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Friday, December 01, 2006
Calendar
12/12 Ginkgo & Jacaranda Sing-A-Longs 6 – 7 pm
12/13 Sing-A-Longs: Mulberry 5 – 6 pm, Live Oak & Magnolia 6 – 7 pm
12/14 Sing-A-Longs: Camellia 5:30-6:30 pm, Juniper 7 – 7 pm
12/15 Redwood Sing-A-Long 6:30-7:30 pm
12/18 – 12/29 Holiday Break – childcare provided by registration
1/1/07 New Year’s Day – school closed, no childcare
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid paperwork for the 2007/2008 school year is available from the business office. Email Nancy Haskins at nancy@grandlakemontessori.com, or call her at 510-622-0259 for more information. Paperwork for new families is due back by 2/1/07; deadline for current/returning families is 1/1/07.
CHILDREN AND GATES ON CAMPUS
For obvious safety concerns, children (elementary excepted) are not allowed to open the gates on campus, especially the security gate at 466 Chetwood. In addition, do not tell your child the code at this gate. Thank you for your cooperation.
NEW TUFF TUMBLERS CLASSES
Another session of Tuff Tumblers will begin on Dec. 13 (Wednesday class) and Friday, Dec. 15 (Friday class). Registration forms have been distributed to Parent Pockets. These classes fill up very quickly and children are added on a first come, first served basis. We will try to accommodate specific day and time requests.
TAKE A BREAK
Another “round” of TAB has begun, starting today and ending Feb. 16th. Please sign your child up in advance for the pizza lunch (Wednesday before the Friday that you wish your child to participate) as pizzas must be ordered Thursday morning based on the number of children in the program. Shopping for the melons and carrots is also done in advance. Thank you for your cooperation. Volunteers are also needed.
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 “L”, as in Lemon, Leopard, and Lice.
LUCCIOLA & GLM
Now through December 31st, Lucciola bookstore will donate 10% of all purchases by the GLM community* to Grand Lake Montessori, which the teachers will use to purchase books for the classrooms.
This is a great way to support our school while stocking up on beautiful, high-quality books for holiday, birthday, and other gifts. In addition, you will be patronizing an independent, local, multicultural, women-owned cooperative business in Oakland. How can you beat that?!
Tell all your friends and family to come out and patronize them too—and to mention GLM at the counter so we can raise lots of extra funds, and bring some wonderful new books into the school.
*Patrons must identify themselves as Grand Lake Montessori family/friends in order for this contribution to be made, so don’t forget to let them know at the counter.
Lucciola Children’s Bookstore is on Piedmont Avenue near the corner of Monte Vista.
HELP SAVE A RESCUE KITTY TODAY
A friend of GLM has a fantastic rescue kitty, Lilly, who needs a permanent home. She is between 3-5 years old, spayed, and is up to date with her shots. She likes to talk and play with little mock mice. Her fur is black on top, and white underneath. I am looking for a home for her with someone who understands that while she is a sweetheart, it may take some time for her to adjust to her new home. While she is affectionate and loves to get pets and purr and knead, she also needs to be the kitty-in-control, which means letting her come to you on her schedule. Because of her background, Lilly will probably do best in a home with someone who would love to have an active kitty but who does not have small children or dogs. She likes to explore the house, and especially likes to find the highest nooks.
There is an adoption contract to sign as a part of the process. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me at lillycat@fribble.org or call 925-429-1117, 5-9PM weekdays or weekend from 9-5PM. Lilly is a great girl and I am hoping that someone out there can find a place in their heart and home for her.
Thank you!!
CHILDCARE NEEDED
I am looking for childcare for two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) for my two daughters, ages 5 and 9. Both have after-school activities and would love to have a fun, caring person with a car take them to their activities. The hours would be from 3:30pm to 6pm. Please contact Celeste at crgrinage@yahoo.com if you can help or have a referral.
NANNY AVAILABLE
Our wonderful Nanny is available now that our children are in school. Our nanny, Betty, has been with us for 4 years. She raised our 4 and 1.5 year old daughters who are now at GLM.
She treats our children as if they are her own, giving them lots of love and attention. She took our daughters out almost every day, typically going to the library and the park, walking around the lake, feeding the birds, going to MOCHA and many other activities. She is reliable and shows up on time.
She is available from 7:30-6:00 M-F. She does not drive, so she prefers to be with a family or a share that is easily accessible, as we are, from public transportation. We live near Lake Merritt on the Oakland/Piedmont border. Betty is English speaking and can be reached directly at 510.206.9702. I am sure that you will be happy that you found her. I (Kara Kelly) can be reached at kara_g_kelly@yahoo.com. should you have questions or need a reference.
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CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
This week our class went to Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley to watch the Chinese Golden Dragons. They are an acrobatic company touring all over the world. The show started with the performers using large sized hula hoops to move around on the stage. We saw a contortionist bend in various directions holding trays of glasses filled with water, several men juggling hats, and various other acrobatic acts. The show's finale was with a man balancing in various gymnastic moves atop seven chairs. The show was absolutely fascinating. The children really enjoyed it!
"It was really cool and interesting!" said Clare.
"They stacked people on top of each other and juggled soccer balls with their feet." Kai said.
"I liked the woman who juggled the umbrellas with her feet and I liked the man who balanced on the chairs and the hats!" Nacalah said.
"I liked when the guys were throwing up and juggling the hats!" Michael said.
"The lady who balanced the ball on the stick on her head was cool!" said Zoe.
Our classes’ new favorite word these days is "cool".
We have a wonderful new assistant teacher, Mr. Flushman. His first day was last Tuesday, the day of our Thanksgiving feast. He is a great match for our class and the children are doing a good job of helping to orient him into the classroom.
