The week of January 28

Parents,

I apologize for not posting last week.  Here is a recap of what we did.  We talked about some of the animals that live in the midnight zone of the ocean.  We looked at some of the different types of fish that there are.  We also redid our sink and float experiment but used salt water to see if it made a difference on an objects buoyancy.

This week we will be doing a close read on a book called Under the Sea by Fiona Patchett.  Each day we will focus on a different animal (Seahorses, Sharks, Angler fish and an animal of their choice). We will be doing some writing along with this close read as well. We will be talking about some of the animals that live in the trench and we will wrap up our study of the ocean biome by watching a portion of an ocean documentary.  I wish I could take our whole class to the ocean or even the aquarium but that will have to wait for another time.  Friday will be the Fun Run.  The morning class will run at 8:45 and the afternoon class will run at 1:05. You are welcome to join us.  The fun run will take place in the big gym.

We have several events coming up that I want to make you aware of.

100 days of school celebration

We will celebrate being in school for 100 days on February 6th.  We will have several activities that center around the idea of 100.  One of the activities we have for the kids is to come and count with me out in the hall.  We use this as one of our assessments.  A standard for kindergarten is that students will be able to count to 100 by 1’s and 10’s.  We have been practicing in class but it wouldn’t hurt to do a little practice at home as well. We could use some donations/parent help on this day.  Here is the link to sign up

Morning class https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457931

Afternoon class https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457932

Valentines Day

I know that valentines is not for a few weeks but I wanted to give you an heads up on how that day will look for our class.  Over the years I have done many different activities to celebrate this holiday.  One day some of my students were asking me how I celebrate Valentines day.  It got me thinking about what most adults do, go out for a nice dinner.  As a result of this and trying to incorporate Montessori grace and courtesy we have a formal snack on this day.  The students help set the tables with cloth table cloths.  They set the tables, arrange the flowers for the center of the table and serve each other.  We talk about what kind of manners people use at a restaurant like putting their napkins on their laps and not talking with their mouth full.  Every year that I have done this the kids have loved it.  We will be having a waffles with fruit and whipped cream. We will have each child make a Valentine bag at school so you do not need to worry about making one at home.  If you are sending your child with Valentines to deliver please just address them by who they are from not designating who they are going to (this makes delivery much easier 😉).  Both classes have 25 students.  We will be needing a little help on this day as well here are the links to sign up

Morning class https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457934

Afternoon class https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457935

Parent Teacher Conferences

We are trying something a little different with our conferences this time.  We typically only have students attend the last conference of the year  but we want to have students attend the mid year conference as well. We will be showing you your child’s portfolio and talking about what they have accomplished so far this year.  Here are the links to sign up

Wednesday https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457936

Thursday  https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457937

Friday  https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457938

 Typically as the year progresses the students become more like siblings.  They know each other very well and sometimes contention occurs in class.  In the book Children who are not yet peaceful, Donna Goertz quotes  Daniel Goleman, who has studied emotional literacy in schools.  He said “Some. . . infiltrate their (emotional literacy) lessons into the very fabric of school life.  The assumption is that such moments (strife among children) are ripe opportunities to teach children skills . . .and that there are better ways to discipline than coercion. . .The immediate lesson is that there are impartial, fair ways to settle  . . .disputes, while the deeper teaching is that disputes can be negotiated and children can apply skills such as these throughout life.  It has a more positive message than the ubiquitous, authoritarian ‘Stop that’, that too often slips, unbidden, from our mouths”.  We try to use any moments of strife as teaching opportunities and encourage you to try the same approach at home.  I know it takes more effort and patience (which can be in short supply at the end of a long day) but the outcome is worth the effort.
Have a great week
Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber
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