A Peek at Our Week | Week of August 28th


We had a great first week back to school! This week our class had so much fun getting to know each other and learning about the rules of our classroom. The children became familiar with our chores, Grace and courtesy lessons, and how to be respectful to one another.  We are looking forward to a great year ahead!

 

  During our line time I gave a lesson on how to interrupt other’s in the correct way. The direct purpose of this lesson is to teach the children Grace and courtesy in the classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   This week each child learned their chore for the week. By giving our children chores inside the classroom it helps build a lasting sense of mastery and self – reliance. It also increases concentration and independence.

 

 

 

 

 

This week I gave a few lessons on how we place our works on our math the correct way. This shows the importance of how we treat our works and the space around us. This prepares them for independence and also teaches them organizational skills.

 

A Peek into Next Week:
Next week will be all about friendship. We will focus on what friendship is, how we treat our friends, and singing new songs about friendship.

REMINDER: There is NO SCHOOL on Monday for Labor Day!

 

 


Ms. Kate’s May-June 2017 Newsletter Article

Classroom News:

May was such a busy month! Our class learned about insects and jumped into a space shuttle and flew into outer space. Our class also had fun learning about plant life cycles and had a blast during Grandparents Day and at our field trip to the zoo!

 

The first week was all about the different life cycles. The first life cycle we talked about was about frogs. We formed a chart that showed the different stages in their life. I also made a new three part card work with objects to go a long with the cards. We then learned all about the butterfly. With this lesson I brought in a butterfly kit so that the children were able to see the whole cycle of a butterfly. The children were so fascinated by this. Next to the caterpillars we placed a basket full of journals so that the children were able to chart what they see on a daily basis. We then discussed the life cycle of a plant. For the children to get a better understanding of this lesson the children grew their own beans in zip lock bags so that they were also able to see all of the changes. The children loved watching the plant go from seed, to sprout, to growing a stem with roots, to the full plant! We then had fun learning the life cycle of a chick. The children made a small booklet that showed each of the phases of a chicks life. It’s so important to have hand on things that go along with the lesson. I feel as though it clicks with the children when they can actually see what is read to them in a book.

  

 

   

 

We then focused on outer space. During this time we learned about the solar system, stars and constellations, galaxies, the eight planets, the sun and moon, the space shuttle, and the first man who walked on the moon. Wow, what a busy couple of weeks! We first stared out by creating a web of the solar system. Throughout our space lesson the children added the information they have learned onto the web. During our lesson, the children learned about the eight planets since the 9th planet is now a dwarf planet. They learned the order of the planets and neat little facts about each one. They loved learning about Jupiter and its famous hurricane like storm. They thought it was pretty cool that Mars is called the “red planet” due to the red dirt, dust and sky. We also learned about how there are thousands of different galaxies and how the spiral shape is the most common type. The children also learned about night and day. For this activity I had one child stand in the middle of the circle and pretend they were the sun. I then had another child pretend to be the earth. I explained to them that the Earth takes 365 days to orbit around the sun, but as it’s orbiting it is also rotating.  The kids loved this activity!! During this time we talked about what stars are, the lunar eclipse, the different constellations, and about observatories.  We then talked about Neil Armstrong and how if they went to the moon they would still see his footprint. Near the end of our outer space lesson the children learned about life in space, gravity, and astronauts. I showed a video of a launch and what it is like for astronauts up in space. The children loved it!!

 

  

 

The third week we focused on grandparents. I thought this would be a good way to have lessons with them since it was our grandparents week at our school! Everyday we read a different book on grandparents. We had fun telling them all the different ways you can say grandma and grandpa in the different countries. The children also enjoyed making charts about why their grandparent is so special to them. For example, Levi said “ They make my favorite food!” Brooklyn said “ When I go and visit them they buy me toys.” And Alitza said “ My grandma makes me smile.” We also made a chart about how Grandparents can be, what they have, and what they are. It was such a special week that week. Thank you to all of the grandparents that came and spent time with us! For the grandparents who want to keep a young and fresh looking skin, leonardmillermd.com has a certified doctor specializing in mini facelift in Boston, MA. To schedule a consultation, call (617) 735-8735.

 

 

With the last two weeks remaining, the children had a blast learning about different insects. The children discovered that insects have six legs but spiders and other arachnids have 8 legs. We also created a web together that was all about dragon flies. We read such a detailed book about them and the children had to tell me fact that they learned. Throughout the week we talked about Bees and why they are important, and why we need them. We also had fun learning about ladybugs and making a fun craft!

 

   

 

I can’t believe how fast the school year has gone by. I have truly enjoyed watching my kiddos grow throughout the year. I will miss them so very much. Also, thank you to all of my families, for everything that you have done this year. I wish the best of luck to those families who are going to new schools and look forward to seeing everyone else next school year! Have a great summer!!!

 

  

 

Academic Enrichment | Kindergarten
Mr. John

The beginning of May we looked at the preposition. I explained the the preposition is a “where word” not a “werewolf”. The we got really excited about the Interjection. Interjections added a bit more to the sentence by showing excitement. Either this excitement is a little or a lot of emotion. We came to the end of the sentence and learned about the period, question mark, and explanation mark. Then we learned when to capitalize words. “I” not eye, proper nouns, and words at the beginning of a sentence.

Handwriting Enrichment
Ms. Kristen

Our Handwriting Lessons this month focused on learning about different types of poetry. We focused on writing acrostic poems, couplets, haikus, and shape poems. I loved how creative the children have become with their writing! The topics ranged from poems about their best friends to penguins, to basketball. We also had journal prompts such as, ” What animal are you excited to see at the zoo?” and ” What did you do over Memorial Day Weekend?”. I have been amazed with how the children have progressed from the beginning of the year to this point! They have become amazing writers!

