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Friday, March 17, 2006
Friday, March 17, 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
4/3 All-school assembly 10 am – Wildlife Associates
4/19 Emergency Prep. Meeting 5 – 7 pm in Helen Campbell’s house
4/22 School Auction 2 pm
5/6 Work Party 10 am - 2 pm
7th ANNUAL GLM AUCTION
April 22nd
2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Sequoyah Country Club
(Tickets on sale March 17th)
Please check your parent Pocket for detailed information about the upcoming Auction, Kid’s Fest, and more!
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.
ART CLASS FOR 5 YEAR OLDS
Mr. Keating and Mr. Boyer are conducting an art class on Tuesdays, from 4 – 5 pm for children 5 years and older. The class is in the elementary building and there is no fee (you will be billed for childcare for the hour). There is room for 6 more 5 year olds. Please email Ms. Rankins if you are interested at: redwoodteacher@grandlakemontessori.com.
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 “X” as in eXert, eXamine, and eXtra.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
In our continued efforts to raise awareness and offer suggestions to our GLM staff and families, we would like to share the following information that may be helpful to you in the event of an emergency (taken in part from The Herculean):
During an earthquake there is an increased survival rate for people using the method of “triangle of life”. Do not hide under something, or in a doorway. When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This is what is called the “triangle of life”. The larger and stronger the object, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The “triangle of life” areas are alongside a bed, next to a sofa or a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it. Curl up in the fetal position in the void. Do not use the stairs during or after an earthquake. They swing separately from the main part of the building. Even if the quake does not collapse the stairs, they may collapse later and should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
Weencourage you to identify the safest places in each room of your home and practice duck, cover and hold.
The Emergency Preparedness Committee has been very active with meetings and projects during March and April (next meeting is 4/19). There will be a work party May 6 with tasks revolving around earthquake preparedness, gardening and other jobs. Watch for more information.
VOLUNTEER JOB OFFER: BOX TOPS COORDINATOR
Position entails the following:
· Encourage GLM families to cut out the Box Tops for Education coupons found on packages of General Mills cereals, Ziploc products, Betty Crocker and other food products from General Mills. And, NEW for 2006—Kimberly-Clark paper products such as Kleenex, Scott, Viva, and Cottonelle.
· Spread the word about the locations of coupon-collecting containers placed all around the GLM campus
· Periodically collect the coupons, count them, and send them to General Mills. General Mills sends a check to our school twice a year! It’s CASH—not some kind of corporate scrip.
Additional, optional duties:
· Visit the classrooms and tell the kids about this way to raise money for our school. Visits could include showing the children pictures of the coupons, so they can make sure the coupons don’t end up in the recycling bin at home. Or, perhaps an art project such as a coupon collection envelope to stick on the refrigerator at home.
· Encourage use of the Box Tops for Education website (www.boxtops4education.com) as a starting point for online shopping, which would bring in additional money for our school.
· Boost the Box Tops Booster Club!
This volunteer job counts toward your Parent Participation Hours. The amount of time you put into it, and the scheduling of the hours, are very, very flexible.
Please contact Cindy Fressola for more information.
Email: Fressola@msn.com
PARENT FEEDBACK
When the school has outside specialists come to the school (Tuff Tumblers, Akido) we rely on parent feedback as to the quality of the program. Please let your child’s teachers or the school office know what you think of the programs we offer and the specialists involved with them.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
Here are the breakdowns of what the classes have raised this week for Pennies for Patients:
Camellia - $0.56 Mulberry – $0.00 Ginkgo – $46.43
Magnolia - $13.84 Jacaranda - $11.57 Live Oak - $39.87
Juniper - $37.14 Redwood - $24.77 Total to date: $775.20
The elementary children will be collecting change during the morning drop-off next Thursday, between 8:15 and 9 am.
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 2:0 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)
The elementary class has been observing the transition of caterpillars to butterflies in their butterfly pavilion. The third years, who have been focusing in depth on the life forming transformation, have been studying this process. We currently have the chrysalides in our room. The children are learning to be very quiet and not move as quickly around the chrysalides because of their fragile state. It is very exciting to watch!
