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Friday, May 19, 2006
Calendar
5/24 Elementary Graduation 6:00 pm – by invitation only
5/24 Teacher Appreciation Lunch
5/29 Memorial Day – School closed, no childcare
5/30 Transition meeting 4:30-6 pm
5/31 GLM Earth Day
6/2 End of Year all-school picnic at Lake Temescal
6/9 Last day of school!
WHY NO ON PROP 82
“Prop. 82 will drive many Montessori schools to extinction. The regulations do not support the Montessori curriculum, the Montessori teacher Credential or the Montessori classroom practices and standards” Montessori School of Fremont
“Why would I want to turn over a vibrant, healthy model to a highly challenged bureaucracy that needs to address its own issues?” SF Chronicle
“No to one-size-fits-all” “There is no consensus on one best approach for preschools. Some parents prefer an academic emphasis. Some want to stress socialization. Yet Proposition 82 embraces a one-size-fits-all approach, to be established by education bureaucrats. The standards could only be changed with great difficulty, perhaps with another initiative”. San Gabriel Valley Tribune
“We are quite concerned because the expansive Montessori curriculum is not embraced by the Superintendent of Public Instruction who will dictate the curriculum under Proposition 82.” Helen Campbell, Grand Lake Montessori
END OF YEAR PICNIC - JUNE 2nd, 5 pm - 8 pm, AT LAKE TEMESCAL
This family style picnic is the perfect way to end the school year!!! Be prepared for the possible fog - dress in layers. GLM will be providing the meat (and veggie dogs) - the rest will be potluck style, and sign up sheets will be forthcoming. Families will be asked to bring their own plates, cups, utensils and any wine, beer or other specialty beverage of your choice (in addition to your potluck contribution). Please remember, the teachers are not working during the picnic, and you will be entirely responsible for the care of your child(ren). Bring Hula Hoops, softball equipment, Frisbees, or other fun outdoor stuff.
This is one of the last chances to get Parent Participation Hours (and have fun in the process!) Calling all Dads!!! We need a barbeque crew from 4 pm - 7:00 pm. If you are interested, contact Chris Keusel, Live Oak Parent (chriskuesel@yahoo.com). Parents for the clean-up crew are needed as well.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We have a number of children at GLM with serious allergies to nuts and nut products. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY ITEM TO SHARE THAT CONTAINS ANY NUT PRODUCTS. Thank you.
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 “SW” as in SWan, SWift, and SWim.
TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCH
The Teacher Appreciation lunch will be Wednesday, May 24, 2006. Look for an email from your Room Parent with details.
KEEPING ALL GLM CHILDREN SAFE
For safety and emergency preparedness, only soy and rice milk will be offered at school. Some of our children have dairy allergies, and soy and rice milk have longer shelf lives. They will be available daily for the children.
SUMMER MOTHER’S HELPER AVAILABLE
Tired of scrubbing your shower? Bored with sitting next to the shredder, feeding it secret documents? Not into kneeling in your yard, pulling weeds? Want to get a pedicure without your preschooler? Samantha Aima, 13 years old, is very responsible, a hard worker, and available this summer to do various household chores. Pay is negotiable. Please contact Mary Aima in the Brown Cottage if interested, 510-622-0258.
BOX TOPS COORDINATOR STILL NEEDED
This is a simple way to get your Parent Hours and bring in extra cash for the school. Please consider taking over this easy, flexible project.
· 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.
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
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
Although Redwood’s students are anxiously awaiting the annual camping trip, students have had quite a productive week. Last Friday we went to the Lakeview Library to view an Indian dance show. The dancers were great, and we even had a few students try out the dance steps! This was the first library trip for the incoming first years, and everyone had a great time.
This week we have had testing every morning and it has been going quite well. Students have adapted to this new schedule beautifully and have been pleased with their performances.
On Tuesday, Ms. Rankins had a scare when Zachary presented a dead lizard to her and the students during a lesson. Apparently sneaking up behind a person and pushing a dead lizard into her face can be very funny. At least, we may have some aspiring zoologists!
