Partnering in the Learning Process
The Studio School is dedicated
to working with families and partnering with
parents in promoting their child’s well-being
and academic growth. We
have found that when parents experience the education
process along with their children they are more
able to fully trust their own instincts, informing
and deepening their family interactions.
The school
holds a number of meetings and conferences throughout
the year, in order to give parents ongoing information
about their child’s
progress, and his/her development. Parent
Connection, an innovative parent-to-parent program,
is especially designed to help parents work through
any issues that emerge as they engage in our
educational approach.
Parent Development
Meetings
The Studio School has found that parents, just
like their children, can benefit greatly from
talking with other parents about their thoughts
and feelings, and from sharing ideas about
parenting and their children. In years
past, parents could casually meet and talk
while their children were in school. In
our present society this is often no longer
possible. Working parents especially
can feel disconnected from other parents and
from their children’s lives in school. Getting
together to talk is another way to keep in
touch with your child and to put things into
perspective.
At the bimonthly Parent Development
meetings, there is an emphasis on and exploration
of the family as the child’s first group, including
the relationship dynamics between family members
and its impact on the child’s growth and
development. The correlation between children’s
social, emotional, physical, and intellectual
development and their willingness and readiness
to learn is also discussed. The ongoing
issues of every day, such as sleeping, eating,
toileting, separation, conflicts, homework, siblings,
and friendships, are other important discussion
topics.
Parent
Development meetings are held every other Monday
morning throughout the year and are lead by Ms.
Rotter, Head of School; they last about an hour
and are held at the School. If
childcare is needed during the meetings, we ask
that parents please make their own arrangements
for it.
Middle
School Curriculum Meetings
Ms.
Mabey and Mrs. Landy will meet with all Middle
School parents once a month to discuss the Middle
School curriculum and the changing cognitive,
social, and emotional needs of students
on the threshold of adolescence. We expect
all Middle School parents to attend. Meetings
are scheduled for the last Wednesday of each
month from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m.
Group
Curriculum Meetings
Curriculum
meetings are offered two or three times a year,
and give parents a chance to meet with one another
in a group, together with their children’s
teacher. The
meetings are a time when parents can learn
about the intellectual, social, physical, and
emotional stages of each age group. These
meetings are designed to familiarize parents
with the course of study for each age group
and class, the progression in learning concepts
from one stage to the next, and how Studio’s
unique approach facilitates the assimilation
and integration of concepts and skills, as
well as the cultivation and enhancement of
special interests and talents. Teachers
use concrete examples of ongoing classroom
projects and hands-on exploration of materials,
books, and instruments, to explain how Studio’s
philosophy and methodology are linked and put
into practice. Issues affecting individual
students are addressed at Parent/Teacher Conferences.
Before
the Conferences, parents will receive a written
summary of the curriculum areas covered in class. Our
teachers diligently prepare this communication,
entitled In the Classroom – Your
Child’s Journey Progresses, so that parents
can fully appreciate what is happening in the
classroom on a daily basis.
Parent/Teacher
Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences
are held thrice yearly, near the end of each
school trimester. Schedules that show
the half-hour time slots when teachers are
available will be posted in the first floor
lobby or in the youngest classrooms during
the week prior to the dates for each conference.
These
Conferences provide an opportunity to talk about
the growth and development of each student, as
well as to learn more about the educational process.
Although
it is expected that contact between parents and
teachers will continue throughout the school
year, Parent/Teacher Conferences offer a focused
and attentive setting in which the teacher and
parents have the time to address important issues
in greater depth.
The
Studio Talks
The Studio Talks are open
to all Studio parents. Given
by Ms. Rotter, Head of School, they are held
periodically in the evening, throughout the school
year. Each talk covers a specific
topic of child development and/or parenting,
and is followed by a group discussion in which
parents are encouraged to talk about, and share
their own experiences on parenting. Light
refreshments are served.
Educational Facilitation
Meetings
Coming soon.
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