Ms. Jen's Blog

Parents,

We are learning about the 7th habit of happy kids this month which is sharpen the saw.  Sharpen the saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you.  Last week Ms. April from one of the lower elementary classes came in and did a guided meditation with us to help us sharpen our saws.  This week Ms. Steph will come in a guide us through some yoga moves.  We talked about how when our bodies and minds are calm we are able to accomplish a lot more!  We will continue our study of Africa and its grasslands.  We will talk about one group of people who live in the grasslands, the Maasai. We will also talk about the parts of birds.  We will do a group activity with incline planes this week as well.

On Monday April 29th our kindergarten students will be shadowing in a lower elementary class. For those of you who are not familiar with what shadowing is let me fill you in. Each one of our kindergarten students goes to visit one of the 9 lower elementary classes.  They are partnered up with a student from that class and then they do some activities and work int hat room with their partner for about an hour and then they come back to our class.  This is a great chance for them to see what they get to look forward to next year as well as ease some of their fears. Please make sure that you child is at school on the 29th.

Have a great week!

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber

Parents,

This month we will begin a new continent/biome study: the grasslands of Africa.  The new vertebrate we will be studying is birds.  For botany we will be talking about fruit.  Our simple machine we will introduce is the incline plane and we will be talking about the element of form in art (it’s like shape but 3D).

We have a lot of fun and exciting activities to go along with our new units of study but there are a few I want to make you aware of.  To kick of our study of birds we will be having a presentation at the school with some live birds.  Your child should have brought home an information sheet just before spring break but if not here are the details.  The bird show is happening on Tuesday April 9th at the school in the small gym.  We are having one presentation for both the morning and afternoon  classes.  This means that the morning class will stay late on Tuesday and the afternoon class will arrive at school early.  I apologize now to those of you who are creatures of habit, this might mess up your schedule on Tuesday. We are asking that our afternoon students be dropped off at 11:15 am and our morning students be picked up at 12:00 pm.  Families are welcome to attend.

This month we will be doing a partici play. We have this scheduled for Friday April 26.  I will post more information when it gets closer but we want to invite families to mark that date and plan to attend it will be amazing.

We have some new practical life activities out like peeling, slicing and eating hard boiled eggs as well as making quesadillas.   If you would like to help with some of the supplies needed for these activities here is the link to sign up https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/468810

With the warmer weather (hopefully its coming sooner rather than later) we would love to have a few new sand toys for recess.  If you would like to donate an item to use in the sand box we would greatly appreciate it!!

My Montessori thought for the week is one that I recently shared with my colleagues. I was in a Montessori class taught by Paul Epstein.  He posed the question “What do the children in your class want most from you?” I would add what do the children in your house/family neighborhood want most from you?  Many of the Montessori teachers who were there gave answers such as love, attention, a friend, a confidant.  He accepted all the answers but said that we had all missed the mark.  While children might want all of these things at some point it is not what they want most.  At this point he had my full attention.  What was it that my students wanted most from me?  Dr. Epstein said what children want most from the adults in their lives is for the adults to be authentic, meaning giving them our true selves.  This then raises the question of how do we give the children in our lives our true, authentic selves?  In the book The Tao of Montessori Catherine McTamaney says ” Authentic, selfless love for the child revolves around an authentic, self-love”.  It’s so important to take time to refill our reservoirs so we can in turn refill the reservoirs those wonderful little people around us.  So spend a little time this break refilling your reservoir!

Have a great rest of your spring break!  See you on Monday

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber

LAST CHANCE!

Yearbook Order Deadline: 

THIS FIRDAY, March 29   $25.00 

$3.00 extra to have your name printed in awesome metallic foil on the cover

Order Online at: ybpay.lifetouch.com

 CODE: 13283719  

Just as a heads up for parents/families who are new to our school.  On the last day of school we  set aside time for yearbook signing.  For those who do not purchase a yearbook we will provide them with materials to have their friends sign.  The students usually love this!

Parents,

This week we will be reading the first book in the Magic Treehouse series Dinosaurs before Dark. This will be our first chapter book we will read as a class and is a great way to wrap up our study of reptiles.  We will be planting seeds in our garden as well as doing some more experiments using our simple machine:  the wedge.