JACARANDA
This communication is mostly about the upcoming Earth Day celebration at Grand Lake Montessori. The children and teachers will honor the peoples of the world by gathering together on May 31. We will share song and dance and food from the different continents.
Each class will honor and celebrate a specific continent. The Jacaranda class is sharing south Asian, including Indian and Pakistani, cultures.
Mrs. Saleem has been teaching the class "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Hindi.
Children have been learning the Stick Dance with Mr. Moody, the movement instructor, to the beat and rhythms of Indian music.
Also at the celebration will be henna body and face painting and stamps with Indian designs for the children.
This is a call for volunteers to help with an Earth Day project for the Jacaranda class. Please contact Ms. Leck, Mr. Keating or Mrs. Saleem.
There is another opportunity for a parent volunteer to make a trip to Ikea for real glasses for the classroom's lunchtime.
And finally, your children will be a part of the Jacaranda luncheon on June 6, 2006, where they will have an opportunity to say goodbye to those friends who are leaving and continue their strong friendships with those who we will see throughout the summer and next fall. The luncheon will be a potluck and there will a signup on the clipboard at the end of May for families to volunteer food contributions. The luncheon is for the Jacaranda children only.
JUNIPER
A popular work this week has been the Multiplication Board. This is a work where children place beads on a dimpled board in order to multiply single-digit numbers. Claudia, in particular, has been using it every day and (after starting at 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, etc.) has gotten as far 10 x 3. Other children, having seen Claudia working hard with this material, have shown interest as well.
Juniper Class Gets Some Culture
“We’re on the ground, we’re in the air. We’re germs and we live everywhere!” * Juniper class was busy this past week identifying where microorganisms like to live around the classroom. Students used cotton swabs to take samples from places that they thought bacteria and fungus would be hiding out. They then spread their samples in petri dishes that have food that microbes like to eat. After a few days, bacteria and fungi grew up on the plates, forming little colonies. The results of the sampling experiment was a real surprise to everyone. For instance, the toilet seat was really clean with only a couple of bacterial colonies and everyone thought that would be the worst one. The most bacteria was found in the dirt outside, the fish tank and the sink drain. Yuck! The class discovered that bacteria and fungus live everywhere. Some are good and some are bad…but most are, well, ugly…and stinky too!
As the year draws to a close, we begin talking to the children about changes that will soon be taking place, especially new children joining the class and friends moving on to new schools. If your child will be leaving, please let us know so that we can begin the process with the children of saying goodbye, allowing ample time for emotions and feelings to be discussed and honored.
Block that sun!
Be sure to put sun block on your child every day. Young skin is particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of the sun, so please protect it!
Thank you to Landen's dad, David. He brought hot dogs, carrots, and fruit for the class to have for lunch.
A special thanks for all of the great birthday snacks that parents have been bringing. This week we had blueberry muffins one day and fruit pizza (a first!) another day. The children thoroughly enjoyed these tasty and novel treats. For his third birthday, Jake Cota gave Juniper a replica of the Statue of Liberty that he saw when he and his family visited New York. He also gave a sheet of paper with the inscription from the base of the statue and an explanation of the statue's symbolism. This sheet is posted on the bulletin board by the entrance to Juniper for everyone to read.
GINKGO
This week we’re continuing to study all the counties in South America in preparation for Earth Day. The children have been busy making maps, flags, and studying the different cultures. The children were surprised to discover that people lived in the Amazon Rainforest! We are also busy learning our dance for Earth Day.
On Tuesday, May 16th, we had a birthday celebration for Ben Morgan who turned 4 years old! Both of his parents came in and told the story of Ben’s life. For snack, we had blueberry muffins and watermelon. For a gift, Ben gave the class books. Thank you!
This week’s Sound of the Week was “PL”. The children brought in a number of items: plants play dough, plate, place mat and pliers.
Reminder:
Parents, please e-mail Ginkgo teachers to inform us of your child’s last day of school.
If you haven’t registered your child for summer school please register ASAP; teachers are beginning plans for the summer program and we have to know enrollment numbers.