The second years have made Akuaba dolls this week. The Akuaba doll is a wooden doll from Ghana and is used by young girls who wish to have healthy babies. The dolls have wide foreheads and stretched necks...two traits that the people of Ghana feel are associated with beauty (Zoe then replied, "Ms. Rankins that must be why your forehead is so big...your dad's from Ghana!" Thank you Zoe!)
The third years were so excited to begin physical science. They are studying motion. This week they are focusing on frames of reference. They completed an experiment with a mini race car and an incline to determine speed in relation to various frames of reference.
The sixth years are learning to identify minerals based on various tests that they place the minerals through: luster, cleavage, hardness, color, streak, magnetism, and reaction to acid (vinegar).
The third years are completing their creative writing stories that take place during the Renaissance. These stories are anywhere from 4 pages to 8 pages long! They have a tremendous amount of detail included in them. The children had an outline to follow (which was designed for 6th graders). They have worked very hard on these stories! I am extremely proud of all of them. I am going to hang the stories on the entryway door of our room so please come by and take a minute to read them.
JACARANDA
As the latest round of colds runs through the class, with over half of the kids coughing one day earlier this week, we gave a grace and courtesy group lesson on how to cough into one's elbow.
Thank you to Nancy Appel, Sadie's mom, for celebrating Purim on Tuesday. The class shared Hamantaschen for snack, which are pastries shaped like a hat in the story of Purim.
Seen in the classroom: Two four year olds together over a rug with the puzzle map of the USA. One says "Close your eyes!" while they play a game of identifying the states by touch, a game that they created themselves. In turn, he says to his friend "Now you can choose whatever you want."
Overheard in class: “Are you in love with love duck?"
"No."
"Well, I am falling in love with the love duck."
And:
"1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5" says a child, "I'm singing 'jingle bells' in 5's."
The afternoon class studied "Reason for a Flower" which is to make seeds to make more plants, and "What Makes a Bird a Bird," when the children learned that only birds have feathers.
Two five year olds laid out the entire 1000 chain, complete with "tickets," or the numbers written on small cards, in less than two hours on Friday, so excited and enthusiastic that their positive energy carried over into the entire classroom.
We listened to the Chieftains, an Irish band, Friday and read some leprechaun-based stories, too. The children have an authentic Irish jig or two in them, it appears!
JUNIPER
March marks the beginning of spring, and with it comes spring showers. Please be sure your child is prepared for outdoor play even during rainy weather by equipping him/her with:
- Slip-on rain boots that are easy for your child to put on and take off (even after rain has stopped, there are often puddles and water in the yard)
- Raincoats with a hood (please NO UMBRELLAS)
- Waterproof pants (bibs or pull-on pants)
- Check the change of clothes bag for spare pants and socks
Happy birthday to all for the month of March. We have had many joyful moments with one another celebrating these special days. Thanks to all of the parents for the wonderful snacks: smoothies, ginger snaps, tangerines and carrot muffins. Thanks also for the gifts to Juniper: plants, a pencil sharpener, and pencils.
As spring gets into full swing, we will be gardening every Thursday. If there are parents that would like to help with this fun activity, please see Ms. Koerber. We've already planted mint for tea making and strawberries to share with the school.
Thanks to Stephanie (Sophie's mom) for sharing with us about Purim, how every year the Jewish people celebrate this happy time by dressing in costumes and masks to represent King Ahashverosh, Queen Esther, Mordechai, and Haman. The story of Purim is read and people shake "graggers" (noisemakers) every time someone mentions the name Haman because no one wants to hear the name of that mean man. Also, a special food is eaten called "hamantaschen" (a tart-like cookie). Hamantaschen is the name for a three-cornered hat worn by the bad guy Haman.
An advance thanks to Mark and Ali Cota (Jake and Gaby's parents) for celebrating St. Patrick's Day with Juniper on Friday, March 17.
GINKGO
On Monday March 13, 2006 we had a Purim Celebration. Felix Moon, Rudy's mom, came in the classroom and told the children a story about Haman, who wanted Jewish people to move off of his land. Queen Esther, who was Jewish, talked the King into protecting the Jewish people.
