Can you believe it? Another school year is here! Last week our faculty was busy partaking in professional development workshops, and also getting their classrooms ready for the new school year. There were many exciting new additions to the classrooms, and here are a few examples:

Bulletin Board in Twos Room

This new bulletin board display in one our twos classrooms is at eye level for the children. The teachers Brittany Leavitt, Brittany Brown, and Rosalie Reyes, created it by painting different skin tones and adding photos of people. Brittany Leavitt, one of the twos teachers explains,”One of the biggest ideas I want to always bring in the classroom is the beauty and importance of accepting and appreciating everyone around us. I want to pass along the importance of the phrase, ‘We are all the same. We are all different.’ That having curly hair is beautiful. That wearing a dress to school is cool, doesn’t matter what gender you identify with. That family lifestyle and up bringing should be acknowledged.”

Bulletin Board in Toddler Room

While we follow an emergent curriculum at SEEC, we often start the year talking about our community. To bring the DC community into the classroom, toddler teacher Erica Collins created a street of row houses and stores on her classroom’s bulletin board.

She included lots of details that provide opportunities for careful looking and observation with the toddlers.

Paint Display in the Art Studio

Carolyn Eby, our art educator, spends time in the beginning of the year reorganizing her studio in order to make it an inviting and functional space for creating. She used wood and paint to create this paint brush display in a rainbow pattern, modeling her own creativity for the children.

Relaxation Nook in Fours Room

PreK four educators, Jessie Miller and Will Kuehnle, think strategically about how they organize the space in their classroom to create multiple areas for the children to interact, play, and relax. This is a new space they created after a trip to Ikea. By using a rug and a curtain hung from the ceiling, they defined this nook area from the rest of the classroom, even though it’s in the middle of the room.

Exhibit Case in Kindergarten Room

We have several museum cases across our school that children use to display an object collection of their own. To begin the year, kindergarten teacher Cathryn Prudencio brought in a collection to help introduce herself to her new students. Can you guess which DC sports team Cathyrn is passionate about?

Birthday Display in Threes Room

Birthdays are such an important part of growing up, especially for young children. Most of our classrooms display the birthday months of each child, and celebrate their special day together as a class. In this threes room, called the Koalas, teachers Katie Heimsath and Morgan Powell have dressed up their koala friend for a party, with their students’ birthday months surrounding him.

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Are you an educator? What new classroom elements are you excited about for this year? Leave a comment below!

Also, check out our classroom environments Pinterest board for inspiration!