A Peek at Our Week | Week of August 28th

This week in our classroom was wonderful! We spent much time together exploring the classroom and the building, learning classroom rules, learning all about grace and courtesy, all about kindness and manners, and Ms. Mel even shared with us a little bit about what is a booster car seat and why we should always use it when riding a car! Ms. Mel and I have also enjoyed getting to know all of our new students and reconnecting with our returning friends!

 

Working on the Red Knobless Cylinders! This material helps the child learn to build their sense of order and concentration. In addition, the child learns to build from thickest piece to the thinest piece and strengthens their pincer grip.

Learning to roll a rug neatly! The children have been learning to take care of our classroom and to take responsibilty for cleaning up their own work. 

Ms. Mel showing some preschool students the continent where her homeland of Korea is located. She also taught them how to say “hello” in Korean and how to sing “Baby Shark” in Korean as well!

 

A Peek Into Next Week:
-Continue going over Ground Rules.
-Making a list of Classroom Rules together.
-Reading the book “There’s A Bird On Your Head!”
-Learning our manners
-Learning songs to remind us when to say ” Please” and “Thank You” and “Excuse Me”.

REMINDER: NO SCHOOL this Monday for Labor Day!


Ms. Kristen’s May-June 2017 Newsletter

Classroom News:

The months of May and June were very exciting in our classroom! We learned all about Insects, Dinosaurs, Reptiles and Amphibians, Mammals, and Summer Safety. We also had a very exciting field trip to the Akron Zoo to experience up close the different types of animals we had learned about!

Audrey enjoying the Button Sorting work, which aides the child in developing their sense of order. 
During the first week, we discussed all about Insects. We learned that insects have six legs. We also learned that all insects have a head, thorax, and abdomen. We also learned about the process that caterpillars go through in order to become a butterfly, called metamorphosis. The children also enjoyed making their own time line of the process of metamorphosis as well during work time! We also enjoyed watching our very own caterpillars, donated by Tenleigh’s family, go through the process of metamorphosis!

                                                                                    

Hali and Maren, enjoying copy writing from a book!                        Our beautiful butterflies!                                                                       Our little baby birds in a nest at the Akron Zoo!
The following week we learned all about Dinosaurs. The children learned that there were some dinosaurs that ate meat (carnivores), some dinosaurs who ate plants (herbivores), and some dinosaurs who ate both plants and meat (omnivores). We learned also learned that Dinosaurs were reptiles. The children also learned all about Tyrannosaurus Rex and that his name means “ Tyrant Lizard King”. We also learned that a scientist who studies dinosaurs is a Paleontologist.

Victoria practicing writing her name!
We learned all about Reptiles and Amphibians during week three. We learned that Reptiles are cold blooded and most live on the land ( the alligator and crocodile being the exception). We learned that Amphibians can live both on the land and in the water. The children enjoyed learned about the parts of the turtle and learning about the life cycle of the frog as well. The children learned that frogs start off as an egg, then they grow into a tadpole after they hatch. The tadpole then grows into a froglet and then the frog becomes an adult.

Liam working on the Subtraction Charts!
Mammals were the topic of discussion during week four. The children learned that mammals are warm blooded, give birth to their babies, usually have hair or fur on their bodies, and they drink milk from their mother’s bodies. We also learned that we humans are mammals as well.

     

We enjoyed having our grandparents come to visit us for Grandparents Day!
The last week of school was all about Summer Fun and Safety. Ms. Caroline made bracelets with the children that had their phone numbers on them. We also learned that we should wear our helmets when riding our bikes or skate boards, when it is ok to call 911, that we should not talk to strangers, and what is safe to touch in our house and what is not, for example not to mess with the AC and live professionals from http://heatingairpros.com/riverside/, to handle it if something get broke. We also briefly discussed birds and the characteristics of birds.

Bennett working on the Scooping Work, which aides the child in developing their sense of concentration and order!
This summer, I encourage to you discuss with your child the safety rules of your home and rules for also being safe in your neighborhood. Take time to read the security systems blog at securityinfo.com as so that you’ll know The Best Local Security Installer In Your Area. For more tips, reach their team at info@securityinfo.com or give this number a call (786) 800-2609. Discuss with your child what their favorite animal was that they saw at the zoo. Take a trip to the Natural History Museum in Cleveland and see the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton up close.

Samantha’s mom came to play the bagpipes for us! What a treat!
In conclusion, I want to thank you and your children for making this such a wonderful school year. Your children inspire me every day and have shown me so much unconditional love. It’s because of them that I love getting up and going to work every day! Thank you for the precious gift of your children! Have a safe and wonderful 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.