Reading Group | Kindergarten
Ms. Kate

During the month of May our reading group had a lot of fun! We focused on the story called Feraj And The Magic Lute. I loved this story because each lesson was something different that O thought really stood out to all of the children. The first activity we read through the story and talked about any of the words they weren’t certain about. They then had to complete the picture about where the bag of gold was hidden. We then went over the My Questions and lead a wonderful discussion on all of their questions. Having group discussions really make the children think, be creative, and get a better understanding of the story.

Later on that month the children had the most fun acting out the different parts of the story. The children then came together and formed a group creative writing lesson. The children came up with a song about the magical lute. They brainstormed all of their ideas and we charted them on paper. Lastly, the children made a treasure map of where the gold could be hidden in our school! What a fun month!! I truly enjoyed teaching this bunch of amazing kiddos this year!

 

Science Enrichment:
This past month during Science class the Kids enjoyed about 4 different experiments but their favorite one was on the last day of school!

COKE GEYSER;

This is done by using 1 bottle of Diet Coke and 1 pack of Mentos.
When Mr. John dropped candy Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke the Coke shot up into the air and dropped down the side of the bottle. Why? because a bottle of soda is filled with Carbon Dioxide.

The Mentos fall to the bottom, forming lots of bubbles. When this gas is released it forces the liquid up and out in a GIANT exploding geyser of sticky soda. The Children loved watching this and screeched with delight.

 

Art Enrichment
This past month in art was inspired by spring. Ms. Michele had the students make paper flower sculptures. The students made a circle out of a strip of paper for the middle, and then made tear drop shapes for the petals. They could use a pattern with the colors, use warm colors, or cool colors. The flowers turned out beautiful with all the different patterns and colors the students used. The next spring inspired artwork came from butterflies. The students learned about symmetry and how to paint a butterfly with symmetry since butterflies are identical on each side. Ms. Michele had them paint with watercolors. The third week we painted Vincent Van Gogh inspired flowers in a vase. The students learned about his painting technique. Vincent painted with short squiggly paint strokes because he wanted it to seem like is art was moving and alive. Ms. Michele placed vases with flowers in the middle of the table, and had the students draw on paper first, and then she showed them how to paint like Van Gough, and had them return to their seats to paint. The paintings turned out looking just like Van Gogh’s painting called Sunflowers.

To end a wonderful year filled with art, Ms. Michele had a Claude Monet inspired artwork planned for the young artists. They looked at his painting called Bridge Over Pond of Water Lilies. They learned about Impressionism, which is what style Claude Monet used. Impressionism is the use of dabs or small brush strokes of unmixed colors to simulate the actual reflection of light. The students did a wonderful job of recreating the outdoor scene, and I can say I was quite “impressed”, pun intended. Thank you Ms. Michele for all of your hard work this year, and we hope you have a wonderful summer!

 

Music Enrichment
In music class during the month of May, Ms. Lisa reviewed many of the concepts that she taught throughout the year. This month the please and thank you song was played and our students love it and the movements to the song. The bells were used and much fun was had! We also sang the forgiveness song. The children talked about the meaning of forgiveness and sign language was introduced as part of the song. The instruments used were the rhythm sticks. The life lessons learned were so terrific. She reviewed what staccato and legato mean, sang about having a choice for your behavior, sang about being kind, sang about telling the truth. Ms. Lisa also taught us a new song this month called Let the Sun Shine In! Diligence was also a characteristic talked about through music and movement. The instruments used were the triangles, tambourines and the maracas. Music and the important values taught is so much fun at AMMS!


Ms. Kate’s April 2017 Newsletter Article

Bonjour! Spring is finally here! I love seeing the warm sunshine and the colorful flowers in bloom! This month has been super busy getting ready for the International Festival and learning about all of the different continents and countries. The children also enjoyed our guest speakers from different backgrounds and cultures.

 

   

 

The first week I introduced the seven continents to the children by showing them our continents puzzle. We discussed the four main countries in North America, which are The United States of America, Mexico, Canada, and Greenland.  The children also learned about our flag, which consists of 13 horizontal stripes, which are red, white, and blue and represent the first colonies and states in the union. The flag also has 50 stars, which represent the 50 states in the Union. The children also learned about Christopher Columbus, the climate, and cultures of North America.

 

  

 

The second week we focused on three countries from Europe. We learned about Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. First I Introduced our map of Europe to the children. I then showed them were Italy takes place . We then talked about their flag and what each of the colors represented. Green means hope or the hills, white means faith or mountains, and red represents charity or for the bloody wars. We then colored our own flag. The next day we talked about all the different kinds of food that come from Italy. We talked about the famous pizza and the history behind it. We then had so much fun creating our own pizza out of construction paper, scissors, glue, and marker’s. We then enjoyed learning about Germany. I started out by showing the children where Germany was located in Europe. I then showed them the flag and went over what each color represents and then they were able color their own flag of Germany. The next country we talked about (which is one of my favorites) was the Netherlands. I showed them a short video on the world famous tulips and windmills. We then created our own tulip made out of different colored tissue paper.

 

   

 

The third week we went over the two countries Spain and France. I showed them where both countries were located on the map and what each of their flags looked like and what they represented. Both Ms. Ame and I showed them short clips about the Eiffel Tower, French food, and the importance of family. The children loved learning about the different traditions they celebrated, festivals they have, and the different languages that they speak. We had fun coloring an Eiffel tower, learning about snails that they eat. It was such a fun week! Throughout the week we also had fun learning about Ireland and why we celebrate St. Patrick’s day, and the meaning of the shamrock. We also lead a discussion on the country Belgium and made a beautiful windmill for our International Festival!

 

   

 

Our last week was all about Farms. We first discussed why it is extremely important that we have farmer’s. We read a short book then we lead a group discussion about all the things that they learned from our book. I loved that they really payed attention and were able to talk amongst each other about farmer’s and what they do. The next day we reviewed all about farmer’s. We then moved on to the machine’s that they would find on the farm. As a group we talked about what each machine did and how it helped the farm, animals ,and crops. Throughout the week we did different activities that talked about the different typed of farms you can find such as, crop farms, poultry farms, dairy farms, and grain farms. Ms. Ame had a blast with them talking about the different animals you would find on the farm, then the kids constructed a barn out of colored popsicle sticks, and glue. Lastly, we discussed the food we get from the different animals and farms, and where they go to. We had such a busy but fantastic month! I’m so very proud of how hard the children worked and their songs and lines!!!

