Welcome to Our Older 3's Classroom
We believe that each child is curious and strong, eager to undertake a learning adventure of questioning and discovery. It is our job - and privilege - to support them with care and sensitivity in this most important task.
Shady Lane Philosophy
The educational core of our class consists of these features:
- A beautiful, safe, stimulating learning environment
- Respect for individual ideas, while helping children to meet the challenges and rewards of collaboration
- Encouragement to develop individual and group ideas over extended periods of time
- Collaboration with parents as partners in our learning experience
- Communication to families and visitors about our learning through images, words, and children's work
Our classroom supports large group, small group, and individual learning experiences. We have places to:
- Design and build
- Dress-up and play out invented stories
- Express ourselves visually
- Explore books and write messages
- Play with rich sensory media
- Care for animals and plants
- Enjoy group exchanges, stories and weekly musical events.
Lunchtime and napping also take place in our room. We use light, color and sound to enhance learning. In addition, we use our gymnasium, roomy playground and garden, and art studio to support the flow of our day.
Daily Schedule
We find a balance between large and small group work; very active and more reflective work; teacher-initiated and child-initiated work; free-flowing and more structured experiences. The schedule is structured enough to feel secure and predictable for the children, yet its flexibility makes way for the contributions of visitors, new discoveries and the unexpected!
Older 3's Team
The Older Threes Team includes Lead Educator Penny Fahlman and Educators Tina Acosta and Lisa Reppy. Tina has been at Shady Lane since 1990, serving as an Older Threes Educator for her entire tenure, and has earned her Child Development Associate credential. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood Education from West Liberty State College, and started as an Educator at Shady Lane in September 2008.
About the Lead Educator
I felt the call to work with young children while attending Wellesley College. I learned child development, and joined a day-care center in Cambridge, MA. I later taught in a private school in Belmont, MA, then moved to Pittsburgh. I have taught 3-5-year olds for 39 years, two of which involved developing materials and environments with preschool teachers. I have been at Shady Lane since 1980.
We look forward to sharing a wonderful year with your family.
