Stepping Stones children start their day when they arrive at their individual classroom doors.  They are encouraged to walk into the school, carrying their own belongings and saying goodbye to their parents at the door.  Upon entering the classroom, children begin by following the routine of hanging up their coats and "signing in" by finding their name.  The first period of the morning is considered a “free work” period, during which children engage in the first of two independent work cycles.  During this time, the children make independent decisions and choose work and materials on their own or with their peers. They may choose to engage in sensorial, practical life, dramatic play, or art, as well as activities that develop their math, language and science skills. If the teachers sense that self-controlled activities are beginning to lose momentum, they call the children together for group time, such as singing or outdoor time. Often, the class will participate in a single-subject: Spanish, Movement, or Music. Following the single subject, the children will re-engage in their second work cycle. The children come together as a group and join a teacher for food tasting and group story time.  Weather permitting, they then go outside to the playground or bike area for dismissal.  Throughout the morning, the teachers have the flexibility to use the little yards, bikes, or large motor room when needed.  Snack is open for the children to serve themselves when they are hungry, or when they would like to gather for social time with their friends. The pace of the day is determined by the needs of the children, but the sequential routine, in keeping with the child’s sense of order, does not change.  Each day the children are in school is a day of growth, learning and fun.  They build relationships with their peers, learn to relate to others, and develop lifelong skills that will be the foundation for their future academic success.

Social emotional development is the foundation upon which children build their independence, resilience, and love for learning.  Through a variety of interpersonal experiences, children learn to manage emotions, express themselves, and relate to others. Social and emotional intelligence play a crucial role in children’s ability to learn and grow.

Separation involves the successful transition of children from the home to the classroom. It is a natural developmental process of growth that begins at birth. Maria Montessori recognized that need of the child to become an independent person is part of what the child’s “work” is about. During the transition period, teachers are especially nurturing and attentive to the needs of each individual child and parent.  As parents model a trusting relationship with the teachers, the children are able to transition comfortably.  Teachers reassure the children of their parents’ return to further develop their sense of security.  The children’s successful separation from home to school will allow them to confidently engage and explore the environment.

In the Montessori environment, children learn how to be part of a group. Through play and work, they learn how to relate to others, read social cues and problem solve. Children become increasingly confident in approaching their peers. Taking turns in the work area is a learning experience through which children develop patience and practice their language. They learn to express emotions, follow class rules, control impulses, and respect boundaries. Children have the opportunity to develop an understanding of and the ability to manage their feelings and emotions. We focus on developing independence, self-confidence, responsibility, and cooperation through social interactions.

Through practical life exercises, children begin to participate in life as it unfolds around them. We have four components of the practical life curriculum:

• Fine Motor/Gross Motor - pouring, slicing, scooping, running, and climbing

• Care of Self - dressing, hanging up coats, toileting, noise-blowing, and serving snack

• Care of the Environment - putting work away, washing, sweeping, and food preparation

• Social Graces and Courtesies - greetings, using manners, waiting one’s turn

Practical life activities provide a smooth transition, linking activities that are familiar to the child from home to school. The activities presented are meaningful, simple and repetitive. They gradually become more complex, building on what the child has previously mastered. Repetition of the exercises is encouraged, allowing the child to develop their fine motor skills and control of movement. The child will demonstrate greater focus and concentration, a sense of order and growth in fine motor coordination. Most importantly, the child develops independence, self-reliance, a respect for their community and environment. Practical Life skills are present in all areas of the curriculum.

Research provides increasing evidence for the positive effects that well-developed play has on various areas of child development. The benefits of play provide the foundation for further cognitive learning, such as a development of children's social skills, emerging mathematical ability, mastery of early literacy concepts and self-regulation.

Specifically, research demonstrates that the benefits of play include:

• Sharpened cognitive and language skills

• Increased concentration, attention span, persistence and sense of mastery

• Developed understanding of number and time concepts

• Expansion of imagination, creativity and curiosity

Play is an integral part of our Stepping Stones Curriculum and it is used as a medium of instruction.

In a multi-age environment, children learn from each other in daily interactions. The younger children observe their older peers --"peer experts"-- as they work and interact with one another, practice their plays skills with peers of the same age, and then pass their knowledge on to other "play novices." Teachers also model to young children, providing them with the appropriate language that is needed for social interactions and to assist when reading social cues.