 


Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten

with Mr. John

We started out the month by looking at the pronoun. We learned the pronoun takes the place of the noun and at times makes our lives a bit easier. I stressed NEVER call a person “it” because it is rude. Moving forward we discovered the adjective. The adjective describes nouns but we did not leave out the verb(what describes the verb?) an adverb of course. That is it’s main job but it can also describe adjectives and other adverbs. We closed out April with learning about the conjunction. It serves as a bridge for two separate sentences bringing together these two sentences as one.

Ask our Kindergarten Students about adjectives and adverbs!

Handwriting Enrichment
with Ms. Kristen

This month in handwriting, we have continued to focus on forming complete sentences. The Kindergaten students also enjoyed correcting my capitalization “mistakes” in example sentences. We continued journaling together. Our kindergarten students continue to impress me with their handwriting and creativity!

 


Reading Group | Kindergarten
with Ms. Kate

For the month of April we focused on a poem called Seashell. This poem came from Spain and is spoken by someone who has been given a seashell. We had fun talking about what happens if you hold up a huge seashell… you can hear the light sounds of the ocean. We first read the poem in English and then lead a short discussion on what they think it meant to them. We also went over any vocabulary words they weren’t sure of the meaning. Next, I read the poem in Spanish. Seashell in Spanish is “ Caracola” After the poem was read, the children then drew a picture of themselves walking on the bottom of the sea and what they think it would look like. The children then stood up and shared their drawings with one another. I can see such a difference in their confidence with standing up and sharing in front of their peers. We then had such a fun time acting out our drawings! It was such a fun poem!
Music Enrichment
by Ms. Faith

In April, Ms. Lisa focused on singing songs about our character. The students sang and did motions to songs about telling the truth, about cooperating, saying please and thank you, and about being kind. The students participated in partner dances, and even learned a new song from Africa called Roll and Rock. Ms. Lisa always incorporates gross motor movement into her lessons. She sang Have You Ever Seen a Lassy, and the students picked a movement, such as skipping, galloping, and hoping to move around during the song. Another activity Ms. Lisa had for the students was to review what Staccato and Legato mean. Staccato notes are short and jumpy, whereas Legato notes are smooth and long. The students were given a castanet and a scarf to walk around in a circle while listening to a song. When the music played Staccato notes, the students played their castanet and ran on their tiptoes. When the music played Legato notes, the students moved in slow flowing motions with their scarves. Thank you Ms. Lisa for sharing all of your instruments for us to learn!

 


Science Enrichment

by Ms. Kathleen

Our favorite science experiment from the month of April was the Tea Bag Hot Air Balloon! These are some of the questions Mr. John and the scientists asked themselves: What will happen when you set an empty, unused teabag on fire?
We had many hypothesis given by our students! Mr. John cut open the unused tea bag and dumped out the tea. Then he made the tea bag into a cylinder. Next, he put the cylinder shaped tea bag on a kitchen plate and set fire to it. As the tea bag burns, it floats up into the air. WHY? When the tea bag burns down it gets lighter and the air around the flame gets hotter. Hot air rises and once the burnt tea bag is light enough it gets carried up with the hot air. All the children giggled with delight during this experiment and asked Mr. John to do it again. This is one of our most favorite experiments of the school year!
Art Enrichment
by Ms. Faith

Ms. Michele had students finish their wooden frames that they painted one color, or monochromatic. To finish their frames, they picked out objects and painted them the complimentary color of the color they chose for their frames. Once the paint was dry, the students glued it on the frame to create an abstract piece of art.

The next week, Ms. Michele introduced Pablo Picasso to the students. Pablo Picasso is known for his Cubism art works. He wanted to draw facial features from different angles and that is why the features on his people look different. To create their own Cubism inspired art works, Ms. Michele printed out pictures of facial features for the students to cut out and glue onto faces. Some of them had two noses, an eye looking sideways, and an eye looking forward. The students let their creativity flow, and created some great Picasso style faces.

To close up the month of April, Ms. Michele reviewed the color wheel with the class. They reviewed warm and cool colors, primary colors, secondary colors, and complimentary colors. The young artists drew an owl using different shapes, and they had to use primary and secondary colors to fill in the shapes. After the owls were finished, the students drew details on their pages like a branch for the owl to sit on, or the moon in the background. We always look forward to what Ms. Michele has planned for art each month. Thank you for your hard work Ms. Michele!


Ms. Kate ‘s May-June 2017 Monthly Overview

Themes of the week | Classroom group lesson time (in addition to individual Montessori Work time)

5/1:All About Life Cycles

-Frog life cycle
-Butterfly life cycle
-Plant life cycle
-Life cycle of a chick
Afternoon Group Time: Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, and activities about the different life cycle

5/8:All About Our Grandparents
-I love you because craft
-A grandchild’s hand craft
-How to say grandma and grandpa in different languages
-Join us for Moms N Muffins!
Afternoon Group Time: Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of fun and engaging crafts about our grandparent’s

5/15: Insects
– Insects/not insect chart
– Spider tree chart
– All about bees
– Dragon fly chart
– Ladybug craft
Afternoon Group Time: Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts and activities about Insects

5/22: Outer Space
– Phases of the Moon
– The sun
– Our planets
– Milky Way Galaxy and spaceships
Afternoon Group Time: Ms. Ame will be doing a variety od crafts, books, and lessons on Outer Space

Monday, May 29th: Memorial Day | NO SCHOOL
Thursday, June 1st: FIELD DAY!