LIVE OAK
The cosmos, sunflowers, zinnias and hollyhock are all sprouting from the earth this week. The children have been cutting flowers daily from the perennials we planted for beautiful arrangements in our classroom. We have even cut some beautiful roses from the Campbell’s garden.
Life is good when we get to garden.
Work in the classroom is busy with lots of Australia lessons happening. Ms. Cebulski has been great in creating new lessons like coral washing as we learn about the Great Barrier Reef. Mr. Moody has helped us immensely with our Australian animal dance and Mr. Boyer has created some great art projects. We do need a few parents to come help us man our table of Australia, Wed. May 31st. Set up will begin at around 9:00. The event will end around 11:30. Please let Live Oak teachers know if you can volunteer (Parent Participation Hours!)
Our outdoor environment is working beautifully. The children love to take their work outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. I hope good weather stays with us for a long while. In addition to Australia we are concentrating on language games. Spring fever brings out the need for great movement in the children. We are also dancing a lot. Spring is my favorite time in the classroom….
MAGNOLIA
The children in Magnolia are gearing up for GLM Earth Day. On this day each classroom puts together a festive booth with food and crafts representing a continent. This year Magnolia will represent North America with an emphasis on Mexico. The festival lasts all morning, with the children “exploring” every continent. There is a lot of preparation for this event so if you are interested in helping prepare for this fun day please let Ms. Olivares know via email.
We celebrated two birthdays this past week. Happy 4th birthday to Jaquez! He shared a delicious strawberry treat with us and also bought the class some books. Happy 3rd birthday to Isa! She shared a wonderful blueberry muffin snack with us. She also gave the class some books. Thank you children!
MULBERRY
The end of the school year is quickly approaching. We have begun talking about the fact that some of the children will be going to new classrooms. We are just beginning to plant the seed. Most of the children will start visiting in the summer. On May 30th, from 4:30-6:00 pm, there will be an important toddler transition meeting to discuss how children transition into their new classes. This is an opportunity to ask questions and meet other families. I encourage all parents to attend. The following day is our Earth Day celebration. The continent we’ll represent is Africa. We have begun to learn the song "Jambo" by Ella Jenkins. Children are encouraged to dress in clothing from around the world if they like. June 2nd is the all school picnic at Lake Temescal from 5-8 pm. This is a really fun evening for all! June 9th is our end of the year toddler lunch potluck. All of our parents are invited to attend and help us celebrate a great year together and our last day all in the same class.
We saw a fantastic Chinese acrobat performance yesterday. One acrobat was very flexible and twisted, bent and moved in ways that were amazing. Another one could throw a huge flowerpot in the air and catch it with his shoulders!
Quote of the week: Current research into what children believe concludes that when children are presented with information from two different sources, one being direct experience and the other a contradictory verbal explanation, the child is more likely to identify reality if he has seen it or touched it rather than being told what it is. (Robinson)
CAMELLIA
Thank you to all the parents who continuously encourage your children to bring something in for Sound of the Week. This week the sound was "PL", and we had, among others football player and planets. Speaking of planets Stella, Ethan's mom, made a purple planet cake. The inside was purple also! It looked great and tasted terrific. Next week’s sound will be "SW". Can’t wait to see what Ethan and Stella come up with for that!
Dates to remember:
- Monday, May 29th, is Memorial Day - school is closed and childcare is not provided.
- Tuesday, May 30th, is the Transition meeting from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Please come and join us (RSVP to the office). This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions of the primary teachers. Pizza will be served after the meeting.
u Wednesday, May 31st, is GLM Earth Day. Camellia and Mulberry classes are representing the continent of Africa. We will prepare a special rice dish and fried yams, and the children will perform a song called "JAMBO" by Ella Jenkins.
We had a special performance today: The wonderful and amazing Chinese Acrobats. There was a contortionist who folded herself in half in a tube the size of a small trashcan, and a dancer whose mask kept magically changing! Everyone enjoyed the performances. We hope to see them back.
Friendly reminder: Class starts at 8:45 a.m. If you and your child are late please come in quietly and ask one of the teachers to help with your good-bye. It is disruptive to the other children who are trying to concentrate when classmates arrive late. Thank you.