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!


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!


Ms. Kristen’s April 2017 Newsletter

Classroom News:

The month of April was fill with international fun! Our classroom represented Africa in the International Festival. The children really enjoyed diving in and learning all sorts of details about the countries and cultures of Africa! The children also enjoyed learning about Spring and how to recognize the signs of Spring.

 

 

During the first week, we learned the Montessori Continent Song in order learn the names of all the continents of the world. The children also began to dive in to the map puzzles in more detail and began to learn more about each continent. We also discussed how far Africa is from the United States and how if we wanted to travel there, we would have to take an airplane or a boat. The children also enjoyed making African animal puppets with Ms. Caroline. We also began working on our African drums for the festival as well!

 

 

We continued our study of Africa during week two.  The children learned all about how in Ancient Egypt, the pyramids were built as tombs and that the Ancient Egyptians believed they could take their belongings with them to the afterlife, so they packed their pyramids full of their belongings. Ms. Caroline brought in some stuffed animals and toilet paper and the children enjoyed wrapping up their own mummies. We also learned real mummies that are in museums are not scary. The children also learned about Morocco and learned that Moroccans love to drink mint tea!

 

           

 

During our final week of study of Africa, the children learned about Zimbabwe. We learned that Zimbabwe does not have it’s own currency. We also learned that many people in Zimbabwe believe Mermaids exist. The children enjoyed designing their own ideas of what a new Zimbabwe currency might be during Afternoon Group Time as well. The children also enjoyed making African masks with Ms. Caroline during Afternoon Group Time!

 

 

 

During the final week of April, we learned all about Spring. We learned that Spring is a time for new life and that many animals are born in the Spring such as geese and lambs. The children also enjoyed watching a video clip of a real baby chick hatching from and egg! We also learning some songs about Spring as we sang along with my ukulele.

 

 

Some things you can do with your child in the coming months to reinforce our themes would be going to the Zoo and seeing how many animals your family can find that are from Africa. Try making an African dish for dinner one evening. Pull out a world map and review the names of the Continents together. Discuss with your child their favorite country from Africa.

 

 

Maria Montessori stated that, “It is true that we cannot make a genius. We can only give to teach child the chance to fulfil his potential possibilities.” Remember, every child is unique and develops different skills and abilities at their own pace. I love all off the individual personalities and abilities that make up our amazing and unique classroom, and I considerate a joy and a privilege to be their teacher!

 

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 Kindergarten 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!

 

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!

 

 

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!

 

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. Kristen’s May-June 2017 Monthly Overview

Themes of the Week (in addition to Montessori Work time)

5/1: All About Insects

  • Learning the characteristics of Insects.

  • Life Cycle of the Butterfly.

  • How Insects are helpful/harmful.

  • Where do certain insects live?

  • Where do insects get their food?

5/8: Dinosaurs

  • Studying Dinosaurs that lived on land, earth, and in the air.

  • Learning about the difference between carnivores and herbivores.

  • Discuss how Dinosaurs left fossils, which give us “clues” about them.

  • Discuss different types of dinosaurs such as T-Rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops.

  • Discuss how dinosaurs all hatched from eggs.

5/15: All About Reptiles and Amphibians

  • The difference between reptiles and amphibians.

  • Learning about the Frog Life Cycle

  • Learning about snakes, lizards, and alligators.

  • Learning about turtles and frogs.

  • Making a VEN diagram of the differences between reptiles and amphibians.

5/22: All About Mammals

  • Learning the physical characteristics of mammals.
  • Learning about bears, monkeys, and lions.

  • What do certain mammals eat?
  • Where do certain mammals live?

5/29: Birds / All About Summer Fun/Safety

  • Learning all about birds and the parts of the bird, what they eat, etc.

  • Making ice cream.

  • Learning about “stranger danger”.

  • Learning when to call 9-1-1.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: Yy

5/8: Ss

5/15: Ii

5/22: Pp

5/29: Jj

 

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

5/1: Yet

5/8: Set

5/15: Lip

5/22: Pit

5/29: Jet

 

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

  • Discuss with your child their favorite types of dinosaur they are learning about.

  • Take a trip to the Zoo with your child. Discuss the different types of animals you see.

  • Play “ I Spy” with your child using the letter sounds of the letter of the week.

  • Discuss summer safety rules for your family with your child, such as where is safe to play in your neighborhood, what to do if approached by a stranger, etc.