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

5/1: review
5/8: review
5/15:review
5/22: review

(optional)

Rhyming Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

5/1: moon
5/8: big
5/15: bug
5/22: chick


Ms. Kate’s March 2017 Newsletter Article

Classroom News:

March was a busy month for us. The children had fun talking about Dr. Seuss, learning about different artists, and exploring the our five senses, and also learning about spring. We also had fun celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day.

   

The first week was celebrating Dr. Seuss. The children had a blast this week! Throughout the week the children were able to wear silly socks, mismatched clothes, have crazy hair, and wear a crazy hat! The first day we read The Cat In the Hat. After we read the story, the children were able to create their own cat in the hats out of red and white paper. We then took a silly picture! The next day the children were given a plain sock template and they were able to draw their silly sock they wore. We then made a silly sock graph. Having graphs is super important for children because they provide meaningful opportunity for children to represent and communicate important mathematical relationships. Later on we made green eggs and ham and had a taste test. Lastly we created another graph using all of the books we had read that week, and then graphing our favorites.

   

The theme for our second week was, Art Appreciation. This week we focused on different artists and their works. The children were able to create their own works from the artists they learned about. The first day we learned all about Claude Monet. We discussed landscapes and why he chose to only draw them. We also learned about oil pastels and how to blend them. The children then created their own landscape while using oil pastels. On the second day, we discussed Pablo Picasso and his different Periods. The children learned about his Blue period and how he was very sad. We also talked about his Rose period where he fell in love and became very happy and all of his paintings were a rosy hue. We then went over his angry period, where all of his paintings were a bit scary. I showed them how he would drew faces in a different way and how all of his drawing were different. The children then drew self-portraits, cut their pictures up and created their own Picasso with Ms. Ame. The next thing we learned about was Vincent Van Gough. The children learned the history behind his art, they were also able to explore his different paintings and why he painted certain paintings the way he did. The children then created their own 3D Sunflower portrait! They also had a lot of fun learning, exploring, and doing different types of art with Ms. Ame!

  

Our third week was all about spring and the different things that happen during this time. To start out the week we discussed the four seasons. We created a chart that was sectioned into four groups. We then went over the different weather that we get with each season, the clothes we might wear, what the trees are doing, and what the animals might be doing with each of these seasons. You can buy organic baby clothes from Dusty Road Apparel, have an exclusive line of stylish organic clothing for children. We then lead a discussion about the adult animal and what their baby animal is called. We read some wonderful books and then we played a fun matching game where we had to place the baby animal next to its mother. Matching games are great for children’s brain development because it provides an opportunity to master a skill, it also brings in deep concentration which is calming and deeply satisfying for the child, and it also demonstrates that they are capable of making the connection between the real item and the pictorial representation. We also went over the parts of the flower, and the life cycle of a chick!

   

The last week of March we had fun learning about our five senses. The first day the children learned about hearing and how the ear works. We also listened to an awesome CD that played different environmental sounds where the children had to guess what the sounds were. We then learned about touch and the children had to place their hand in the mystery bag and guess the item that they were touching. We also had fun learning about taste where the children got to taste something sweet, salty, sour, and bitter! We then played a take away game that explained all about sight, and lastly the children had to place a blindfold on while smelling different smells such as bananas, vanilla, lemon, peppermint, orange, and cinnamon. I loved seeing all the children’s facial expressions!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe spring break! See you in April!

Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
-with Mr. John

The kindergartners started their section in Language.  We will be learning about the parts of speech until the end of the year.  We went over vowels/consonants, and nouns and verbs.  A noun is a person, place, or thing.  A verb is an action word or something you do.  We the learned there are three articles.  They are A, An, The.  We learned rules when we use those articles.  “A” hooks up with consonants, “AN” hooks up with vowels, and “THE” hooks up with anything.

Cultural Subjects:
My line time and the kindergarten class count to ten in 28 different languages (English, Sign Language, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Tagalog, Polish, Irish, Welsh, Hebrew, Arabic w/the Lebanese dialect, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Swahili, Korean, Serbo-Croation, Hindi, Flemish/Dutch, Malay, Cebuano, Farsi and Turkish)!

Handwriting Enrichment
-with Ms. Kristen

The children learned how to write vowels and consonant blends in cursive this month, such as ” oo”, “ee”, “th”, “sh”, etc. We also ventured into more creative journal writing, answering questions such as ” If you could go on vacation anywhere, who would you take with you and why?” and ” Tell me two things you plan to do over your Spring Break”. I’m daily impressed with their creativity and excitement for writing!

Reading Group | Kindergarten
-with Ms. Kate

For the month of March our Reading group read two wonderful stories called The Frog Prince, and Guinea Fowl and Rabbit Get Justice. With each of these stories the children were able to illustrate and write about what was happening in each of the stories. By illustrating, the children are visualizing the characters and setting of the story. As they make their own decisions about what the hardest thing is, they are learning that their individual perspectives on a story are important. They also had so much fun acting out the stories. Dramatizations can make it easier for students to take in detail and get plots straight! The children really enjoyed these stories!

Science Enrichment
-by Ms. Kathleen

This month in March we did 3 Science experiments,

  1. Density:  What happens when you put a lemon and a lime in a container of water? The lemon floats and the lime sinks. Why? because the lime is denser than the lemon, the lime has more water by weight in it, it is also guessed that lemons have more air in them which makes them float.
  2. Density: What happens when we mix oil, water and Alka Seltzer in a plastic clear bottle? But first we pour water into bottle about 1/4 full. Then pour vegetable oil into bottle until full, wait until it separates. Add 10 drops food coloring. Break a seltzer tablet in half drop into bottle. Watch it sink to the bottom and the bubble greatness begins, bubbles start wildly going up and down the bottle quickly almost in a dancing like fashion, truly entertaining. This fantastic experiment is because the oil stays above the water the oil is lighter than the water. Oil and water do not mix, the structures of the two molecules do not allow them to bond together. When the tablet pieces are added, they sank to the bottom and created a gas, As the gas bubbles rose, they took some of the colored water with them. When the bubbles reach the top, the gas escapes and down went the water. This was for sure one of the Children’s favorites this month because of all that it does, so fun to watch.
  3. Carbonation: What will happen when you place raisins in a fresh glass of ginger ale? The raisins sink to the bottom of the ginger ale. Then after just a few minutes the raisins get covered in bubbles and rise to the top. Then fall to the bottom. They repeat this pattern for several minutes. Why does this happen? The raisins are heavier than the ginger ale. When enough bubbles attach to the raisins they become” lighter” than the ginger ale. The bubbles raise the raisins to the top. When the bubbles reach the surface they pop dropping the raisins to the bottom again.
Up, up the dancing raisins go!

