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Friday, November 04, 2005
Friday, November 4, 2005
Calendar
11/9 Core meeting 5 pm
11/11 Veteran’s Day – School closed, no childcare
11/11 – 11/14 Cody’s School Benefit Daze 2005
CODY’S SCHOOL BENEFIT DAZE 2005
Nov. 11 – 14 Cody’s Books will host their annual school benefit. Cody’s designates 4 shopping days at their 3 Bay Area stores and via the website to benefit schools, both public and private. In a nutshell: books bought, receipts collected, receipts submitted, check/credit sent! Buy books, magazines, journals, calendars, stationary and cards, special orders, and Internet orders, turn the receipts in to the school office and Cody’s writes a commission check as follows:
15% of net sales in cash, or 25% of net sales in store credit for the school.
This is a great opportunity to do your gift and holiday buying and help raise money for GLM!
PARKING LOT RULES
Drop-off and pick-up for 165 families is always a challenge for everyone. Parents need to prepare their children for brief goodbyes and help their children be ready to exit from car seat and car. At Lake Park campus: Parents are requested to point their car toward downhill driveway so children have a minimal walk from car to porch entrance. By 8:25 parents may need to drive the circuit through the parking lot/playground. Do not stop in middle of parking area.
At Chetwood: 3 parking spaces (1 is reserved for the Hudson-Kendall family) and 5 loading zone spaces are designated by the city. One teacher will be standing at the circular drive to expedite speedy drop-offs for parents. If loading zone spaces and parking spaces are taken, park along the street and walk in. Under no circumstance may you block neighbors’ driveways.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
The GLM staff have started reviewing the school’s action plan in case of a disaster. We follow the guidelines of SEMS (Standardized Emergency Management System) created by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The Red Cross has informed us that we are all considered disaster care workers and that ideally, GLM should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 3 to 5 days. We ask parents to always keep a supply of layered clothing (all labeled) at school every day. Backpacks are good for this. Over the next few months the staff will participate in Friday mini-practices in readiness. The fire department will instruct us in the use of fire extinguishers. Evacuation maps are being posted at all campuses to show exit routes, and the locations of gas, water and electrical shut-offs. Staff are becoming familiar with first aid boxes, the location of food stuffs, etc. In the springtime, with advance warning, and description of sequence of steps, GLM will schedule an emergency pick-up day for parents to practice picking up their children. Our approach with the children is the same as we project for fire drills; this is how we practice being safe. The grownups are here to take care of you.
BODY AWARENESS IN CHILDREN
Staff have observed children being curious and wanting to show their body parts on the playground. While it is developmentally appropriate to show an interest, we do not let children “play doctor”. What we do tell children is that their bodies are “private”. The parts of the body which are covered by a swimsuit are not to be exposed or shown to other people. Children are taught to say “no” and to decline touching other children. Children are really unsure about public and private: We remind children to change in private, and not in the public hallways. As children begin to notice differences (this is also age appropriate) they ask questions. We refer them to you, the primary care giver. Teachers will let you know if your child has shown any curiosity in their actions or speech. Always feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have an observation or concern. There are age appropriate books available and teachers can share with you how they handle incidents outdoors or indoors. Later this year GLM will present Jan Berry Kadrie, family therapist, who does a special evening for parents about “Sexuality and Kids”.
THANK YOUS
GLM would like to thank James and Corina Grandison for spending their Sunday repainting the parking spots in the church parking lot.
And a big round of applause to Heidi Hudson, Celeste Grinage, and Laura Lorenz, for all their organizing, shopping, decorating and cleaning up for our Halloween celebration!
AUCTION DATE CHANGED TO APRIL 22, 2006
Please mark your calendars for the Wine & Cheese Tasting and Auction. Once again, we are delighted to announce that we will be hosted at Sequoyah Country Club by Cestra and Teresa Butner. More details to come in the weeks ahead!
VETERAN’S DAY CHILDCARE OFFERED
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Mrs. Mary Aima (head Mulberry teacher) will offer childcare at her home for $50.00 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. We will have lots of fun! Children will go to the park, do a cooking and art project, dress-up, watch a video and much more. Location is 456-A Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Sign-up sheets are on the clipboards. For more information call Mrs. Aima at 510-749-0853.
SOUND OF THE WEEK Each Wednesday your child is encouraged, with your help, to find an object at home (preferably not a toy) that contains the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class. The sound for next week is “I”, as in Ink, India, and Indigo.
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
We have been very busy celebrating El Dia de los Muertos. The children's sugar skulls are truly works of art! Every year they make more intricate designs. Every sugar skull is unique and very much a reflection of its creator.
This week Eric and Zachary planned a going-out to Ace Hardware to construct a magnet. They were very busy around the campus looking for various items. They were quite excited.
This week we also had another going out: Nacalah and Angelina decided to make soup. They checked what ingredients we needed, planned the trip, and made some very delicious vegetable meatball soup. They made the soup for another class member also who experienced the loss of a family member. Clare contributed cornbread.
The second years had a geometry lesson on the types of angles (right, obtuse, acute, complete, straight). They used the Montessori geometry sticks for this work. They rally like constructing the angles with the sticks.
The fourth years are busy creating their own medicine shields in honor of the Sioux Native Americans and their beautiful medicine shields. We actually have an authentic medicine shield visiting our class - it is made of leather and is an amazing piece of work. The fourth years are very interested in the spiritual needs of the various Native tribes of California. They have been comparing how the tribes fulfilled their fundamental needs (shelter, food, defense, transportation, clothing, and spiritual needs). They are very respectful and appreciative of the Native peoples. They can be heard saying, "Yes, some Native Tribes had human sacrifices but that was their culture."
The sixth years are busy studying the various cells of the eyes of humans. They are also comparing the eyes of various animals. Brea is trying to discover if the reason dogs don't see color is because they lack one of the two types of cells that help humans see color and shape and shades.
The third years are constructing their animal classification chart, and are researching the classes of the arthropod.
