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OPEN HOUSE
We invite people who are interested in finding out about our school to an Open House. Come and see our school, meet our wonderful educators, and talk with parents and children currently at the school. 4196 West 4th Ave. (Jericho Hill Center) West Entrance For a map to the school, click MAP.. Catherine is Having a Baby!
Catherine, our educator for the elder children is "with child". We are delighted for Catherine, and pleased that she will be continuing with our school, though just serving on our Board for some time after her child arrives. Catherine's teaching responsibilities will be taken on by Nisha Nathani (see more below), Leah Herman , and Rana Lande, as our school continues to expand! Meet the Teacher!
Nisha has been our Math teacher since 2006 and is now developing a program for the elder group for the coming school year. It will be a creative, inquiry-based program around the core academics with a focus on community integration, environmental education and fine arts. Nisha earned her teaching and research credentials at McGill University in Montreal. She has a B.Ed degree in English Language Arts and Mathematics and an M.A. from the Department of Culture and Values Education. Nisha 's research focus was on the values of care and empathy in the development of social responsiblity and self-awareness. After many years of teaching at MIND School in Montreal, Nisha moved to Vancouver and has spent much of the past five years home with her children. PHILOSOPHY IN ACTIONAt Pacific Spirit School our philosophy revolves around children learning and growing in an environment that nurtures their relationships with themselves and with others. People sometimes wonder, however, what does this look like in practice and will my child receive not only the social and emotional education I would like but also the intellectual education I want for them? More detail will be available soon on our website, but here is a taste. The most important aspect of our "philosophy in action" is embedded in how our educators relate to the children. Our small class sizes (up to 15 students) allow our educators the opportunity to respond in a very personal way to the experience and feelings of each child. The children's experience is accepted and acknowledged, and the educators facilitate each child getting his or her needs met while supporting them to consider the needs and feelings of others. This personal attention to their experience also facilitates each child in exploring their own interests and in learning about their own style of learning. As much as is possible, we want the children to discover their intrinsic motivation to learn about their world, and to develop the skills to be able to learn independently. This is often achieved through classroom projects, such as our recent study of Mayan civilization, in which the children are encouraged to pursue aspects of the project that most interest them. We support each child in developing reading and numeracy skills at their own pace, balanced with attention to possible learning challenges. We foster parent-child attachment by encouraging parents to remain in the classrooms until their children are ready to be away from them. Finally, we create an environment in which our children discover their relationship to the natural world and to the larger community. Our children spend a large part of their day exploring the natural world immediately outside the classroom door, and at the wetlands and ocean in Jericho Park. The school community comes together for weekly teas and for seasonal celebrations, at which parents, grandparents, and others are included. |
Briefly...Gabor Mate's TalkDr. Mate's talk at our school on Conscious Parenting was enthusiastically received. If you missed it, consider reading "Hold On To Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers", co-authored with developmental psychologist, Dr. Gordon Neufeld. His fourth book, "In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction" is currently Canada's #1 Bestseller on Maclean's list, and it is a very rewarding read. A PSS Preschool?!?OK, we'll try not to get ahead of ourselves here, but plans are progressing towards having a preschool in place for September. Emme, who has been with Little Ark Preschool, is working on starting a preschool in our North Room. Emme and Little Ark are philosophically aligned with Pacific Spirit, their approach being based on the Reggio Emilia program, to which we have compared ourselves in the past. There are still some hoops to jump through and logistical questions to be answered, but so far, so good.
Child Honouring Covenant and Principles Pass It OnIf you know someone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, please feel free to forward this page to them. |
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