Last week's Thanksgiving feast went very well! The children wrote Thanksgiving compositions for what they are thankful for and we made those into their placemats. They were thankful for family, money, pets, and school!
We have had a great back to school week after the break and it is nice to have our class "normalized". The children are so focused on their work and accomplishing so much!
Thank you to everyone for coming in and doing your observations. Remember that conferences are next week and if you have not signed up for one, please do so.
JACARANDA
Last week we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast. The children were so reverent as they sat at a long 'family' style table with white linen tablecloths and fresh flowers all set by them, eating a lovely lunch prepared by them. Thank you to you all who helped support the children to do it by themselves as well as the parents who assisted the teachers in preparation and clean up!
The children have been singing holiday songs and practicing for the Jacaranda Sing-a-long on December 12. Mark your calendars for this special time.
Now that everyone has had a chance to observe the classroom during work time and to sign up for a conference, remember that the conferences will be in Helen Campbell's office at your appointed time next Monday and Tuesday.
Nico Stella's family is moving in December, so the class has been talking about the move, about how far away Nico's family will be, and how long they may be away. The Jacaranda class will have a special goodbye on Friday for Nico and his family.
The Juniper classroom has reported finding lice eggs, or nits, in a child's hair, so please read the information on the Jacaranda clipboard on checking your child's hair. Be assured that your children are checked when they arrive in the morning.
The classroom had an earthquake drill, which is an opportunity for the older children to pass on to the younger children what they know about previous earthquake drills. The adult claps and says, "Earthquake, earthquake!" The children duck under a table, cover their heads and hold on to a table leg. The class then talks about what might happen if there were a real earthquake and how the adults would help the children to walk outside safely one at a time.
After a group of children set up the lunch tables, the children eat with real plates, silverware and glasses every day during lunchtime. Occasionally silverware needs to be replaced, so we are asking that if anyone has any extra child-sized spoons and forks, donations to the Jacaranda lunch service are welcomed.
The afternoon children had a lesson on 'air' doing two science experiments with water and a glass and a sponge in water. We discovered that even though we cannot see, taste or smell air it does indeed take up space and can be observed coming out of holes and spaces as bubbles. Ask your child what happened to the napkin in the glass....after being submerged in a glass was it wet or dry?
JUNIPER
The Holidays Have Begun!
We will be learning about winter festivals including Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah over the next two weeks, and we strongly encourage you to visit our class and share your family's experience regarding any of these. Consider baking with the children, doing crafts, telling a story, or any other activity that teaches the children about your holiday tradition. Also, Thursday, December 14 is Juniper's holiday Sing-a-Long, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Look for a sheet on the clipboard to sign-up to bring food, paper goods, or drinks.
Canned Goods
Elementary is heading a canned food drive for the less fortunate. Many of you have already brought in canned goods, thank you! You can bring any additional goods as late as Friday, December 1. All canned goods will be donated to Harbor House of Oakland.
Toy Drive
Juniper, along with other primary classes, is doing a toy drive. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with, wash it clean, and bring it in to class. All toys will be donated to Bananas and will in turn be distributed to children in the Bay Area. Children can also donate new toys. The deadline is Friday, December 15.
Illnesses or Medical Conditions
If your child stays home because of an illness or contagious medical condition (such as the flu or head lice), it is very important that you notify the school so that we can inform the other families of possible exposure. Exposure notices are anonymous, and they are very important in curbing the extent of any illness's impact on the children. In addition, when we have 2 or more cases of any illness listed on the Exposure Notice, we must send a report to Licensing.
Despite the Traffic...
Despite the foot traffic in Juniper from toddler parent visits, potential parent visits, and class parent observations, the Juniper children continue to work with little or no distraction. We should give them lots of credit for their ability to stay focused and on task throughout the past month!
LIVE OAK
The holidays have begun! We’d like to share with you how we will be celebrating in our classroom. We will be learning about festivals of light from all over the world including Loi Krothong, Divali, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. If you celebrate these or any other festival, please come to share how you celebrate. If you are not able to come in, please email us a story of one of your family holiday memories or traditions that we can read aloud to the children.
Wednesday, December 13, we will have our Sing-a-Long from 6 - 7:30 pm. We will focus on two main topics: The joy of family traditions and how we can help those less fortunate than ourselves. The elementary is hosting a canned food drive and our class is hosting a toy donation. Please help your child select any gently used toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We will have a toy washing station in our classroom to clean the toys and prepare them for their new children. We will donate these items to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children can also bring in new toys to donate. All toy donations must be in by Friday December 15.
Please look at the calendar of events outside the classroom. We would love volunteers to come in to share their holiday traditions with us including baking (cookies etc.), crafts, story telling, story writing and more.
GINKGO
The Ginkgo class would like to welcome a new child, Mia Chun Noval. Mia’s first day was Monday November 26th.
The children were very excited about their Thanksgiving vacations. They mentioned all the different places they’ve been and the family members they’ve seen. We’re glad to hear that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We’ve had a great Thanksgiving ourselves in the Ginkgo classroom. The children decorated the tables with beautiful flower arrangements and pinecone centerpieces. They spent the whole morning preparing the food. The children cut the fruit for the fruit salad and prepared the vegetables (we allow children to use real knives so that the child has the whole real experience of preparing meals from start to finish). They grated cheese for the pasta and helped cook the pasta; they also helped bake the pumpkin and the sweet potato pies. The feast turned out beautifully.
This week there were a lot of sound games going on in the classroom. The children are starting to recognize the beginning and ending sounds of words. We use games such as, I- Spy to practice sounds. For example, “I spy with my little eye, something with the beginning sound “b”. “ The children then point to an item on a shelf or rug.
