We currently have two spots available in our 5 PM class (ages 3 or 4). Class meets daily from 12:30 to 3 PM. Email [email protected] for more information.
Table of Contents:
Classrooms and Teachers
Parent Orientation
Home Visits for AM and PM Families
Your Child's First Week
Prepare for School
Helpful Resources
CLASSROOM AND TEACHERS
3AM Classes | Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Jill Rye and Lindsey Wade
2AM classes | Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Lindsey Wade and Nicole Tartaglione All PM classes | Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Mary Johnson and Robin Semeria
PARENT ORIENTATION MEETINGS
Orientation will be held at Hobson School on the following dates:
PM and PC Orientation: Wednesday, August 28, from 7–8 p.m.
3 Day AM and 2 AM Orientation: Thursday, August 29, from 7–8 p.m.
The purpose of orientation is to help you become acquainted with your child’s teachers, the other families, your role and responsibilities during your participation day, and to learn more about the cooperative aspects of Hobson’s program.
This meeting will be too long and boring to bring children (but we hope not for you!). We will work on scheduling the first month’s parent participation schedule, so please bring your calendar.
In an effort to limit our group size, only one parent may attend orientation. Please send the parent who will participate the most in the classroom.
Hobson tote bags will be available for purchase at the meeting. The Hobson totes are a nice size and we HIGHLY recommend totes because they are easier for preschool children to use than backpacks. .
HOME VISITS FOR AM AND PM FAMILIES
Home visits are scheduled between August 19 – August 30. The purpose of the home visit is to help your child feel more comfortable when school actually begins. Meeting their teachers during the home visit ensures that your child will see a familiar face on the first day of school. Prior to the visit, your child will receive a letter in the mail from their teachers, and then one of the teachers will email you to confirm your home visit date and time. The home visit is brief; just 15 minutes or so. Please make your best effort to make the home visit as scheduled, because the teachers plan home visits geographically and have limited time. Tips for Preparing for your Home Visit:
If you haven’t already, start talking about Hobson School. Many children like to wave to Hobson when driving by!
A day or two before your home visit, let your child know that their teachers are going to come over to your house.
Talk about what might happen during the visit (see the section below for details)
When your teachers arrive, enthusiastically invite the teachers in. A warm welcome indicates to your child that a teacher is a friend of the family—not a stranger!
Be sure to put your pets away during this visit so everyone can focus on getting to know each other.
Be sure to put your pets away during this visit so everyone can focus on getting to know each other.
During the Home Visit Your teachers will talk and visit with you and your child. It is important to relax with the home visit and follow your child’s lead. If your child wants to just sit on your lap or observe, that's okay. Some children become a little reserved but may warm up later. Others will talk a blue streak! Your child’s teachers will respect, appreciate, and support your child’s reaction to the home visit. Teachers will also provide you with information about the first days of school and answer any questions you or your child have about Hobson School.
YOUR CHILD'S FIRST WEEK
Your Child's First Day of Class Your teachers will let you know which day your child will begin school during your home visit. You will attend the first day of class with your child. Sharing the first day of school with a parent helps aid the transition from home to school. To accommodate both children and parents, half of the class will come the first day, and the other half of the class will come the next day. (Children in the 5PM class, who attend five days per week, will attend one day with their parent and one day without their parent during the first week of class. Your teachers will provide you with details.) Please make childcare arrangements for all siblings so that you can give your complete support and attention. We look forward to meeting siblings at arrival and dismissal times during the year.
After the First Day The children will attend without their parents. Parents may stay for a little while if needed. If you have concerns about your child’s reaction to separating from you please feel free to talk with your child’s teachers and/or the Hobson School director and we can make a plan together.
It is important for us to talk about any feelings of concern that you have. Just be sure to do so without your child present. We are happy to help both your child and your family through this transition. We understand that it can be a new experience for everyone! It is also okay if you are overjoyed to drop your child off and have a morning or afternoon for free time or special time with a sibling! It has been found that if parents really want their child to attend preschool, even reluctant children eventually make a healthy adjustment.
PREPARING FOR SCHOOL
Support Separation with a Goodbye Routine:
Enter the school with an attitude that your child will have fun, play, and make friends. You have selected a school where the teachers and director respect your children and give our complete attention to their safety and welfare.
Say hello to the teachers who will be ready to greet your child and you.
Help your child put on their name tag.
After that, say a matter-of-fact, confident and happy good-bye before you leave (even if it takes an Oscar-winning performance on your part!).
Once you have said goodbye give a hug and a kiss and leave. Know that your child is in very good hands.
We strongly suggest this routine, because we have found that lingering, waffling or giving kiss after goodbye kiss does not usually help children, it just prolongs the process of separation. It can seem confusing to a child who may ask themselves, “If my parent is having a hard time leaving, am I really going to be okay here?” If your child looks anxious or actually cries when you leave, they will almost always be completely okay within a few minutes. Establishing a consistent drop-off routine and being sure to pick your child up on time will help your child know what to expect and ease separation anxiety.
Reading books together may also help you and your child explore some of the feelings that surround separation.
We particularly recommend The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn or Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville always has good recommendations as well. They also have a good selection of “going to preschool” books for children.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Tips in these articles can help families as the school year begins. The following articles are all written by former Hobson director Sally Nurss.