BOOK CLUB - Last Stop on Market Street

The newsletter this month is focused on kindness, and Last Stop on Market Street is a great story to show your child an example of kindness. Throughout the story, a grandmother teaches her grandson to have a positive outlook on life and to lift up others by serving those less fortunate.

LITERACY & NUMERACY - Communication Skills

One facet of kindness relates to how we communicate with each other. This may mean being polite by saying "please" and "thank you," or it may mean being able to engage in a conversation appropriately. At Fay, we teach these early communication skills by greeting our preschool and Primary School students by name at the door each morning. Students shake the Head of Primary School's hand, look her directly in the eyes, and say, “Good morning, Mrs. Knuppel!” It may sound simple, but those daily habits build confidence as well as strong communication and social skills that will serve children well for years to come. 

While good communication skills can help with kindness, they are also essential to early literacy. Italian educators describe the give and take of a conversation as a ball being thrown back and forth between two people. Just like throwing and catching, children need to learn how to have a conversation by practicing. A child who can have a fluid conversation is a child who can tell a story--and that is the beginning of writing. To learn more, click here to read our blog article about communication skills.

ARTS & CRAFTS - Painted Rocks

Materials Needed:

Paint Pens  • Rocks

Directions:

1. Gather your rocks and painting materials and ask your child to decorate each rock. To practice kindness, you can tell them that each rock will be given to someone as a gift and that they can personalize their creations to make them unique for each recipient.

2. As your child is painting, talk with them about the positive feelings that the recipient will feel when they see their rock. When children develop an awareness of how kindness feels, they will start to see the impact that they can have on others when they reach out with kind acts. 

3. After the rocks are dry, you can either give them directly to someone as a gift, or you could hide them for someone to find. Is there a route that you always walk in your neighborhood? You can find a place to put a rock along your route for others to see. Or, do you know someone who has a garden? Next time you are at their house, place a rock in their garden for them to find. 

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE - Manners

At Fay, we emphasize civility and good manners - and visitors are often surprised to have a door held open for them by a young student or to see that our students are as comfortable greeting and talking to adults as they are talking with one another. The main reason why our students act in this way is because they see their teachers and peers demonstrate good manners, and kindness is part of our community culture. By practicing good manners yourself at home, your child will learn by your example, but you can also click here for an article from our blog about table manners for more tips.

FIELD TRIP - Fairy Garden Trail

If you are looking for a fun place to put any of the rocks that you painted from the Arts & Crafts section of the newsletter, check out the Fairy Garden Trail in North Grafton. The trail is perfect for young children, and it features homemade fairy houses that are spaced out along the path. To get to the trail, there is a parking lot for visitors next to Pine Grove Cemetery in Grafton. Once you park, follow the cemetery's road for a short way until you see a path on your left. 

PARENTING ADVICE - Five Tips for Raising a Kind Kid

You might not think that kids are experiencing a kindness deficit these days with slogans like Kindness Matters and Choose Kind in the zeitgeist. However, a majority of parents believe that they are. But, how do you raise a child to be kind and considerate of others? What are the behaviors and activities that will help to build that foundation? Here are some tips for intentionally nurturing kindness in your child.

Kindergarten at Fay School

Kindergarten lays the foundation for a child's entire learning experience. At Fay, our small class sizes and differentiated approach help each kindergartener establish the skills they will need for a successful educational journey. Our teachers focus on each child’s literacy, numeracy, science understanding, and social-emotional development, supported by a team of expert specialists who coordinate instruction in art, music, French, and Spanish, and P.E. Our teacher also focus on fostering a love of learning, and they know that when students believe that their learning matters, they give their all.