We had a birthday celebration for Chiara Mapp who turned 3 years old on November 26. Chiara’s parents, Erin Scott and Ben Mapp, came in and told the story of Chiara’s life and shared a special snack, muffins. As a gift Chiara brought the class a book titled “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
We had a birthday celebration for Aidan Hsu who turned 3 years old on November
29. Her mom, Moira Chapman, came in and shared pictures and the story of Aidan’s life. She also brought in apple crisp to share with the class. Aidan also brought a book titled, “Who Would Want Those Apples Anyway?”, as a present to the classroom.
We would like to thank Paxton’s mom, Tana Johnson, for coming in and doing an art project of leaf prints with the children. The children enjoyed discovering all the different shapes of leaves she brought in and using the beautiful fall colors to create prints.
MAGNOLIA
The Children had a wonderful time preparing and feasting last Monday. They chopped vegetables for the soup with Aleka (Eva's mom), made a variety of different sandwiches with Stella (Ethan's mom) including cucumber and cream cheese which was one of the favorites. For dessert we had oatmeal cookies. The children mixed in all of the ingredients for them with Kathleen (Kaelen's mom). Everyone had such a wonderful time cooking that we will be making all of the sweet treats for the holiday sing a long. If you have a favorite cookie or bread recipe you would like to make with the children please let Ms. Olivares know. Thank you Bob Houser for taking pictures and Naima Hart for helping us with set up.
The holidays are here! This a perfect opportunity to volunteer in the classroom with cooking, crafts, or sharing holiday traditions. We will also be participating in a toy drive with the Live Oak classroom. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We have a toy washing station to clean and prepare the toys for their new children. We will donate all of the toys to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children may also bring in new toys to donate.
Save the Dates:
Holiday Sing-a-Long Wed. Dec.13th
Conferences Dec.7th, 8th,and 11th
MULBERRY
Thank you to all who helped out with our class Thanksgiving Feast. The children helped make the lasagna by spreading the sauce, layering the noodles, sprinkling cheese and tasting when they had the opportunity. The children also cut up fruit and made a fruit salad. A group of children removed the soy beans from their pods. Parents helped the children make beautiful flower arrangements in small vases for our tables. We also had delicious garlic bread, chicken wings, and raspberry lemon cheese cake. The children set the tables with festive placemats, flowers, and glassware. We set the food up buffet style and the children served themselves. It was quiet while they ate and they all went right to sleep with a full stomach.
A special thank you to David, Ariana, Sharon and Peter for taking home our class parakeets for the holiday. The birds came back singing.
This week our class intern, Tellihah, began teaching Spanish to small groups. The children are learning colors in Spanish.
Reminder that class starts at 8:45. If you are going to be late please call the office to let us know and please enter the classroom quietly in order to not disturb the children who are already engaged.
The class has begun learning some of our holiday songs. Our class Sing-a-Long will be Wednesday, December 13 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. I would like to invite parents who would like to share a holiday tradition of yours with the class to let Mrs. Aima know.
Quote of the week: SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all the steps of movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember is, when working with a young child, to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
Song of the week;
Build a little snowman round and fat.
Find a carrot nose and an old straw hat.
Now my little snowman, won't you stay?
Out comes the sun and you melt away.
CAMELLIA
Welcome back! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families. A big thank you to all those parents who helped with our feast. The children had a great and busy time preparing fruit for their fruit salad, decorating with flowers, sprinkling cheese, and peeling soybeans. They truly enjoyed the activities and the food.
Reminder: Mr. Tien needs to have the pre-conference forms back by this Friday, Dec. 1. If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, please do so. If you have questions please feel free to ask Mr. Tien. The Camellia conferences begin Dec. 4th.
This week’s sound was "K" and we shared Kite, Keys, Ketchup, Koala, and a person Kicking a ball. Next week’s sound is "L", as in Lemon, Lipstick, and Lamp.
BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THURSDAY, DEC. 14th, which is the evening of our Camellia Sing-a-Long celebration, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome so please come and join us. We ask that you bring a finger food dish, dessert, or drinks to share (NO nut products). Questions? Ask the Brown Cottage staff. One song is "BUILD A LITTLE SNOWMAN”, and the children will do something special with this one.
This week’s quote:
SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually, what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she, in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all of the steps of the movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember when working with a young child, is to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with the child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
12/12 Ginkgo & Jacaranda Sing-A-Longs 6 – 7 pm
12/13 Sing-A-Longs: Mulberry 5 – 6 pm, Live Oak & Magnolia 6 – 7 pm
12/14 Sing-A-Longs: Camellia 5:30-6:30 pm, Juniper 7 – 7 pm
12/15 Redwood Sing-A-Long 6:30-7:30 pm
12/18 – 12/29 Holiday Break – childcare provided by registration
1/1/07 New Year’s Day – school closed, no childcare
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid paperwork for the 2007/2008 school year is available from the business office. Email Nancy Haskins at nancy@grandlakemontessori.com, or call her at 510-622-0259 for more information. Paperwork for new families is due back by 2/1/07; deadline for current/returning families is 1/1/07.
CHILDREN AND GATES ON CAMPUS
For obvious safety concerns, children (elementary excepted) are not allowed to open the gates on campus, especially the security gate at 466 Chetwood. In addition, do not tell your child the code at this gate. Thank you for your cooperation.
NEW TUFF TUMBLERS CLASSES
Another session of Tuff Tumblers will begin on Dec. 13 (Wednesday class) and Friday, Dec. 15 (Friday class). Registration forms have been distributed to Parent Pockets. These classes fill up very quickly and children are added on a first come, first served basis. We will try to accommodate specific day and time requests.
