Our Montessori preschool classroom is a “living room” for children. Children choose their work from the self-correcting materials displayed on the open shelves, and they work in specific work areas. Over a period of time, the children develop into a “community,” working with high concentration and few interruptions. Great care is given to the child’s individual learning style and pace. All children are worked with individually and in small groups to insure that they receive the very best care and instruction at this important time in their development. Love and respect for the child is the main focus of all our staff.
Our preschool has five distinct areas which we call the prepared environment:
•Practical life enhances the development of task organization and cognitive order through care of self, care of the environment, exercises of grace and courtesy, and coordination of physical movement.
•The sensorial area enables the child to order, classify, and describe sensory impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass, color, pitch, etc.
•Mathematics makes use of manipulative materials to enable the child to internalize concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations, and memorization of basic facts.
•Language Arts include oral language development, written expression, reading, grammar, creative dramatics, and children’s literature. Basic skills in writing and reading are developed through the use of sandpaper letters, alphabet cut-outs, and various presentations allowing children to link sounds and letter symbols effortlessly and to express their thoughts through writing.
•Cultural activities expose the child to basics in geography, history, and life sciences. Music, art and movement education are part of the integrated cultural curriculum
The Preschool program offers young children a unique program of self development in an atmosphere of special understanding, respect and support.
Sensorial activities in the classroom respond to the child’s urge to use all their senses—indeed their whole bodies—to explore everything around them.
The Preschool program also appropriately accommodates the young child’s sensitive period for language by offering creative and intriguing concepts to expand their growing vocabularies. Joining conversations, listening to stories, classifying objects and learning songs and poems all nurture their budding language skills. To help smooth their initial social interactions, the child also learn to use words for the feelings they experience in themselves and others.
Many of the activities in the Montessori program highlight the self-help skills that lead to independence. Children are gently urged to put away their coats and aprons and to problem-solve rather than say, “I can’t.” Since this is an age of very strong imitation, the teachers constantly model appropriate social skills, good manners and consideration of others.
Through song, dance and freedom of choice, the child has access to a variety of large muscle activities that offer them opportunities to jump, climb, balance, crawl or skip. However it is always tempered by two important limits that will be beneficial for a lifetime—respect for others and respect for the environment.
We offer a unique system of individual instruction. Ability rather than age alone determines the student’s academic level. For example, a student could be reading at the third grade level, doing second grade math, while in the first grade depending on his/her ability. We use the Montessori Method and supplement in all areas with enrichment activities so that you child receives a well-balanced program. Our Montessori curriculum is aligned with the state standards at each grade level. We stress basic skills: Math, Geography, History, Science, Music, and Art Appreciation are studied during our daily class work. Children are taught to use reading as a tool to find facts and communicate ideas effectively.
Study Habits
Our goal is to develop in your child a life long love of learning. Our program will help your child to establish a sense of order and ability to organize his/her work and ideas. Concentration and self discipline evolve from a quiet well-organized classroom.
Character Development
Character training is one of our most important jobs at this level of education. We strive to develop habits of orderliness, carefulness, obedience, honesty, cooperation, perseverance, self-control, and responsibility in each child. We use a carefully prepared environment that is developed to help each child succeed and grow at his own pace.
This year will be our thirty-sixth year providing a camping experience to the children of the Conejo Valley. Our enthusiastic staff will motivate your child to enjoy this special time of year. Our Montessori program provides a balance of indoor as well as outdoor activities including field trips.
We have a very exciting summer planned and we hope your child will be part of our summer program. This June your child will become an enthusiastic traveler who uncovers the mysteries of the Amazon Rainforest! This July your child will become scientists studying the wonders of the world with lab coats and goggles for experiments that fizzle, bubble, pop, and WoW! This August your children will become oceanographers exploring the ocean depths and the life within. The magic of the ocean comes alive through amazing experiments and captivating lessons.
At any time this summer if you have any questions, please contact the school office or leave a message and we will return your call shortly.
Parent Information
Newsletters
Parents will be kept informed with weekly newsletters, flyers, posted messages, and monthly information from the office. Please read all paperwork going home, as activities will change from week to week.
Hot Lunches
Hot lunches will continue each day for $4.00 each. You can also purchase hot lunch tickets for our fun Fridays. If your child brings a lunch to school please put your camper’s lunch in a small igloo type container with a blue ice pack to keep food fresh and cool. Please don’t over pack lunches, as we are unable to save open food.
Clothing
Please check your child’s change of clothes each day. For safety reasons, we do not allow slippers, sandals, or open-toed shoes. We recommend sneakers. Please label all clothing and any swim gear. Children must have sunscreen at school for application during the day. Please sign a permission slip giving the staff permission to apply sunscreen to your camper daily.
