| Director Welcome
Hello and a big welcome to all the new and returning families.
Have you noticed the new mural that marks the entry to Hilltop? It was completed during the 2nd week of July, bravo to Kerri Patterson, her family and our community. It is such a huge accomplishment and something that we will be proud of for years to come. I want to extend a big thank-you to all the families who donated their time, money and painting expertise to create a one of a kind master piece for the benefit of our school and community. This mural encapsulates the spirit and the love we work to emulate through Hilltop. It is the icing on the cake after a couple of difficult years securing our location. We have arrived and plan on staying.
During summer school we have had an exciting time exploring bugs, tie-dyeing, playing in the water, making wax sculptures, and playing, playing, playing. It was nice to meet some of our new friends and have the last opportunity to gather with some of our past friends.
As the new school year quickly approaches we are anxiously planning and preparing for the up and coming school year, it’s such an exciting time when change and new adventures are in store. For many of you, this will be your child’s first school experience. We know that you are probably excited and nervous about this new chapter in your child’s life. As teachers of young children, and parents ourselves, we believe in providing an environment based on open communication as well as providing a nurturing, warm and stimulating environment for your child. You will notice during the first few weeks, the classrooms at Hilltop have a lot of bustle and noise, and ultimately…JOY. Children are up doing things, talking, playing and exploring. Such an environment differs from the “old” images of a teacher doing a lot of the “talking” while young children did a lot of the “listening”.
Research and experience tells us that to be effective with young children, teaching practices need to be ‘developmentally appropriate.’ What this means is simply that educators need to think first about where young children are developmentally and then create an environment and experiences that are in tune with children’s characteristics and development.
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