This week we discussed Rosa Parks’ death and the significant role she played in U.S. history. Clare and a few other children have decided that they would like to know more about Rosa Parks and her childhood so they are working diligently on her life story. The children are all so genuinely interested in the Civil Rights movement. They wanted to know if other countries also had civil rights movements: what aspect apartheid had in other countries in South Africa, why some schools today are not as diverse our school is. What a gift these children will be to the future of our country! They truly define what multiculturalism and diversity are.
A big thank you to Heidi for buying our class's cleaning supplies!
Our class sends out their heartfelt sympathy to Sandra and Michael Klein who said goodbye this week to a beloved family member.
JACARANDA
The GLM community gathered Monday morning for the annual Halloween parade and celebration. The children in their creative costumes traveled around the yard from table to craft table, filling gloves with popcorn and making other crafts. Thank you to all the Jacaranda volunteers who made this work!
For Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, Leila's parents, Madeline and Andrew Tilin, joined the class for a quiet celebration. After Andrew read a book with a Day of the Dead theme, which explained the meaning of many of the common Spanish words associated with the holiday, the children brought their photos and drawings of family and pets to the beautiful ofrenda, or altar. Then the class enjoyed pan de muertos, bread cooked especially for the occasion. The altar will be on display for the next few days.
The turtles, children (and adults) are enjoying the new turtle aquarium, which is much larger than the one it replaced.
Cold and flu season is upon us, and the children are frequently reminded to wash their hands. We also remind them to cough or sneeze into the crook of their elbow to minimize the spread of germs on their hands.
One of the children's favored activities is to polish the new teak snack table and chairs with lemon oil. Without the reinforcement of the children's peers and of the expectations of the classroom, you may find that a longer practical life activity like this sometimes is not as successful at home as it can be at school.
Please be sure to sign up for a conference on the Jacaranda Classroom sign in clipboard.
JUNIPER
As you know, each week the children work with a different sound of the week. In the primary classroom, one of the main ways teachers help children explore the sound of the week is with the I Spy Game. One of the great things about this game, besides the fact that the children really enjoy it, is that it's an easy, effective, and fun activity for parents to do with their children at home. When you first start playing the I Spy Game, the object of focus must be extremely obvious: "I spy with my little eye something that Susie is holding that begins with 'h' (saying the sound of the letter rather than the name)." Little by little, make the game more difficult by having two objects on a table or rug. Continue to slowly make the choice more difficult until the children are able to find the object of focus anywhere in the room. Eventually, you can focus on sounds in the middle or at the end of a word, guiding the child in sounding out the sounds of the words. Not only will this reinforce the work children are doing at school but it's a great way for parents and children to enjoy time together!
"True, reflective attention... always involves judging, reasoning, deliberation; it means that the child has a question of his own and is actively engaged in seeking and selecting relevant material with which to answer it." -- John Dewey, 1915
LIVE OAK
Halloween, observations, beautiful fall weather and great kids; that was our week. Joshua’s nanny, Renata, came to visit and shared with us stories about growing up in Ecuador. It sounded so beautiful. She shared pictures of her family and told us about the Galapagos Islands. We are reading about the season of autumn, the USA and about frogs.
We have begun our daily “walking on the line”. These lessons are for posture, gait and controlled movements of the body.
There are some new songs we’ve learned, but they are a surprise for Thanksgiving! We planned our feast this week, and everyone is looking forward to the event.
And very sadly, Rosy, our female finch died. We had a burial under the fig tree on Tuesday.
GINKGO
We had a wonderful Halloween celebration! Thank you to all the parents who helped us on this exciting day. The children and Ginkgo teachers had a great time.
Jennifer, Olivia Theut's mom, came in to the classroom and baked pumpkin bread with the class for the children who stay late in aftercare.
Sound of the Week was "H". The children brought in Horse, Habanera pepper (Hot), a Halloween napkin, a book titled "The Human Body", Hammer Head shark, Honey, Hat, and "Happy face". The children are very creative about coming up with words!
Angelina Harris, a student from the elementary class, came into our classroom to read. Thank you, Angelina, for sharing your time and love of books with us!
MAGNOLIA
The weather is getting chilly so please make sure to dress your child in seasonally appropriate layers. A raincoat and water-proof boots are essential when we have wet weather, as we take the children outside, rain (sprinkling) or shine.
A big Happy Birthday to Amalia Sanchez. She turned 3 this week. She shared a yummy bagel snack with us (the all time favorite birthday treat of the Magnolia children). She also brought us a beautifully illustrated bilingual songbook by Trish Hinojosa entitled Cada Nino (Every Child). Ms. Olivares already had the CD that accompanies the book. The children have already begun to learn a song called “Magnolia”, about a Magnolia tree!
MULBERRY
It looks like the rainy days are coming our way, so please keep in mind when dressing your child in the morning, that we still enjoy the outdoors between downpours.
Thank you to our parents in Mulberry and Camellia for a successful Halloween celebration. You all did a wonderful job with your activity tables. The Rynecki-Knowlton family took some great pictures! If you haven’t seen them, please contact Elizabeth Rynecki.
We had lots of fun baking bread with our pumpkins left over from the pumpkin patch.
Ms. Aima is on vacation and will return Tuesday, Nov. 8. We hope she enjoys her time off!
Mulberry parents, please remember to enter the Brown Cottage through the kitchen door or the rear Mulberry entrance. We don’t want to disturb the work going on in the Camellia classroom.
Thank you!
CAMELLIA
Wow, the Halloween celebration was a big success! Thank you to all the parents who came and helped. Thank you to Marni, Tyler's mom, for making all the treat bags for the children, Zayda, Logan's mom, for baking all those wonderful cookies, Kristie, Lucy's mom, for getting the dry-ice, and finally, to Diane, Michael's mom, for bringing breakfast bagels, coffee, and treats for the children and teachers!
Sound of the Week is a favorite in the Camellia classroom. Next week’s sound is "I", as in Igloo and Ink.
A reminder: Please be sure to use the kitchen enter and exit the Brown Cottage. This reduces the distraction in the classroom when parents enter the front. Thank you.
The class is very busy with everyone is doing their activities. This week I watched as a child took out the baby washing work and spent the whole morning very focused, washing the baby. Another child took the Pink Tower out and worked it from the smallest to the biggest block, over and over again.