TAKE A BREAK
Another “round” of TAB has begun, starting today and ending Feb. 16th. Please sign your child up in advance for the pizza lunch (Wednesday before the Friday that you wish your child to participate) as pizzas must be ordered Thursday morning based on the number of children in the program. Shopping for the melons and carrots is also done in advance. Thank you for your cooperation. Volunteers are also needed.
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 “L”, as in Lemon, Leopard, and Lice.
LUCCIOLA & GLM
Now through December 31st, Lucciola bookstore will donate 10% of all purchases by the GLM community* to Grand Lake Montessori, which the teachers will use to purchase books for the classrooms.
This is a great way to support our school while stocking up on beautiful, high-quality books for holiday, birthday, and other gifts. In addition, you will be patronizing an independent, local, multicultural, women-owned cooperative business in Oakland. How can you beat that?!
Tell all your friends and family to come out and patronize them too—and to mention GLM at the counter so we can raise lots of extra funds, and bring some wonderful new books into the school.
*Patrons must identify themselves as Grand Lake Montessori family/friends in order for this contribution to be made, so don’t forget to let them know at the counter.
Lucciola Children’s Bookstore is on Piedmont Avenue near the corner of Monte Vista.
HELP SAVE A RESCUE KITTY TODAY
A friend of GLM has a fantastic rescue kitty, Lilly, who needs a permanent home. She is between 3-5 years old, spayed, and is up to date with her shots. She likes to talk and play with little mock mice. Her fur is black on top, and white underneath. I am looking for a home for her with someone who understands that while she is a sweetheart, it may take some time for her to adjust to her new home. While she is affectionate and loves to get pets and purr and knead, she also needs to be the kitty-in-control, which means letting her come to you on her schedule. Because of her background, Lilly will probably do best in a home with someone who would love to have an active kitty but who does not have small children or dogs. She likes to explore the house, and especially likes to find the highest nooks.
There is an adoption contract to sign as a part of the process. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me at lillycat@fribble.org or call 925-429-1117, 5-9PM weekdays or weekend from 9-5PM. Lilly is a great girl and I am hoping that someone out there can find a place in their heart and home for her.
Thank you!!
CHILDCARE NEEDED
I am looking for childcare for two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) for my two daughters, ages 5 and 9. Both have after-school activities and would love to have a fun, caring person with a car take them to their activities. The hours would be from 3:30pm to 6pm. Please contact Celeste at crgrinage@yahoo.com if you can help or have a referral.
NANNY AVAILABLE
Our wonderful Nanny is available now that our children are in school. Our nanny, Betty, has been with us for 4 years. She raised our 4 and 1.5 year old daughters who are now at GLM.
She treats our children as if they are her own, giving them lots of love and attention. She took our daughters out almost every day, typically going to the library and the park, walking around the lake, feeding the birds, going to MOCHA and many other activities. She is reliable and shows up on time.
She is available from 7:30-6:00 M-F. She does not drive, so she prefers to be with a family or a share that is easily accessible, as we are, from public transportation. We live near Lake Merritt on the Oakland/Piedmont border. Betty is English speaking and can be reached directly at 510.206.9702. I am sure that you will be happy that you found her. I (Kara Kelly) can be reached at kara_g_kelly@yahoo.com. should you have questions or need a reference.
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CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
This week our class went to Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley to watch the Chinese Golden Dragons. They are an acrobatic company touring all over the world. The show started with the performers using large sized hula hoops to move around on the stage. We saw a contortionist bend in various directions holding trays of glasses filled with water, several men juggling hats, and various other acrobatic acts. The show's finale was with a man balancing in various gymnastic moves atop seven chairs. The show was absolutely fascinating. The children really enjoyed it!
"It was really cool and interesting!" said Clare.
"They stacked people on top of each other and juggled soccer balls with their feet." Kai said.
"I liked the woman who juggled the umbrellas with her feet and I liked the man who balanced on the chairs and the hats!" Nacalah said.
"I liked when the guys were throwing up and juggling the hats!" Michael said.
"The lady who balanced the ball on the stick on her head was cool!" said Zoe.
Our classes’ new favorite word these days is "cool".
We have a wonderful new assistant teacher, Mr. Flushman. His first day was last Tuesday, the day of our Thanksgiving feast. He is a great match for our class and the children are doing a good job of helping to orient him into the classroom.
Last week's Thanksgiving feast went very well! The children wrote Thanksgiving compositions for what they are thankful for and we made those into their placemats. They were thankful for family, money, pets, and school!
We have had a great back to school week after the break and it is nice to have our class "normalized". The children are so focused on their work and accomplishing so much!
Thank you to everyone for coming in and doing your observations. Remember that conferences are next week and if you have not signed up for one, please do so.
JACARANDA
Last week we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast. The children were so reverent as they sat at a long 'family' style table with white linen tablecloths and fresh flowers all set by them, eating a lovely lunch prepared by them. Thank you to you all who helped support the children to do it by themselves as well as the parents who assisted the teachers in preparation and clean up!
The children have been singing holiday songs and practicing for the Jacaranda Sing-a-long on December 12. Mark your calendars for this special time.
Now that everyone has had a chance to observe the classroom during work time and to sign up for a conference, remember that the conferences will be in Helen Campbell's office at your appointed time next Monday and Tuesday.
Nico Stella's family is moving in December, so the class has been talking about the move, about how far away Nico's family will be, and how long they may be away. The Jacaranda class will have a special goodbye on Friday for Nico and his family.
The Juniper classroom has reported finding lice eggs, or nits, in a child's hair, so please read the information on the Jacaranda clipboard on checking your child's hair. Be assured that your children are checked when they arrive in the morning.
