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Friday, March 10, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Calendar
3/22 Mini-Book fair starring David M. Schwartz 3 – 5 pm
3/31 Pennies for Patients Root Beer Float sale 2:30-4:30
4/22 School Auction 2 pm
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
April 22nd
2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Sequoyah Country Club
(Tickets on sale March 17th)
The Auction is only 7 weeks away! Been thinking about donating?? Now is the time!!
Help us continue, increase and improve the great arts and education enrichment programs, and special assemblies for our GLM students.
Diane Spiegel and Marni Hunter will be available at both upper and lower campus drop-off and pick-up locations to collect your donations!
When: March 15th
Tmes: 8:00 – 9:00 am
2:45 – 3:30 pm
You can also drop off your donations to the office anytime, or call us – we can do pick-ups!
Parent donations are the primary source of revenue for our auctions – do you (or your employer) have extra sports tickets? Restaurant or other gift certificates? Weekend house? Art, jewelry? Willing to host a special event? Any items of value – large or small - benefit the school!!
Questions about donating? Call Donations Chair Diane Spiegel at 510-465-9097. Other Questions and Volunteer Opportunities? Call Co-Chairs Marni Hunter at 510-604-2973, or Heidi Hudson at 510-381-0447.
BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION
On many General Mills product is a clip-out logo called “Boxtops for Education”. GLM gets money for every boxtop we turn in! Have your child look for the boxtops, clip them out, and bring to school. There are collection boxes at each campus area and in both offices.
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 with the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class. The sound for next week is “W”, as in Water, Witch, and Wool.
MINI-BOOK FAIR MARCH 22
GLM is pleased to announce a mini-book fair starring David M. Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz has been delighting children for over 20 years with his whimsical tales involving science and nature. His first book, “How Much is a Million”, was first published in 1985, and he has written nearly 50 other books since then, including “G is for Googol”, which won several awards. Please join us in the elementary building from 3 to 5 pm to meet Mr. Schwartz and peruse his numerous titles.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
Here are the breakdowns of what the classes have raised in total for Pennies for Patients:
Camellia - $47.86 Mulberry – $6.35 Ginkgo – $7.60
Magnolia - $80.13 Jacaranda - $95.87 Live Oak - $71.99
Juniper - $118.56 Redwood - $168.79 Total to date: $597.15
We will continue collecting change (and bills!). Remember, the class that raises the most $$ is treated to a pizza party!
In addition to collecting change the elementary class is having a Root Beer Float sale to raise extra funds for Pennies for Patients. This will be March 31st between 2:30 and 4;30. There will be a booth at the Chetwood entrance, and a second on the asphalt play area.
Thank you for your support!
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
This week the children are learning a new song in Spanish. They sound wonderful! Mr. Hoffman also has been encouraging the children to write their own songs using their recorders so that they can teach the songs to the rest of the group. They are learning to recognize music notes that they hear but don't see Mr. Hoffman play on the recorder instrument.
The second years began their study of the Asante people of Africa this week. The Asante people are indigenous to Ghana and are known for their elaborate storytellers who act out Ananse fables for the children in the villages. Ananse is known as a spider that possesses the ability to change his appearance from a spider to a man and is regarded as a trickster among the Asante. This week I read “A Story, A Story” in honor of the Asante. Some of the older children were excited to hear the story again. For the younger children, it was nice to hear how Ananse (the Spider) got his stories to share with the world.
The third years have begun their study of the Inuit People this week. We have been studying the land bridge theory that many archaeologists have come to believe in; the theory that there was a land mass, Beringia, which connected the continents of Asia and North America. Nomadic peoples from Southern Asia and North Africa are said to have followed wild game across this land bridge and when the weather began to warm Beringia was flooded, trapping the people on the continent of North America. Some of these people traveled further south and some remained in Alaska. The latter would become known as the Inuits. Another thing the children learned is that this group of people is also known by the name of Eskimo but this name is another incorrect label that was placed upon a group of people. The name Eskimo actually means "eater of raw flesh" in the Algonquin language. Although many Inuits do eat some raw fish, for protein purposes, they also eat cooked meats and fish.