Music Enrichment

-by Ms. Sabrina

Music is so much fun! This month was all about good manners! A song and game about sharing was played! While listening to the directions in the song, the children passed and shared a ball, and had a lot of fun!  The magic words “please” and “thank you” were reinforced through song and by using movement and castanets. “You Have a Choice” was a song played during class, which taught the children that they had a choice to be kind. The children enjoyed using bells, tambourines and rhythm sticks as well this month. The children also learned the difference between forte and piano or loud and soft. They loved raising and lowering their voices with the music. Songs about forgiveness and telling the truth were also shared this month. Ask your child to share all these great songs!

Art Enrichment
-by Ms. Ame

The first week of March Miss Michele felt much better and brought some (much needed) sunshine into our rooms using modge-podge glue with different colors mixed in! The students each created their own sunshine using different colors. These masterpieces will look fantastic in a window that gets a lot of sunshine. The next week Miss Ame stepped in when Miss Michele was sick and taught an abbreviated art lesson on Andy Warhol, that’s what all those colorful cats were about! The students learned a bit about his life and the definition of pop art. The next week Miss Michele taught the students about the definition of monochromatic. Monochromatic means only using a single color.  The students each created their own “house” or creation out of gluing popsicle sticks. Then they painted their creation only one color. It was difficult to pick only one! The next week Miss Michele talked about complimentary colors and introduced the color wheel once again. The students had to identify the complimentary color to the color they painted their creation the previous week. Then Miss Michele provided small boxes full of all sorts of treasures! The students had to be very careful to pick out only the complimentary colored items and glue them onto their monochromatic creation! They turned out so beautiful! If you see yours on the art rack, feel free to take it home! We can’t wait for April and see what multicultural projects Miss Michele will have us make to display at the International Festival on the 21st!

 


Ms. Kate ‘s April 2017 Monthly Overview

What I will learn this Month in Ms. Kate’s class:

 Themes of the week | Classroom group lesson time (in addition to individual Montessori Work time)

4/03: Europe and International festival practice

  • Italy- We will have fun looking for Italy on our Europe puzzle map.
  • Italy- Italy- We will have fun talking about Italy and making our own English muffin pizzas!
  • Germany- Together we will explore the Europe map and find where Germany is located
  • Germany- As a class we will go over Germany’s flag, and then make a tissue paper flag.
  • Netherlands- We will explore the Europe map to find where the Netherlands is located. We will then create our own special tulip!
  • Friday, April 7th | Dads n Donuts

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, and activities about Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

4/10th: Europe and International Festival practice

  • France- Creating a flag from France out of paint chip samples. We will also explore France on our map.
  • France- We will have fun creating an Eiffel Tower
  • Spain- learning about the traditional Flamenco dancing
  • Spain- making Maracas
  • Friday, April 14th | NO SCHOOL | Easter break

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of fun and engaging activities about France and Spain.

4/17th: Europe and International Festival Practice

  • Monday, April 17th | NO SCHOOL | Easter break
  • Ireland- We will explore the map of Europe and find Ireland on our map. We will also color the flag
  • Ireland- We will have fun creating a four leaf clover
  • Belgium- We will explore Belgium on our Europe map, and also color the flag
  • Belgium- As a class we will have fun making a windmill
  • Wednesday, April 19th | International Festival Rehearsal
  • Friday, April 21st | International Festival

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts and activities about Ireland and Belgium

4/24th:   All About the farm

  • All about Farmers
  • Machines found on the farm
  • Different types of farms
  • Animals found on the farm
  • What do we get from different farms and animals

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, books, and lessons on the farm

 Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

4/3: Ww

4/10: Xx

4/17: Yy

4/24: Zz

Rhyming Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

4/3: rain

4/10: barn

4/17: hen

4/24: small

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Take a nature walk and collect different things you see. Come home a create a piece of art with all of your nature treasures!
  • Visit a farm and see all of the baby animals. You could also bring a journal and write and draw all of the animals you see.
  • Try to spot any of our rhyming words in Dr. Seuss books.
  • Be adventurous and try a new meal or snack together.
  • Go the library and go exploring with the different continent books.

Ms. Kate’s February 2017 Newsletter Article

Classroom News:

This month was super busy for our classroom. Throughout the month of February we learned all about living and nonliving things, all about nocturnal animals, fun with fairy tales, and all about sequencing with fun picture books.

  

During the first week we lead a discussion about the basic needs of living things. The children did great with this. We then created a graph by using pictures that were living and nonliving and the children had to place them in right category. By doing this the children are understanding classification, and with using the pictures they can visually see the placement of the category. We then had fun the next day by bringing in hula hoops and the children had to sort objects into living or the nonliving area. By sorting, the children are understanding that certain things can be organized into certain groups so they can really get a better understanding of the concept that we are teaching. On the last day, the children were given a variety of magazines and had to cut out items that were living and nonliving. The children then had to place their pictures into the right category. I really loved this week because I feel the children really understood this concept!