5/24 Elementary Graduation 6:00 pm – by invitation only
5/24 Teacher Appreciation Lunch
5/29 Memorial Day – School closed, no childcare
5/30 Transition meeting 4:30-6 pm
5/31 GLM Earth Day
6/2 End of Year all-school picnic at Lake Temescal
6/9 Last day of school!
WHY NO ON PROP 82
“Prop. 82 will drive many Montessori schools to extinction. The regulations do not support the Montessori curriculum, the Montessori teacher Credential or the Montessori classroom practices and standards” Montessori School of Fremont
“Why would I want to turn over a vibrant, healthy model to a highly challenged bureaucracy that needs to address its own issues?” SF Chronicle
“No to one-size-fits-all” “There is no consensus on one best approach for preschools. Some parents prefer an academic emphasis. Some want to stress socialization. Yet Proposition 82 embraces a one-size-fits-all approach, to be established by education bureaucrats. The standards could only be changed with great difficulty, perhaps with another initiative”. San Gabriel Valley Tribune
“We are quite concerned because the expansive Montessori curriculum is not embraced by the Superintendent of Public Instruction who will dictate the curriculum under Proposition 82.” Helen Campbell, Grand Lake Montessori
END OF YEAR PICNIC - JUNE 2nd, 5 pm - 8 pm, AT LAKE TEMESCAL
This family style picnic is the perfect way to end the school year!!! Be prepared for the possible fog - dress in layers. GLM will be providing the meat (and veggie dogs) - the rest will be potluck style, and sign up sheets will be forthcoming. Families will be asked to bring their own plates, cups, utensils and any wine, beer or other specialty beverage of your choice (in addition to your potluck contribution). Please remember, the teachers are not working during the picnic, and you will be entirely responsible for the care of your child(ren). Bring Hula Hoops, softball equipment, Frisbees, or other fun outdoor stuff.
This is one of the last chances to get Parent Participation Hours (and have fun in the process!) Calling all Dads!!! We need a barbeque crew from 4 pm - 7:00 pm. If you are interested, contact Chris Keusel, Live Oak Parent (chriskuesel@yahoo.com). Parents for the clean-up crew are needed as well.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We have a number of children at GLM with serious allergies to nuts and nut products. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY ITEM TO SHARE THAT CONTAINS ANY NUT PRODUCTS. Thank you.
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 “SW” as in SWan, SWift, and SWim.
TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCH
The Teacher Appreciation lunch will be Wednesday, May 24, 2006. Look for an email from your Room Parent with details.
KEEPING ALL GLM CHILDREN SAFE
For safety and emergency preparedness, only soy and rice milk will be offered at school. Some of our children have dairy allergies, and soy and rice milk have longer shelf lives. They will be available daily for the children.
SUMMER MOTHER’S HELPER AVAILABLE
Tired of scrubbing your shower? Bored with sitting next to the shredder, feeding it secret documents? Not into kneeling in your yard, pulling weeds? Want to get a pedicure without your preschooler? Samantha Aima, 13 years old, is very responsible, a hard worker, and available this summer to do various household chores. Pay is negotiable. Please contact Mary Aima in the Brown Cottage if interested, 510-622-0258.
BOX TOPS COORDINATOR STILL NEEDED
This is a simple way to get your Parent Hours and bring in extra cash for the school. Please consider taking over this easy, flexible project.
· 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.
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
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
Although Redwood’s students are anxiously awaiting the annual camping trip, students have had quite a productive week. Last Friday we went to the Lakeview Library to view an Indian dance show. The dancers were great, and we even had a few students try out the dance steps! This was the first library trip for the incoming first years, and everyone had a great time.
This week we have had testing every morning and it has been going quite well. Students have adapted to this new schedule beautifully and have been pleased with their performances.
On Tuesday, Ms. Rankins had a scare when Zachary presented a dead lizard to her and the students during a lesson. Apparently sneaking up behind a person and pushing a dead lizard into her face can be very funny. At least, we may have some aspiring zoologists!
