to use when needed. If you have any questions or concerns about your child, please call the school and leave a message with the office or you can email me at [email protected]. I looking forward in meeting all of you and getting to know you and your child better.
Ms. Phelen