Hello!

We had a beautiful 2nd week of school!  We started work cycle and the students were ready to go!  Most of them knew exactly what to do and got right back into their work routines.  It was great to see!  We had a lot of grammar lessons to review the parts of speech.  We started practicing close reading with our Scholastic News magazines.  We did a few math assessments to see what the students remember and what we need to review.  We did the first Montessori Great Lesson about the Birth of the Universe.  We also had some lessons about grace and courtesy and continued to discuss and practice our class routines and expectations.  We continued to do some team building activities and games and had a lot of fun!

We read “The Important Book” by Margaret Wise Brown and used it for a few different lessons.  We used to style of the book as a model to write our own page about what is important about our class.  This is what we came up with as a class:

“The important thing about our class is that we are respectful.

We are kind and helpful to our classmates.  We work hard and we’re smart.  We listen to our teachers.

But, the important thing about our class is that we are respectful.”

We talked about how if we are being respectful to ourselves, the people around us, and our environment, then we will eliminate a lot of the issues that may arise.  I was really proud of how thoughtful and reflective the students were as they were thinking about what was important to them and what they wanted from their experience in our class.

Thank you to those of you who were able to join our class for a picnic and games on Thursday!  We had a great time and it was wonderful to see students, parents, and teachers interacting and enjoying each other’s company.  We have a wonderful community and I feel blessed to be a part of it!

Our student planners were delivered yesterday and some of the students were so excited they did a happy dance!  The planners are such an integral part of our daily routine.  We started using them today to plan work and get it signed off.  The students should be planning out their work for the day each morning.  As they complete a work, Ms. Amanda or I will check it and sign it off with our initials.  The planner should go home every day and get signed by a parent or guardian and come back to school the next day.  There is a small line at the bottom of each day for a parent or guardian to initial.  The planners are a great way for you to see what work your student is completing each day.  It also teaches the students how to make a good work plan, use their time wisely, and be responsible.  Please ask your student each day to see their planner and make sure it come back signed the next day.

I was excited to see some more presentations today about the students in our class!  If your student hasn’t brought in their presentation yet, it’s ok!  I would still love to see them come in next week.  If it is an issue for your family to get a poster board or print pictures, please don’t worry.  Your student can just write some things about themselves on a piece of paper that will help us get to know them better.

We are off to a great start!  I’m really excited about this school year!  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child’s life.  Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions! (kgonzales@mariamontessoriacademy.org)

Kirsten