The fourth years have been focusing on the study of California Native Americans. They made a map of all of the tribes of California and are comparing those to the names of many cities in California today. We also began to discuss where their tribal lands are actually located today and the destruction that was created within these tribes when they faced mandatory government moves. The fourth years have also been very interested in the ways in which the various tribes met their fundamental needs, especially the spiritual need of basket weaving. They have been studying and comparing what the basket patterns symbolize and the materials needed to make the baskets from the various tribes.
The sixth years have been studying the Freedom of Speech Act and what its impact has been on the United States. It really is a unique concept founded with the founding of this country. This week they split into three groups with two of the groups actually campaigning against one another for president. The third group has the job of interrupting one of the groups. The campaign includes speeches that are being presented to the other children in the class. They have been focusing on the responsibility that comes with freedom of speech and the impact that someone's choice of speech has made on this country historically.
JACARANDA
The class has started "job time" everyday, when every child has chosen a job from a list of work on a wall chart. When the particular music plays before the late morning circle, the class members remember and go to their work, which is mainly Practical Life throughout the classroom environment.
Happy Birthday to Luna and to Olivia, and thanks for the banana plant and two CDs, respectively. We enjoy celebrating your birthdays together in the Jacaranda class.
Congratulations to Cheyenne's family, who welcomed Cheyenne's new baby brother, Cody, into the world on Wednesday. We hope all is well and we are very happy for your family!
The class has been planting seeds in the garden outside the building: cantaloupe, sunflower and wildflower so far. The germination and growth rates are different for each plant, and we are watering and watching every day for the first seedlings.
Ms. Leck read a book about how our bodies fight germs to the class earlier this week, giving public and personal health perspectives. A moldy orange demonstrated the bacteria, and there were many drawings of spiky viruses that afternoon. The discussion highlighted the children's understanding of the need for personal hygiene!
During the study of birds the question was asked, "What makes a bird?," and we narrowed the answer down to...feathers! Birds share many other traits with other animals, but no other animal has feathers. Afterwards, the children studied feathers taken from the parakeet cage.
Thank you to Laura Lorenz, who spent an entire morning in the Jacaranda classroom helping the children with the auction project. Each child will have his or her own project available for purchase at the auction this year.
With spring around the corner, the children have been spending more time outside in the gardens. In Mrs. Campbell's yard, we pulled bark from a fallen log and found a salamander, a beetle and a slug.
JUNIPER
With many colds and runny noses, we are teaching the children to wash their hands every time they blow their nose or sneeze and to cough into their elbow. As the children learn to care for themselves, we ask that you assist this important process by reinforcing these behaviors at home.
FYI - A solution of bleach and water is the most widely recommended and cheapest disinfectant. Just mix 1/4-1/2 cup bleach for every gallon of water.
Thank you to all the parents who have come to our classroom to read to the children. We all enjoy your being here and sharing with us. We wish everyone with March birthdays a Happy Birthday and thanks for the wonderful (and healthful!) birthday snacks and gifts.
At the end of January, the children experienced many activities to celebrate Lunar New Year. The children listened to topical stories and even tried their hands at making dumplings. They were excited to use a Chinese paintbrush to write Chinese characters, such as "luck" and "spring" on red paper.
Thanks also to Jackie's grandmother, Sonia, for the beautiful quilt that she made with the children for the Sound of the Week. The quilt is on display in the Juniper bathroom for anyone who'd like to see it.
GINKGO
Cindy Fressola and Virginia Cafaro came in the classroom on Tuesday and did a project with the children for the Wine and Cheese event coming in April. The children did the first step of the project and look forward to seeing the finished work on a later date.
Special thank you to Campbell's grandmother, Peggy Hunter, came in to talk to the children about a Japanese Holiday, "Girl's Day". The children enjoyed listening to the stories told about Girl's Day and how it is celebrated. In honor of the celebration Mrs. Hunter dressed Livi Cafero-Mirviss, Campbell Hunter, Ms. Smith and Gabriel Bedford in Kimonos. They looked great! And we had a special snack that some children decided to save and take home to show their parents, but most of the children ate their snack with the group. Marni Hunter then read a story to the children. We had a wonderful time!
