Parents' Orientation Handbook

WELCOME 

Shalom and welcome to Congregation Mishkan Tefila Nursery School.  We are very eager to make this year special for both you and your child.

We think of the nursery school as a bridge between the family unit and the elementary school.  Since we want your child to cross this bridge smoothly, we aim to make your child’s first impression of what school is like, a favorable one.  We are laying the groundwork that will help your child grow into a strong, self-sufficient individual. 

We introduce the children to Judaism and show them that Judaism is a way of life.  We provide a multitude of Judaic activities and opportunities for the children so that they can experience various aspects of Jewish life.  Your child’s identity as a Jew is an outgrowth of what he/she does at school as well as at home.

Congregation Mishkan Tefila Nursery School provides the children with a warm and nurturing environment.  The children realize that school is a comfortable place to be.  The school encourages your child to do his/her best and establishes a feeling of trust between the children and the staff.  We let the children know that they can always depend on us and that we are sensitive to their needs, meeting them as they arise.  When your child feels good about himself/herself, he/she will be able to reach out to others and investigate his/her world.

The environment of our nursery school is not concerned only with your child’s emotional development, but with his physical development as well.  While providing the children with opportunities to explore their physical strengths, we are always concerned with their safety.  The staff closely monitors the children when they are both inside and outside.  We continually assess the condition of both the school and playground equipment to make certain it stays in good working order.  Security is always a top priority at the school as well.  If there are any questions or concerns about our procedures, please let the staff know.  Your child’s teacher should always be approached first, most likely she will be able to address your issue.  If, after speaking to the classroom teacher and you still have a concern, please speak to Meredith Greenberg, Nursery School Director, Dr. Stephen Simons; Educational Director or the Chairman of the School Committee in that order, please.

At all times the lines of communication between the family, staff and school must be open.  Children are very concerned with their environment and with people with whom they feel close.  When a child is confused or disturbed by something that has happened at home, even if it does not seem important, it is best to notify the staff.  If we can help to put any fears to rest or to help a child through a difficult period, we must be aware of what is upsetting him/her.  Please contact us by phone since it is best not to discuss these anxieties in front of the children or other parents.

Congregation Mishkan Tefila Nursery School will not, at anytime, discriminate in providing services to children and their families on the basis of race, religion, cultural heritage, political beliefs, marital status, disability and national origin.  Congregation Mishkan Tefila Nursery School will never discriminate on these bases to any family-seeking enrollment.

PHILOSOPHY 

A.  Meeting the needs of the children 

Our nursery school is based on the premise that children must live through, explore and try things and to attach meaning to them.  Preschool children learn by using play to translate experience into understanding.  It is through play that children can learn what no one else can teach them.  We, as teachers, must provide opportunities for children to learn through play every time they come to school.  Children are able to strengthen their thinking capacities through play.  Play also helps children in problem solving and language development.  Our classrooms are equipped with materials such as sand and water tables, books, puzzles, games, blocks, dolls, cars, manipulatives, paints, construction sets, dramatic play things and the like.

The purpose of early childhood education is to develop competence in children.  At Congregation Mishkan Tefila we are concerned with fostering this competence through the six different “selves” of your child; the physical, the social, the emotional, the cognitive, the creative and because we are a Conservative Congregation, the Judaic.  In all of these areas we strive to foster your child’s self-esteem and to help your child make sense of his/her world.  We want your child to develop confidence, competence and self-assurance. 

The nursery school teachers serve as guides to your children, encouraging them to try new things and to take new, exciting steps in their lives.  By providing a safe environment, both emotionally and physically, we are encouraging the children to make decisions for themselves.  The children at our nursery school are in a developmentally appropriate environment.  The staff sets up realistic expectations for the children since we know that they learn things one step at a time.  We also know that some of the best teaching is developmentally focused, that is play that revolves around the children’s interests and abilities.  Our school stresses social skills such as how to compromise, share, take turns and express ones feelings.

B.  Discipline 

Parents are always concerned and interested in discipline philosophies and procedures. At

Mishkan Tefila we agree that developing social awareness and the ability to get along with one’s peers (the social self) is very important.  We offer guidance for appropriate behavior and set boundaries that the children become familiar with.  We want your child to respect himself/herself, others, and the environment that surrounds him/her.  We are firm and kind, loving and warm, and teach the children that there must be limits set in order to have peace in both the classroom and playground.  When children misbehave or are disrespectful, they are seeking a way to get attention.  We use a great deal of praise with your children to make them feel good about themselves and we also listen carefully to better understand their feelings.

CURRICULUM 

Congregation Mishkan Tefila provides a curriculum that is both age and child appropriate.  Since we know that children learn things one step at a time, we teach skills gradually so the children have the opportunity to gain competence between each step.  Our curriculum offers a variety of levels since children do not all proceed at the same rate.  Ours is a curriculum based on actual experience and participation because children learn best by doing.  We encourage the children to make decisions for themselves whenever possible and provide them with a classroom that encourages exploration, discussion and involvement.  The curriculum is organic, that is derived from the interests of the children and teacher directed.  We provide opportunities for the children to use thinking and reasoning skills through multi-sensory as well as concrete experiences.  The classroom are set up in such a way that the children are able to self-select their activities at certain times throughout the day.