The children begin the year in parallel play, working alongside one another, until they gain the confidence and mastery of language to approach their peers and work with each other, having interactive conversations which enable them to create new learning experiences. By creating different play scenarios, children practice language skills in a meaningful way and expand their vocabulary. Interactions with peers and imaginative play experiences develop cognitive learning and also provide children with a way to act out emotions. They acquire number concepts, spatial skills, using sensory activities that assist them in understanding the world that surrounds them.

Play is a fundamental mode of learning that prepares children to maximally benefit from later academic instruction. It is the foundation on which all subsequent learning builds.

Language development is one of the major areas of growth in the first three years of life. Opportunities to develop language and literacy skills are always present in the Stepping Stones environment.  The children are exposed to a wide variety of materials and activities that support their literacy growth.

Since literacy is a social process, we promote its development in the context of children’s interactions with each other and with teachers. The curriculum allows students the opportunity to expand their vocabulary and build on their expressive language. Children develop their auditory skills by listening to stories, nursery rhymes, songs and finger plays. Students are also exposed to rhythm, rhyme and repetition all of which are conducive to future reading ability.

In the Stepping Stones classroom, children are empowered as emergent readers. They can choose a book from the book area and engage in independent reading or initiate reading by asking a teacher to read. Students are encouraged to ask questions, initiate conversations and engage in dramatic play while building their language and literacy skills. Reading high-quality books increases a child’s overall language competence, and the process of reading, listening, questioning and responding to a story provides a foundation for reflective and critical thinking. 

The language curriculum is filled with listening activities, songs, stories, finger plays and rhymes that allow children to play with and fall in love with the sounds of language.  Allowing children to experience the joy of reading will help ensure that children develop the desire to read.

Children are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities designed to promote fine motor control. Four stages of fine motor development set the stage for early writing success – whole arm, whole hand, pincer and pincer coordination. Children have many opportunities to practice their full arm movements, such as painting at the easel or tossing a ball. This full arm movement is a precursor to muscle development of the hand.

Exercises such as pouring water from one container to another and squeezing water from a turkey baster develop the muscles of the whole hand. Strengthening the hand muscles leads to the ability to coordinate the finer movements of the fingers. Children develop the pincer grip by pressing the thumb and index finger together. Clipping clothespins on a cup, stringing beads or using tongs are some activities that support this development. Children use markers, pencils and other writing utensils to develop the final stage of fine motor development, which is the pincer grip control.

Learning goals in language include:

At an early age, children begin to build the foundations for future mathematical concepts. We emphasize the five basic components of the math curriculum: numbers, shape and space, measurement, patterns and data handling.

As students explore their environment they are exposed to basic mathematics concepts. They practice one-to-one correspondence, classify objects by color, shape, and dimension, and learn to follow numerical patterns. Students learn to experience dimension, volume, breadth, and length, and they are exposed to the vocabulary associated with these concepts. In addition, students are offered objects to compare, use rhythm activities and music, model mathematical behavior, and incorporate math into everyday activities to facilitate their emergent mathematical thinking.

Learning goals in mathematics include:

Inquiry is the foundation of the science curriculum. In Stepping Stones, we provide the children with opportunities to acquire science skills through hands on situations and problem solving exercises that are both meaningful and fun. Students are exposed to scientific vocabulary on a daily basis.

Children use various activities within the classroom to explore Physical Science. Some of these activities include baking, color mixing, manipulative, blocks, exposure to magnets and water play. At the sink area, for example, the children may use measuring cups, funnels and turkey basters, all of which introduce the concepts of volume, weight, gravity and force.

Life science is another component of our science curriculum. Through observation, students ask questions about the characteristics of living things. They are introduced to the life cycles of both plants and animals through books and activities. Students plant seeds and watch the changes that take place over time, as well as observe the metamorphosis of caterpillars into butterflies. Witnessing animals in their natural habitat helps children to develop a deeper understanding of living things.

Earth Science is introduced through the observation and prediction of weather conditions and seasonal changes. All aspects of the environment encourage exploration and experimentation, setting the foundation for continued learning.