Ms. Kristen’s March 2017 Newsletter

Classroom News:

The month of March has been very busy in our classroom. We learned about Dr. Seuss, Space, and all about our state of Ohio. The children also enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! We were also very excited to welcome Ms. Caroline to our classroom!

Victoria was so proud of her work with the Pink Tower and Brown Stairs! This material helps the child to develop a sense of order as they build from the biggest to smallest piece. It’s also great preparation for the Math area!

During the first week, we had fun learning all about Dr. Seuss. The children enjoyed reading “ Yurtle The Turtle”, “ The Cat In The Hat” , and “ Fox In Sox”. During Afternoon Group Time, the children enjoyed making Cat In The Hat hats with Ms. Kerri. The children also learned that Dr. Seuss’ real name was Theodore Seuss Giesel and he wasn’t actually a real doctor. We also learned that Dr. Seuss lived near a zoo as a child, which is where he began to think of all of his imaginary creatures in his stories! The children also taste tested Green Eggs.

Tenleigh enjoying a Dr. Seuss book in the Library while snuggling the Cat In The Hat. 

During week two and three, we enjoyed learning all about Outer Space.  The children enjoyed learning all the names of the planets in our solar system, learning all about the phases of the moon, and all about constellations. The children also enjoyed watching footage of the first moon landing. They learned about black holes with Ms. Caroline and learned a Planet Song with Ms. Kristen! Some of the children even took it upon themselves to make their own book of planets!

We also were pleased to welcome Ms. Caroline to our classroom! Ms. Caroline introduced herself to the children by bringing in pictures of her and her family and sharing with us how they moved here from England! We are so thankful to have her as a part of our classroom and the children are so excited she is with us!

We learned all about Ohio during week four! The children learned our state bird, the Cardinal. We also learned that our state capitol is Columbus, and that our state tree is the buckeye tree. We also talked about how our state is a small piece of our country, that our county is a small piece of our state, and our city is a small piece of our county! The children enjoyed seeing this up close using Google Earth to zoom in on our school with Ms. Caroline! We also enjoyed talking about famous sites around Ohio, such as Cedar Point, Progressive Field, The Cuyahoga Falls Clock Tower, etc.

For St. Patrick’s Day, the children enjoyed making a shamrock craft with Ms. Caroline and learning about how St. Patrick’s Day became a holiday!

Finally:
I would encourage you to review with your child what they have learned this past month. Read a Dr. Seuss book together and ask your child to point out some of the rhyming words. Discuss with your child the name of our planet, continent, county, state, and city. Practice naming the planets together and discuss which one you and your child would visit if you could.

Maria Montessori was quoted as saying, “ The child becomes a person through work.” I am enjoying seeing how your children continue to grow in their independence, laying the foundation for the adult they will one day become. I am so fortunate to have front row seat to watching each of these wonderful children learn and grow and I considerate a joy to come to school and learn alongside them every day!

 

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. Kristen’s April 2017 Monthly Overview

What I will learn this month in Ms. Kristen’s class:

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

4/3: Introduction To The Continents/ All About Africa

  • The location of the continents on the globe.
  • Using the Continent Map Puzzle to locate the continents.
  • Where is Africa? What is the weather like in Africa?
  • Landmarks and Animals that are indigenous to Africa.
  • Making an African animal craft.
  • Friday, April 7th | Dads n Donuts

4/10: All About Africa

  • Learning all about the culture, traditions, and people of Egypt
  • Making an African mask.
  • Learning all about the culture, traditions, and people of Morocco
  • Learning all about the culture, traditions, and people of Madagascar
  • Learning all about Kenya and making African Drums
  • Friday, April 14th | NO SCHOOL | Easter break

4/17: All About Africa

  • Monday, April 17th | NO SCHOOL | Easter break
  • Learning all about the culture, traditions, and people of South Africa
  • Learning all about the culture, traditions, and people of Zimbabwe
  • Learning all about the culture, traditions, and people of Ethiopian
  • Discuss how soccer is a very popular sport in Africa.
  • Making African masks.
  • Wednesday, April 19th | International Festival Rehearsal
  • Friday, April 21st | International Festival

4/24: All About Spring

  • Learning all about the signs of Spring.
  • Learning about the parts of the flower.
  • Life Cycles
  • What animals are born in the Spring?

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

4/3: Aa

4/10: Cc

4/17: Rr

4/24: Tt

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

4/3: and

4/10: can

4/17: rag

4/24: the

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

  • Try making a new recipe as a family from a country we’ve discussed in Africa.
  • Discuss with your child their favorite animal that they learned about from Africa.
  • Practice identifying the continents on a map of the world with your child.
  • Practice with your child the name of our planet, continent, country, state, city, and their address.

