Hello Kindergarten Families!
We are excited to announce a new
learning opportunity that will occur after spring break! Here at Lowell School
we pride ourselves on being innovative educators that meet our students’ needs
through engagement and dynamic teaching styles.
Mrs. Baied and Mrs. Griffith have taken the opportunity of a lifetime to
further themselves as educators and pilot an innovative combined classroom or “Super K” teaching model. Beginning after spring break, Mrs. Griffith’s
class will be moving down the hall and into Mrs. Baied’s room which will be
turned into a Super K classroom. It will provide all of your kindergartener’s
normal daily routines with the added bonus of an extra teacher and more
kindergarten friends. Mrs. Baied, Mrs.
Griffith, and Mr. Bessette are all excited about this opportunity and cannot
wait to make the switch! All line up
areas, specials schedules, daily schedules, and folder routines will remain the
same. You are encouraged to still
communicate with your child’s assigned classroom teacher, but know that they
will now have TWO teachers to help them be their best each and every day. The only change that will affect parents will
be that Mrs. Griffith’s room number will now be #101 (just up the hall nearest the doors on the left), and the best
phone number to use to reach both
teachers will be (406) 728-2400 x4443. We
are excited to extend our classroom communities to include more kindergarten
friends and be able to meet the needs of more of our students.
What will learning look like in Super K? For the majority of our day one
teacher will teach whole group mini lessons to introduce new concepts while
another teacher will be either co-teaching, providing behavior support, or
pulling small groups for extension or reinforcement activities. This means that nearly each child will get
small group or one-on-one instruction EVERY DAY! Both classes already combine to do many
activities together and follow the same progression of skills sequenced
throughout the school year. Super K will
reinforce many academic skills as well as social skills such as sharing,
character development, and allows for more developmentally appropriate centers
and play time.
Mrs. Griffith’s class will be making visits to our new Super
K classroom, and both classes will engage in conversations about the changes in
an effort to familiarize all students as much as possible before the transition. In addition to involving students, both
teachers will work hard to pass on information to parents as decisions are made.
As with all changes nervousness is to be expected, please do not hesitate to
contact your child’s teacher with any questions and concerns.
Love, Mrs. Baied
and Mrs. Griffith