Watch the GLM website for details on up coming events, including the CRAB FEAST fundraiser!
Calendar
11/9 Core meeting 5 pm
11/11 Veteran’s Day – School closed, no childcare
11/11 – 11/14 Cody’s School Benefit Daze 2005
CODY’S SCHOOL BENEFIT DAZE 2005
Nov. 11 – 14 Cody’s Books will host their annual school benefit. Cody’s designates 4 shopping days at their 3 Bay Area stores and via the website to benefit schools, both public and private. In a nutshell: books bought, receipts collected, receipts submitted, check/credit sent! Buy books, magazines, journals, calendars, stationary and cards, special orders, and Internet orders, turn the receipts in to the school office and Cody’s writes a commission check as follows:
15% of net sales in cash, or 25% of net sales in store credit for the school.
This is a great opportunity to do your gift and holiday buying and help raise money for GLM!
PARKING LOT RULES
Drop-off and pick-up for 165 families is always a challenge for everyone. Parents need to prepare their children for brief goodbyes and help their children be ready to exit from car seat and car. At Lake Park campus: Parents are requested to point their car toward downhill driveway so children have a minimal walk from car to porch entrance. By 8:25 parents may need to drive the circuit through the parking lot/playground. Do not stop in middle of parking area.
At Chetwood: 3 parking spaces (1 is reserved for the Hudson-Kendall family) and 5 loading zone spaces are designated by the city. One teacher will be standing at the circular drive to expedite speedy drop-offs for parents. If loading zone spaces and parking spaces are taken, park along the street and walk in. Under no circumstance may you block neighbors’ driveways.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
The GLM staff have started reviewing the school’s action plan in case of a disaster. We follow the guidelines of SEMS (Standardized Emergency Management System) created by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The Red Cross has informed us that we are all considered disaster care workers and that ideally, GLM should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 3 to 5 days. We ask parents to always keep a supply of layered clothing (all labeled) at school every day. Backpacks are good for this. Over the next few months the staff will participate in Friday mini-practices in readiness. The fire department will instruct us in the use of fire extinguishers. Evacuation maps are being posted at all campuses to show exit routes, and the locations of gas, water and electrical shut-offs. Staff are becoming familiar with first aid boxes, the location of food stuffs, etc. In the springtime, with advance warning, and description of sequence of steps, GLM will schedule an emergency pick-up day for parents to practice picking up their children. Our approach with the children is the same as we project for fire drills; this is how we practice being safe. The grownups are here to take care of you.
BODY AWARENESS IN CHILDREN
Staff have observed children being curious and wanting to show their body parts on the playground. While it is developmentally appropriate to show an interest, we do not let children “play doctor”. What we do tell children is that their bodies are “private”. The parts of the body which are covered by a swimsuit are not to be exposed or shown to other people. Children are taught to say “no” and to decline touching other children. Children are really unsure about public and private: We remind children to change in private, and not in the public hallways. As children begin to notice differences (this is also age appropriate) they ask questions. We refer them to you, the primary care giver. Teachers will let you know if your child has shown any curiosity in their actions or speech. Always feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have an observation or concern. There are age appropriate books available and teachers can share with you how they handle incidents outdoors or indoors. Later this year GLM will present Jan Berry Kadrie, family therapist, who does a special evening for parents about “Sexuality and Kids”.
THANK YOUS
GLM would like to thank James and Corina Grandison for spending their Sunday repainting the parking spots in the church parking lot.
And a big round of applause to Heidi Hudson, Celeste Grinage, and Laura Lorenz, for all their organizing, shopping, decorating and cleaning up for our Halloween celebration!
AUCTION DATE CHANGED TO APRIL 22, 2006
Please mark your calendars for the Wine & Cheese Tasting and Auction. Once again, we are delighted to announce that we will be hosted at Sequoyah Country Club by Cestra and Teresa Butner. More details to come in the weeks ahead!
VETERAN’S DAY CHILDCARE OFFERED
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Mrs. Mary Aima (head Mulberry teacher) will offer childcare at her home for $50.00 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. We will have lots of fun! Children will go to the park, do a cooking and art project, dress-up, watch a video and much more. Location is 456-A Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Sign-up sheets are on the clipboards. For more information call Mrs. Aima at 510-749-0853.
SOUND OF THE WEEK Each Wednesday your child is encouraged, with your help, to find an object at home (preferably not a toy) that contains the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class. The sound for next week is “I”, as in Ink, India, and Indigo.
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
We have been very busy celebrating El Dia de los Muertos. The children's sugar skulls are truly works of art! Every year they make more intricate designs. Every sugar skull is unique and very much a reflection of its creator.
This week Eric and Zachary planned a going-out to Ace Hardware to construct a magnet. They were very busy around the campus looking for various items. They were quite excited.
This week we also had another going out: Nacalah and Angelina decided to make soup. They checked what ingredients we needed, planned the trip, and made some very delicious vegetable meatball soup. They made the soup for another class member also who experienced the loss of a family member. Clare contributed cornbread.
The second years had a geometry lesson on the types of angles (right, obtuse, acute, complete, straight). They used the Montessori geometry sticks for this work. They rally like constructing the angles with the sticks.
The fourth years are busy creating their own medicine shields in honor of the Sioux Native Americans and their beautiful medicine shields. We actually have an authentic medicine shield visiting our class - it is made of leather and is an amazing piece of work. The fourth years are very interested in the spiritual needs of the various Native tribes of California. They have been comparing how the tribes fulfilled their fundamental needs (shelter, food, defense, transportation, clothing, and spiritual needs). They are very respectful and appreciative of the Native peoples. They can be heard saying, "Yes, some Native Tribes had human sacrifices but that was their culture."
The sixth years are busy studying the various cells of the eyes of humans. They are also comparing the eyes of various animals. Brea is trying to discover if the reason dogs don't see color is because they lack one of the two types of cells that help humans see color and shape and shades.
The third years are constructing their animal classification chart, and are researching the classes of the arthropod.