Sound of the Week:
The children bought in a lot of items this week. Thank you to parents for helping their children remember their items from home.
The Ginkgo teachers would like to wish everyone a wonderful weekend!
LIVE OAK
We celebrated three birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Lali (3), Vikram (5) and Mark (5). The rejoicing was fun and the children donated some great books for our library and sticker books to make materials with. Thank you all so much!
We have a great gardening team set up. Teachers from the whole campus are participating in different areas of the campus. Live Oak will be responsible for annual and perennial flowers where the daffodils are now growing. The master plan is awesome and the campus will be alive all year with fruits and vegetables and herbs.
We also have a terrific sewing team set up. They will be helping us make aprons and work spaces for our outdoor environment and new classroom activities. They will also be sewing drawstring bags so we can eliminate backpacks next year (yeah!)
The children moving up to elementary next year began their visits this week. It was very exciting for them, complete with invitations and escorts.
In class, we are slowing the pace down a bit and paying new attention to basic “how tos”.
For example, we are practicing how to line up silently so we do not interrupt children who are working. We are also implementing “jobs” at lunchtime so the classroom can be left tidy for the afternoon. And, we are practicing being still like a statue for a message at the sound of a bell. The children are all practicing very diligently their new listening and awareness skills.
MAGNOLIA
Rain, rain, go away! We have been having some very wet weather these days, which means lots of rain gear. Many of the children have the same rain gear, for example ladybug boots (we have several pairs in our class alone). Please make sure your child's things are clearly labeled, from rain boots to lunch boxes to socks.
The auction projects are coming along rather nicely. We will be finished with the picture frames next week. A big thank you to Kyle Mueller, Hannah's dad, for helping us this week.
This week with Mr. Hoffman the children played “Name That Tune”. Mr. Hoffman played old favorites on his clarinet (like “Twinkle, Twinkle”) and the children would guess the song and sing along. The children really enjoyed this game. Mr. Hoffmann also explained how the clarinet works to the children.
MULBERRY
Erin, Emily, Veronica and Ms. Aima met and decided on painting tee-shirts and a child size table for the auction projects. We thought the children could put their handprints on both. For children who don't like to get their hands dirty we would trace their hands and paint them. I hope all of you will be able to attend the Wine and Cheese auction on April 22 at the beautiful Sequoia Country Club.
Monday the class celebrated Stella's birthday. The children had muffins and orange juice. We have been playing outside when it is not raining and on a couple of occasions had to run inside because it would suddenly start to pour. Some of the children really love to play in the rain. If your child has a raincoat and boots we can allow them to enjoy the rain.
A few of the children have brought in pennies for the Pennies for Patients drive. They really like sitting at a table and putting the pennies in the box.
Song of the week: Sun flower, sun flower, yellow and round,
You are the prettiest flower I’ve found.
Tall, thin, full of grace,
I love the light in your bright shiny face.
From the Infants and Toddler Magazine: Don't ever give them a choice unless you can take no for an answer. We each need to change our way of talking. Don't use "can you" and "will you" and "would you" and "should you," which I call the four letter words of toddlerville. You will get yourself in a fix. You can simply substitute the word please, which we all want them to learn anyway. “Please put the puzzle back on the shelf." You can say this if it is said at the right moment in time, when you know that the child is finished and before the child has engaged with something else. It is not being dictatorial. It is a form of verbal modeling.
CAMELLIA
Thank you to the Bolden-Monifa and Feldstein families for donating all the pennies!
Be sure to check your parent pocket and your child’s cubby when you pick up your child. There is frequently important information from the office and teachers. Thank you.. The sound for next week is "W" as in White, Whale, and Wine. Speaking of wine, the Wine and Cheese Tasting Auction is just around the corner! Each class has two projects to present. If you want to help with our projects or have any ideas, please contact Marni Hunter. Also, St. Patrick's Day is nearly here. If anyone would like to help with a project (bake some St. Pat's cookies, read a story about the day, etc.) please let the Camellia staff know.
Reminder: if you are late please ask one of the teachers to help you with good-bye: We don't want to disturb the children who are concentrating and working.