Sunscreen
A big part of our summer is enjoying the outdoors so please make sure you put sunscreen on your child in the morning before they come to school. Attached is a permission slip so that the staff may apply sunscreen to your child if necessary throughout the day. Please return this form with the summer paperwork.
Camp T-Shirt
A camp T-shirt must be worn to school every “Friday” and on all “Field Trips days”. Attached is an order form. We use the same shirt each year, so if you have one from last year you may wear it. If you have to order one, please return the order form and the money to the office as soon as possible. Both schools order together so please don’t delay!
Student Store
Our student store day will be every Wednesday. Campers may purchase a toy or treat. The cost is $1.00 per child. Sign up sheets will be posted for your child’s name and money.
Splash & Play
Water activities will be part of our summer program. Be sure your child has a swimsuit, sunscreen, water shoes, and a towel everyday. Please label everything.
Student Awards & Fun Treats
Each week we recognize students for their special accomplishments and good behavior. Refreshing treats will be served such as slushy drinks, cold possible, and cooking projects that the children prepare.
Field Trips
Our campers will visit local parks, the beach, the Santa Barbara Zoo, Chuckie Cheese, National History Museum, the movies, Golf-n-Stuff, Fire Your Imagination, and the Channel Island Museum. Some of our special events will be the Reptile People, the Jolly Jumps Water Slide, and Bubblemania.
There will be an extra cost for some field trips and for our special events.
Annual Kick-off Sleep Over
Our annual sleep over will kick off our summer of fun! The children attending must be at least four years old. (Cost for this event is extra)
Everyday,please provide your child with the following items :
Water bottle , Sunscreen, Bathing suit, Towel, Water shoes, Extra Change of Clothing
(Each camper needs 1 extra change of clothes; pants or shorts, shirt, underpants, socks, and shoes. Please remember to replace any part of the clothing, the next day, if we have to use the extra set)
LABEL EVERYTHING!We hope everyone has a safe
and fantastic summer!
Instruction in French and Chinese are offered once a week.
Spanish is incorporated with circle time activities.
Chinese
My name is Amy Zhangyuan Yu. I graduated from Jiangxi Normal University in China. I have had nine years experience teaching Chinese language in Jiangxi Nursery school in China. In the United States I continued my education and have earned a certificate of Early Childhood Education, as well as a Montessori Teaching diploma for Pre School and Kindergarten. I have worked at Westlake Montessori School for over three years and have been asked by many parents and the administration to develop a program to teach Chinese language to young children.
Using the Montessori Method I have developed a series of ten lessons for the school year that include: Numbers, manners, colors, holidays, seasons, cities, animals, transportation, mountains and pinyin. For each lesson I will use flash cards, games, songs, poems, and dialog. My lessons will include hands on work with various materials and tools, like pen – brush, teacup, chopsticks, costumes and money. Pinyin is similar to pronunciation of words. They will be reviewed each lesson.
The older children will learn how to use a Chinese dictionary so then can learn more Chinese by themselves.
I have great confidence in the children’s ability to develop an understanding of the Chinese language using the Montessori Method and the program I have developed.
French
Teaching a foreign language at a very young age means exposing children to a new way of thinking which boosts brainpower, vocabulary and self esteem. My goal is to help the children develop an appreciation of different cultures, gain language skills, and form connections that make a new language easy to learn, Vive la langue Française! This means, Horray for the French language!
Instructor: Virginia Neauman
Bilingual Babies
According to a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, research shows that children who study languages are more imaginative, better with abstract ideas, and more flexible in their thinking. Students of foreign languages also score statistically higher on standardized tests, such as the SAT. Consistently, students who have taken four or more years of a foreign language have scored higher on the SAT's verbal section than those who have studied four years of any other subject, according to the College Entrance Examination Board.
Later in life, bilingual people have access to a greater number of career possibilities, and develop a deeper understanding of their own and other cultures. When children learn another language at a young age they are more likely to acquire greater proficiency and speak with near-native accents. While many of today's adults had to wait until junior high to get solid instruction in a foreign language, today's children have many more options that come a lot earlier.
In fact, experts say, the earlier children learn a language — ideally, as
toddlers — the better. Between ages 3 and 5, children are like intuitive little sponges that can absorb up to five or even more languages at a time, says Betsy Hanna, director of the regional Berlitz Language Center in Robinson. Their small brains actually have the ability to compartmentalize languages, too, so that learning a foreign tongue doesn't inhibit a young child's developing English skills, Hanna says. And unlike older children and adults — who tend to learn a foreign language by studying its grammar rules, thinking, and reacting
carefully — tots simply will develop an instinct for a language, just like they do for their native English.