This week we discussed Rosa Parks’ death and the significant role she played in U.S. history. Clare and a few other children have decided that they would like to know more about Rosa Parks and her childhood so they are working diligently on her life story. The children are all so genuinely interested in the Civil Rights movement. They wanted to know if other countries also had civil rights movements: what aspect apartheid had in other countries in South Africa, why some schools today are not as diverse our school is. What a gift these children will be to the future of our country! They truly define what multiculturalism and diversity are.
A big thank you to Heidi for buying our class's cleaning supplies!
Our class sends out their heartfelt sympathy to Sandra and Michael Klein who said goodbye this week to a beloved family member.
JACARANDA
The GLM community gathered Monday morning for the annual Halloween parade and celebration. The children in their creative costumes traveled around the yard from table to craft table, filling gloves with popcorn and making other crafts. Thank you to all the Jacaranda volunteers who made this work!
For Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, Leila's parents, Madeline and Andrew Tilin, joined the class for a quiet celebration. After Andrew read a book with a Day of the Dead theme, which explained the meaning of many of the common Spanish words associated with the holiday, the children brought their photos and drawings of family and pets to the beautiful ofrenda, or altar. Then the class enjoyed pan de muertos, bread cooked especially for the occasion. The altar will be on display for the next few days.
The turtles, children (and adults) are enjoying the new turtle aquarium, which is much larger than the one it replaced.
Cold and flu season is upon us, and the children are frequently reminded to wash their hands. We also remind them to cough or sneeze into the crook of their elbow to minimize the spread of germs on their hands.
One of the children's favored activities is to polish the new teak snack table and chairs with lemon oil. Without the reinforcement of the children's peers and of the expectations of the classroom, you may find that a longer practical life activity like this sometimes is not as successful at home as it can be at school.
Please be sure to sign up for a conference on the Jacaranda Classroom sign in clipboard.
JUNIPER
As you know, each week the children work with a different sound of the week. In the primary classroom, one of the main ways teachers help children explore the sound of the week is with the I Spy Game. One of the great things about this game, besides the fact that the children really enjoy it, is that it's an easy, effective, and fun activity for parents to do with their children at home. When you first start playing the I Spy Game, the object of focus must be extremely obvious: "I spy with my little eye something that Susie is holding that begins with 'h' (saying the sound of the letter rather than the name)." Little by little, make the game more difficult by having two objects on a table or rug. Continue to slowly make the choice more difficult until the children are able to find the object of focus anywhere in the room. Eventually, you can focus on sounds in the middle or at the end of a word, guiding the child in sounding out the sounds of the words. Not only will this reinforce the work children are doing at school but it's a great way for parents and children to enjoy time together!
"True, reflective attention... always involves judging, reasoning, deliberation; it means that the child has a question of his own and is actively engaged in seeking and selecting relevant material with which to answer it." -- John Dewey, 1915
LIVE OAK
Halloween, observations, beautiful fall weather and great kids; that was our week. Joshua’s nanny, Renata, came to visit and shared with us stories about growing up in Ecuador. It sounded so beautiful. She shared pictures of her family and told us about the Galapagos Islands. We are reading about the season of autumn, the USA and about frogs.
We have begun our daily “walking on the line”. These lessons are for posture, gait and controlled movements of the body.
There are some new songs we’ve learned, but they are a surprise for Thanksgiving! We planned our feast this week, and everyone is looking forward to the event.
And very sadly, Rosy, our female finch died. We had a burial under the fig tree on Tuesday.
GINKGO
We had a wonderful Halloween celebration! Thank you to all the parents who helped us on this exciting day. The children and Ginkgo teachers had a great time.
Jennifer, Olivia Theut's mom, came in to the classroom and baked pumpkin bread with the class for the children who stay late in aftercare.
Sound of the Week was "H". The children brought in Horse, Habanera pepper (Hot), a Halloween napkin, a book titled "The Human Body", Hammer Head shark, Honey, Hat, and "Happy face". The children are very creative about coming up with words!
Angelina Harris, a student from the elementary class, came into our classroom to read. Thank you, Angelina, for sharing your time and love of books with us!
MAGNOLIA
The weather is getting chilly so please make sure to dress your child in seasonally appropriate layers. A raincoat and water-proof boots are essential when we have wet weather, as we take the children outside, rain (sprinkling) or shine.
A big Happy Birthday to Amalia Sanchez. She turned 3 this week. She shared a yummy bagel snack with us (the all time favorite birthday treat of the Magnolia children). She also brought us a beautifully illustrated bilingual songbook by Trish Hinojosa entitled Cada Nino (Every Child). Ms. Olivares already had the CD that accompanies the book. The children have already begun to learn a song called “Magnolia”, about a Magnolia tree!
MULBERRY
It looks like the rainy days are coming our way, so please keep in mind when dressing your child in the morning, that we still enjoy the outdoors between downpours.
Thank you to our parents in Mulberry and Camellia for a successful Halloween celebration. You all did a wonderful job with your activity tables. The Rynecki-Knowlton family took some great pictures! If you haven’t seen them, please contact Elizabeth Rynecki.
We had lots of fun baking bread with our pumpkins left over from the pumpkin patch.
Ms. Aima is on vacation and will return Tuesday, Nov. 8. We hope she enjoys her time off!
Mulberry parents, please remember to enter the Brown Cottage through the kitchen door or the rear Mulberry entrance. We don’t want to disturb the work going on in the Camellia classroom.
Thank you!
CAMELLIA
Wow, the Halloween celebration was a big success! Thank you to all the parents who came and helped. Thank you to Marni, Tyler's mom, for making all the treat bags for the children, Zayda, Logan's mom, for baking all those wonderful cookies, Kristie, Lucy's mom, for getting the dry-ice, and finally, to Diane, Michael's mom, for bringing breakfast bagels, coffee, and treats for the children and teachers!
Sound of the Week is a favorite in the Camellia classroom. Next week’s sound is "I", as in Igloo and Ink.
A reminder: Please be sure to use the kitchen enter and exit the Brown Cottage. This reduces the distraction in the classroom when parents enter the front. Thank you.
The class is very busy with everyone is doing their activities. This week I watched as a child took out the baby washing work and spent the whole morning very focused, washing the baby. Another child took the Pink Tower out and worked it from the smallest to the biggest block, over and over again.