The social studies curriculum provides Stepping Stones students with opportunities to appreciate cultural diversity through stories, music, objects and art. Learning about their own families, siblings, and relatives, children begin to discover important cultural information about themselves. Through such exploration, the children learn about their own and other countries; they celebrate different holidays, listen to music and songs, and taste various ethnic dishes. Children are exposed to maps and globes to support their geographic understanding. We appreciate the different cultures represented in our peer group by acknowledging the heritage of the children and fostering respect for diversity.

Children are exposed to the Spanish language through lively songs with movement, visual aids and other multisensory materials.  Themes explored during the year include: colors, feelings, parts of the body, weather, numbers 1-10, farm animals, and clothing.  From the beginning of the year, an engaging routine is built into each class, during which children have the opportunity to practice saying hello and goodbye, telling their names, giving thanks and following simple directions.

The goal of the music program at Whitby is to provide an atmosphere in which music is created and enjoyed. Our children are exposed to music in a variety of ways. They sing songs, use musical instruments, practice rhythm, and dance to music. They learn to listen carefully, both to instructions and music. In Stepping Stones, the emphasis is on rhythm and expression. The children are exposed to new songs, as well as old favorites and songs that incorporate movement. 

Stepping Stones students are encouraged to be creative, use their imaginations and express themselves through art. The focus is on process not product, providing time for repetition and practice. Art is a key component of children’s physical development of motor skills and eye-hand coordination.

A wide variety of media and tools are presented in an open-ended format, allowing children the freedom of discovery. By using the materials, the children develop cognitive skills such as autonomy, logic and reasoning, problem solving, classification and experimentation. The creative process provides an outlet for emotion and use of expressive and receptive language skills. The students begin to appreciate the ability to create pieces of art that make their space more pleasing. 

A Stepping Stones child develops self-esteem with this joyous introduction to creative movement and dance through imaginative learning and self-expression. The following are some of key components to Movement with young children:

• Gross Motor – large leaps, skipping, sliding, tiptoeing, shaking and jumping with a large parachute
• Fine Motor – clapping rhythm sticks to the musical beat, and finger and hand dances
• Musical Skills – interpretive movement to many forms of music
• Rhythm – dancing to a rhythmic beat and using maracas to the beat of a variety of musical styles
• Auditory Skills – listening carefully to instructions, music and stories

In Stepping Stones, we host two parent conferences per school year. The goal of these conferences is to inform parents about their child’s development, create a strong connection between home and school, and provide support and guidance to parents. Teacher-Parent conferences are scheduled in November and April.

Both teachers and parents may also request conferences at any time to discuss student learning or any other issue.

In addition to sharing assessment data through conferences and work samples, the school formally reports on student learning in Stepping Stones at the end of the year through narrative report cards. These report cards are posted on Veracross for parent to download and provide an overview of each child’s progress within our curriculum.

The school’s progress report for Stepping Stones describes the student’s cognitive, emotional, social and physical progress in light of the IB learner profile, the development of transdisciplinary skills, and the acquisition of knowledge and understanding in the curriculum areas in form of a narrative comment.

The goal of assessment is to assure that the parents and the school are unified in support of children’s development. Through our partnership and goal-setting, we aim to assure that the children’s optimal development is supported by the school as well as their home environment.

Each classroom has an email address that automatically includes all three teachers. (ss_@whitbyschool.org) Teachers will be responsible to communicate with the families in their assigned age group and ensure that all the teachers are copied. Emails are answered within 24 hours.

Please send notifications about the daily routine for a child at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, please notify the front desk.

Face to face or phone conversations are the preferred way of communication with our families. Voicemail should only be used to arrange for a conversation or meeting.

The Stepping Stones section will publish regular newsletters in Veracross to inform about teaching and learning in the upcoming weeks. An email with a link to the class page will be sent from each classroom.

Please check your class Veracross class page frequently. We use class pages to inform about class activities, share pictures and videos and important document.

Over the year, there will be numerous occasions for parents to see their children engaged in learning. Besides the three special visitor days scheduled over the year, each classroom will find opportunities to share learning with the parents within the context of the unit of inquiry or for other curriculum areas.