Altadena, CA
Saint Mark's School

Discipline

OVERALL RATING (4.5)

Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children:
...are handled extraordinarily well in a way that not only gives me confidence in the safety of my child but also reassures me that my child (and his/her peers) are learning the early skills needed to socialize effectively with one another

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Director's Description to School's Approach to Discipline

Our preschool program is designed to provide a loving atmosphere of acceptance, inspiration, and confidence. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the classroom as a community of friends, and conversations about how friends should be treated are a central feature of our classroom discussions. To this end, the staff first seeks to redirect potentially disruptive or inappropriate behavior by helping the child find an alternative activity. Other techniques include removing the child from the situation for a brief period and assisting children to positively communicate their feelings through teacher modeling.

Director's Response to a Sample Discipline Scenario

Description of how teachers handle the following scenario: Child A and Child B are good friends and usually play together. One day, Child A decides to play with Child C and tells Child B, 'I don't want to play with you today. I'm playing with Child C instead.'


Teachers would reinforce the idea that the class is a community of friends, and that it is okay to want to play with different children. At the same time, every attempt would be made to help Child B engage with other classmates.

Health

OVERALL RATING (4.8)
Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable
Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided More >
Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly

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Safety

OVERALL RATING (4.7)
Screen and identify all visitors
Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others

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Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!

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