Watch the GLM website for details on up coming events, including the CRAB FEAST fundraiser!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Monday, October 31, 2005
Calendar
11/4 Silent Journey
11/9 Core meeting 5 pm
11/11 Veteran’s Day – School closed, no childcare
11/11 – 11/14 Cody’s School Benefit Daze 2005
All Year Montessori: What is it?
In the last 2 years GLM has looked at how Montessori schools around the U.S. design a program for children year-round. We have looked at various models of care-giving and practicing Montessori principles for children who attend all year and have days that start at 7AM and conclude between 5-6 PM. The founding mission of GLM has always been to create a home away from home with the best Montessori practices. Since January 2005, the school has committed itself to employing all Montessori teachers. It will take 36 months for staff to complete training courses, and do a supervised internship year. The goal is to have 3 trained and certified Montessori teachers in each classroom at the toddler, preschool and kindergarten levels. The teacher at the end of the day is extremely important in the framework of providing educational opportunities and care for each child. During conference month, the meetings will be set up so that the person who is with your child at the later part of the day can share observations with you.
Being mindful of the length of time that children spend away from home, GLM has added some additional choices for the all-day children. Spanish singing and games are a choice in the afternoon with Mrs. Santiago. Monart class is offered to kindergarten age students and elementary. Tuff Tumblers seems to be successful, and we have “ clay studio “ in the arbor. Jacaranda/Juniper, the Brown Cottage, and Lake Park programs have instituted a special “tea time” for the children around 5:30. Akido has been added for late afternoon elementary students.
The staff are brainstorming ways to co-mingle children in the afternoons with children from the other campus. We are exploring ways to come together to dance, garden, play ball games, and cook. In addition, the children are having scheduled activities with the elementary students. Baking bread, and exploring more lengthy art projects, which are ongoing, and cannot be completed in one afternoon are being designed. We hope to set up carpentry benches and truly enhance our outdoor classroom and spaces. Most of all we are tapping into the special interests and talents of the GLM staff so that they can share their passions and hobbies with children.
Road Rage at GLM
On Friday, during the Halloween celebration, a Chetwood neighbor’s driveway was blocked by a parked car. Several families had frustrating and angry exchanges with other parents. We all have to deal with the fact of limited parking, and drop-offs which take time. If waiting for drive-through is a problem for you, park down the street and walk your child onto the school premises. Please, remain civil and do not explode at other families. This can be traumatizing to the children, and also sets a poor example for the children. Families who become rude and threatening to staff, other families or neighbors will be asked to take their children and leave for the day. The school is not the proper place for outbursts.
SOUND OF THE WEEK Each Wednesday your child is encouraged, with your help, to find an object at home (preferably not a toy) that contains the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class. The sound for next week is “H”, as in Habit, Hill and Hoot.
PLEASE TURN IN YOUR SCHOOL PORTRAITS PACKETS
School portraits need to be returned to the school office by Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005, whether or not you are ordering any pictures. Thank you.
CODY’S SCHOOL BENEFIT DAZE 2005
Nov. 11 – 14 Cody’s Books will host their annual school benefit. Cody’s designates 4 shopping days at their 3 Bay Area stores and via the website to benefit schools, both public and private. In a nutshell: books bought, receipts collected, receipts submitted, check/credit sent! Buy books, magazines, journals, calendars, stationary and cards, special orders, and Internet orders, turn the receipts in to the school office and Cody’s writes a commission check as follows:
15% of net sales in cash, or 25% of net sales in store credit for the school.
This is a great opportunity to do your gift and holiday buying and help raise money for GLM!
BIKE WHEEL NEEDED
The elementary class is in need of a bicycle wheel for a project the children are working on. If you have an old, used wheel sitting in your garage, please consider donating to the class.
VETERAN’S DAY CHILDCARE OFFERED
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Mrs. Mary Aima (head Mulberry teacher) will offer childcare at her home for $50.00 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. We will have lots of fun! Children will go to the park, do a cooking and art project, dress-up, watch a video and much more. Location is 456-A Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Watch for the sign-up sheets on the clipboards. For more information call Mrs. Aima at 510-749-0853.
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
Elementary has been very busy this past week!
We had a field day at Mosswood Park on Friday. The children played soccer, basketball, and played a great game of hide and seek. We ate lunch there and returned to school in the afternoon. Mosswood Park has great facilities and the children are eager to return!
On Tuesday we went to J.E. Perry Farms at Ardenwood. The children learned about gardening while taking a wagon ride.
"There is purple cauliflower. When you touch it on the top it turns black. It is called graffiti cauliflower" Zoe
"We can grow broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and squash during the winter." Crystal
"They grow fava beans so they can put nutrients into the ground that the plants take from it!" Kennedy
The second years went on a going-out on Wednesday to further study various edible roots. They also learned the scientific names of the edible roots (pillar roots, tuberous roots, napiform roots, etc..). They made a delicious cream of vegetable soup that we will enjoy for snack on Friday!
On Wednesday Mr. Hoffmann came. He missed our recorder lesson on Monday so we switched days this week. The children are really sounding good learning the low and high harmony of “Ode To Joy”. The children learned the song “De Colores” on Thursday. They are doing a great job with their pronunciations in Spanish!
On Thursday we also had an all class potluck. The food was delicious...corn bread, fruit salad, cucumber salad, spaghetti, Caesar salad, miso soup, mashed potatoes, three different kinds of chicken, smoothies, apple juice, and pasta salad. It never ceases to amaze me that the children will choose to bring the healthiest items for all class potlucks! We had a discussion about our favorite vegetables as well. Joseph and Crystal decided that they prefer artichokes, while Brea and Clare like carrots. Kennedy agrees with the latter as well! However, Brea added that she enjoys carrots with Italian dressing and cut very small.
JACARANDA
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help with the Jacaranda Halloween celebration: Carolyn Baird, Tanya Stolurow, Matt Dalton, Ariel Trost, Rachel Neumann, Kerie Campbell, Laura Lorenz, Kristen Talley, Ted Talley, Nancy Appel, John Stella and Dana Schurr. We are looking forward to making this a fun and exciting day for the kids. The children and the teachers of the Jacaranda class appreciate all the support!