Calendar
3/22 Mini-Book fair starring David M. Schwartz 3 – 5 pm
3/31 Pennies for Patients Root Beer Float sale 2:30-4:30
4/22 School Auction 2 pm
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
April 22nd
2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Sequoyah Country Club
(Tickets on sale March 17th)
The Auction is only 7 weeks away! Been thinking about donating?? Now is the time!!
Help us continue, increase and improve the great arts and education enrichment programs, and special assemblies for our GLM students.
Diane Spiegel and Marni Hunter will be available at both upper and lower campus drop-off and pick-up locations to collect your donations!
When: March 15th
Tmes: 8:00 – 9:00 am
2:45 – 3:30 pm
You can also drop off your donations to the office anytime, or call us – we can do pick-ups!
Parent donations are the primary source of revenue for our auctions – do you (or your employer) have extra sports tickets? Restaurant or other gift certificates? Weekend house? Art, jewelry? Willing to host a special event? Any items of value – large or small - benefit the school!!
Questions about donating? Call Donations Chair Diane Spiegel at 510-465-9097. Other Questions and Volunteer Opportunities? Call Co-Chairs Marni Hunter at 510-604-2973, or Heidi Hudson at 510-381-0447.
BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION
On many General Mills product is a clip-out logo called “Boxtops for Education”. GLM gets money for every boxtop we turn in! Have your child look for the boxtops, clip them out, and bring to school. There are collection boxes at each campus area and in both offices.
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 with the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class. The sound for next week is “W”, as in Water, Witch, and Wool.
MINI-BOOK FAIR MARCH 22
GLM is pleased to announce a mini-book fair starring David M. Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz has been delighting children for over 20 years with his whimsical tales involving science and nature. His first book, “How Much is a Million”, was first published in 1985, and he has written nearly 50 other books since then, including “G is for Googol”, which won several awards. Please join us in the elementary building from 3 to 5 pm to meet Mr. Schwartz and peruse his numerous titles.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
Here are the breakdowns of what the classes have raised in total for Pennies for Patients:
Camellia - $47.86 Mulberry – $6.35 Ginkgo – $7.60
Magnolia - $80.13 Jacaranda - $95.87 Live Oak - $71.99
Juniper - $118.56 Redwood - $168.79 Total to date: $597.15
We will continue collecting change (and bills!). Remember, the class that raises the most $$ is treated to a pizza party!
In addition to collecting change the elementary class is having a Root Beer Float sale to raise extra funds for Pennies for Patients. This will be March 31st between 2:30 and 4;30. There will be a booth at the Chetwood entrance, and a second on the asphalt play area.
Thank you for your support!
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
This week the children are learning a new song in Spanish. They sound wonderful! Mr. Hoffman also has been encouraging the children to write their own songs using their recorders so that they can teach the songs to the rest of the group. They are learning to recognize music notes that they hear but don't see Mr. Hoffman play on the recorder instrument.
The second years began their study of the Asante people of Africa this week. The Asante people are indigenous to Ghana and are known for their elaborate storytellers who act out Ananse fables for the children in the villages. Ananse is known as a spider that possesses the ability to change his appearance from a spider to a man and is regarded as a trickster among the Asante. This week I read “A Story, A Story” in honor of the Asante. Some of the older children were excited to hear the story again. For the younger children, it was nice to hear how Ananse (the Spider) got his stories to share with the world.
The third years have begun their study of the Inuit People this week. We have been studying the land bridge theory that many archaeologists have come to believe in; the theory that there was a land mass, Beringia, which connected the continents of Asia and North America. Nomadic peoples from Southern Asia and North Africa are said to have followed wild game across this land bridge and when the weather began to warm Beringia was flooded, trapping the people on the continent of North America. Some of these people traveled further south and some remained in Alaska. The latter would become known as the Inuits. Another thing the children learned is that this group of people is also known by the name of Eskimo but this name is another incorrect label that was placed upon a group of people. The name Eskimo actually means "eater of raw flesh" in the Algonquin language. Although many Inuits do eat some raw fish, for protein purposes, they also eat cooked meats and fish.