The classroom had an earthquake drill, which is an opportunity for the older children to pass on to the younger children what they know about previous earthquake drills. The adult claps and says, "Earthquake, earthquake!" The children duck under a table, cover their heads and hold on to a table leg. The class then talks about what might happen if there were a real earthquake and how the adults would help the children to walk outside safely one at a time.
After a group of children set up the lunch tables, the children eat with real plates, silverware and glasses every day during lunchtime. Occasionally silverware needs to be replaced, so we are asking that if anyone has any extra child-sized spoons and forks, donations to the Jacaranda lunch service are welcomed.
The afternoon children had a lesson on 'air' doing two science experiments with water and a glass and a sponge in water. We discovered that even though we cannot see, taste or smell air it does indeed take up space and can be observed coming out of holes and spaces as bubbles. Ask your child what happened to the napkin in the glass....after being submerged in a glass was it wet or dry?
JUNIPER
The Holidays Have Begun!
We will be learning about winter festivals including Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah over the next two weeks, and we strongly encourage you to visit our class and share your family's experience regarding any of these. Consider baking with the children, doing crafts, telling a story, or any other activity that teaches the children about your holiday tradition. Also, Thursday, December 14 is Juniper's holiday Sing-a-Long, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Look for a sheet on the clipboard to sign-up to bring food, paper goods, or drinks.
Canned Goods
Elementary is heading a canned food drive for the less fortunate. Many of you have already brought in canned goods, thank you! You can bring any additional goods as late as Friday, December 1. All canned goods will be donated to Harbor House of Oakland.
Toy Drive
Juniper, along with other primary classes, is doing a toy drive. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with, wash it clean, and bring it in to class. All toys will be donated to Bananas and will in turn be distributed to children in the Bay Area. Children can also donate new toys. The deadline is Friday, December 15.
Illnesses or Medical Conditions
If your child stays home because of an illness or contagious medical condition (such as the flu or head lice), it is very important that you notify the school so that we can inform the other families of possible exposure. Exposure notices are anonymous, and they are very important in curbing the extent of any illness's impact on the children. In addition, when we have 2 or more cases of any illness listed on the Exposure Notice, we must send a report to Licensing.
Despite the Traffic...
Despite the foot traffic in Juniper from toddler parent visits, potential parent visits, and class parent observations, the Juniper children continue to work with little or no distraction. We should give them lots of credit for their ability to stay focused and on task throughout the past month!
LIVE OAK
The holidays have begun! We’d like to share with you how we will be celebrating in our classroom. We will be learning about festivals of light from all over the world including Loi Krothong, Divali, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. If you celebrate these or any other festival, please come to share how you celebrate. If you are not able to come in, please email us a story of one of your family holiday memories or traditions that we can read aloud to the children.
Wednesday, December 13, we will have our Sing-a-Long from 6 - 7:30 pm. We will focus on two main topics: The joy of family traditions and how we can help those less fortunate than ourselves. The elementary is hosting a canned food drive and our class is hosting a toy donation. Please help your child select any gently used toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We will have a toy washing station in our classroom to clean the toys and prepare them for their new children. We will donate these items to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children can also bring in new toys to donate. All toy donations must be in by Friday December 15.
Please look at the calendar of events outside the classroom. We would love volunteers to come in to share their holiday traditions with us including baking (cookies etc.), crafts, story telling, story writing and more.
GINKGO
The Ginkgo class would like to welcome a new child, Mia Chun Noval. Mia’s first day was Monday November 26th.
The children were very excited about their Thanksgiving vacations. They mentioned all the different places they’ve been and the family members they’ve seen. We’re glad to hear that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We’ve had a great Thanksgiving ourselves in the Ginkgo classroom. The children decorated the tables with beautiful flower arrangements and pinecone centerpieces. They spent the whole morning preparing the food. The children cut the fruit for the fruit salad and prepared the vegetables (we allow children to use real knives so that the child has the whole real experience of preparing meals from start to finish). They grated cheese for the pasta and helped cook the pasta; they also helped bake the pumpkin and the sweet potato pies. The feast turned out beautifully.
This week there were a lot of sound games going on in the classroom. The children are starting to recognize the beginning and ending sounds of words. We use games such as, I- Spy to practice sounds. For example, “I spy with my little eye, something with the beginning sound “b”. “ The children then point to an item on a shelf or rug.
We had a birthday celebration for Chiara Mapp who turned 3 years old on November 26. Chiara’s parents, Erin Scott and Ben Mapp, came in and told the story of Chiara’s life and shared a special snack, muffins. As a gift Chiara brought the class a book titled “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
We had a birthday celebration for Aidan Hsu who turned 3 years old on November
29. Her mom, Moira Chapman, came in and shared pictures and the story of Aidan’s life. She also brought in apple crisp to share with the class. Aidan also brought a book titled, “Who Would Want Those Apples Anyway?”, as a present to the classroom.
We would like to thank Paxton’s mom, Tana Johnson, for coming in and doing an art project of leaf prints with the children. The children enjoyed discovering all the different shapes of leaves she brought in and using the beautiful fall colors to create prints.
MAGNOLIA
The Children had a wonderful time preparing and feasting last Monday. They chopped vegetables for the soup with Aleka (Eva's mom), made a variety of different sandwiches with Stella (Ethan's mom) including cucumber and cream cheese which was one of the favorites. For dessert we had oatmeal cookies. The children mixed in all of the ingredients for them with Kathleen (Kaelen's mom). Everyone had such a wonderful time cooking that we will be making all of the sweet treats for the holiday sing a long. If you have a favorite cookie or bread recipe you would like to make with the children please let Ms. Olivares know. Thank you Bob Houser for taking pictures and Naima Hart for helping us with set up.
