Its time for Parent Teacher Conferences! You can sign up here: http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/cazxd
This is a time for us to talk with each other and discuss how your child is doing and what goals we can work toward as we move forward. Students are not required to attend this conference. If the available times do not work with your schedule, please contact me so that we can make other arrangements.
I look forward to meeting with you!
Kirsten
Hello!
Studio Friday is starting next week and the students are so excited! Studio Friday is an opportunity for the students to experience different classes with different teachers and students. They will learn everything from art to simple machines to cooking. I sent home some papers today that need to be filled out and signed and returned on Monday.
I am still missing some permission slips from the 4th graders for the AWHC field trip. Please have those signed and returned ASAP. If you would like to make a donation for this field trip, you can pay cash at the office if you have exact change or you can write a check. Thank you!
The 6th graders started using the Singapore Math books this week. Most of them were excited about it, but I’m sure that will wear off relatively quickly. They will receive 1-2 assignments per week from that book and these assignments will need to be completed at home. So far they have done really well!
I just want to give a quick reminder about planners. Our student planners are an integral part of what we do in the classroom and are a great tool to aid students is planning and organizing their day. It also helps them learn responsibility. Most of the students are doing really well with their planners, however, there are some students who haven’t had their planners in quite some time. Please help your children keep track of their planners and remind them to bring them to school and home every day.
The MMA Cafe is now up and running! The Jr. High and 6th graders are selling some lunch items, drinks, and snacks at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch as a fundraiser. As of now, the menu is as follows, but more items will be added throughout the school year:
Just a quick reminder that this Friday is an early out day. Please arrange to have your children picked up from school at 1:00 PM.
Thanks!
Hello!
This has been a very patriotic time in our class. It began last Friday as we took some time to remember September 11th. This week we celebrated the anniversary of when our National Anthem was written as well as Constitution Day. We worked on learning the Preamble to the Constitution by singing along with School House Rock. It has been stuck in my head all week! We had the opportunity to explore a display all about the Constitution that was set up by a parent volunteer. While I know the students did not fully understand everything we talked about, I hope it helped them gain an appreciation for what others have done to provide us the freedoms we enjoy.
Tomorrow is the MMA 5K and Pancake Breakfast! The 5K starts at 8 AM and the Pancake Breakfast is at 9 AM. If you have not registered yet, they will be registering people starting at 7 AM.
Monday night is Family Skate Night at Classic Fun Center in Layton. This is always a really fun night! I hope to see you there!
We have had one beautiful plant donated to our classroom, but we would still love to have some more!
In order for our class to go on field trips, we need to have parent drivers who are certified to drive other children. If you are already a certified driver for our school, I believe you need to give the office a current copy of your insurance card to stay certified. In order to get certified you need to be fingerprinted and have a background check and have current insurance. This can usually be done through the school and costs about $60. Please consider doing this if you are able. Having parent drivers really cuts down on the cost of field trips and allows us to do more things.
Just an FYI, our class will be doing book reports next month. The theme will be Fiction. Please have your child start thinking about what book they would like to read so they will be prepared. The book should be on their reading level.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather!
Kirsten
Hello!
Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the Box Tops Store! Send your child to school with precut, unexpired Box Tops and they can trade them in for cute little trinkets.
Thanks!
Kirsten
Hi there!
We’ve had another great week! The students were so anxious to get to work that we moved right into having regular work cycle. Returning students were able to pick up where they left off. New students began learning some of the works, mostly in language arts. Next week we should be ready to get full blown into lessons and productive work. We took our first spelling tests today, so ask your children to see their papers. They did great!
The students have really made good friendships and seem to be happy and well. I can tell that they are feeling more comfortable together and letting their “true colors” show more and more. Sometimes that means that we are a little too noisy or socializing too much, but we are working on that! I am glad that it is happy chatter and not bickering.
This summer I kept the tradition alive of bringing our classroom plants home and then killing them. We need some plants in our room! If you have any plants you could donate to our class, please send them to school with your child. I would greatly appreciate it!
Just a few reminders:
There is no school on Monday! I’ll see your wonderful children on Tuesday.
Pizza Friday orders are due by 9:00 AM on Wednesday.
Don’t forget about the 5K and Pancake Breakfast coming up on September 19th.
Next week children’s author Gary Hogg will be coming to our school to do some workshops and assemblies. I sent a flier home with your students today in case you are interested in purchasing any of his books. He came last year and it was wonderful, so I am excited to get the opportunity to learn from him again.