Ms. Kristen’s February 2017 Newsletter

Classroom News:

The month of February was very busy in our classroom! We learned about types of transportation, all about inventors, our Presidents (past and present), and all about dental health! We also had fun celebrating Valentine’s Day!

        

Our Valentines Party was a great success!

During the first week of February, we discussed trains, boats, buses, and trucks and other forms of transportation. The children enjoyed categorizing the types of transportation into those used to travel on land, air, and water. The children also enjoyed working on an initial sound train work with Ms. Kerri during our afternoon group time. We also took time to discuss what Groundhog Day means and made predictions whether the groundhog saw his shadow. Unfortunately, he saw his shadow, which we learned meant we were in for 6 more weeks of winter!

Quintin showing of his handwriting skills!

We learned about famous inventors during the second week of February. We learned how Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, how Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity, and how the Wright brothers invented the first airplane. The children also decided to come up with some of their own potential inventions, such as a “make-up machine” and a ” a washer that makes cats”. I love how creative my students are!

   

 

During week three, we learned all about Presidents. We learned that the president’s job is to be the leader of our country and to work with Congress and the Supreme Court to make and protect the laws of our county. We also learned about the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and how he believed all people should be free. We also discussed George Washington and how he was the first President of the United States. We also learned that George Washington’s picture is on the quarter and the dollar bill. We also learned that Abraham Lincoln’s picture is on the five dollar bill and the penny. Some of the children also took it upon themselves to write the names of the presidents in order during work time as well. We also, as a class, tried to memorize the names of the first ten presidents using the book, “ Yo, Millard Fillmore!”

Victoria practicing clothes pinning in the practical life area! This material helps to develop the child’s pincer grip, which is indirect preparation for writing. 

We learned all about dental health during the final week of February. We learned all about how when we are young, we only have twenty teeth when we are younger. Later, when we become adults, we have thirty-two teeth! We also learned the proper way to brush our teeth and what foods are healthy for our teeth. Ms. Kerri had the children make a list of what foods were good for our teeth and what foods are not good for our teeth.

Maren tracing and labeling the Part of The Leaf Puzzle! Did you know puzzles indirectly prepare your child for reading?

Finally…
Please take time to practice with your child what they are learning here at school. Ask your child about their favorite President of the United States. Take a trip to the zoo to visit some of the arctic animals, such as the polar bears and penguins, and discuss which one is their favorite and why. Practice good dental hygiene with your child by practicing brushing their teeth correctly with them. Take a trip on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad together as a family.

Samantha and Hali sharing quiet reading time together in the Library.

Maria Montessori stated , “If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual’s total development lags behind?” I am so proud to be part of a school where we teach not only letter sounds and and numbers, but a sense of order, concentration, coordination, and independence. These qualities are the most important skills a child can learn at an early age, and I love watching your children grow closer to mastering these every day! I am so proud of all of our students hard work this past month and I consider it a privilege to be their teacher!

 

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

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. Kristen’s March 2107 Monthly Overview

 

What I will learn at school this month in Ms. Kristen’s Class:

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

2/27: All About Dr. Seuss

  • Discuss Dr. Seuss and his life.
  • What makes a rhyme?
  • Cat In The Hat Craft
  • Read “ Oh The Places You’ll Go”.-Discussing where we would like to travel, if we could travel anywhere in the world.
  • Read Green Eggs and Ham.

3/6: All About Outer Space

  • Learning all about the Moon.
  • What is a Star?
  • Discovering the planets in our solar system.
  • Learning all about Astronauts and their job.
  • Learning all about the constellations.

3/13: Continue Learning About Space

  • Learning about the Space Shuttle.
  • Watching the Moon Landing.
  • Who was the first person in Outer Space?
  • What is a Dwarf Planet?
  • Testing a real telescope.
  • Saturday, March 18th Mother/Son, Father Daughter Dance 2-4

3/20: All About Ohio

  • What makes a state?
  • Famous sites in N.E. Ohio.
  • Learning about our state flag.
  • Learning about our state bird, insect, and flower.
  • Graphing how many of us live in Akron, Stow, Cuyahoga Falls, etc.

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.

2/30: Qq

3/6: Bb

3/13: Ww

3/20: Zz

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

2/30: Quick

3/6: Bud

3/13: Was

3/20: Zip

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:

  • Read a Dr. Seuss story with your child. Point out the rhyming words. Writing your own story with rhyming words together!
  • Visit the Planetarium at the Natural History Museum in Cleveland.
  • Practice your address with your child. This is very important for them to start learning early!
  • Discuss with your child which planet they would like to visit and why.