The holidays are here! This a perfect opportunity to volunteer in the classroom with cooking, crafts, or sharing holiday traditions. We will also be participating in a toy drive with the Live Oak classroom. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We have a toy washing station to clean and prepare the toys for their new children. We will donate all of the toys to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children may also bring in new toys to donate.
Save the Dates:
Holiday Sing-a-Long Wed. Dec.13th
Conferences Dec.7th, 8th,and 11th
MULBERRY
Thank you to all who helped out with our class Thanksgiving Feast. The children helped make the lasagna by spreading the sauce, layering the noodles, sprinkling cheese and tasting when they had the opportunity. The children also cut up fruit and made a fruit salad. A group of children removed the soy beans from their pods. Parents helped the children make beautiful flower arrangements in small vases for our tables. We also had delicious garlic bread, chicken wings, and raspberry lemon cheese cake. The children set the tables with festive placemats, flowers, and glassware. We set the food up buffet style and the children served themselves. It was quiet while they ate and they all went right to sleep with a full stomach.
A special thank you to David, Ariana, Sharon and Peter for taking home our class parakeets for the holiday. The birds came back singing.
This week our class intern, Tellihah, began teaching Spanish to small groups. The children are learning colors in Spanish.
Reminder that class starts at 8:45. If you are going to be late please call the office to let us know and please enter the classroom quietly in order to not disturb the children who are already engaged.
The class has begun learning some of our holiday songs. Our class Sing-a-Long will be Wednesday, December 13 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. I would like to invite parents who would like to share a holiday tradition of yours with the class to let Mrs. Aima know.
Quote of the week: SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all the steps of movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember is, when working with a young child, to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
Song of the week;
Build a little snowman round and fat.
Find a carrot nose and an old straw hat.
Now my little snowman, won't you stay?
Out comes the sun and you melt away.
CAMELLIA
Welcome back! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families. A big thank you to all those parents who helped with our feast. The children had a great and busy time preparing fruit for their fruit salad, decorating with flowers, sprinkling cheese, and peeling soybeans. They truly enjoyed the activities and the food.
Reminder: Mr. Tien needs to have the pre-conference forms back by this Friday, Dec. 1. If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, please do so. If you have questions please feel free to ask Mr. Tien. The Camellia conferences begin Dec. 4th.
This week’s sound was "K" and we shared Kite, Keys, Ketchup, Koala, and a person Kicking a ball. Next week’s sound is "L", as in Lemon, Lipstick, and Lamp.
BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THURSDAY, DEC. 14th, which is the evening of our Camellia Sing-a-Long celebration, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome so please come and join us. We ask that you bring a finger food dish, dessert, or drinks to share (NO nut products). Questions? Ask the Brown Cottage staff. One song is "BUILD A LITTLE SNOWMAN”, and the children will do something special with this one.
This week’s quote:
SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually, what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she, in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all of the steps of the movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember when working with a young child, is to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with the child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
GLM news 2006
Calendar
12/12 Ginkgo & Jacaranda Sing-A-Longs 6 – 7 pm
12/13 Sing-A-Longs: Mulberry 5 – 6 pm, Live Oak & Magnolia 6 – 7 pm
12/14 Sing-A-Longs: Camellia 5:30-6:30 pm, Juniper 7 – 7 pm
12/15 Redwood Sing-A-Long 6:30-7:30 pm
12/18 – 12/29 Holiday Break – childcare provided by registration
1/1/07 New Year’s Day – school closed, no childcare
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid paperwork for the 2007/2008 school year is available from the business office. Email Nancy Haskins at nancy@grandlakemontessori.com, or call her at 510-622-0259 for more information. Paperwork for new families is due back by 2/1/07; deadline for current/returning families is 1/1/07.
CHILDREN AND GATES ON CAMPUS
For obvious safety concerns, children (elementary excepted) are not allowed to open the gates on campus, especially the security gate at 466 Chetwood. In addition, do not tell your child the code at this gate. Thank you for your cooperation.
NEW TUFF TUMBLERS CLASSES
Another session of Tuff Tumblers will begin on Dec. 13 (Wednesday class) and Friday, Dec. 15 (Friday class). Registration forms have been distributed to Parent Pockets. These classes fill up very quickly and children are added on a first come, first served basis. We will try to accommodate specific day and time requests.
TAKE A BREAK
Another “round” of TAB has begun, starting today and ending Feb. 16th. Please sign your child up in advance for the pizza lunch (Wednesday before the Friday that you wish your child to participate) as pizzas must be ordered Thursday morning based on the number of children in the program. Shopping for the melons and carrots is also done in advance. Thank you for your cooperation. Volunteers are also needed.
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 “L”, as in Lemon, Leopard, and Lice.
LUCCIOLA & GLM
Now through December 31st, Lucciola bookstore will donate 10% of all purchases by the GLM community* to Grand Lake Montessori, which the teachers will use to purchase books for the classrooms.
This is a great way to support our school while stocking up on beautiful, high-quality books for holiday, birthday, and other gifts. In addition, you will be patronizing an independent, local, multicultural, women-owned cooperative business in Oakland. How can you beat that?!
Tell all your friends and family to come out and patronize them too—and to mention GLM at the counter so we can raise lots of extra funds, and bring some wonderful new books into the school.
*Patrons must identify themselves as Grand Lake Montessori family/friends in order for this contribution to be made, so don’t forget to let them know at the counter.
Lucciola Children’s Bookstore is on Piedmont Avenue near the corner of Monte Vista.
