September News
From the Principal's Office
Dear Touchstone Families,
Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. I am excited to begin another school year and, as always, am delighted to be part of such a sound and solid early childhood program. It is a pleasure to work alongside a team of educators that are so committed to the education of the young child. We are all looking forward to another year of great happenings within this school community.
I would like to welcome Katie Avery back as a full-time Intermediate Teacher this school year. Katie has been a lead teacher with Touchstone School for four years. She took the last school year off to complete her Master's Degree. We are delighted that she will remain on our teaching staff.
Another change at Touchstone School is our Physical Education teacher. Teacher Nui will become our P.E. Teacher for this school year. Nui has worked with Teacher Dyan since 2006.
Security is one of our primary concerns at Touchstone. Please be certain that you have completed all emergency paperwork and update it regularly throughout the school year. In line with our concern for security, we have a keypad code for access into the building. On the first day of school you will be provided with this code. Please use discretion when sharing this code with others outside of your family that may drop off or pick up your child.
Parking continues to be a challenge for us. Please park in designated areas only and make use of our back area parking on Varns Rd. We have had complaints from our neighbors with our families parking in their parking areas. They have informed us that they will be forced to tow vehicles this school year.
Again, I welcome all of you and look forward to getting to know both you and your children.
Sincerely,
Cindy Galligan, Principal
September Calendar
Sept. 6 – Labor Day - No School
Sept. 7– Meet-Your-Teacher Open House – 4:00-5:15
Sept. 7 – TPO Family Picnic 5:30-7:00 – Foothills Park
Sept. 8 –First Day of School (MWF)
Sept. 9- First Day of School (TTH)
Sept. 14 - TPO Sponsored Coffee
Sept. 16 - Lifetouch Photos 8:45 a.m.
Sept. 22 – Back-to-School Night 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Coming Up...
MEET YOUR TEACHER AND SCHOOL PICNIC
Please join us on September 7 for Meet Your Teacher and our School Picnic. Parents come with their children to their new classrooms to visit with their teacher and classmates. Students and their families then gather with others from their class for a picnic dinner at Foothills Park in Lake Oswego. The picnic is sponsored by the Touchstone Parent Organization (TPO). Food and drinks will be provided by the TPO.
TPO MORNING COFFEE
The Touchstone Parent Organization will sponsor a morning coffee on the morning of September 14. This will be a great time to ask questions about the function of our TPO and get to know other parents at our school. Please stop by to chat or just grab a cup of hot java to go.
LIFETOUCH PHOTOS
Lifetouch Photography will visit on September 16 for individual school pictures. All students will be photographed. Once we receive the photos, you will be able to preview them before making a decision to purchase.
Lifetouch will visit again in the spring, at which time they will take class photos.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT
Please join us on Wednesday, September 22, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for Back-to-School Night. This evening will provide you with valuable information regarding your child's school year. You will meet with your child's teacher, and she will provide an overview of the school year. Philosophy, curriculum, and classroom procedures will be discussed. Questions will be answered and opportunities for parental involvement will be scheduled.
This meeting is for parents only.
Education Department
Raising a Confident Preschooler
It is hard to resist the eager smile and willingness to learn that comes with normal preschool development. As parents, we are always eager to continue to foster and bolster our young children’s love for learning and enthusiasm to demonstrate their developing abilities. Often times, we ask ourselves what we can do to continue to encourage our children to engage, to try even in the risk of failure, and to believe in themselves; in other words, we constantly question what we can do to help raise a confident child. Confidence is a trait that is nurtured and taught, and there are certain techniques and approaches which are built into our Links to Learning curriculum, which can easily be adapted at home as well.
• Begin with a set, predictable routine. When children know what is happening in the world around them and when activities follow an expected order, children can focus on skill-building. Preschool children are easily distracted by disruptions, so a routine that is carefully adhered to allows for children to instead focus on attempting and practicing new skills.
• Praise small accomplishments, but praise with purpose. Children need to hear that they are doing things correctly and need acknowledgement for steps made towards accomplishing a goal. For example, a child may not be able to independently complete a 10 piece puzzle, but he does deserve a specific praise for his ability to put the edge pieces in, such as “You did a great job working on the edge of the puzzle. You can almost do the whole puzzle by yourself. Would you like me to help you with the middle pieces?” Along those same lines, it is imperative that praise is given with purpose. Being often told “Good job!” without a reference to what he did correctly will cause these words to lose efficacy. We need to be sure to praise specific behaviors and to note these in our acknowledgement of steps made towards a goal.
• Encourage and model persistence. It is normal for preschool children to become upset and frustrated when they cannot do something themselves or do it correctly. Rather than do it for them, model and encourage them to try again. For example, a preschooler who knocks over his block tower as she stacks the top block should be responded to with a “You almost did it! Let’s try it again together!” This teaches the preschooler that failure is ok and can be used as a step to try once more.
• Be a safe base. Often preschool children surprise us with their hesitancy to try something new, even activities they have previously engaged in. Despite the disappointment you may feel in your eagerness for your child to engage, allow your child to warm up to the activity when he or she is ready. By not pushing or forcing a choice, you allow your child to feel comfortable in his or her own skills and readiness when he or she is ready.
• Lastly, Model confidence in yourself. Children learn from what they see and hear. Be mindful of the comments you make about yourself and others and your own persistence in the face of failure. A child who hears his parent self-praising or who sees his parent make a mistake and try again will learn and model that same confidence.
Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East