There are cute new school T-shirt designs available! Check them out here: MMAflyerNEW
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My e-mail address is kgonzales@mariamontessoriacademy.org.
Have a great 3 day weekend!
Kirsten
Hello parents of 6th graders!
There will be a 6th grade parent meeting on Thursday, September 3rd at 6:30 PM in the school library. We will be discussing fundraisers, the Redwoods trip, volunteer responsibilities, etc. This is an important meeting to help you and your 6th grader have a successful year in preparing for the field trip to the Redwoods. Please plan to attend!
Thanks!
Kirsten
Hello!
Well, we made it through the first two weeks of school! Your children are adjusting well and building relationships. These first weeks of school are so important as we get to know each other, learn routines and procedures, and go through the normalization process. Here are some reminders from our school and Maria Montessori about this crucial time:
PLEASE RESPECT THE FIRST 6 WEEKS OF SCHOOL BY ALLOWING YOUR CHILD TO INDEPENDENTLY ENTER AND EXIT THE SCHOOL.
ALL PARENT/STUDENT INTERACTIONS ARE LIMITED DURING THE SCHOOL DAY TO EMERGENCIES ONLY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION
“Among the revelations the child has brought us, there is one fundamental importance, the phenomenon of normalization through work… it is certain that the child’s aptitude for work represents a vital instinct; for without work his personality cannot organize itself and deviates from the normal lines of construction. Man builds himself through working.”
“During normalization the child is becoming his best possible self and doing so without effort and with complete joy.”
“Love of work; concentration; self-discipline; and sociability~all characteristics of the normalized child.”
“The child, in fact, once he feels sure of himself, will no longer seek the approval of authority after every step.”
Maria Montessori 1870-1952
This week we will delve more deeply into learning as we continue to do team building activities and get to know each other better. We will begin our science rotations tomorrow with 4th graders going to Mr. John, 5th graders going to Ms. Amity, and 6th graders staying with me. We will also begin our spelling and vocabulary, so check your child’s planner for their words for this week. Our PE and music classes get started on Thursday.
This week we are also welcoming a new assistant teacher into our class named Ms. Venessa! I am excited to work with her and know that she will be a great addition to our classroom.
Just a reminder that planners go home every day and should be signed by you and returned to school the next day. Overall, this is going well, but we are still having some students forget. They like to say, “My mom was too busy to sign my planner” or “My mom forgot to sign my planner.” I remind them that it is their responsibility to make sure their planner is signed and returned. Please support your children in this effort.
Thanks to those of you who have signed up to provide snack for our class. The first week went pretty well! We still have MANY weeks without anyone signed up to provide snack. Please see the link on the right sidebar to sign up if you are able.
If you are interested in having a Celebration of Life for your child when they have a birthday, please let me know so that we can schedule a time. This is a great opportunity to share pictures and stories about your child with our class and celebrate the life that they have lived so far.
I know that this post is getting lengthy. I just want to let you know that I have loved these first weeks of school with your children. They are truly amazing and it is a joy to spend my days with them. We have a fantastic class this year! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings…
As always, please e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns. kgonzales@mariamontessoriacademy.org
Kirsten
Please join us on September 19th for our Annual 5K and Pancake Breakfast! The 5K begins at 8 AM and the Breakfast begins at 9 AM. Proceeds go to help pay for the 6th grade field trip to the Redwoods this Spring. Please click the images below for a registration paper and more information.
Our classroom snack policy has changed for this school year. In the spirit of following the Montessori philosophy more closely, we will be having class snack this year instead of each student providing their own snack. This will allow the children to practice the practical life skills of preparing and serving food as well as cleaning and caring for the kitchen environment. I have created a sign up sheet for you to sign up to provide snack for the class. Check it out here: http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/qgsbx There is also a link on the right side bar for future reference. When you sign up, you are responsible for bringing snack for the week for 25 students. Please let me know ASAP if your child has any food allergies or dietary restrictions. The snacks will need to be healthy. Please don’t bring anything that is sugary or that will cause large messes or stains. Some ideas are:
fruits and vegetables
crackers
bagels and cream cheese
fruit leather
granola bars
raisins
pretzels
graham crackers
goldfish crackers
cheese
dry cereal
rice cakes
We have a small refrigerator in our classroom, but it does not hold a lot. Please limit refrigerated items to one or two small items per week.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your support of our new snack policy.
Kirsten