HELP SAVE A RESCUE KITTY TODAY
A friend of GLM has a fantastic rescue kitty, Lilly, who needs a permanent home. She is between 3-5 years old, spayed, and is up to date with her shots. She likes to talk and play with little mock mice. Her fur is black on top, and white underneath. I am looking for a home for her with someone who understands that while she is a sweetheart, it may take some time for her to adjust to her new home. While she is affectionate and loves to get pets and purr and knead, she also needs to be the kitty-in-control, which means letting her come to you on her schedule. Because of her background, Lilly will probably do best in a home with someone who would love to have an active kitty but who does not have small children or dogs. She likes to explore the house, and especially likes to find the highest nooks.
There is an adoption contract to sign as a part of the process. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me at lillycat@fribble.org or call 925-429-1117, 5-9PM weekdays or weekend from 9-5PM. Lilly is a great girl and I am hoping that someone out there can find a place in their heart and home for her.
Thank you!!
CHILDCARE NEEDED
I am looking for childcare for two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) for my two daughters, ages 5 and 9. Both have after-school activities and would love to have a fun, caring person with a car take them to their activities. The hours would be from 3:30pm to 6pm. Please contact Celeste at crgrinage@yahoo.com if you can help or have a referral.
NANNY AVAILABLE
Our wonderful Nanny is available now that our children are in school. Our nanny, Betty, has been with us for 4 years. She raised our 4 and 1.5 year old daughters who are now at GLM.
She treats our children as if they are her own, giving them lots of love and attention. She took our daughters out almost every day, typically going to the library and the park, walking around the lake, feeding the birds, going to MOCHA and many other activities. She is reliable and shows up on time.
She is available from 7:30-6:00 M-F. She does not drive, so she prefers to be with a family or a share that is easily accessible, as we are, from public transportation. We live near Lake Merritt on the Oakland/Piedmont border. Betty is English speaking and can be reached directly at 510.206.9702. I am sure that you will be happy that you found her. I (Kara Kelly) can be reached at kara_g_kelly@yahoo.com. should you have questions or need a reference.
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CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
This week our class went to Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley to watch the Chinese Golden Dragons. They are an acrobatic company touring all over the world. The show started with the performers using large sized hula hoops to move around on the stage. We saw a contortionist bend in various directions holding trays of glasses filled with water, several men juggling hats, and various other acrobatic acts. The show's finale was with a man balancing in various gymnastic moves atop seven chairs. The show was absolutely fascinating. The children really enjoyed it!
"It was really cool and interesting!" said Clare.
"They stacked people on top of each other and juggled soccer balls with their feet." Kai said.
"I liked the woman who juggled the umbrellas with her feet and I liked the man who balanced on the chairs and the hats!" Nacalah said.
"I liked when the guys were throwing up and juggling the hats!" Michael said.
"The lady who balanced the ball on the stick on her head was cool!" said Zoe.
Our classes’ new favorite word these days is "cool".
We have a wonderful new assistant teacher, Mr. Flushman. His first day was last Tuesday, the day of our Thanksgiving feast. He is a great match for our class and the children are doing a good job of helping to orient him into the classroom.
Last week's Thanksgiving feast went very well! The children wrote Thanksgiving compositions for what they are thankful for and we made those into their placemats. They were thankful for family, money, pets, and school!
We have had a great back to school week after the break and it is nice to have our class "normalized". The children are so focused on their work and accomplishing so much!
Thank you to everyone for coming in and doing your observations. Remember that conferences are next week and if you have not signed up for one, please do so.
JACARANDA
Last week we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast. The children were so reverent as they sat at a long 'family' style table with white linen tablecloths and fresh flowers all set by them, eating a lovely lunch prepared by them. Thank you to you all who helped support the children to do it by themselves as well as the parents who assisted the teachers in preparation and clean up!
The children have been singing holiday songs and practicing for the Jacaranda Sing-a-long on December 12. Mark your calendars for this special time.
Now that everyone has had a chance to observe the classroom during work time and to sign up for a conference, remember that the conferences will be in Helen Campbell's office at your appointed time next Monday and Tuesday.
Nico Stella's family is moving in December, so the class has been talking about the move, about how far away Nico's family will be, and how long they may be away. The Jacaranda class will have a special goodbye on Friday for Nico and his family.
The Juniper classroom has reported finding lice eggs, or nits, in a child's hair, so please read the information on the Jacaranda clipboard on checking your child's hair. Be assured that your children are checked when they arrive in the morning.
The classroom had an earthquake drill, which is an opportunity for the older children to pass on to the younger children what they know about previous earthquake drills. The adult claps and says, "Earthquake, earthquake!" The children duck under a table, cover their heads and hold on to a table leg. The class then talks about what might happen if there were a real earthquake and how the adults would help the children to walk outside safely one at a time.
After a group of children set up the lunch tables, the children eat with real plates, silverware and glasses every day during lunchtime. Occasionally silverware needs to be replaced, so we are asking that if anyone has any extra child-sized spoons and forks, donations to the Jacaranda lunch service are welcomed.
The afternoon children had a lesson on 'air' doing two science experiments with water and a glass and a sponge in water. We discovered that even though we cannot see, taste or smell air it does indeed take up space and can be observed coming out of holes and spaces as bubbles. Ask your child what happened to the napkin in the glass....after being submerged in a glass was it wet or dry?
JUNIPER
The Holidays Have Begun!
We will be learning about winter festivals including Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah over the next two weeks, and we strongly encourage you to visit our class and share your family's experience regarding any of these. Consider baking with the children, doing crafts, telling a story, or any other activity that teaches the children about your holiday tradition. Also, Thursday, December 14 is Juniper's holiday Sing-a-Long, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Look for a sheet on the clipboard to sign-up to bring food, paper goods, or drinks.
