A message from the Frogs class...

Nadia’s Corner...

www.themarylhurstschool.com | December 2018

THE MARYLHURST SCHOOL

The end of the semester in many schools means report cards sent home, but here at The Marylhurst School, the end of our fall term means teachers are beginning to prepare narrative reports. While narrative reports are probably the most time inten-sive form of assessment teachers could do, they provide invaluable information to parents and to current and future teachers. Below I will outline our process for researching and writing narratives, why we believe them to be incredibly valuable and how best to read them.

Teachers begin the process of writing narratives by updating assessments for the children in each subject area. Wheth-er by observing, closely examining work samples, or sitting down to do a more formal assessment, teachers will check in with students to check for progress made since the beginning of the year, and to check understanding of concepts taught. The results of these assessments will in-form what teachers will write in narra-tives, and also the direction for teaching in the spring.

The next step in the process of writing narratives is for teachers to gather all the materials they have for each child in one place. Notes from observations, work samples, final projects and working doc-uments all are brought together. By look-ing at all of a child’s work, teachers can craft a piece of writing that best describes where the child is at that moment.

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The Frogs class participating in Music

TMS School Newsletter

It has been a very busy year in the Frogs class. Hop on in and you’re likely to see students operating a power drill, mixing ingredients for a cooking project, playing with dice or piecing together a favor-ite puzzle. Walk through the room and you may encounter giant tree stumps, colorful shape monsters, or a cozy read-ing nook. Frog activities cover a broad spectrum of interests and skills.Typical of our Marylhurst fours program, daily Frog activities are designed to foster and develop independence in each student while also supporting a strong sense of community.

Each day students enter the class confidently, greet one another at cir-cle time, and make important choic-es about their participation in a va-riety of activities. Frogs move freely throughout the classroom as they write, paint, create, socialize, observe and build.

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NEWSLETTER

December 19: Primary Winter PerformanceDecember 20: Preschool Winter Celebration

December 20 - January 4 : Winter BreakJanuary 6 : Family Dine-Out Cask n’ Keg 2-9pm

January 7: Classes ResumeJanuary 14: Board Meeting

January 16: Parent Association Meeting 9:10amJanuary 21: No School - MLK Day

January 26: Open House 10am-1pm

Newsletter

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CLASSROOM NEWSA Message from the Frogs continued...

HONORING THE JOURNEY OF

EACH CHILD

NADIA’S CORNER CONTINUED...

Topics of particular interest this year have included cooking, birds, spiders, (but not cooking birds and spiders!), and woodworking with power tools. Frogs have enjoyed baking muffins and kale chips, as well as making our own homemade fruit leather. Students love to run and play during our regular visits to the gym, where we play games like “Duck Duck Goose” and

When it is time to write, each teacher has his or her own process, but each takes a great deal of time to study, reflect and write about each and every child. Even though producing report cards would be a far more efficient use of time, we continue to spend the time to write narrative reports because we believe they better communicate strengths, challenges, goals and progress.

When a child brings home a traditional report card that says “B” in spelling, there is very little information a parent can glean from that “B.” Was the child work-ing really hard and a “B” was the best he/she could do? Is the child a great, natu-ral speller who missed several tests and didn’t bother to make them up? Is the child working hard to overcome a spe-cific challenge related to spelling? This is only one small example, but hopefully in-dicates how much more information we are able to convey with a narrative report than a letter grade.

Another compelling reason for narrative reports is that they allow us to never stop challenging a student. When teach-ers give letter grades, and a student has gotten an “A,” where else is there to go? Or similarly, if a child is struggling, is a “D” motivating? Does that help parents and children know where they need to focus?

Teachers will be writing narratives in December, administrators will be editing and proof-reading them over the winter break, and we will mail them out by January 15th. When you receive your narrative, please take the time to read it carefully. Underline, write notes, mark questions you have. And please feel free to follow up with teachers. Your feedback about parts you loved, questions you still have, or concerns the narrative may bring up are an essential part of the process.

UPCOMING DATES

“What Time is it Mr. Fox?” The gym is also a great place to enjoy equipment like hula hoops or scooters.

Outdoor time is an integral part of our daily Frogs curriculum. Rain or shine, the Frogs head outside to engage in physically active play. Children dig in the sandbox, climb on the jungle gym, and run in the meadow. New friendships are born as Frogs meet children from other classes on the play-ground. Rainy weather provides opportu-nities for kids to dig trenches and reroute water in the sandbox. These hands-on ac-tivities teach invaluable science lessons!