  

The second week was all about nocturnal animals. The first day we constricted a graph called KWL which stands for What we know, What we want to know, and What we have learned. This is a great chart because the first category the children are able to use their knowledge that they already know on the topic. The second category the children really have to brainstorm together and come up with things that they really want to learn about the topic, then on Friday we gather up all of our information that we have learned and place it on the last category. We then had a fun activity called what we do in the day and the night. The children had to draw pictures of what they do in the morning and then they had to draw what they did at night. The children each stood up one at a time and talked about what they drew. By doing this the children gain confidence in themselves and it helps them use descriptive language. We then created a Venn diagram about bats vs. owls. A Venn diagram is a visual representation of the similarities and differences between concepts. It’s a way for students to help structure the way students think about the similarities and differences between concepts.

  

 

The third week we focused on fairy tales. Ms. Ame and I read a variety of fairy tales and constructed different lessons and crafts that went along with each book. We read the famous Little Red Riding Hood and made a chart that talked about what the setting was, who the characters were, the problem that was occurring in the story, how they solved it, and the lesson they thought the story was giving them. I really enjoyed doing this because it brought out new vocabulary and really made them think in a different way. Throughout the week I did this with many of the books I read. At the end of the week we went over the elements that you need to have in a fairy tale and then as a class we made up our own. It was so much fun!!

  

The last week we focused on sequencing. Sequencing is the process of putting events, ideas, and objects in logical order. Sequencing is important because we sequence all day. As you know we divide our time into what we need to do first, second, and last. We understand events in our lives by understanding the order in which they occur. This can be hard for young children to grasp, so this is why I choose to read many different books and have different sequencing activities for them to do to help better understand the concept.

 

Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
-with Mr. John

The Kindergarten students started the month by dabbling in multiplication.  I explained to them that multiplication was JUST adding multiple(many) times.  For example how many TIMES do we add 3 in the equation 3X4?  Simple, right?  Of course it is!

We then took a look at fractions.  Fractions are simply dividing things into equal parts being 2, 3, 4, 5 parts and up to 12, 100, 1 million parts.  Not only did we divide squares, circle, triangles into fractions but broke down how many boys/girls, who was in John’s, Kate’s, Kristen’s room, eye color, age, and who was a Buckeye fan (100% by the way).

We ended the month with a dose of geometry.  We learned that a triangle has 3 sides and 3 points.  A quadrilateral has 4 sides and 4 points.  Learning to count to ten in Greek came in handy when dealing with polygons ie… penta is 5 and a pentagon has five sides.  I threw in the right angle and what parallel means.

  Kindergartners doing the Stamp Game (Math)

Cultural Subjects:

My line time and the kindergarten class count to ten in 28 different languages (English, Sign Language, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Tagalog, Polish, Irish, Welsh, Hebrew, Arabic w/the Lebanese dialect, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Swahili, Korean, Serbo-Croation, Hindi, Flemish/Dutch, Malay, Cebuano, Farsi and Turkish!

Handwriting Enrichment
-with Ms. Kristen

In handwriting this month, we finished up the cursive alphabet and moved on to writing vowel blends such as “th”, “sh”,”ch”, “00”, etc. The children are also answered journal questions such as ” When is your birthday?” and” If you could go on vacation, where would you go and with whom?” Something to work on and practice with your Kindergarten student this month would be spelling words phonetically. I’m so proud all the Kindergartner’s progress this month! They are becoming amazing writers! 

 

Reading Group | Kindergarten
-with Ms. Kate

For the month of February our reading group focused on poetry. Together we read Knoxville, Tennessee, Picture Books In Winter, and April Rain Song. Each one of these poems were about a different season that the author truly loves. With each of these readings, the children were able to draw their favorite season and explain to their friends the reason they picked that season. They also had fun creating a drawings of their favorite book and what they like most about the rain. During our time together we go over different vocabulary that they see in their readings and discuss what those terms mean. Together as a class the children created a poem about summer in their city. I hope you enjoy this fantastic poem they created together.

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
I always like summer best
You can eat corn on the cob
Hot dogs on the grill
Sweet watermelon
And Ice cream

You can go to
The beach
To the pool
Baseball games
To the park
And take vacations

You can see
Butterflies
Green leaves on the tree
Birds
People playing outside
Lightning bugs at night.

 

Science Enrichment
-by Ms. Kathleen

This past month all 3 Science experiments were about Buoyancy; a force in a liquid pushing against an object in a liquid.

Floating and Sinking Oranges:  Mr. John peeled one orange and left the other peeled(boy did the room smell good!) the children placed in a tank of water. When dropped in the water, the orange with the peel on floated and the orange without the peel sank. This is because of air trapped by the peel making the orange float. The peeled orange has no air so it sinks.

Using oranges to explain buoyancy 

Play Dough Shapes A Bowl and a Sphere: The children dropped 1 piece of play dough shaped as a sphere in water and one shaped like bowl in water. The sphere shaped dough sank while the bowl shaped dough floated. This is because sphere shaped dough is dense and cannot push enough water out to stay floating. The dough shaped like a bowl is able to push out water equal it’s weight and therefore, floats.

                                                                                   Students pushing away water to explain buoyancy

Soda Float with 2 cans of Coke (regular vs. diet): We placed both cans of soda in the water. The diet floated and the regular sank. This is because regular soda contains sugar and diet contains artificial sweeteners. These artificial sweeteners may be 100 times sweeter than sugar, which means that less than a few grams of artificial  sweeteners are used in a can of diet soda. The difference in the amount of grams of sweeteners leads to a different density.

Using two cans of “POP” to explain buoyancy

Art Enrichment
-by Ms. Ame

February has flown by so fast! We started the month with painting our personally created clay creatures from January. The students used a variety of colors and spent almost the whole hour carefully decorating them. Once they dried on the drying rack, the students were able to take them home!

If you haven’t grabbed your child’s little creature, please do and take them home! Then Miss Michele began our next unit, weaving! She has started the students off with paper weaving. The students learned the pattern of over-under-over-under of weaving with large strips of paper. They will continue with weaving projects as we head into March. Keep checking the art carts to take home your students creations both from art and line time lessons! We are constantly creating all sorts of art projects each week!