After the story the children made Hamantaschen cookies in the shape of Haman's Hat to remember that special day. We ate the cookies after lunch.
On Friday, March 17, we had a St. Patrick's Day party. Joanne Morgan brought all the supplies we needed for the celebration. We made cookies to take home and a few other special projects. Thank you, to Sarah Goldberg for coming in to help the class with all the activities.
Sound of the week was "W". Children brought in Wheels, a Weather report, Watches, and a Walrus!
A dump truck came this week to the yard while the children were outside playing. The children stood and watched while the truck dumped tanbark in a pile on the yard. When the dump truck was finished the children, all together, with their fists in the air began to chant "More!" "More!" "More!"
Everyone, have a wonderful weekend!
LIVE OAK
I have a great Live Oak story to tell you. Several weeks ago our line on the floor was taken up for cleaning. It didn’t get replaced. On Friday I gave the lesson of sweeping and saw the children were having difficulty making a pile. After school that afternoon, I marked a small square in the middle of the room for pile making while sweeping. On Monday morning a group of children were standing around the new square and someone said, ”Look, Ms. MacDonald made us a mini walking-on-the-line!” And then they took turns walking on it. Of course, when I heard that I created a real line for them and they have walked on the line every day this week.
I think the children are all going through big growth and learning spurts. It’s amazing the number of children who are ready for number work or having explosion into reading or who have taken interest in illustrating maps or geometric shapes. The younger children have taken a new interest in the sensorial games and extensions. And we are all enjoying learning the names of flowers and mammals.
MAGNOLIA
A big thank you to Meghan O'Leary, Connor's mom, and Rob Anderson, Jack's dad, for coming in this week to help out with auction projects. We are all set for volunteers for next week as well. Thank you all! Ms. Owens has also started a large canvas collage painting with the children that will be available for sale at the auction.
In honor of St. Patrick's Day Mr. Hoffman played some Irish music for the children with a flute and a fiddle. We will also be having a special snack and a story for the holiday.
The children have begun learning two new Spanish songs for spring; "De Colores" a song about the colors in spring time, and "Los Pollitos" about little chicks.
MULBERRY
Mulberry class has been busy working on our auction projects. Thanks to all of the parents who have signed up to help. A special thanks to Erin and Veronica for doing the shopping. The t-shirt project is taking longer than anticipated. Each child is picking the colors he/she wants for the handprints so the shirts truly will be of their own expression.
The class has been really into cleaning lately! There has been lots of scrubbing of tables, mopping, and sweeping going on.
Thank you to Emi for shopping for the Brown Cottage and buying such a great rug for the kitchen.
Kennedy, from elementary, came in and read to the children. The class really looks forward to elementary children spending time with them. Now, when the big children walk by the play yard the toddlers all excitedly say “Hi!”
Song of the week:
Way up high in a tree
Three red apples smiled at me.
So I shook that tree just as hard as I could
Down came the apples, umm, umm, good!
CAMELLIA
It is almost time for the Wine and Cheese Tasting/Auction! Mark the date on your calendars; April, 22, from 2pm to 7pm at the Sequoyah Country Club. If you have any ideas for our project or have time to help, please contact Marni Hunter or Diane Spiegel. Thank you!
Remember next week’s sound is "X". Please encourage your child to bring an object and be sure to label it so it returns home.
Pennies for Patients: So far, Camellia class has raised $47.86. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, but the event is not over yet - so please look behind the car seats, under the sofa and bed. Mr. Tien always finds loose change under his bed. And by the way, we're not just collecting pennies - bills are welcome too!
A child was doing the knobs cylinder carefully and quietly, taking it out one by one. Behind her were two other children, singing and jumping. The working child didn't turn around once. She continued working on the cylinder with intense focus and strong concentration.
If you're going to be late to class or have an appointment please contact the office or call the Brown Cottage (510-622-0258). When you come in please ask one of the teachers for assistance if your child is having a difficult good-bye.
Favorite song this week:
I'm waiting, I'm waiting
Just to see, just to see,
Who's sitting quietly, who's sitting quietly,
Hands on your lap,
Fold your legs.