This Friday we have our field trip to the Dinosaur park.  Your child will be bringing home a reminder paper on Monday.  We will be meeting and picking up from the Dino park.  The morning class will arrive at the Dino park at 9 am. and be picked up at 11:30 am and the afternoon class will arrive at the Dino park at 12 pm and be picked up at 2:30 pm.  Right now it looks like there is a chance of rain on Friday so please dress your child for the weather, PLEASE!!!We are in need of chaperones for this field trip.  If you are available please email me.  Be aware that as much as we love your help as chaperones we will not be able to cover your cost so plan on paying you admission.

This month we have been talking about the 6th habit of happy kids which is Synergize. Here is what Stephen R. Covey says about synergize

“To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than one.” Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. But it doesn’t just happen on its own. It’s a process. . . Valuing differences is what really drives synergy. Do you truly value the mental, emotional, and psychological differences among people? Or do you wish everyone would just agree with you so you could all get along? Many people mistake uniformity for unity; sameness for oneness. One word–boring! Differences should be seen as strengths, not weaknesses. They add zest to life”.

Last Friday we practiced synergizing in 2 different ways and both were amazing.  We have been learning about Henri Matisse and the beautiful collages he created later in his life. We made a Matisse inspired collage with the help from everyone.  It was so creative.  We also joined with Ms. Martha’s class to use the big parachute in the gym to do some activities that took a lot of team work and cooperation.  With both of these we talked about how much better outcomes can be when we synergize.

Spring break will begin on Saturday March 30 and will go through April 7th.  I hope you have a fun and safe break.

Thanks for all your support.  Have a great week!

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber

Parents,

This week is literacy week. Today we read the book I am peace by Susan Verde. This book is our theme for literacy week.

During literacy week students can bring books from home for the book swap. This is a great opportunity to share books with one another. Tuesday night is Literacy Night. Please come with your family and enjoy fun games and activities, as well as an Usborne book fair. It is at the school from 5:30-7:00 PM. Come dressed as your favorite storybook character and have fun celebrating literacy with us!

Throughout the week we encourage students to be reading at home and at school. Our literacy committee created a beautiful tree in the front of the school. Each time a student reads a book, they get to add a leaf to the tree. Please encourage your children to spend time at home reading good books! We want our tree to sprout a lot of leaves! I will have copies of the leaves in our classroom and Ms. Jess and I can help them fill them out.

Lastly, we will have a read-a-thon on Friday.   The morning class will read from 9:30 to 10:00.  The afternoon class will read from 12:00 to 12:30. Students are encouraged to bring a favorite book from home to enjoy. Please no pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals.

We will continue our study of Oceania and its deserts.  We will talk about the parts of a reptile and some of the different types of seeds there are.  We will also continue looking at levers.  Our artist this month is Henri Matisse.  Please remember that Friday is early out.  The morning class is finished at 10:30 and the afternoon class is finished at 1:00 pm.

Have a great week!

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess and Ms. Kimber

Parents,

I cannot believe that March is here!  This week we will introduce our new biome: deserts.  We will still be talking about Oceania this month.  We will also introduce our new vertebrate: Reptiles.  In botany we will be talking about seeds and in art we will be talking about the element of shape.  I am excited because we will begin studying simple machines over the next few months.  For the next 2 weeks we will be talking about levers.

I have had several  parents ask about our next field trip.  We will be going to the dinosaur park on Friday March 29th.  There will be more details to come but I wanted to give you plenty of  heads up so you can put it on your calendars.

In practical life this month we will be making fairy bread to go along with our study of Oceania as well as fruit smoothies.  We are in need of a few ingredients.  Here is the sign up if you would like to help out. https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/463449

Have a great week!

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber

Parents,

This week we will be doing a close read on the life cycle of frogs.  Each day we will talk about a different stage in their life cycle.  We will be making a book of our own as well to show some of what we learned.  We will also talk about the plants in the wetlands as well as some of the different types of amphibians. We will also finish our study of day and night.