The fourth years have been focusing on the study of California Native Americans. They made a map of all of the tribes of California and are comparing those to the names of many cities in California today. We also began to discuss where their tribal lands are actually located today and the destruction that was created within these tribes when they faced mandatory government moves. The fourth years have also been very interested in the ways in which the various tribes met their fundamental needs, especially the spiritual need of basket weaving. They have been studying and comparing what the basket patterns symbolize and the materials needed to make the baskets from the various tribes.
The sixth years have been studying the Freedom of Speech Act and what its impact has been on the United States. It really is a unique concept founded with the founding of this country. This week they split into three groups with two of the groups actually campaigning against one another for president. The third group has the job of interrupting one of the groups. The campaign includes speeches that are being presented to the other children in the class. They have been focusing on the responsibility that comes with freedom of speech and the impact that someone's choice of speech has made on this country historically.
JACARANDA
The class has started "job time" everyday, when every child has chosen a job from a list of work on a wall chart. When the particular music plays before the late morning circle, the class members remember and go to their work, which is mainly Practical Life throughout the classroom environment.
Happy Birthday to Luna and to Olivia, and thanks for the banana plant and two CDs, respectively. We enjoy celebrating your birthdays together in the Jacaranda class.
Congratulations to Cheyenne's family, who welcomed Cheyenne's new baby brother, Cody, into the world on Wednesday. We hope all is well and we are very happy for your family!
The class has been planting seeds in the garden outside the building: cantaloupe, sunflower and wildflower so far. The germination and growth rates are different for each plant, and we are watering and watching every day for the first seedlings.
Ms. Leck read a book about how our bodies fight germs to the class earlier this week, giving public and personal health perspectives. A moldy orange demonstrated the bacteria, and there were many drawings of spiky viruses that afternoon. The discussion highlighted the children's understanding of the need for personal hygiene!
During the study of birds the question was asked, "What makes a bird?," and we narrowed the answer down to...feathers! Birds share many other traits with other animals, but no other animal has feathers. Afterwards, the children studied feathers taken from the parakeet cage.
Thank you to Laura Lorenz, who spent an entire morning in the Jacaranda classroom helping the children with the auction project. Each child will have his or her own project available for purchase at the auction this year.
With spring around the corner, the children have been spending more time outside in the gardens. In Mrs. Campbell's yard, we pulled bark from a fallen log and found a salamander, a beetle and a slug.
JUNIPER
With many colds and runny noses, we are teaching the children to wash their hands every time they blow their nose or sneeze and to cough into their elbow. As the children learn to care for themselves, we ask that you assist this important process by reinforcing these behaviors at home.
FYI - A solution of bleach and water is the most widely recommended and cheapest disinfectant. Just mix 1/4-1/2 cup bleach for every gallon of water.
Thank you to all the parents who have come to our classroom to read to the children. We all enjoy your being here and sharing with us. We wish everyone with March birthdays a Happy Birthday and thanks for the wonderful (and healthful!) birthday snacks and gifts.
At the end of January, the children experienced many activities to celebrate Lunar New Year. The children listened to topical stories and even tried their hands at making dumplings. They were excited to use a Chinese paintbrush to write Chinese characters, such as "luck" and "spring" on red paper.
Thanks also to Jackie's grandmother, Sonia, for the beautiful quilt that she made with the children for the Sound of the Week. The quilt is on display in the Juniper bathroom for anyone who'd like to see it.
GINKGO
Cindy Fressola and Virginia Cafaro came in the classroom on Tuesday and did a project with the children for the Wine and Cheese event coming in April. The children did the first step of the project and look forward to seeing the finished work on a later date.
Special thank you to Campbell's grandmother, Peggy Hunter, came in to talk to the children about a Japanese Holiday, "Girl's Day". The children enjoyed listening to the stories told about Girl's Day and how it is celebrated. In honor of the celebration Mrs. Hunter dressed Livi Cafero-Mirviss, Campbell Hunter, Ms. Smith and Gabriel Bedford in Kimonos. They looked great! And we had a special snack that some children decided to save and take home to show their parents, but most of the children ate their snack with the group. Marni Hunter then read a story to the children. We had a wonderful time!