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
4/3 All-school assembly 10 am – Wildlife Associates
4/19 Emergency Prep. Meeting 5 – 7 pm in Helen Campbell’s house
4/22 School Auction 2 pm
5/6 Work Party 10 am - 2 pm
7th ANNUAL GLM AUCTION
April 22nd
2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Sequoyah Country Club
(Tickets on sale March 17th)
Please check your parent Pocket for detailed information about the upcoming Auction, Kid’s Fest, and more!
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.
ART CLASS FOR 5 YEAR OLDS
Mr. Keating and Mr. Boyer are conducting an art class on Tuesdays, from 4 – 5 pm for children 5 years and older. The class is in the elementary building and there is no fee (you will be billed for childcare for the hour). There is room for 6 more 5 year olds. Please email Ms. Rankins if you are interested at: redwoodteacher@grandlakemontessori.com.
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 “X” as in eXert, eXamine, and eXtra.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
In our continued efforts to raise awareness and offer suggestions to our GLM staff and families, we would like to share the following information that may be helpful to you in the event of an emergency (taken in part from The Herculean):
During an earthquake there is an increased survival rate for people using the method of “triangle of life”. Do not hide under something, or in a doorway. When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This is what is called the “triangle of life”. The larger and stronger the object, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The “triangle of life” areas are alongside a bed, next to a sofa or a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it. Curl up in the fetal position in the void. Do not use the stairs during or after an earthquake. They swing separately from the main part of the building. Even if the quake does not collapse the stairs, they may collapse later and should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
Weencourage you to identify the safest places in each room of your home and practice duck, cover and hold.
The Emergency Preparedness Committee has been very active with meetings and projects during March and April (next meeting is 4/19). There will be a work party May 6 with tasks revolving around earthquake preparedness, gardening and other jobs. Watch for more information.
VOLUNTEER JOB OFFER: BOX TOPS COORDINATOR
Position entails the following:
· Encourage GLM families to cut out the Box Tops for Education coupons found on packages of General Mills cereals, Ziploc products, Betty Crocker and other food products from General Mills. And, NEW for 2006—Kimberly-Clark paper products such as Kleenex, Scott, Viva, and Cottonelle.
· Spread the word about the locations of coupon-collecting containers placed all around the GLM campus
· Periodically collect the coupons, count them, and send them to General Mills. General Mills sends a check to our school twice a year! It’s CASH—not some kind of corporate scrip.
Additional, optional duties:
· Visit the classrooms and tell the kids about this way to raise money for our school. Visits could include showing the children pictures of the coupons, so they can make sure the coupons don’t end up in the recycling bin at home. Or, perhaps an art project such as a coupon collection envelope to stick on the refrigerator at home.
· Encourage use of the Box Tops for Education website (www.boxtops4education.com) as a starting point for online shopping, which would bring in additional money for our school.
· Boost the Box Tops Booster Club!
This volunteer job counts toward your Parent Participation Hours. The amount of time you put into it, and the scheduling of the hours, are very, very flexible.
Please contact Cindy Fressola for more information.
Email: Fressola@msn.com
PARENT FEEDBACK
When the school has outside specialists come to the school (Tuff Tumblers, Akido) we rely on parent feedback as to the quality of the program. Please let your child’s teachers or the school office know what you think of the programs we offer and the specialists involved with them.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
Here are the breakdowns of what the classes have raised this week for Pennies for Patients:
Camellia - $0.56 Mulberry – $0.00 Ginkgo – $46.43
Magnolia - $13.84 Jacaranda - $11.57 Live Oak - $39.87
Juniper - $37.14 Redwood - $24.77 Total to date: $775.20
The elementary children will be collecting change during the morning drop-off next Thursday, between 8:15 and 9 am.
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 2:0 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)
The elementary class has been observing the transition of caterpillars to butterflies in their butterfly pavilion. The third years, who have been focusing in depth on the life forming transformation, have been studying this process. We currently have the chrysalides in our room. The children are learning to be very quiet and not move as quickly around the chrysalides because of their fragile state. It is very exciting to watch!
