message from martha

Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences: A Time to Celebrate Growth!

It is finally spring. The daffodils at the entrance to the school are finally popping up and the weeping cherry tree in the front playground is about to burst into bloom. The birds, squirrels and our children are busy out in the playgrounds. Inside, the teachers too are busy. Every spring Knight Hall teachers get busy preparing for parent-teacher conferences. Spring is all about growth and the teachers are getting ready to talk about your child’s with you.

Each team has spent the last 9 months observing and recording your child’s development on a daily basis. These observations are kept in a file for each child. When spring arrives the teachers review all their observations, photos, and the children’s work they have collected, and begin the process of thinking carefully about your child’s growth and development over the last year. Each team has a different approach to sharing the information with you, the parent. But whatever the delivery style, the information on your child’s developmental progress paints a thorough picture of who your child is in school. It’s probably one of the most objective and complete developmental assessments your child will ever receive!

This developmental assessment is delivered to you through the important parent-teacher conference. This is scheduled not only to give us a chance to share our observations of your child’s strengths and growth, but also to give you a chance to discuss the information we have gathered with us. Our job is to be sure that the information we present is clear and appropriate. However, if the staff has concerns regarding your child’s development, this should not be the first time you hear of that concern. There should never be any big surprises during a conference!

Parents also have several important jobs at parent-teacher conference time. Your 1st job is to sign up for a conference! The teachers will post conference sign up sheets well in advance. We offer conferences starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m., and in the preschool classes we offer 2 days of conference times to allow for flexibility.

Your 2nd job is to arrive on time. The teachers try to stay on schedule. We know parents often need to get back to work. However, we need your help. If more time is necessary, please feel free to make another appointment to speak with your child’s teachers.

Your 3rd job is to prepare. Prior to your conference think about and consider jotting down questions to bring with you. This is your time to have a conversation about your child’s development with professionals who know him or her. It’s also a time to share concerns and praise. You will have 45 minutes, which sounds quite sufficient, but we know that truth be told it’s not nearly enough from a parent’s point of view!!!! The more organized your thoughts the better use of this special time! Please let me know beforehand if you have any questions about how to make the most of this wonderful opportunity!

Your 4th and final job is to listen and reflect on the information you have received regarding your child’s development. Keep the developmental profile and refer back to it every once in a while. Use it as a tool to assess where your child is going in their development. Feel free to come back to us with questions later. Most of all, please take time this spring to celebrate and be amazed at how quickly your child is growing!

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