Thank you to Beth Moughty for making jack 'o lanterns and other Halloween activities with the kids on Thursday morning.
The Jacaranda class will celebrate the Day of the Dead next week, with Leila's mom, Madeleine, on Thursday. The class will build a traditional Mexican altar, or ofrenda. Look for a note in your cubbies explaining more why we choose to celebrate this holiday with the children. We will ask that the children bring a photo of a family member, including pets, who have died so that we can remember and honor them.
Two of the third year students in the Jacaranda class, Camille and Avery, joined the GLM elementary class on a field trip to the working farm at Ardenwood Farm Regional Park in Hayward. The children chose pumpkins, rode behind a tractor and learned how the farm grows fruits and vegetables without the use of pesticides and other chemicals. This is just one of the many interesting field trips that the elementary class takes throughout the year as part of their real world education.
Remember that during this rainy time of the year, your children need to come to school with rain gear: raincoat with hood or hat, rain boots, etc. We do take walks even on rainy days and would like your child to be able to join their friends when we leave the classroom on rainy days.
Jacaranda classroom observations have begun! Thank you for respectfully observing the children at work and play. We look forward to hearing your feedback about what you have observed when we meet during conferences. Look for the sign up sheet for conferences attached to the Jacaranda clipboard. Ms. Leck will meet with parents for thirty minutes on November 15, 16 and 17 from 1-4:30 pm, or 1-6 pm on Wednesday.
JUNIPER
The extra hours spent at school by children who stay for the all day program afford those children opportunities that are tailored to their particular needs, with the understanding that these children are in a unique situation. It is not simply a matter of keeping them occupied until their parents arrive. Rather, the late afternoon for many children coincides with a point in their natural energy cycle in which they are predisposed to engaging again in prolonged, focused periods of work. Just as in the morning work period, children in the afternoon are guided toward purposeful work, whether it be sensorial exercises, practical life exercises, math works, gardening, or tea. Many of these activities are viewed by the children as "special", things they cannot normally do during the day, adding further appeal and enjoyment.
During the afternoon, many children choose to do the tea work. Usually, one child will decide he/she wants to do the work and then will invite a friend to join them. The tea work is an autonomous work, except that a teacher heats the water and pours the hot water into the teapot (along with advising the children that it is very hot). The children open the tea bag, put it in the tea pot, determine when it is finished brewing, pour their own tea, and engage in conversation of their choosing as they enjoy their beverage. When finished, they wash the dishes and return the material to the shelf where there are frequently more children anxiously waiting for their turn. Overall, this activity is one that the children thoroughly enjoy, and they engage in it often.
LIVE OAK
Happy Halloween!!!! It seems the whole week has been in preparation for the end of the week. Monday was a great In-service day with our guest speaker helping us to remember the importance of conversation with our young children. Tuesday we had a great time coming back together. Wednesday, Ms Faust came to help make goodie bags and Mr. Moody came for movement. Thursday, Mr. Thompson came to finish the goody bags and Mr. Hoffman came for music. We had our first round of observations. I hope you all had a great time and felt welcomed and got a good taste of a typical day in Live Oak. This is the end of our study about North America. Tomorrow we will celebrate this and Halloween with a Pinata and of course our big parade and party. Next week we begin our study of amphibians, trees and South America. I also want to acknowledge the beginning our material making group that is meeting on Thursdays and everyone who is helping with the party tomorrow. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
GINKGO
On Thursday, October 28, 2005 we had Elliott's 4th birthday celebration. Elliott's mom, Dana, told the class the story of Elliott's life. Elliott brought a gift to the class, a book titled "Be Nice to Spiders".
Thank you to Marni Hunter, Campbell's mom, for coming in and making "goodie bags" with the children.
This week, the sound of the week was "G". The children brought in Glasses, Goose, Grader, Giraffe, and Goldfish to share!
In Live Oak, Ms. McDonald, is still reading "The Secret Garden". We're on the 14th Chapter!
MAGNOLIA
A big thank you to parent volunteers! Hannah's dad Kyle came in on Tuesday to carve pumpkins. At circle that day we closed the blinds and turned of the lights and lit candles in the jack-o-lanterns and sang fall songs. Connor's mom, Meghan, also came in that day to help us decorate our craft bags for Friday. The children really enjoyed this project and the bags look very festive!
We had our first wet weather this week. The children still go outside to get some exercise between bouts of rain so make sure to provide your child with a waterproof coat and boots. Please check your child's extra clothes box to make sure they have weather appropriate attire to change into if they get wet or muddy outside.
MULBERRY
The Mulberry class has had a busy week. Wednesday Katie Barnes came in and carved pumpkins, Thursday Elizabeth Knowlton painted brown paper bag pumpkins, and Jennie Harper read Halloween stories to the class. Thank you Ella Fenster for the beautiful flowers. The class planted them in our outside flower box. Thank you to all the parents who have helped with the planning of our Halloween celebration, especially our great Room Parents! The children have enjoyed watching the pumpkin patch grow. Thanks to all who remembered to bring in a pumpkin to share.
As mentioned in our back to school night we are getting closer to starting our cloth diaper program. After consulting other programs we have decided to order two diaper wraps per child. The billing for diapers will be as follows:
3 1/2 days - $10 a month
3 full days - $12 a month
3 extended days - $15 a month
5 1/2 days - $12 a month
5 full days - $15 a month
5 extended days - $18 a month
We will keep you updated as soon as we get the wraps and diaper service set up.
CAMELLIA
It has been a very busy week. We’ve had parents come in to read Halloween stories, which the children have really enjoyed. Thank you to Katya, Isa's mom, and Diane, Michael's mom, for setting up the pumpkin carving activities. The children dug the seeds out and decorated them with glitter. They look beautiful! We all had a great time. A BIG, BIG thank you to the Camellia Room Parents for getting our Halloween supplies. They did a wonderful job.
Reminder: Next week’s sound is "H". Please encourage your child to bring something in to share for Sound of the Week (hat, handprint, hairbrush).
During the afternoons the Brown Cottage classes continue to do a lot of practical life work, including table washing and watering plants in our yard. Children self-serve snack if they get hungry and wash their dishes. And also we do a lot of music and movement.