JACARANDA
This communication is mostly about the upcoming Earth Day celebration at Grand Lake Montessori. The children and teachers will honor the peoples of the world by gathering together on May 31. We will share song and dance and food from the different continents.
Each class will honor and celebrate a specific continent. The Jacaranda class is sharing south Asian, including Indian and Pakistani, cultures.
Mrs. Saleem has been teaching the class "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Hindi.
Children have been learning the Stick Dance with Mr. Moody, the movement instructor, to the beat and rhythms of Indian music.
Also at the celebration will be henna body and face painting and stamps with Indian designs for the children.
This is a call for volunteers to help with an Earth Day project for the Jacaranda class. Please contact Ms. Leck, Mr. Keating or Mrs. Saleem.
There is another opportunity for a parent volunteer to make a trip to Ikea for real glasses for the classroom's lunchtime.
And finally, your children will be a part of the Jacaranda luncheon on June 6, 2006, where they will have an opportunity to say goodbye to those friends who are leaving and continue their strong friendships with those who we will see throughout the summer and next fall. The luncheon will be a potluck and there will a signup on the clipboard at the end of May for families to volunteer food contributions. The luncheon is for the Jacaranda children only.
JUNIPER
A popular work this week has been the Multiplication Board. This is a work where children place beads on a dimpled board in order to multiply single-digit numbers. Claudia, in particular, has been using it every day and (after starting at 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, etc.) has gotten as far 10 x 3. Other children, having seen Claudia working hard with this material, have shown interest as well.
Juniper Class Gets Some Culture
“We’re on the ground, we’re in the air. We’re germs and we live everywhere!” * Juniper class was busy this past week identifying where microorganisms like to live around the classroom. Students used cotton swabs to take samples from places that they thought bacteria and fungus would be hiding out. They then spread their samples in petri dishes that have food that microbes like to eat. After a few days, bacteria and fungi grew up on the plates, forming little colonies. The results of the sampling experiment was a real surprise to everyone. For instance, the toilet seat was really clean with only a couple of bacterial colonies and everyone thought that would be the worst one. The most bacteria was found in the dirt outside, the fish tank and the sink drain. Yuck! The class discovered that bacteria and fungus live everywhere. Some are good and some are bad…but most are, well, ugly…and stinky too!
As the year draws to a close, we begin talking to the children about changes that will soon be taking place, especially new children joining the class and friends moving on to new schools. If your child will be leaving, please let us know so that we can begin the process with the children of saying goodbye, allowing ample time for emotions and feelings to be discussed and honored.
Block that sun!
Be sure to put sun block on your child every day. Young skin is particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of the sun, so please protect it!
Thank you to Landen's dad, David. He brought hot dogs, carrots, and fruit for the class to have for lunch.
A special thanks for all of the great birthday snacks that parents have been bringing. This week we had blueberry muffins one day and fruit pizza (a first!) another day. The children thoroughly enjoyed these tasty and novel treats. For his third birthday, Jake Cota gave Juniper a replica of the Statue of Liberty that he saw when he and his family visited New York. He also gave a sheet of paper with the inscription from the base of the statue and an explanation of the statue's symbolism. This sheet is posted on the bulletin board by the entrance to Juniper for everyone to read.
GINKGO
This week we’re continuing to study all the counties in South America in preparation for Earth Day. The children have been busy making maps, flags, and studying the different cultures. The children were surprised to discover that people lived in the Amazon Rainforest! We are also busy learning our dance for Earth Day.
On Tuesday, May 16th, we had a birthday celebration for Ben Morgan who turned 4 years old! Both of his parents came in and told the story of Ben’s life. For snack, we had blueberry muffins and watermelon. For a gift, Ben gave the class books. Thank you!
This week’s Sound of the Week was “PL”. The children brought in a number of items: plants play dough, plate, place mat and pliers.
Reminder:
Parents, please e-mail Ginkgo teachers to inform us of your child’s last day of school.
If you haven’t registered your child for summer school please register ASAP; teachers are beginning plans for the summer program and we have to know enrollment numbers.
