Month: January 2020

Posted on January 31, 2020January 30, 2020 by Heather Bartlow

The Brambleton Library comes to GPS!

Thank you to Jennifer Roy, head of Children’s Services at the Brambleton Library, for coming to GPS for 3 interactive story-times about bears, friendship, pets...

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Heather Bartlow

The Opposite Museum!

The opposite of boring is EXCITING! The Fours Opposite Museum this month was filled with proud students and parents. Tall/short, big/small, heavy/light, hard/soft, light on/light...

Posted on January 17, 2020January 23, 2020 by Heather Bartlow

STEAM Day at GPS!

Parents and students enjoyed making clean mud, “melting” snow, painting with ice cubes, exploring lights and shadows, cooking, testing hot & cold, building and more!...

Posted on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 by Heather Bartlow

GPS at Whole Foods Market!

GPS turned Whole Foods Market into a Winter Wonderland! Children enjoyed stories with Music & Movement, enjoyed hot cocoa and frozen attic animal sensory bins,...

Posted on January 3, 2020January 6, 2020 by Heather Bartlow

The GPS Kindergartners take Washington D.C.!

Learning came to life as the children and parents took a private tour of the Capitol Building. Every student selected a statue from the Statuary...

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Testimonials

Rev P., GPS Parent

From the moment I called GPS and spoke to Melissa Greenberg I felt the warmth, professionalism and the brightness in her voice. After touring and feeling first hand the nourtouring, hands on and care floating through the school I knew this was the place my child should be. It's been over a month since we have become part of the Golden Pond family and our child is excited, happy, challenged and nurtured. She speaks highly of her teachers and comes home telling me all about the backpack full of artwork she has. The communication between the teachers and myself is just wonderful. Impressive, the time they take to ensure all parents feel touched by a picture share or a friendly email or even text! What more could a parent ask for . I hope GPS continues this pattern and grows . Thank you GPS for all you do from the front desk smiles all the way through!

Rachel B., GPS Parent

My relationship with Golden Pond began 9 years ago when I was a parent looking for a preschool. I didn't want a daycare, I wanted a true preschool. I heard about Golden Pond through a friend, attended one of their open houses and immediately knew this was the school for us. My children and I enjoyed every minute of their time spent in the preschool and Junior Kindergarten programs. So much, that when I began my career as a teacher 5 years ago it was only natural for me to come to Golden Pond. What has attracted me to Golden Pond is their philosophy in educating the whole child through engaging hands-on experiences that really make learning meaningful. I take this philosophy to heart and am proud to work at a school where I can bring this passion, excitement and love of learning into my classroom every day. But Golden Pond is more than its teaching philosophy, it is a family. From the front office to the wonderfully talented teachers, the caliber of women who make up the staff here are what makes this school not only the best place for your child to get a top-notch education but also one of the best places to work.

Eric B., GPS Parent

We love Golden Pond. We toured the usual suspects in the area and came away really impressed with Golden Pond staff and pre-k curriculum. The teacher/student ratio was a good fit us and the classes had a more intimate feel as opposed to a body factory. Our kids are all coming from a background where they have been watched by family, so this would be their first experience in a more structured environment. What we were looking for most was patience in the staff as we knew it would be a rough transition. When we toured we paid special attention to how staff interacted with the kids and we couldn’t have been happier. They assured me that once he got the routine down he would be fine and love coming to school. It was a rough start and I was skeptical, but sure enough, a month or so in, he was happy to go and even a few days a week he asks to stay longer when we come for pick up. He comes home singing, talking about things he’s learned. Unprompted, we see him grab paper and practice writing his name, numbers, and address – even very simple math with his fingers. That’s a testament to his teachers. Special kudos Mrs. Shah, Mrs. Eng, Mrs. Price, Mrs. Horton, and Mrs. Kareem as they are his teachers and the ones we interact with the most, but no kidding, every single person we see during drop off and pick up is great. We’re excited for our oldest to finish pre-k and enroll in the kindergarten program and his two younger siblings to enroll next year. We wouldn’t expect an online review to be family’s deciding factor, but it's a start for at least engaging with admissions and taking tour. Golden Pond should be on your list.

Roxane A., GPS Parent

GPS is amazing! We tried other schools, but Golden Pond is far superior to all of them! Our daughter attended for two years and once in public school, was clearly thriving as a direct result of the high quality, personal education she received at Golden Pond! Our son will attend for three years and at just 2 1/2 yrs old, is already understanding how school works! He is having fun and learning so much! The teachers are incredible! The administration is amazing! I recommend Golden Pond to everyone I know and give it the highest marks possible for absolutely every element of their program!

