{"id":8529,"date":"2023-02-01T10:35:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T18:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/?page_id=8529"},"modified":"2026-09-14T10:01:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T17:01:36","slug":"jess-truttman","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/jess-truttman\/","title":{"rendered":"Jess Truttman"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Village Acorns<\/h1>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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A PreKindergarten Program for 4 and 5-year-olds<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Enrollment Information<\/span><\/a>\n <\/span> Acorn Class Wish List<\/span><\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n About the Acorns<\/span><\/a>\n \n Newsletter<\/span><\/a>\n \n Meet the Teacher<\/span><\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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An Outdoor Play-Based Program<\/span><\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Our youngest children will be introduced to the Village Charter School Philosophy \u2013 to educate the whole child physically, emotionally, socially, and academically at the child’s developmental and age-appropriate level within\n an outdoor classroom designed specifically for 4 and 5-year-olds. <\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Why Outdoors?<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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For children to connect to nature, to the Earth, they must experience it firsthand.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Passage of Time<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Before children can understand a calendar, they must observe seasonal change.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Early Literacy<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Before children can learn to read and write, they must develop language skills and strengthen hand muscles.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Why Play-Based?<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Brain Research<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Play is not frivolous; it is brain building. (AAP, 2018)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Authenticity<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Children are deeply engaged in learning built around their needs and interests.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Lifelong Learners<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Children with positive and authentic school experiences will maintain a love for learning.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Play is Learning in Action<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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An excerpt from\n The Case of Brain Science and Guided Play: A Developing Story<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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“A growing body of behavioral research establishes relationships between children\u2019s play and development in several areas, including language (Toub et al. 2016), executive functions (Tominey & McClelland\n 2011), mathematics and spatial skills (Fisher et al. 2013), scientific thinking (Schulz & Bonawitz 2007), and social and emotional development (Dore, Smith, & Lillard 2015). One reason that play\n might be such a valuable pedagogical tool is that it features the precise contexts that facilitate learning. An amalgamated research field called the science of learning has identified four key\n ingredients of successful learning: learning occurs best when children are mentally active (not passive), engaged (not distracted), socially interactive (with peers or adults),\n and building meaningful connections to their lives (Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2015).”<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Teacher as a Play Guide<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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In a play-based program, the teacher becomes the guide. The role of the teacher is to plan curriculum around the interests and needs of the specific children; to set the environment; to scaffold play, to ask open-ended\n questions. to support problem solving, and to observe and document learning.<\/p>\n

In our program, children will be encouraged and supported to build community; to build emotional literacy, to build a deeper understanding of their world, and to take healthy risks. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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The American Academy of Pediatrics Promotes Play<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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An excerpt from <\/span>\n The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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“Focusing on cultivating executive functioning and other skills through playful learning in these early years is an alternative and innovative way of thinking about early childhood education. Instead of focusing solely on academic skills, such as reciting the alphabet, early literacy, using flash cards, engaging with computer toys, and teaching to tests (which has been overemphasized to promote improved test results), cultivating the joy of learning through play is likely to better encourage long-term academic success. Collaboration, negotiation, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, decision-making, a sense of agency, creativity, leadership, and increased physical activity are just some of the skills and benefits children gain through play.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Friday, September 11, 2026<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Just a quick update this week!\n
We survived the heat wave and are looking forward to cooler weather. We enjoyed playing on our home made water slide this week to keep cool, and also changed clothes a few times. Please make sure to refill clothing\n baskets as needed.<\/p>\n

We have an official Apple Farm date of October 7th. Please be sure to update license and insurance if you are already a cleared driver OR speak to the office to become a cleared driver. Here is the field trip\n document, please open it and fill in what type of seat you will be providing for your child AND sign up to drive!\n \n
https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1DfT3EhOYjJGArM5uj9PIg6PXOPpSh_jjEWVOtboC5Mg\/edit?usp=sharing<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

We have been exploring sunflowers and will continue next week with harvesting seeds (assuming the birds don’t get there first). If your child didn’t tell you the story… our poor garden has been suffering from disappearances.\n So, hopefully it doesn’t affect our sunflower investigation! If you have any wonderful garden things to share – flowers, fruit, veggies – we are always happy to accept them for art, tasting, cooking, etc.<\/p>\n

And, lastly… if you hadn’t figured out our Monday morning routine yet… On Mondays, or Tuesdays when there is a Monday holiday, we gather as a whole Village while one class shares a song, story, or something of the\n like. Feel free to stay and observe\/participate, I always did as a parent \ud83d\ude42 It is expected that the children are with their teacher\/class practicing being a polite audience. When our turn comes up, I will let\n you know!<\/p>\n

Have a fabulous weekend! I will be celebrating my Grandma’s 90th Birthday with her and family after her hot air balloon ride this weekend. Wow!<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Meet the Teacher<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Jess has been working with young children for over 20 years. For the past thirteen years, Jess has been teaching at the Children’s School, a lab school at Sonoma State. She has built and maintained beautiful outdoor\n classroom environments for children, learning about gardening for and with children year after year. It was in this time that Jess became passionate and dedicated to connecting children with nature. She developed\n innovative curriculum, pulling from various philosophies such as Nature-Based, Montessori, Project-Based, Reggio Emilia-Inspired, and Play-Based Education. As a Master Teacher, Jess has also trained and mentored adults\n and has proudly played a role in the growing of many educators.<\/p>\n

With the state’s new vision of Universal PreKindergarten, Jess has been inspired to embark on a new journey at Village Charter School. Pulling from her depth of experience, Jess will be building a new PreKindergarten\n program, the Village Acorns<\/span>. Jess will guide the youngest Village students through playful, adventurous, and collaborative learning while connecting to the state standards,\n California Preschool Learning Foundations and Curriculum Framework which encourages play-based learning and a whole child approach. <\/p>\n

Jesslyn Truttman will be employed on the basis of a Provisional Internship Permit while enrolled at USF. The VCS Board of Directors and Administrator confirm there are no objections to the issuance of\n the permit.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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The Village Acorns A PreKindergarten Program for 4 and 5-year-olds Enrollment Information Acorn Class Wish List About the Acorns Newsletter Meet the Teacher An Outdoor Play-Based Program Our youngest children will be introduced to the Village Charter School Philosophy \u2013 to educate the whole child physically, emotionally, socially, and academically at the child’s developmental and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8529","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8529"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24317,"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8529\/revisions\/24317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villagecharterschool.com\/2021\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}