As parents, there are a few things we want our kids to get out of their first experiences at school. We want them to feel welcomed and we want for their uniqueness to be recognized, nurtured, and appreciated. We want them to feel comfortable and safe, and we want their natural curiosity to turn into the inquiring mind of a lifelong learner. And, of course, we want to put them in a PreK program that lays the foundation for future academic success.
These are lofty goals, so it’s important that the teachers in Saddle River Day School’s Early Childhood Program are the kinds of educators who are able to inspire, guide, and value each one of our littlest learners. Julia Rosenfeld, who joins the SRDS faculty as our new PreK 3 teacher is more than up for the challenge.
Mrs. Rosenfeld comes to SRDS most recently from the Ho-Ho-Kus/Waldwick Cooperative Nursery School where she also taught the three- and early four-year olds class, a job she held for two years, after teaching elementary school in the New York City public school system, and taking time off to raise her three children, now teens and young adults.
Mrs. Rosenfeld loves teaching three and four year olds because, “They are just starting to notice what’s happening around them. They’re eager to make connections with teachers, friends, and the world around them.” In particular, PreK 3s have taken the significant leap from being toddlers to being more independent. Mrs. Rosenfeld catches them just as their motor skills and intellectual capacity are enabling them to do small tasks on their own. She says they’re “enthusiastic and agreeable – they are excited to try new things and they approach new tasks and skills with joy and confidence.”
Mrs. Rosenfeld says that when working with this age group, the first part of the year is usually spent on practicing social skills and learning classroom behaviors. This is because children in the PreK 3 class are a combination of kids who have been in daycare or other formal educational settings, and kids for whom her classroom is the first they’ve been in, after their early years have been spent at home. She says that after Winter Break, most students have acclimated to the routine and are ready to delve into more complex academic concepts. Then, by the end of the year, “They’re creating games, working together, they love playing with everyone, they love to sing, and they participate cheerfully and completely."
When asked what first attracted her to Saddle River Day School, she notes that the educational philosophy at the SRDS Early Education Center mirrors her own. She sees it as a place where children learn through play and where their individuality is recognized, appreciated, and cultivated. The theme in the PreK 3 classroom this year is “transformation” and Mrs. Rosenfeld is looking forward to the many ways she can make this theme relevant to kids as they explore the idea of growth and change through Saddle River Day School’s trademark Project Based Learning (PBL) model. She has big plans for how she will incorporate this learning into lessons in math, science, and art, all while making it feel like play and giving each child the space to imagine and create.
But what was it that made Mrs. Rosenfeld sure that SRDS was the place for her? As always, it was the people she met on campus during her interviews and tours. She says she was blown away by the closeness of the faculty and the palpable team culture. She’s excited to be working as a part of a larger educational environment, one in which the kids who are in her classroom this year may go on to graduate from SRDS over a decade from now. Julia Rosenfeld is excited to be the first step in their academic journey, and she can’t wait to get started.
For more information about the Saddle River Day School Early Childhood Program, or to learn more about any of our classes and programs, please contact Kris Sweeny - ksweeny@saddlerivderday.org - in the Office of Admissions or join us for a PreK 3 and PreK4 Open House on Friday, November 15 at 9:00am.
VISIT SADDLE RIVER DAY SCHOOL
Open House
Grades 9-12
Wednesday, November 13 at 9:00 am
Open House
Pre-K 3 & Pre-K 4
Friday, November 15 at 9:00 am
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Saddle River Day School
Pre-K3 to Grade 12
147 Chestnut Ridge Road • Saddle River, NJ 07458 • Tel: 201.327.4050
Watch your child grow from a student into a scholar—and into a lifetime of success.
From exploring Spanish, music and lab-based science beginning in Pre-K to hosting a TEDxYouth Conference in high school … from active play to competing on a championship Rebel Athletics team … inspiring success starts right from the beginning at Saddle River Day School.
Here, learning begins with an intriguing problem to solve, a story that captivates or a question that provokes curiosity—and the personal connection between teachers and students motivates everyone. To develop holistic, “right-brain” thinkers, we integrate science, technology, engineering, art and math, and celebrate different ways to solve real problems.
SRDS graduates from recent years are thriving at top colleges like Boston College, Northwestern, NYU, and UPenn. They are creative individuals inspired to think, solve and achieve—in academics and in life.
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