Calendar
11/4 Silent Journey
11/9 Core meeting 5 pm
11/11 Veteran’s Day – School closed, no childcare
11/11 – 11/14 Cody’s School Benefit Daze 2005
All Year Montessori: What is it?
In the last 2 years GLM has looked at how Montessori schools around the U.S. design a program for children year-round. We have looked at various models of care-giving and practicing Montessori principles for children who attend all year and have days that start at 7AM and conclude between 5-6 PM. The founding mission of GLM has always been to create a home away from home with the best Montessori practices. Since January 2005, the school has committed itself to employing all Montessori teachers. It will take 36 months for staff to complete training courses, and do a supervised internship year. The goal is to have 3 trained and certified Montessori teachers in each classroom at the toddler, preschool and kindergarten levels. The teacher at the end of the day is extremely important in the framework of providing educational opportunities and care for each child. During conference month, the meetings will be set up so that the person who is with your child at the later part of the day can share observations with you.
Being mindful of the length of time that children spend away from home, GLM has added some additional choices for the all-day children. Spanish singing and games are a choice in the afternoon with Mrs. Santiago. Monart class is offered to kindergarten age students and elementary. Tuff Tumblers seems to be successful, and we have “ clay studio “ in the arbor. Jacaranda/Juniper, the Brown Cottage, and Lake Park programs have instituted a special “tea time” for the children around 5:30. Akido has been added for late afternoon elementary students.
The staff are brainstorming ways to co-mingle children in the afternoons with children from the other campus. We are exploring ways to come together to dance, garden, play ball games, and cook. In addition, the children are having scheduled activities with the elementary students. Baking bread, and exploring more lengthy art projects, which are ongoing, and cannot be completed in one afternoon are being designed. We hope to set up carpentry benches and truly enhance our outdoor classroom and spaces. Most of all we are tapping into the special interests and talents of the GLM staff so that they can share their passions and hobbies with children.
Road Rage at GLM
On Friday, during the Halloween celebration, a Chetwood neighbor’s driveway was blocked by a parked car. Several families had frustrating and angry exchanges with other parents. We all have to deal with the fact of limited parking, and drop-offs which take time. If waiting for drive-through is a problem for you, park down the street and walk your child onto the school premises. Please, remain civil and do not explode at other families. This can be traumatizing to the children, and also sets a poor example for the children. Families who become rude and threatening to staff, other families or neighbors will be asked to take their children and leave for the day. The school is not the proper place for outbursts.
SOUND OF THE WEEK Each Wednesday your child is encouraged, with your help, to find an object at home (preferably not a toy) that contains the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class. The sound for next week is “H”, as in Habit, Hill and Hoot.
PLEASE TURN IN YOUR SCHOOL PORTRAITS PACKETS
School portraits need to be returned to the school office by Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005, whether or not you are ordering any pictures. Thank you.
CODY’S SCHOOL BENEFIT DAZE 2005
Nov. 11 – 14 Cody’s Books will host their annual school benefit. Cody’s designates 4 shopping days at their 3 Bay Area stores and via the website to benefit schools, both public and private. In a nutshell: books bought, receipts collected, receipts submitted, check/credit sent! Buy books, magazines, journals, calendars, stationary and cards, special orders, and Internet orders, turn the receipts in to the school office and Cody’s writes a commission check as follows:
15% of net sales in cash, or 25% of net sales in store credit for the school.
This is a great opportunity to do your gift and holiday buying and help raise money for GLM!
BIKE WHEEL NEEDED
The elementary class is in need of a bicycle wheel for a project the children are working on. If you have an old, used wheel sitting in your garage, please consider donating to the class.
VETERAN’S DAY CHILDCARE OFFERED
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Mrs. Mary Aima (head Mulberry teacher) will offer childcare at her home for $50.00 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. We will have lots of fun! Children will go to the park, do a cooking and art project, dress-up, watch a video and much more. Location is 456-A Santa Clara Ave., Alameda. Watch for the sign-up sheets on the clipboards. For more information call Mrs. Aima at 510-749-0853.
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
Elementary has been very busy this past week!
We had a field day at Mosswood Park on Friday. The children played soccer, basketball, and played a great game of hide and seek. We ate lunch there and returned to school in the afternoon. Mosswood Park has great facilities and the children are eager to return!
On Tuesday we went to J.E. Perry Farms at Ardenwood. The children learned about gardening while taking a wagon ride.
"There is purple cauliflower. When you touch it on the top it turns black. It is called graffiti cauliflower" Zoe
"We can grow broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and squash during the winter." Crystal
"They grow fava beans so they can put nutrients into the ground that the plants take from it!" Kennedy
The second years went on a going-out on Wednesday to further study various edible roots. They also learned the scientific names of the edible roots (pillar roots, tuberous roots, napiform roots, etc..). They made a delicious cream of vegetable soup that we will enjoy for snack on Friday!
On Wednesday Mr. Hoffmann came. He missed our recorder lesson on Monday so we switched days this week. The children are really sounding good learning the low and high harmony of “Ode To Joy”. The children learned the song “De Colores” on Thursday. They are doing a great job with their pronunciations in Spanish!
On Thursday we also had an all class potluck. The food was delicious...corn bread, fruit salad, cucumber salad, spaghetti, Caesar salad, miso soup, mashed potatoes, three different kinds of chicken, smoothies, apple juice, and pasta salad. It never ceases to amaze me that the children will choose to bring the healthiest items for all class potlucks! We had a discussion about our favorite vegetables as well. Joseph and Crystal decided that they prefer artichokes, while Brea and Clare like carrots. Kennedy agrees with the latter as well! However, Brea added that she enjoys carrots with Italian dressing and cut very small.
JACARANDA
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help with the Jacaranda Halloween celebration: Carolyn Baird, Tanya Stolurow, Matt Dalton, Ariel Trost, Rachel Neumann, Kerie Campbell, Laura Lorenz, Kristen Talley, Ted Talley, Nancy Appel, John Stella and Dana Schurr. We are looking forward to making this a fun and exciting day for the kids. The children and the teachers of the Jacaranda class appreciate all the support!
