“If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow.” - John Dewey
“No school can work well for children if parents and teachers do not act in partnership on behalf of the children's best interests” - Dorothy H Cohen
Family Engagement
Unit Study Visitors
To complement and enhance our studies, we invite families and extended families to visit the classroom and share an experience related to our unit of study. The children feel a sense of pride and collaboration when their family comes in to guide and activity.
Chef Ebony comes to show how wheels help in her job as a chef. Salad spinner demonstration.
Parent shows how the records spins like a wheels in order to play music on the record player.
Parents work with their children to build a floating structure using open play materials.
Chef Ebony comes to show how wheels help in her job as a chef. Salad spinner demonstration.
Family recipe with orange blossom.
Diwali festival share.
Cultural Family Visits
Celebrating the diversity of our school and community can help foster inclusivity, belonging, and respect for all. Every child deserves to feel valued and appreciated for who they are. Exposing ourselves to different cultures is an exciting adventure that helps us understand and appreciate unique traditions and backgrounds.
Newsletters
Newsletters are a vital means of communication that connects the classroom to the families. Every Friday the families get an update on what has been happening in the classroom throughout the week as it relates to the unit of study, establishing a consistent communication channel. I try to tell a story of how things have been developing based on what the students have shown interest in. The family feedback from the newsletters is that they really help in asking their children questions that are more specific than, what did you do at school today? They appreciate having a direct link from the newsletter to a photo folder for images from the whole class that week.
Rainbow Bear Journal
Family movie night, basketball and teeny pancakes!
Sharing the stroller with Rainbow Bear in the New York City Streets.
Ezzy Bear tries Via's favorite and takes a cookie class with Willa. restaurant.
Ezzy finds a real bear at the Bronx Zoo, get lunch with Gracie and watches her splash at the sprinkl
Inspired by the Teddy Bear Curriculum, I have introduced the weekend bear and journal to open up another connection between home and school. We introduced the class teddy bear to the children during the second half of the year. The children gather to devise a few name options for the bear, and then they vote on the final name. We create a signup for every child to take the bear home for the weekend and create a journal entry with pictures and words of what they were up to. The children are always excited to gather on the rug and hear about the bear's adventures and their classroom friends. We leave the journal and bear in the library before they leave the class to go on a new adventure. It is an activity that engages the children and families in imaginative play and creativity as they speak for the bear, what he sees, his emotions, and storytelling as they retell what they did through the journal.
Walking Trips
Visiting Key Food to look at signs and check off our shopping list.
Checklist of signs and food.
Getting to see how patrol cars help our youth officers.
Visiting Key Food to look at signs and check off our shopping list.
Spotting the ducks at the reservoir.
Observing the plants and trees in the public garden.
Walking trips offer a real-world context for the children to connect what they learn in the classroom to their immediate environment. This helps deepen their understanding of the subject matter and makes learning more meaningful and relevant, especially when they invite their families to attend this experience. It encourages social interactions between the families, the children and other community members. These neighborhood walks help the children develop a sense of belonging to a place beyond the classroom as we pass the same shops and landmarks each time becoming more familiar. It also helps families interact with the children's learning outside of school.