The second years have made Akuaba dolls this week. The Akuaba doll is a wooden doll from Ghana and is used by young girls who wish to have healthy babies. The dolls have wide foreheads and stretched necks...two traits that the people of Ghana feel are associated with beauty (Zoe then replied, "Ms. Rankins that must be why your forehead is so big...your dad's from Ghana!" Thank you Zoe!)
The third years were so excited to begin physical science. They are studying motion. This week they are focusing on frames of reference. They completed an experiment with a mini race car and an incline to determine speed in relation to various frames of reference.
The sixth years are learning to identify minerals based on various tests that they place the minerals through: luster, cleavage, hardness, color, streak, magnetism, and reaction to acid (vinegar).
The third years are completing their creative writing stories that take place during the Renaissance. These stories are anywhere from 4 pages to 8 pages long! They have a tremendous amount of detail included in them. The children had an outline to follow (which was designed for 6th graders). They have worked very hard on these stories! I am extremely proud of all of them. I am going to hang the stories on the entryway door of our room so please come by and take a minute to read them.
JACARANDA
As the latest round of colds runs through the class, with over half of the kids coughing one day earlier this week, we gave a grace and courtesy group lesson on how to cough into one's elbow.
Thank you to Nancy Appel, Sadie's mom, for celebrating Purim on Tuesday. The class shared Hamantaschen for snack, which are pastries shaped like a hat in the story of Purim.
Seen in the classroom: Two four year olds together over a rug with the puzzle map of the USA. One says "Close your eyes!" while they play a game of identifying the states by touch, a game that they created themselves. In turn, he says to his friend "Now you can choose whatever you want."
Overheard in class: “Are you in love with love duck?"
"No."
"Well, I am falling in love with the love duck."
And:
"1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5" says a child, "I'm singing 'jingle bells' in 5's."
The afternoon class studied "Reason for a Flower" which is to make seeds to make more plants, and "What Makes a Bird a Bird," when the children learned that only birds have feathers.
Two five year olds laid out the entire 1000 chain, complete with "tickets," or the numbers written on small cards, in less than two hours on Friday, so excited and enthusiastic that their positive energy carried over into the entire classroom.
We listened to the Chieftains, an Irish band, Friday and read some leprechaun-based stories, too. The children have an authentic Irish jig or two in them, it appears!
JUNIPER
March marks the beginning of spring, and with it comes spring showers. Please be sure your child is prepared for outdoor play even during rainy weather by equipping him/her with:
- Slip-on rain boots that are easy for your child to put on and take off (even after rain has stopped, there are often puddles and water in the yard)
- Raincoats with a hood (please NO UMBRELLAS)
- Waterproof pants (bibs or pull-on pants)
- Check the change of clothes bag for spare pants and socks
Happy birthday to all for the month of March. We have had many joyful moments with one another celebrating these special days. Thanks to all of the parents for the wonderful snacks: smoothies, ginger snaps, tangerines and carrot muffins. Thanks also for the gifts to Juniper: plants, a pencil sharpener, and pencils.
As spring gets into full swing, we will be gardening every Thursday. If there are parents that would like to help with this fun activity, please see Ms. Koerber. We've already planted mint for tea making and strawberries to share with the school.
Thanks to Stephanie (Sophie's mom) for sharing with us about Purim, how every year the Jewish people celebrate this happy time by dressing in costumes and masks to represent King Ahashverosh, Queen Esther, Mordechai, and Haman. The story of Purim is read and people shake "graggers" (noisemakers) every time someone mentions the name Haman because no one wants to hear the name of that mean man. Also, a special food is eaten called "hamantaschen" (a tart-like cookie). Hamantaschen is the name for a three-cornered hat worn by the bad guy Haman.
An advance thanks to Mark and Ali Cota (Jake and Gaby's parents) for celebrating St. Patrick's Day with Juniper on Friday, March 17.
GINKGO
On Monday March 13, 2006 we had a Purim Celebration. Felix Moon, Rudy's mom, came in the classroom and told the children a story about Haman, who wanted Jewish people to move off of his land. Queen Esther, who was Jewish, talked the King into protecting the Jewish people.