Ms. Kristen’s January 2017 Newsletter Article

Classroom News:

January was so much fun! The children were so happy to come back after Christmas Break and begin to work in the classroom. We teachers missed them as well!

During the first week of January, we reviewed our classroom rules. We were reminded of how to carry a tray, how to walk on the line, how to roll up our rugs, etc. This was a great reminder coming back from a two week break, and a great introduction to our classroom for our new friends. Our returning friends were a great help to our new friends when it came to teaching them the rules of the classroom.

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Samantha is working on the lacing cards. This material from the Practical Life Area helps to develop the child’s sense of order, concentration, coordination, and independence.

During the following week, we learned about Peacemakers. You might have heard your child talking about what it means to be a Peacemaker at home. We learned that a Peacemaker is someone who is kind, who helps others, who does not hurt others, who uses kind words, and does not argue with others. We talked about great Peacemakers, such as Maria Montessori, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Ghandi.

During week three, we learned all about Nutrition and Healthy Eating. We learned about the Food Pyramid and what foods are “Grow Foods” and what foods are “ Sometimes Foods”. We even placed a card work on the shelf to heolp the children practice their new found knowledge. The children also enjoyed making a healthy snack durring afternoon group time when we made Ants On A Log! The children surprised us and even asked for more celery!

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Maren is working on the Movable Alphabet. She is using it to identify initial sounds of the objects in the picture. 

We also learned all about the Five Senses, during the last week of the month. The children enjoyed learning about all of the different parts of the tounge and how our tongue helps us to taste bitter, sweet, sour, and salty things. The children also enjoyed playing the game “ Hello Friend, Do You Know Who I Am?”, where each child took turns being blindfolded and, using their sense of hearing, guessed which friend was speaking to them. We also enjoyed taste testing jelly beans during afternoon group time and guessing which flavors we had been given!

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Quintin uses his voice to guide our new friend, Asher, in drawing a shape on paper, while Asher is blindfolded.

I hope you will take time to explore what we’ve learned with your child at home as well! When cooking, playing, eating, or taking a walk outside, discuss with your child which of their five senses they are using. Review with them what it means to be a Peacemaker, and ask them how they can be a Peacemaker at home. Take time to find a healthy rescipie to make together as a family.

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Hannah is working on the sewing material from the Practical Life Area. This will greatly help develop Hannah’s focus and concentration. She also is having loads of fun!

In conclusion, I want to thank you for letting me serve your children. Maria Montessori believed that we, as directresses, are mainly observers and servants of the child. She believed this so much, that she credited the children she worked with when she said, “It is not true that I invented what is called the Montessori Method. I have studied the child, I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method.”I consider myself blessed to be a observer, student, and servant of your child, and it is a true joy!

 

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. Kristen’s February 2017 Monthly Overview

What I will learn at school this month in Ms. Kristen’s Class…

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

1/30: Transportation
-What is Transportation?
-Discuss trains and how they operate.
-Discuss airplanes and how they fly.
-Learning about buses and how they take us different places.
-Discuss boats and how they are able to float on the water.

2/6 :  Famous Inventors/ Valentine’s Day
-Discussing Thomas Edison and the light bulb.
-Learning about the Wright Brothers and the airplane.
-Discussing Ruth Graves Wakefield and the chocolate chip cookie.
-Discussing George Washington Carver and the peanut.
-History of Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s activities.
-Valentine’s day party, Friday, February 10th

2/13:  Presidents
-Discussing Abraham Lincoln and his life.
-Learning about George Washington, the father of our nation.
-Learning about our current president, Donald Trump
-Learning about the American Flag, and what the different parts symbolize.
-Discussing the Pledge of Allegiance and what the words mean.

2/20:  Dental Health
-Monday, February 20th, President’s day-No School
-Discuss Dental Health
-Learn what foods are healthy for our teeth.
-Learn the parts of the tooth.
-Why do we loose our baby teeth?
-Learn about the job of a dentist.

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.
1/30: Kk
2/6: Gg
2/13: Mm
2/20: Oo

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
1/30: Kid
2/6: Go
2/13: Me
2/20: Off

Things to do at Home this Month to reinforce our themes:
-Make Valentines together with your child. Have them sign their own name to the cards.
-Practice saying the Pledge of Allegiance with your child at home.
-Practice teeth brushing with your child. Make a healthy snack together as a family that will promote dental health.
-Practice the letter of the week with your child by playing “I Spy”. This is a great way to help them learn initial sounds. Remember to focus on the sound of the letter and not the name of the letter.