Week of Jan 13th to Jan 17th 2014

January is always a wonderful time in the classroom. The children are eager to explore all the possibilities after a long winter rest, free from the distractions the holidays always bring. This is a time for amazing learning and we love watching it all come together!

It’s hard to believe that we are already almost through January.  Our continent study was Antarctica. We learned where it was located and what kinds of animals lived there. That led us to the study of Penguins. We discussed the different kinds of penguins, Parts of a Penguin and read books about Penguins.

During this week we discussed the life of Dr. Martin Luther King and his many accomplishments. We read ‘Happy Birthday Martin Luther King’ by Jean Marzallo. We also talked about ‘what is peace?’ and how children could be peaceful.

Chinese New Year

On Monday, February 3rd, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year with our annual dragon parade! During this week we will study Chinese culture as we discuss and study China and create our Chinese Dragon. We encourage any of our students who have a traditional Chinese outfit to please wear it on Feb 3^rd, if not wear something red, as red is considered a lucky color.

Our Chinese New Year Parade will be celebrated on Monday, Feb 3rd at 11:00 a.m, please join us to see the Parade.

Just a Reminder

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and, although those adorable cards and candies are tempting, we ask that you do not send them to school.  Candy and cards for each classmate can get out of hand so we appreciate your understanding and cooperation!

 Valentine’s Day

We would like to repeat what we did for Valentine’s Day last year. We will have the children make one valentine card in class to exchange at school on Valentine’s Day. We will put all the children’s names in a basket. Each child will choose a name of a classmate and give their valentine card to that child. We will use this as an opportunity to practice our manners. We will have a treat to share at group time. Anyone interested in providing this treat (strawberries or apples?), please let me know.

 

When asked to the children,’ What is Peace?’,

Dylan- doing work

Marley-Painting

Marnee- Being nice to each other

Madeline- to not fight

Alice-not to go to the Peace Table

Sydney-Being calm, kind and nice

Cameron-Being quiet

Nika- Be kind and caring

Lily-Being nice too each other

Tesla-Being quiet

Miles-Making friends and playing with them

Spencer-Not being mean o my sister and brother

LucyAnne-Focus on your work

Alex-use peaceful ways to solve the problem

Mazie-not to hurt other people

Zach- Be safe

Mia- not hurt people

Giuliana-Be safe

Josiah-not use hands to hurt

 

 

Madeline table washing, helps in developing concentration and finishing a cycle of work

Mia and Alice enjoying Green Tea

 Mazie working on the Color Tablets and grading them from Darkest to Lightest

Mateo, Pin Punching on the dots helps with strengthing the fine motor muscles and helps in develping the pincer grip

Our three volunteers Dylan, Josiah and Giuliana busy doing the dishes after our Stone Soup feast.

Lily and Jack created a Christmas Tree with the Red Rods and Knobless Cylinders.

Monroe busy at the easel.

Zach and Dylan applying butter on the bread for the Stone Soup feast.

I am Thankful for............

 

Marley, working with the Brown Stairs  and Pink Cubes and learning about Patterning and Comparing.

Marnee, working with dry exploration materials and sorting.

Week of Jan 6th to Jan 10th, 2014

Happy New Year and welcome back!

Hoping you all had a wonderful holiday break.  A very big thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the lovely gifts we received.

As we all know children enjoy a regular routine. We appreciate January because it’s typically a quiet month as students readjust getting back into a school routine.

In January we’ll learn about:

·        Antarctica

·        Asia

·        Landforms

·        Penguins

·        Hibernating Animals

·        Amphibians

·        Tea Pouring

 

Sound of the week

‘O’-Olive the Octopus

 

Upcoming Events

• Valentine’s Day is coming up. Please do not buy any Valentines or candy to pass out at school. Each student will make one card at school, and then randomly draw them from a basket.
• The Chinese New Year Parade, end of Jan/beginning of Feb
• No school on Mon, Jan 21^st - MLK Day

Week of Nov 18th to Dec 6th, 2013

·         We studied the Pilgrims, the Mayflower and the Native Americans in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and discussed how the Pilgrims were grateful for the help of the Native Americans and reflected on the things that we are grateful for. We also discussed the meaning of the “First Thanksgiving”. We wrapped up our study of Thanksgiving with “Stone Soup".  Thank you to all our families who brought an ingredient for the soup. We read a couple of versions of the story “Stone Soup”. The story taught the students the important lesson about giving and sharing

·         I think all the students were excited to come back to school on Monday after the week long break with many so new works to explore.

·         We started this week by learning about Hanukkah and we will discuss Christmas and Kwanzaa in the coming weeks. The children have enjoyed playing, the Dreidel game and adding a candle to the ‘menorah work’.

·         We also discussed how animals adapt in the winter and have learned about migration and hibernation.

·         Food prep is a great practical life activity in a Montessori classroom. The children learn self-care as they wash their hands. They develop independence and improve fine motor skills as they prepare the food. They practice grace and courtesy as they offer the food to share with their friends. The new food prep work in the classroom is Rice Cracker spreading with Apple Butter.

BRRRR……

 

As we head into December the weather is getting colder!  Please dress your child WARM for the freezing outside temperatures.  We do go outside for fresh air even when it is very cold unless it is freezing. We want to keep your children warm and healthy so please have the following items at school for your child every day:

****-thick, warm coat (no thin windbreakers)
****-light sweater for layering
****-boots and  warm socks
****-hood or warm hat
****-warm gloves or mittens
****-extra clothes in cubby appropriate for the weather
 

Remember that handling hats, gloves, mittens, boots, coats, and scarves is part of your child’s Practical Life training at the Primary level.   We will help your child learn to handle the extra clothing.   If the weather is wet or there is snow on the ground, all children need to wear boots to school.   It is not good for children’s feet to wear boots all day and our classroom floors don’t need the mess, so all children need a pair of shoes to wear in the classroom.  (Kindergarten and Full Day Fours especially need a pair of athletic shoes for P.E. )   You may choose to have your child keep their shoes in their cubby at school or they can carry them back and forth in their bag.

 

It’s important that a child’s clothes be accessible as well as have a loose, comfortable fit (and of course, the outfit has to be cute!). The clothing should be easy to button, snap, or buckle without the aid of an adult.

In the Montessori classroom, every activity is designed to inculcate a sense of independence and this extends to the clothes a child wears. We want our students to wear a coat freely and remove clothing for the restroom without help. This develops confidence and a positive self-image.

In school, we have special activities in our Practical Life area that instruct a child how to function independently when eating, cleaning, and dressing. One special material is the Dressing Frame – a series of wooden frames with cloth that are attached with different fasteners, such as buttons, laces, and buckles. In addition to the practical application of these materials, a child also learns concentration, focus, and self-discipline when using the frames.

 

 Winter Vocal Concert

Only Kindergarten and Full Day students will be participating in Dr. Brown’s Winter Vocal Concert on Tuesday, December 17 at 6:00PM.  Our half-day students will participate in the spring concert.   All are welcome to attend.  

 

 

Sound for this week

 

“m- Missy the mouse”