 

Music Enrichment
-by Ms. Sabrina

A synthesizer was talked about.  It is a piano that can sound like a trumpet as well as other instruments.  It was used to play the game Cat and Mouse. It is a game to hone listening skills. Listening for the highest to lowest sounds.  The children had so much fun.  A song about being diligent was played. The children were taught to try and try and try again.  A train whistle was used, so was a triangle as well as maracas.  A dancing they went.

A new song about telling the truth was sung.  Sign Language was used and so were foot movements. The children also learned about echo’s via music.  The musical instrument used was the maraca. What fun the children had making echos. Performing with scarves were thoroughly enjoyed as well. Let the Sun Shine In was the song they danced to.


Ms. Kate’s March 2017 Monthly Overview

What I will learn this Month in Ms. Kate’s class:

Themes of the week | Classroom group lesson time (in addition to individual Montessori Work time)

2/27:      Dr. Seuss Week

  • Reading The Cat and the Hat; having fun making our own hats.
  • Reading Fox in Sox; creating a silly sock graph
  • Green eggs and Ham; taste test and graph
  • Read Put Me in the Zoo; create one of the characters
  • Graphing our favorite book

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, and Dr. Seuss activities.

3/6:          My Five Senses

  • Sight- play a fun take away game
  • Sound- guess that sound game
  • Taste- taste test
  • Touch- a fun hand-print craft
  • Popcorn game using all of our five senses

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of fun and engaging activity and crafts on the five senses

3/13:       Art Appreciation

  • Monet- oil pastels
  • Van Gough- creating sunflowers
  • Richard Shilling- nature and earth art
  • Creating sculptures with clay
  • Splatter painting with Jackson Pollack
  • Saturday, March 18th: Mother/Son, Father/Daughter Dance 2-4

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be teaching all about the famous artists, and doing a varirty of crafts and activities on this subject.

3/20:       All About Spring

  • All about the four seasons
  • Animal moms and their babies
  • Life cycle of chicks
  • Parts of the flower
  • PJ day and show and tell

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, books, and lessons on spring

3/27-3/31:    Spring Break


Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

2/27: Ss

3/6: Tt

3/13: Uu

3/20: Vv

Rhyming Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

2/27: green

3/6: yum

3/13: art

3/20: tree

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Take a nature walk and collect different things you see. Come home a create a piece of art with all of your nature treasures!
  • Visit a farm and see all of the baby animals. You could also bring a journal and write and draw all of the animals you see.
  • Try to spot any of our rhyming words in Dr. Seuss books
  • Be adventures and try a new meal or snack together.

Ms. Kate’s January 2017 Newsletter Article

Classroom News:

The winter months are flying by and hopefully spring will be upon us soon! This month the children have been enjoying our different themes and working hard on all of the works and our different practical life activities!

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For the first week the children learned all about hibernation. The first day we brainstormed together about what they thought hibernation is. The purpose of brainstorming in young children is such a key ingredient of the creative writing process. Brainstorming also helps your child focus his or her attention on a certain topic, and it also encourages the child to share their ideas with their peers. During this week we read a book called Animals in Winter by Henrietta and Richard Van Gelder. This book had such wonderful illustrations that showed the children which animals hibernated and how they prepare for the months they will be resting. We then had a discussion about Migration, hibernation, and adaptation. Ms. Ame and I created a three part card work that went with our lesson. The children each came up and chose an animal and then had to decide which category they belonged in. Lastly, we sang a wonderful song about hibernation, which you will find in your child’s song folder.

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The second week sparked a lot of interest in the children. We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first activity we did was called “Being Treated Equally.” Now, before I led any type of discussion I passed out a snack to just the boys. I then started reading the book ,Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King. All through the book the girls were wondering why I wasn’t giving them any snack, and a few became upset. I didn’t explain to them why I did what I did until the story was over. I then asked the girls how they felt not receiving a snack. Haidyn said, “I really felt left out.” Another child yelled out, “I felt mad when you didn’t give us anything!” I then talked about how at one point in our country’s past, African Americans were not able to do the same things that white people were able to do and further explained that this is how they felt. I then shared that a man named Martin Luther King changed all of this! I loved this activity because I think it really got the children interested in who he was and how things were back then.

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The second activity was called, “We’re all the same on the inside.” This was a simple exercise on how we can look different on the outside, yet be the same on the inside. I first showed the children a brown egg and then a white egg. I asked them to describe what they see. I then asked what they think each egg will look like on the inside. Almost all of them said the brown egg would be brown in the inside. I then cracked open both and the children were amazed to see that both eggs looked the same. After the activity we talked about how all of us look different but we think and feel the same things on the inside! It was an awesome activity!! The next day we discussed Rosa Parks and the bus boycotts, freedom marches, sit-ins, and the civil rights movement. We also listened to a song called “We Shall Overcome,” a powerful song about what Martin Luther King wanted for himself and others. After the song, we brainstormed some hardships or changes they have overcome or will have to in life. Our class also led a discussion on peace and what that meant to them. We then created a peace sign by using different craft items. I really love how the children came together and really tried hard understanding this topic!

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The third week we discussed the Arctic, and the animals you can find there. The first activity we did was read a book called This Place is Cold by Vicki Cobb. Together we had a discussion about where the Arctic is located, how plants survive in the frigid temperatures, who lives in the Arctic, and some of the animals you will find. The next activity we focused on was all about walruses. We read some fantastic books, then we created a walrus puppet. I love these activities because by coloring, gluing, and cutting the children gain fine motor skills, patience, and step by step instructions. Our class also had fun talking about polar bears and making polar bear badges. And lastly, we read a book called The Bravest Dog Ever The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford. We then talked about the importance of sled dogs and did a fun dog sled craft! We had such a fun January, we even started to look for standard poodles for sale arizona because we actually want to get one of them and we also got them Ideal park solutions for dog waste station!!

