Communication

In order to provide your child with the highest quality preschool experience, effective communication is vital. My highest priority is your child’s well-being, so please never hesitate to contact me for any reason. I will also try to remain in close contact with each parent, especially if I have concerns. I communicate most often and most effectively through e-mail as I can reach many parents easily that way. 

I understand the trust you are placing in me to take care of and teach your child each week, and I appreciate your confidence and support as I pursue this endeavor. As a mother of five and a certified elementary educator, I am passionate about teaching and learning, and I’m committed to make your child’s preschool experience the best it can be. 

My contact info:
406-860-5769
lori.conger@gmail.com

Assessments

I feel it is important for teachers to be accountable to parents for the progress their children are making; therefore, I do assessments twice a year.

The first assessment takes place after the first term. By this time, students are in a routine and have begun to be actively involved in learning. This first assessment helps me see what strengths my students have, as well as areas we need to focus on during the rest of the year.

The second assessment will take place the end of April. This one is exciting because you get to see the progress your child has made throughout the school year. You can compare assessments and see personal growth and achievement in your child, which is definitely something to celebrate!

"Star of the Week"

Every child deserves to be a star! Thus, I provide opportunities for each student to be the "Star of the Week" at least three or four times throughout a school year.

When a child is the "Star"  of the Week, he/she gets to be my helper throughout each day that week. He/she will help conduct Circle Time, using my famous pointer stick to guide students through our calendar activities that day. This is a definite favorite of every student! They each love pretending to be the teacher!

The Star also gets to help pass out the snack and any papers or materials that need handed out for the week. This makes each child feel worthwhile and important.

The "Star of the Week" process is very important in helping children feel a sense of self worth, of responsibility, and of leadership--three important aspects of intrinsic development.

Show & Tell

Show and Tell will take place every Thursday. Your child may bring one item to share with the class (please notify me first if this item happens to be a pet of some sort). This is an important part of helping children gain self-esteem and learn vital communication skills. I do ask that the child choose the item, rather than the parent, as children are more excited to share information about an item that means something to them, as opposed to something a parent chooses. Show & Tell always turns out to be one of the most anticipated activities of the week!

Field Trips

I do not take my preschoolers on field trips. They will get many field trip opportunities when they go to elementary school, so I do not take the time away from regular classroom learning to do that very often. Also, I do not want to burden parents by asking regularly for rides, additional money or their valuable time to help make field trips happen. Also, because these children are so young, it can be challenging to take them far from the school; however, we may walk to the nearby Life Oak park on an occasion to play games or get some fresh air.

Sick Children

I have a strict policy on bringing a sick child to preschool. If a child does not feel well, please do not bring him/her to school. The general rule is if they have a fever, a green runny nose or a persistent cough, or if they are vomiting, they should not come to preschool. Thank you for respecting others by following these guidelines. *This is especially important at this time when there are concerns about Covid-19. 

Discipline

I never plan on using strict disciplinary action. If a child is having an especially bad day or needs a break (we all have rough days every once in a while), I will ask that child to sit on a chair for a few minutes, until he/she feels ready to participate again. I have found that often times a problem can be solved by simply averting attention to something else or reminding a child of expected behavior and practicing better ways to handle frustrations.

  I believe strongly in reinforcing positive behavior and spending little time or attention on negative behavior. The most common behavioral problem with children this age is being unkind. Kindness is one of the most important values taught in preschool, and when it’s taught as a responsibility, it becomes a wonderful self-esteem booster as well. I plan to use a variety of learning styles to keep children well engaged, preventing most discipline issues.