Sound of the Week:
The children bought in a lot of items this week. Thank you to parents for helping their children remember their items from home.
The Ginkgo teachers would like to wish everyone a wonderful weekend!
LIVE OAK
We celebrated three birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Lali (3), Vikram (5) and Mark (5). The rejoicing was fun and the children donated some great books for our library and sticker books to make materials with. Thank you all so much!
We have a great gardening team set up. Teachers from the whole campus are participating in different areas of the campus. Live Oak will be responsible for annual and perennial flowers where the daffodils are now growing. The master plan is awesome and the campus will be alive all year with fruits and vegetables and herbs.
We also have a terrific sewing team set up. They will be helping us make aprons and work spaces for our outdoor environment and new classroom activities. They will also be sewing drawstring bags so we can eliminate backpacks next year (yeah!)
The children moving up to elementary next year began their visits this week. It was very exciting for them, complete with invitations and escorts.
In class, we are slowing the pace down a bit and paying new attention to basic “how tos”.
For example, we are practicing how to line up silently so we do not interrupt children who are working. We are also implementing “jobs” at lunchtime so the classroom can be left tidy for the afternoon. And, we are practicing being still like a statue for a message at the sound of a bell. The children are all practicing very diligently their new listening and awareness skills.
MAGNOLIA
Rain, rain, go away! We have been having some very wet weather these days, which means lots of rain gear. Many of the children have the same rain gear, for example ladybug boots (we have several pairs in our class alone). Please make sure your child's things are clearly labeled, from rain boots to lunch boxes to socks.
The auction projects are coming along rather nicely. We will be finished with the picture frames next week. A big thank you to Kyle Mueller, Hannah's dad, for helping us this week.
This week with Mr. Hoffman the children played “Name That Tune”. Mr. Hoffman played old favorites on his clarinet (like “Twinkle, Twinkle”) and the children would guess the song and sing along. The children really enjoyed this game. Mr. Hoffmann also explained how the clarinet works to the children.
MULBERRY
Erin, Emily, Veronica and Ms. Aima met and decided on painting tee-shirts and a child size table for the auction projects. We thought the children could put their handprints on both. For children who don't like to get their hands dirty we would trace their hands and paint them. I hope all of you will be able to attend the Wine and Cheese auction on April 22 at the beautiful Sequoia Country Club.
Monday the class celebrated Stella's birthday. The children had muffins and orange juice. We have been playing outside when it is not raining and on a couple of occasions had to run inside because it would suddenly start to pour. Some of the children really love to play in the rain. If your child has a raincoat and boots we can allow them to enjoy the rain.
A few of the children have brought in pennies for the Pennies for Patients drive. They really like sitting at a table and putting the pennies in the box.
Song of the week: Sun flower, sun flower, yellow and round,
You are the prettiest flower I’ve found.
Tall, thin, full of grace,
I love the light in your bright shiny face.
From the Infants and Toddler Magazine: Don't ever give them a choice unless you can take no for an answer. We each need to change our way of talking. Don't use "can you" and "will you" and "would you" and "should you," which I call the four letter words of toddlerville. You will get yourself in a fix. You can simply substitute the word please, which we all want them to learn anyway. “Please put the puzzle back on the shelf." You can say this if it is said at the right moment in time, when you know that the child is finished and before the child has engaged with something else. It is not being dictatorial. It is a form of verbal modeling.
CAMELLIA
Thank you to the Bolden-Monifa and Feldstein families for donating all the pennies!
Be sure to check your parent pocket and your child’s cubby when you pick up your child. There is frequently important information from the office and teachers. Thank you.. The sound for next week is "W" as in White, Whale, and Wine. Speaking of wine, the Wine and Cheese Tasting Auction is just around the corner! Each class has two projects to present. If you want to help with our projects or have any ideas, please contact Marni Hunter. Also, St. Patrick's Day is nearly here. If anyone would like to help with a project (bake some St. Pat's cookies, read a story about the day, etc.) please let the Camellia staff know.
Reminder: if you are late please ask one of the teachers to help you with good-bye: We don't want to disturb the children who are concentrating and working.
