*You have already received this update as an email. You can ignore this if you have already read it.

Last Thursday afternoon my computer keyboard suddenly stopped working and it is currently out for repairs. I am using a loaned computer, but because none of my passwords are saved on this machine, I’m having a hard time getting into the blog and a few other programs. My apologies if some communication is sporadic until I get my computer back! I do still have access to email, obviously, so please feel free to reach out if you need anything.

First up, Parent/Teacher Conferences are this week, which means all students are done at 1 PM on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Below are the links to sign up if you haven’t already.
Wednesday Conferences: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457854
Thursday Conferences: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457855
Friday Conferences: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/457856

Please note that the format for conferences has changed. We are now doing STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES, which means that if possible your student should come with you the the conference. They will be presenting their portfolio to you. It is a work in progress and they are all far from perfect since this is our first time using them, but we feel they are an important way for the students to become more self-aware, take responsibility for their education and get the opportunity to share what they have learned and are proud of with you.
In conjunction with conferences, we will also have the book fair in the library Wednesday-Friday. Our class will be previewing the fair on Tuesday and the children will have the opportunity to make a book wish list and get excited about books! I also make a wish list for our classroom of books that I feel would help to support our learning. If you want to see any of the lists to make purchases, you can ask a volunteer when you visit the fair.

Also, this Thursday is Valentine’s Day and if your student would like to participate in our valentine exchange, they are welcome to bring a container as well as valentines for the class. We currently have 25 children in our classroom.

As for last week, we had a great week! I have been so impressed with the work the children have been doing since we got back from Christmas break. Many of them are working harder than they ever have before and they are so proud of themselves! This feeling of accomplishment is so important to the Montessori philosophy of intrinsic motivation and learning for the sake of learning. The work they are doing is paying off as I am seeing many of them progress in their reading and math levels and begin to tackle more challenging work throughout the curriculum. It has helped that Ms. Pat has been a wonderful support to our classroom so we have been able to dive more fully back into all our lessons. This past week the highlight was learning about the rock cycle and playing “Rockity Rock Rock Rock.” The children did a great job of learning the key characteristics of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and we had so much fun doing it! We’ll continue learning more about this in the weeks to come.

As always, I am so grateful for the many ways that you support your student and our classroom. Please be in touch with any questions or concerns!
Ms. Christina