“The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.'” -Maria Montessori
It is a busy time of year for all of us, inside the classroom and out, but it is refreshing to see students still so hard at work. As the end of our first half of the year grows closer, we are finishing up some projects and learning new skills. Our Lower Elementary students have been studying South America and are completing research projects about the continent. The first year students have started researching Mercury and Venus and will continue researching different planets every few weeks throughout the school year, ending with a research report about a famous astronomer. Our second year students are continuing their rock study by testing and identifying rocks. Our third graders have been introduced to the compound microscope and will be testing their knowledge to earn a microscope license to use the microscope independently. Our Upper Elementary students have completed a five paragraph persuasive essay about whether or not animals should be kept in cages to end our novel study of “The One and Only Ivan.”
A Peek at Next Week
Next week, our first year students will review multiplication lessons, will be introduced to Sentence Analysis, and will discuss mechanical energy. Our second year students will subtract fractions with unlike denominators, will write a biography about their classroom mentor, and will discuss types of seeds. Our third year students will continue multiplying on the Large Bead Frame, will write a biography about their classroom mentor, and will research platyhelminthes. Our fourth year students will find the prime factors of numbers, will determine relationships between humans and apes, and will discuss the characteristics and energy of cells. Our fifth year students will create a pictograph on Excel, will define Latin and Greek affixes, and will learn about reciprocals of fractions.
REMINDERS:
- Wednesday, December 12 – Christmas Show Rehearsal. Please check your email from the school office for information about drop off and the rehearsal. Make sure to take your child to the restroom BEFORE you bring them to the auditorium. Ms. Lisa will have all piano music for piano students. They will not need their books.
- Friday, December 14 – Elementary Box Top Pizza Party – We will have pizza (including gluten free), veggies, and snacks to celebrate collecting the most Box Tops at our campus. We will also be wearing Christmas Sweaters! Please do not feel the need to buy a special sweater for this day, it is an optional dress up day.
- Friday, December 14 – Christmas Show.
- Take your child to the restroom before dropping them off.
- Bring your child in their “12 Days of Christmas” costume
- Bring your child’s pajamas or “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” costume in a separate LABELED bag. If you have multiple children in our classroom, please put each of their clothes in a separate bag to make things easier for us while they change. Students will change themselves for our play and for Kids Bop in the back dressing rooms.
- Look for more info from me on Remind later this week and from the school office.