After the story the children made Hamantaschen cookies in the shape of Haman's Hat to remember that special day. We ate the cookies after lunch.
On Friday, March 17, we had a St. Patrick's Day party. Joanne Morgan brought all the supplies we needed for the celebration. We made cookies to take home and a few other special projects. Thank you, to Sarah Goldberg for coming in to help the class with all the activities.
Sound of the week was "W". Children brought in Wheels, a Weather report, Watches, and a Walrus!
A dump truck came this week to the yard while the children were outside playing. The children stood and watched while the truck dumped tanbark in a pile on the yard. When the dump truck was finished the children, all together, with their fists in the air began to chant "More!" "More!" "More!"
Everyone, have a wonderful weekend!
LIVE OAK
I have a great Live Oak story to tell you. Several weeks ago our line on the floor was taken up for cleaning. It didn’t get replaced. On Friday I gave the lesson of sweeping and saw the children were having difficulty making a pile. After school that afternoon, I marked a small square in the middle of the room for pile making while sweeping. On Monday morning a group of children were standing around the new square and someone said, ”Look, Ms. MacDonald made us a mini walking-on-the-line!” And then they took turns walking on it. Of course, when I heard that I created a real line for them and they have walked on the line every day this week.
I think the children are all going through big growth and learning spurts. It’s amazing the number of children who are ready for number work or having explosion into reading or who have taken interest in illustrating maps or geometric shapes. The younger children have taken a new interest in the sensorial games and extensions. And we are all enjoying learning the names of flowers and mammals.
MAGNOLIA
A big thank you to Meghan O'Leary, Connor's mom, and Rob Anderson, Jack's dad, for coming in this week to help out with auction projects. We are all set for volunteers for next week as well. Thank you all! Ms. Owens has also started a large canvas collage painting with the children that will be available for sale at the auction.
In honor of St. Patrick's Day Mr. Hoffman played some Irish music for the children with a flute and a fiddle. We will also be having a special snack and a story for the holiday.
The children have begun learning two new Spanish songs for spring; "De Colores" a song about the colors in spring time, and "Los Pollitos" about little chicks.
MULBERRY
Mulberry class has been busy working on our auction projects. Thanks to all of the parents who have signed up to help. A special thanks to Erin and Veronica for doing the shopping. The t-shirt project is taking longer than anticipated. Each child is picking the colors he/she wants for the handprints so the shirts truly will be of their own expression.
The class has been really into cleaning lately! There has been lots of scrubbing of tables, mopping, and sweeping going on.
Thank you to Emi for shopping for the Brown Cottage and buying such a great rug for the kitchen.
Kennedy, from elementary, came in and read to the children. The class really looks forward to elementary children spending time with them. Now, when the big children walk by the play yard the toddlers all excitedly say “Hi!”
Song of the week:
Way up high in a tree
Three red apples smiled at me.
So I shook that tree just as hard as I could
Down came the apples, umm, umm, good!
CAMELLIA
It is almost time for the Wine and Cheese Tasting/Auction! Mark the date on your calendars; April, 22, from 2pm to 7pm at the Sequoyah Country Club. If you have any ideas for our project or have time to help, please contact Marni Hunter or Diane Spiegel. Thank you!
Remember next week’s sound is "X". Please encourage your child to bring an object and be sure to label it so it returns home.
Pennies for Patients: So far, Camellia class has raised $47.86. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, but the event is not over yet - so please look behind the car seats, under the sofa and bed. Mr. Tien always finds loose change under his bed. And by the way, we're not just collecting pennies - bills are welcome too!
A child was doing the knobs cylinder carefully and quietly, taking it out one by one. Behind her were two other children, singing and jumping. The working child didn't turn around once. She continued working on the cylinder with intense focus and strong concentration.
If you're going to be late to class or have an appointment please contact the office or call the Brown Cottage (510-622-0258). When you come in please ask one of the teachers for assistance if your child is having a difficult good-bye.
Favorite song this week:
I'm waiting, I'm waiting
Just to see, just to see,
Who's sitting quietly, who's sitting quietly,
Hands on your lap,
Fold your legs.