LIVE OAK
The cosmos, sunflowers, zinnias and hollyhock are all sprouting from the earth this week. The children have been cutting flowers daily from the perennials we planted for beautiful arrangements in our classroom. We have even cut some beautiful roses from the Campbell’s garden.
Life is good when we get to garden.
Work in the classroom is busy with lots of Australia lessons happening. Ms. Cebulski has been great in creating new lessons like coral washing as we learn about the Great Barrier Reef. Mr. Moody has helped us immensely with our Australian animal dance and Mr. Boyer has created some great art projects. We do need a few parents to come help us man our table of Australia, Wed. May 31st. Set up will begin at around 9:00. The event will end around 11:30. Please let Live Oak teachers know if you can volunteer (Parent Participation Hours!)
Our outdoor environment is working beautifully. The children love to take their work outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. I hope good weather stays with us for a long while. In addition to Australia we are concentrating on language games. Spring fever brings out the need for great movement in the children. We are also dancing a lot. Spring is my favorite time in the classroom….
MAGNOLIA
The children in Magnolia are gearing up for GLM Earth Day. On this day each classroom puts together a festive booth with food and crafts representing a continent. This year Magnolia will represent North America with an emphasis on Mexico. The festival lasts all morning, with the children “exploring” every continent. There is a lot of preparation for this event so if you are interested in helping prepare for this fun day please let Ms. Olivares know via email.
We celebrated two birthdays this past week. Happy 4th birthday to Jaquez! He shared a delicious strawberry treat with us and also bought the class some books. Happy 3rd birthday to Isa! She shared a wonderful blueberry muffin snack with us. She also gave the class some books. Thank you children!
MULBERRY
The end of the school year is quickly approaching. We have begun talking about the fact that some of the children will be going to new classrooms. We are just beginning to plant the seed. Most of the children will start visiting in the summer. On May 30th, from 4:30-6:00 pm, there will be an important toddler transition meeting to discuss how children transition into their new classes. This is an opportunity to ask questions and meet other families. I encourage all parents to attend. The following day is our Earth Day celebration. The continent we’ll represent is Africa. We have begun to learn the song "Jambo" by Ella Jenkins. Children are encouraged to dress in clothing from around the world if they like. June 2nd is the all school picnic at Lake Temescal from 5-8 pm. This is a really fun evening for all! June 9th is our end of the year toddler lunch potluck. All of our parents are invited to attend and help us celebrate a great year together and our last day all in the same class.
We saw a fantastic Chinese acrobat performance yesterday. One acrobat was very flexible and twisted, bent and moved in ways that were amazing. Another one could throw a huge flowerpot in the air and catch it with his shoulders!
Quote of the week: Current research into what children believe concludes that when children are presented with information from two different sources, one being direct experience and the other a contradictory verbal explanation, the child is more likely to identify reality if he has seen it or touched it rather than being told what it is. (Robinson)
CAMELLIA
Thank you to all the parents who continuously encourage your children to bring something in for Sound of the Week. This week the sound was "PL", and we had, among others football player and planets. Speaking of planets Stella, Ethan's mom, made a purple planet cake. The inside was purple also! It looked great and tasted terrific. Next week’s sound will be "SW". Can’t wait to see what Ethan and Stella come up with for that!
Dates to remember:
- Monday, May 29th, is Memorial Day - school is closed and childcare is not provided.
- Tuesday, May 30th, is the Transition meeting from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Please come and join us (RSVP to the office). This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions of the primary teachers. Pizza will be served after the meeting.
u Wednesday, May 31st, is GLM Earth Day. Camellia and Mulberry classes are representing the continent of Africa. We will prepare a special rice dish and fried yams, and the children will perform a song called "JAMBO" by Ella Jenkins.
We had a special performance today: The wonderful and amazing Chinese Acrobats. There was a contortionist who folded herself in half in a tube the size of a small trashcan, and a dancer whose mask kept magically changing! Everyone enjoyed the performances. We hope to see them back.
Friendly reminder: Class starts at 8:45 a.m. If you and your child are late please come in quietly and ask one of the teachers to help with your good-bye. It is disruptive to the other children who are trying to concentrate when classmates arrive late. Thank you.