Thank you to Beth Moughty for making jack 'o lanterns and other Halloween activities with the kids on Thursday morning.
The Jacaranda class will celebrate the Day of the Dead next week, with Leila's mom, Madeleine, on Thursday. The class will build a traditional Mexican altar, or ofrenda. Look for a note in your cubbies explaining more why we choose to celebrate this holiday with the children. We will ask that the children bring a photo of a family member, including pets, who have died so that we can remember and honor them.
Two of the third year students in the Jacaranda class, Camille and Avery, joined the GLM elementary class on a field trip to the working farm at Ardenwood Farm Regional Park in Hayward. The children chose pumpkins, rode behind a tractor and learned how the farm grows fruits and vegetables without the use of pesticides and other chemicals. This is just one of the many interesting field trips that the elementary class takes throughout the year as part of their real world education.
Remember that during this rainy time of the year, your children need to come to school with rain gear: raincoat with hood or hat, rain boots, etc. We do take walks even on rainy days and would like your child to be able to join their friends when we leave the classroom on rainy days.
Jacaranda classroom observations have begun! Thank you for respectfully observing the children at work and play. We look forward to hearing your feedback about what you have observed when we meet during conferences. Look for the sign up sheet for conferences attached to the Jacaranda clipboard. Ms. Leck will meet with parents for thirty minutes on November 15, 16 and 17 from 1-4:30 pm, or 1-6 pm on Wednesday.
JUNIPER
The extra hours spent at school by children who stay for the all day program afford those children opportunities that are tailored to their particular needs, with the understanding that these children are in a unique situation. It is not simply a matter of keeping them occupied until their parents arrive. Rather, the late afternoon for many children coincides with a point in their natural energy cycle in which they are predisposed to engaging again in prolonged, focused periods of work. Just as in the morning work period, children in the afternoon are guided toward purposeful work, whether it be sensorial exercises, practical life exercises, math works, gardening, or tea. Many of these activities are viewed by the children as "special", things they cannot normally do during the day, adding further appeal and enjoyment.
During the afternoon, many children choose to do the tea work. Usually, one child will decide he/she wants to do the work and then will invite a friend to join them. The tea work is an autonomous work, except that a teacher heats the water and pours the hot water into the teapot (along with advising the children that it is very hot). The children open the tea bag, put it in the tea pot, determine when it is finished brewing, pour their own tea, and engage in conversation of their choosing as they enjoy their beverage. When finished, they wash the dishes and return the material to the shelf where there are frequently more children anxiously waiting for their turn. Overall, this activity is one that the children thoroughly enjoy, and they engage in it often.
LIVE OAK
Happy Halloween!!!! It seems the whole week has been in preparation for the end of the week. Monday was a great In-service day with our guest speaker helping us to remember the importance of conversation with our young children. Tuesday we had a great time coming back together. Wednesday, Ms Faust came to help make goodie bags and Mr. Moody came for movement. Thursday, Mr. Thompson came to finish the goody bags and Mr. Hoffman came for music. We had our first round of observations. I hope you all had a great time and felt welcomed and got a good taste of a typical day in Live Oak. This is the end of our study about North America. Tomorrow we will celebrate this and Halloween with a Pinata and of course our big parade and party. Next week we begin our study of amphibians, trees and South America. I also want to acknowledge the beginning our material making group that is meeting on Thursdays and everyone who is helping with the party tomorrow. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
GINKGO
On Thursday, October 28, 2005 we had Elliott's 4th birthday celebration. Elliott's mom, Dana, told the class the story of Elliott's life. Elliott brought a gift to the class, a book titled "Be Nice to Spiders".
Thank you to Marni Hunter, Campbell's mom, for coming in and making "goodie bags" with the children.
This week, the sound of the week was "G". The children brought in Glasses, Goose, Grader, Giraffe, and Goldfish to share!
In Live Oak, Ms. McDonald, is still reading "The Secret Garden". We're on the 14th Chapter!
MAGNOLIA
A big thank you to parent volunteers! Hannah's dad Kyle came in on Tuesday to carve pumpkins. At circle that day we closed the blinds and turned of the lights and lit candles in the jack-o-lanterns and sang fall songs. Connor's mom, Meghan, also came in that day to help us decorate our craft bags for Friday. The children really enjoyed this project and the bags look very festive!
We had our first wet weather this week. The children still go outside to get some exercise between bouts of rain so make sure to provide your child with a waterproof coat and boots. Please check your child's extra clothes box to make sure they have weather appropriate attire to change into if they get wet or muddy outside.
MULBERRY
The Mulberry class has had a busy week. Wednesday Katie Barnes came in and carved pumpkins, Thursday Elizabeth Knowlton painted brown paper bag pumpkins, and Jennie Harper read Halloween stories to the class. Thank you Ella Fenster for the beautiful flowers. The class planted them in our outside flower box. Thank you to all the parents who have helped with the planning of our Halloween celebration, especially our great Room Parents! The children have enjoyed watching the pumpkin patch grow. Thanks to all who remembered to bring in a pumpkin to share.
As mentioned in our back to school night we are getting closer to starting our cloth diaper program. After consulting other programs we have decided to order two diaper wraps per child. The billing for diapers will be as follows:
3 1/2 days - $10 a month
3 full days - $12 a month
3 extended days - $15 a month
5 1/2 days - $12 a month
5 full days - $15 a month
5 extended days - $18 a month
We will keep you updated as soon as we get the wraps and diaper service set up.
CAMELLIA
It has been a very busy week. We’ve had parents come in to read Halloween stories, which the children have really enjoyed. Thank you to Katya, Isa's mom, and Diane, Michael's mom, for setting up the pumpkin carving activities. The children dug the seeds out and decorated them with glitter. They look beautiful! We all had a great time. A BIG, BIG thank you to the Camellia Room Parents for getting our Halloween supplies. They did a wonderful job.
Reminder: Next week’s sound is "H". Please encourage your child to bring something in to share for Sound of the Week (hat, handprint, hairbrush).
During the afternoons the Brown Cottage classes continue to do a lot of practical life work, including table washing and watering plants in our yard. Children self-serve snack if they get hungry and wash their dishes. And also we do a lot of music and movement.