A.  Judaica    

All Jewish holidays are celebrated in the nursery school and it is our hope that the celebration continues at home.  We are happy to have parents/grandparents join us during a holiday so that they can share a special recipe, story or perhaps tradition with the class.  The children have first hand experiences such as building a Sukkah, lighting a menorah (and making one), planting on Tu B’Shvat, shaking the lulav and etrog and making Torahs when Simchat Torah arrives.  The children will participate in a Passover Seder and have the opportunity to cook some traditional holiday foods (hamantaschen, charoset) in our kitchen.  Judaica is an intrinsic part of our curriculum because we want to plant the seeds for a good Jewish education.  Every Friday the children in the school observe Shabbat when they recite the blessings over the challah, “wine” and Shabbat candles.  Our Shabbat observance includes singing many wonderful songs about Shabbat, discussing and participating in mitzvoth tzedekah projects and sharing this special time with a different Shabbat parent each week.  During Shabbat the children enjoy visits from Rabbi Jonina Pritzker, and Dr. Stephen Simons, our Educational Director.  The children’s Shabbat experience can be extended when parents of nursery school children participate in our challah program.  For a small fee, it is possible to have a challah from Bodavi Bakery and two Shabbat candles each Friday.

Since we are a Conservative Congregation we observe the laws of kashrut.  This means that all foods and baked goods brought into the school must be purchased from a kosher certified bakery or labeled as kosher:

                              p (pareve)                   (kosher)                    d (dairy)

The local kosher bakeries are:

Bodavi Bakery, Newton

Cheryl Ann’s Bakery, Chestnut Hill

Kupel’s Bake and Bakery, Brookline

If your child is staying for extended day, the lunch you send to school must be NUT-FREE AND KOSHER DAIRY.  We realize that birthdays are a very special time for children and encourage parents to share in our school celebration.  Remember, all foods supplied for birthday parties must be certified kosher and home baked are not permitted in school.  In keeping with the Judaic component of our program, we ask that the children’s birthday parties not be held on Shabbat.  Please be respectful of those who prefer not to ride on Shabbat and who observe the day as a family.  Please schedule birthday parties at another time.

B.  Literacy

It is very important for parents to understand that if a child is able to recognize letters and words, it does not mean that he/she is ready or should be reading.  The recognition of these letters and words can be from memory and does not indicate a superior intelligence.  Our program does not include a specific reading readiness program and we do not use reading readiness worksheets in the classroom.  We are aware that language acquisition is a gradual process and that there is much we can do to foster this.  Our program looks at each child as an individual and we meet your child’s needs with appropriate materials.  Your children are, however, in a print rich environment that contains many things dealing with print such as typewriters, flannel boards, experience charts, telephones, books, classroom signs and labels, stamps etc.  We spend time on concepts such as sequencing, matching, left to right, up and down, following directions, etc.  that lay the framework for a more advanced reading readiness program.  We show the children that reading and language can be fun.  We incorporate finger plays, poetry, books, and stories into our day.  All of these things help to develop language fluency.  We have play offices, desks, cookbooks, greeting cards, appointment books and other language rich materials so that your child can experiment with the written word.

C.  Science and Math            

In science and math we spend time on concepts such as special skills, patterning, sequencing, sorting, classifying and measuring.  Our math program consists of work with manipulative materials so the children will have concrete experiences to grow on.  The children are able to conduct science experiments first hand and to discuss their observations.  Plants, animals, earth and space, health and the human body are all part of our science program.  Our children are encouraged to use scientific method when conducting and experiment.  There are many opportunities to cook as we celebrate the Jewish holidays.  We enjoy making applesauce for our latkes, charoses for our seder plate, challah for Shabbat and hamantaschen for our Purim celebration.  Cooking offers so many types of learning.  We use measuring, “reading”, sequencing, cause and effect thinking when we are following a recipe.  The children always love to bring home their treats.

ROUTINES & SCHEDULES

Our program provides the children with a balanced day.  There are large group times, and also times when the children can play alone or with a few friends.  This approach is beneficial to both the children and the teachers because the children’s needs vary during the course of the day.  Teachers meet with the children separately, meeting their individual needs.

We take the children outside to play everyday, weather permitting.  Please make sure that your child has sufficient outerwear so that everyone can participate.  On days when the weather is inclement, we are able to use the social hall of the Temple.  The room is huge, carpeted, very safe and is equipped with a large assortment of riding toys, climbing equipment, balls, hoops and the like.

It is very important to include careful scheduling into any preschool program.  Our classrooms have a daily/weekly schedule posted so that we are always aware of the changes and transitions taking place in the room.  We always provide for alternating periods of quiet play and more active experiences.  We also allow the children to make choices as to whether or not they will self-select an activity or participate in a teacher directed one. The classroom is a balance of indoor play and outdoor play.  As teachers, we acknowledge that children need time for transitions from one activity to the next and that this time should be built into the schedule.  Transitions can provide more than moving from one place to another; there can be times when we do finger plays, tell a story or just have informal discussions.  Most important, we remember that routines and schedules can be broken if the children are so enthusiastic about something that it makes no sense not to continue the activity or capture a special moment.  When the children are comfortable with a daily routine they feel secure.  A chaotic classroom encourages not only chaos among the children but confusion among the teachers as well.  Snack time is more than just a time to eat.  Table manners, good eating habits and nutrition tips are a part of this routine.

Hopefully, this handbook gives some insight as to how Congregation Mishkan Tefila operates its Nursery School.  The staff is eager to meet the needs of all the children and to do the best job possible.  Nursery School is a very special time in the life of a child and it should be a memorable one as well.  If your child leaves our school happy, self-confident, and curious about the world around him/her and most importantly a “mensch”, we have been successful.