The weekly schedule includes a trip to mu-sic class every Wednesday, where Frogs enjoy singing with our neighbors from The Wrens class. Each Thursday the Frogs vis-it the school library, where they listen to a new story and check out a book of their own. Never a dull moment, there’s always something fun and interesting happening on our lily pad!

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ADMISSIONS

Over the seven years since our K-8 expansion began, Marylhurst has earned the respect of our competitors as a progressive school rooted in developmentally appropriate practice. I am honored to once again represent our community at local recruiting events, with regional admission director colleagues, and nationally through participation in the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals and the Progressive Education Network. As the Portland metro-area marketplace continues to experience dramatic growth in school-aged children, the new West Linn campus presents a wonderful opportunity for our community. Change is never easy, but we are well on our way. Next fall, we will be offering the following configurations. Current threes program and K-7th grade families will receive re-enroll-ment invitations via TADS in early January, with continued priority registration over new students. Applications for kindergarten and for younger siblings in the preschool are available online and due by February 5th http://themarylhurstschool.org/admissions2/apply/ Preschool Threes TWTh 9:00 – 12:00 pm Preschool Blend M-TH 12:30 – 4:00 pm Preschool Fours M-TH 9:00 – 2:00 pm Primary Grades K-5 M-F 8:30 – 2:30 pm Middle School 6-8 M-F 8:30 – 3:15 pm To learn more about programs you may not be as familiar with, please save the date for our annual winter Open House on Saturday, January 26 from 10:00 – noon. Bring along a friend to explore classrooms and experience our preschool, primary and middle school curriculum first-hand. We anticipate enrollment availability throughout divisions next fall and your voice as current Marylhurst ambassadors continues to be our #1 source of referrals. As always I am happy to chat, answer questions or clarify information about admissions, financial aid, registration and communications. Please stop by to visit M-TH 8:30 – 2:30 or email laural@themarylhurstschool.org any time. Thank you for your continued trust and support as we move into the final phase of our growth.

News from the admissions desk...

What do you love about The Marylhurst School?

“I think the teachers have a unique teaching method and they are very kind.” Avery Ray, Herons

“I love Ike, and playing with my friends” Addie Yates, Sparrows

“ I really like all of the PE activities and Teacher Angela’s classes because they make me feel creative” Luna Han, Ravens

“We grow in our learning together, we all teach each other something.” Teacher Claire, Meadowlarks

“I admire that every kid can express themselves and that we all have freedom” Sophia Stoeber, Herons

“I love the teachers and how I can let my imagination flow” Jackson Ehlen, Ravens

“I love when I write because it makes me feel really good, and I like having my friends” Mason Purcell, Sparrows

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CLASSROOM NEWS

News from the Wrens class...Hello from the Wren class. The Wrens are our transition-al kindergarten class of five year olds. Children are in class Monday through Thursday from 9:00 until 2:30. Our group is a mix of children from our preschool, children new to our school, and a few who are having their first school experi-ence.

Much of our focus this fall has been on building routines and a sense of community. Children have been working hard to learn how to settle in at meeting and instructional time, how to say good morning to each other, and how to make suc-cessful transitions.

In October, we studied spiders and webs. We took a walking field trip to observe spiders and their fantastic webs. At the end of the month we joined the Frog class for a fun field trip to the pumpkin patch where many of us got “lost” in the corn maze.

We close each day with a section from a chapter book. We read Jenny and the Cat Club, about a cat named Pick-les who works at a fire station. That book inspired a vis-it to Station 15 in Oregon City. We rode the city bus to the station for a tour, followed by a stop at the library to check out the slide. Our trip was capped by a visit to Dairy Queen for a cone.

We have begun our building unit with a teamwork proj-ect using paper tubes and tape. It takes a lot of commu-nication and cooperation to build a tower. Check out our work as you enter the building. We will be building with big boxes soon. Stay tuned for the Box Museum.

We were inspired by the Mice class to turn our grocery store into a cookie store. We have beautiful glittery cook-ies for sale that may be delivered by jet or a hot air bal-loon. We will see if Amazon can top that.

Best, Laura and Marie

NURTURING CURIOSITY, CONFIDENCE, AND COURAGE

AS EXPLORERS