One of the most popular jobs in our classroom have to be the cooking jobs.  This year we have made toast, orange juice, hot chocolate, and most recently banana bread muffins. We all assume that the reason these activities are so popular is the product they result in.  Montessori philosophy has a very different idea. Paula Polk Lillard said in Montessori a Modern Approach

“Instead of opportunities for serious accomplishment in our culture, we supply our children with expensive toys, hoping that these will occupy them. . .Why do we give the child toys that occupy him instead of involving him in the life around him in a meaningful way as they do in other cultures? Montessori felt it was because the adult in our culture realizes this would entail certain accommodations on his part, and he is so intent on his own production and achievement that he is unwilling to make them. . .Instead of giving the child toys that have no meaning for him, the adult must prepare special activities within his environment that will aid in the child’s development. . . The parent must observe the child closely, and watch for the kinds of activities he chooses spontaneously  . . . and then make them more available with variations and expansions of them” (p. 116).

I know that most parents have extensive to do lists and the thought of adding one more thing (especially one that involves your child cooking something) could test your limits.  I do not think that any parent buys toys with the thought of just occupying their child so they won’t bug them, but when we shift our focus to how we can involve our children in meaningful ways it can change our thinking on what we might purchase for them.  Just some food for thought 😉

Here is the recipe for our muffins if you want to try it at home

Banana Bread for One

• 3 tbsp  white flour
•  1/16th tsp salt
• 1  tbsp very-ripe banana
• 1 tbsp applesauce (you could use butter or cooking oil)
•  1 tbsp milk of choice or water (we have been using water)
• 1/4 tsp  vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/16  baking soda
•  1 tbsp sugar.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the ingredients. Pour into an oiled (or sprayed) muffin pan. Smooth top of batter. Cook for 10-14 ish minutes. Or you can microwave it in a silicone muffin pan for 1 to 2 minutes on high.

Have a great week!

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber

Parents,

It was great to talk to so many of you at parent teacher conferences. In the book Montesori A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard she says “Montessori regarded the parent as a partner in the child’s schooling.  This recognition of the parent’s legitimate role in the child’s education can give the parent a new way of viewing himself and the school.  The school is no longer seen as the authority issuing orders to the parent and child alike. Instead, the parent is invited into the classroom. He shares in what is going on there and in the hopes for the future of the child and the class” (p. 145).  Ms. Jess, Ms. Kimber and myself all see the parents in our class as our partners in the child’s education.  We not only appreciate your support but we could not do this work without it.  Thank you!

This week we will talk about the animals of Oceania’s wetlands as well as some of the major landmarks in Oceania.  We will introduce the different parts of an amphibian.  We will continue our study of day and night by taking a look at nocturnal and diurnal animals.  On Friday we will have a special visit from Riverton music to help us learn about the Bass section of the orchestra.

If you are interested in volunteering in our class you can just send me a quick email letting me know when you would like to come in.  We love to have parents come in and help.

Have a great week!

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber

Parents,

A big thanks to all those who donated time and supplies to make our 100th day of school celebration a success! Thank you! We could not have done it without you.

This week we will continue our study of the wetlands in Oceania as well as introduce our newest vertebrate: amphibians. We will also be talking about Van Gough.

We will be introducing the 5th habit of happy kids which is seek first to understand.  This habit is more challenging for children to put into practice but great to talk about and practice.

Our formal Valentine’s snack will happen on Thursday.  Thank you to everyone who has singed up to bring items and volunteer. We will be handing out  Valentines to classmates.  We have 25 students in both the morning and afternoon classes.  Your child does not need to make a valentine box we have made these in class.

This week is parent teacher conferences.  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are early out.  This means the morning class will be from 8:30 am  to 10:30 am and the afternoon class will be from 11 am to 1 pm.  If you have not had a chance to sign up here are the links

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

There will be no school on Monday February 18th for president’s day.

Ms. Jess and I look forward to seeing each of you at PTC.  Have a great week.

Parents,

This week we will have an introduction to our new continent and biome.  We will be studying Oceania as well as the wetlands.  We will begin talking about day and night in science and introduce our next element of art: texture.  Wednesday will be our 100th day of school celebration.  Thank you to all who have volunteered to help!!

Here is the link again if you still need to sign up for parent teacher conferences

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

Have a great week

Ms. Jen, Ms. Jess & Ms. Kimber