Nadine N., GPS Parent

After touring a few schools in Ashburn, we knew this was the perfect home away from home for our child the moment we were first welcomed at GPS. It is such a warm, fun, energetic, nurturing and inclusive environment. There is something great and magical about this school and it’s called ‘The Golden Pond way’. It works and we feel it and see it consistently across all teachers and staff members every single day. It is our first year with GPS and we are so grateful we found this amazing school. Our son is now in the Junior Kindergarten program and thriving while having a great time! Thanks to his amazing teachers who are knowledgeable, professional loving educators on all levels! The program focuses on teaching through creative learning methods while kids are being kids...playing and enjoying their time. We love the weekly newsletter filled with pictures and information that keeps us up to date with all the activities taking place in the classroom!

Knowing that our son is enjoying school while developing a love for learning new things every day and seeing his progress is giving us such an amazing peace of mind that he is building a good foundation for the years to come. No more anxiety for us or morning battles/resistance to go to school. Our son recently even had to stay home for sickness and actually spent the morning crying because he did not want to miss school! We have now even decided to keep him in GPS for an extra year to take advantage of their reputable Kindergarten program and soon enrolling our little 3yr old daughter! ‘The 5 years are forever’..that’s the school mantra and it so delivers on it! We highly recommend Golden Pond to all families who believe in positive discipline, positive reinforcement and learning in a fun nurturing environment through play while developing their YES brain. We just wish we had found this school earlier.

Libby K., GPS Parent & Teacher

The minute we walked into Golden Pond School six years ago I was in love. From the warm reception at the door, to the individual attention to each and every student by all staff members, we knew this was the right choice for our then four year old. Three years later I found myself with the opportunity to teach at GPS and jumped at the chance. I love how nurturing the school is to all who walk through the doors. The care and attention to every detail is evident. I feel supported and have everything I need to properly and successfully do my job everyday. I love coming to work everyday!

Kristan D., GPS Parent

This is my daughters 4th year at GPS! She is currently in the Kindergarten class. We have been so pleased with her growth and development. The staff is committed to each child and truly cares about them!

Tony G., GPS Parent

Sending our daughter to school for the first time this fall made my wife and I pretty nervous. However, the GPS teachers and staff have made the transition very easy and enjoyable for our daughter. She is always very happy when we drop her off and pick her up. In just a couple weeks, we have noticed much growth in her. We are very pleased that we chose GPS!

Alicia Briggs, GPS Parent

We love Golden Pond School! We found this school in 2015 when we were looking for a preschool for our son and I am so glad we did! He and my daughter have loved their time with the teachers and staff here over the last 5 years. I felt my son was MORE than prepared socially and intellectually to start kindergarten and I know my daughter will be as well next year. I will be sad next year with no child attending school at Golden Pond, but I look forward to enrolling my third in a few years and getting to see her grow in the same enriching and caring environment.

Melissa L., GPS Parent

When it came time to choose a preschool for my eldest son, Golden Pond gave us the best feeling for a preschool program (call it a mother’s intuition). We were not looking for a daycare scenario, but an early childhood education that our child would embrace. Our eldest attended Golden Pond from the age of 3 until Kindergarten Enrichment (before Loudoun County had full day kindergarten). Our youngest will be starting her third year at Golden Pond entering their kindergarten program. The teachers and the staff take time to get to know each child by name, always greeting them with such enthusiasm. There has never been a concern that the teachers or administration hasn’t solved for our family. They always want what is best for each child. Both of my kids had an adjustment phase where there were many tears shed when starting. Their teachers assured me that the tears went away within the first 5 minutes of class and encouraged me to make surprise visits to see my children through the windows. Sure enough, my kids were always smiling and having fun with their peers. Golden Pond is the next best thing to a family member taking care of your child. Academics wise, they challenge the children to learn even the biggest of words in their curriculum. Perhaps I underestimated the ability of a preschooler. A highlight of each year is the Spring Sing, where the school puts on a very organized singing performance, with great music and scenery. The teacher’s really do love each of their students, and as each child flies up to the next level, their teachers continue to express interest in their progress. My son is entering 4th grade next year, and the teachers still ask about him. There is a real sense of community within Golden Pond. My kids love running into their teachers around town. Bonus: LOVE the carline, especially because this gives the kids exposure to other teachers/staff members.