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Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
-with Mr. John

This month we started our section in Math. We learned about the unit (ones), ten, hundred, and thousand columns. The kindergartners composed numbers, and were introduced to addition with and without carry overs.

Cultural Subjects:
We can count to 10 in twenty four different languages (English, Latin, Sign Language, Spanish, German, French, Greek, Japanese, Arabic w/Lebanese dialect, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagolog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Polish, Irish, Kiswahili, and Welsh Dutch/Flemish, Serbo-Croatian, Cebuano, and Malay).

Handwriting Enrichment
-with Ms. Kristen

During the month of January, the Kindergarten students learned the proper formation of I-T. They also began to work on copying sentences in cursive. Some of the journal questions we answered were, “ Who is our new president?” , “ What city do you live in?”, and “ What is your middle name?”. These simple questions gave the children a chance to practice their letter formation that they have been learning since the beginning of the year! I am so proud of the progress our young writers have made!

 

Reading Group | Kindergarten
-with Ms. Kate

For the month of January the children read two stories called Lion At School, and Coyote Rides The sun. After we read both stories we went over any vocabulary the children weren’t certain of or they have never heard of. The children them completed an assigned drawing that allows them to record their early responses to the selection. When the children choose their illustration , they are visualizing the characters and setting of the story. Throughout our readings we lead our at home discussions, and created a song that was based on the story Coyote Rides The Sun. The class brainstormed together about why they might wake up before dawn. Is it because they are going on a trip? Is it a special holiday? Below is the class song they created together. Enjoy!!

Early Morning Song
Awake in the hour before dawn,
Awake in the hour before dawn,
So I can get to school on time,
So I can open presents on Christmas day,
So I can look for Easter eggs,
So I can go downstairs and have some peace and quiet,
So I can watch t.v.
So I can catch a plane to Disney World,
So I can pack up for the beach
Awake in the hour before dawn.

                                                 

Science Enrichment
by Ms. Kathleen

Leak Proof Baggy: What happens when we poke holes with a pencil in a baggy filled with water?
Plastic bags like these are made out of our favorite materials, polymers! Polymers are long chains of individual molecules, called monomers. when you puncture the bag with a sharp pencil, you’re separating polymer chains without breaking them. The long chains of molecules than squeeze in tight around the surface of the pencil, preventing any sort of leak. The Children really enjoyed pencil after pencil being poked through the ziplock plastic bag without any leaks.

Biodegradable Packing Peanuts: What happens when you put them in a pitcher of water?
These packing peanuts are made from Starch, with a lot of air pockets. The Starch peanuts once wet dissolve in water just like sugar does. the children loved saying Abracadabra as Mr. John put the peanuts in water and they disappeared.

Absorption, Wet Paper Towel Verses Wet Diaper which will hold more water?
Mr John poured water all over a paper towel and a baby diaper and hung them both over his head, the wet paper towel dripped all over him and the diaper filled with water did not. This is because inside the baby diaper there are molecules called polymers inside, They are the small crystal like substance inside the diaper. A polymer that hold a large amount of water is called a gel, gel absorbs a solvent or water. This why the paper towel did not hold the water but the diaper did. All the children squealed with delight as Mr. John’s head got all wet from the soggy paper towel.

 

Music Enrichment
by Ms. Sabrina

Peter and The Wolf are back! We are learning the characters of the story, as well as the instruments involved. The children are internalizing the story well. They can tell what characters and what instruments are entering the story. The children have such great listening skills! Another listening game was also played is called Cat and Mouse! The children listened well to directions, and did what was asked skillfully. They loved performing an emotion in the song with the maracas as an instrument! Music is always so much fun with Ms. Lisa!

 

Art Enrichment
by Ms. Ame

January has been cold but Miss Michele’s imagination has been on fire! Miss Michele has started one of her most creative projects of the year! The first week the students learned about mythical creatures and took 3 different animals(one mammal, one reptile and one with wings) and created their own animal on paper! The students first sketched their animal with a pencil and then colored it in! The next week, the students used their drawings and used foil to create a base for a model of the creature! This was a little tricky for some of the younger students but all the students worked hard! After they had made the base, they then covered the foil with a white clay. They added small details like legs, eyes, mouths and wings. Miss Michele is going to bake these creations and then next month the students will decorate them! Thanks Michele for another great start to the year!


Ms. Kate‘s February 2017 Monthly Overview

Themes of the week | Classroom group lesson time (in addition to individual Montessori Work time)

1/30: Living and Nonliving   

  • The basic needs of living things
  • Graphing what is living and nonliving
  • Making a venn diagram to explain living and nonliving
  • Making a collage out of magazines to find living and nonliving
  • Poem and song about living and nonliving

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, songs, and activities that will help the children get a better understanding of what is living and nonliving.

2/5: Nocturnal Animals

  • Creating a KWL chart
  • Leading a disscussion about day and night activities
  • Bats vs. owls using a venn diagram
  • Making a day vs. night bulletin board
  • Valentine’s day party, Friday, February 10th

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of fun and engaging activity and crafts on nocturnal animals

2/13: Fairy tales

  • Little Red Riding Hood
  • Jack and the Beanstalk
  • The Three Little Pigs
  • Elements of a fairy tale
  • Creating our own crowns

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will also introduce a variety of fairy tales. The children will have fun doing different crafts, songs, and games!

2/21: All About Story Sequencing

  • Monday, February 20th, President’s day – No School
  • The Little Red Hen
  • Goldilocks and The Three Bears
  • Three Billy Goats Gruff
  • There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, books, and lessons on story sequencing.

 Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

1/30: Oo
2/5: Pp
2/13:Qq
2/21: Rr

Rhyming Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

1/30: hen
2/5: bat
2/13: pig
2/21: fly

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes

  • Gather different sized boxes and create a castle together
  • After reading a book together see if your child can tell you what happened in the beginning, middle, and end
  • Take a night walk and see if you can spot any bats
  • Look through a magazine together and see if you can spot living and nonliving.