Canned Goods
Elementary is heading a canned food drive for the less fortunate. Many of you have already brought in canned goods, thank you! You can bring any additional goods as late as Friday, December 1. All canned goods will be donated to Harbor House of Oakland.
Toy Drive
Juniper, along with other primary classes, is doing a toy drive. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with, wash it clean, and bring it in to class. All toys will be donated to Bananas and will in turn be distributed to children in the Bay Area. Children can also donate new toys. The deadline is Friday, December 15.
Illnesses or Medical Conditions
If your child stays home because of an illness or contagious medical condition (such as the flu or head lice), it is very important that you notify the school so that we can inform the other families of possible exposure. Exposure notices are anonymous, and they are very important in curbing the extent of any illness's impact on the children. In addition, when we have 2 or more cases of any illness listed on the Exposure Notice, we must send a report to Licensing.
Despite the Traffic...
Despite the foot traffic in Juniper from toddler parent visits, potential parent visits, and class parent observations, the Juniper children continue to work with little or no distraction. We should give them lots of credit for their ability to stay focused and on task throughout the past month!
LIVE OAK
The holidays have begun! We’d like to share with you how we will be celebrating in our classroom. We will be learning about festivals of light from all over the world including Loi Krothong, Divali, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. If you celebrate these or any other festival, please come to share how you celebrate. If you are not able to come in, please email us a story of one of your family holiday memories or traditions that we can read aloud to the children.
Wednesday, December 13, we will have our Sing-a-Long from 6 - 7:30 pm. We will focus on two main topics: The joy of family traditions and how we can help those less fortunate than ourselves. The elementary is hosting a canned food drive and our class is hosting a toy donation. Please help your child select any gently used toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We will have a toy washing station in our classroom to clean the toys and prepare them for their new children. We will donate these items to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children can also bring in new toys to donate. All toy donations must be in by Friday December 15.
Please look at the calendar of events outside the classroom. We would love volunteers to come in to share their holiday traditions with us including baking (cookies etc.), crafts, story telling, story writing and more.
GINKGO
The Ginkgo class would like to welcome a new child, Mia Chun Noval. Mia’s first day was Monday November 26th.
The children were very excited about their Thanksgiving vacations. They mentioned all the different places they’ve been and the family members they’ve seen. We’re glad to hear that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We’ve had a great Thanksgiving ourselves in the Ginkgo classroom. The children decorated the tables with beautiful flower arrangements and pinecone centerpieces. They spent the whole morning preparing the food. The children cut the fruit for the fruit salad and prepared the vegetables (we allow children to use real knives so that the child has the whole real experience of preparing meals from start to finish). They grated cheese for the pasta and helped cook the pasta; they also helped bake the pumpkin and the sweet potato pies. The feast turned out beautifully.
This week there were a lot of sound games going on in the classroom. The children are starting to recognize the beginning and ending sounds of words. We use games such as, I- Spy to practice sounds. For example, “I spy with my little eye, something with the beginning sound “b”. “ The children then point to an item on a shelf or rug.
We had a birthday celebration for Chiara Mapp who turned 3 years old on November 26. Chiara’s parents, Erin Scott and Ben Mapp, came in and told the story of Chiara’s life and shared a special snack, muffins. As a gift Chiara brought the class a book titled “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
We had a birthday celebration for Aidan Hsu who turned 3 years old on November
29. Her mom, Moira Chapman, came in and shared pictures and the story of Aidan’s life. She also brought in apple crisp to share with the class. Aidan also brought a book titled, “Who Would Want Those Apples Anyway?”, as a present to the classroom.
We would like to thank Paxton’s mom, Tana Johnson, for coming in and doing an art project of leaf prints with the children. The children enjoyed discovering all the different shapes of leaves she brought in and using the beautiful fall colors to create prints.
MAGNOLIA
The Children had a wonderful time preparing and feasting last Monday. They chopped vegetables for the soup with Aleka (Eva's mom), made a variety of different sandwiches with Stella (Ethan's mom) including cucumber and cream cheese which was one of the favorites. For dessert we had oatmeal cookies. The children mixed in all of the ingredients for them with Kathleen (Kaelen's mom). Everyone had such a wonderful time cooking that we will be making all of the sweet treats for the holiday sing a long. If you have a favorite cookie or bread recipe you would like to make with the children please let Ms. Olivares know. Thank you Bob Houser for taking pictures and Naima Hart for helping us with set up.
The holidays are here! This a perfect opportunity to volunteer in the classroom with cooking, crafts, or sharing holiday traditions. We will also be participating in a toy drive with the Live Oak classroom. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We have a toy washing station to clean and prepare the toys for their new children. We will donate all of the toys to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children may also bring in new toys to donate.
Save the Dates:
Holiday Sing-a-Long Wed. Dec.13th
Conferences Dec.7th, 8th,and 11th
MULBERRY
Thank you to all who helped out with our class Thanksgiving Feast. The children helped make the lasagna by spreading the sauce, layering the noodles, sprinkling cheese and tasting when they had the opportunity. The children also cut up fruit and made a fruit salad. A group of children removed the soy beans from their pods. Parents helped the children make beautiful flower arrangements in small vases for our tables. We also had delicious garlic bread, chicken wings, and raspberry lemon cheese cake. The children set the tables with festive placemats, flowers, and glassware. We set the food up buffet style and the children served themselves. It was quiet while they ate and they all went right to sleep with a full stomach.
A special thank you to David, Ariana, Sharon and Peter for taking home our class parakeets for the holiday. The birds came back singing.
This week our class intern, Tellihah, began teaching Spanish to small groups. The children are learning colors in Spanish.
Reminder that class starts at 8:45. If you are going to be late please call the office to let us know and please enter the classroom quietly in order to not disturb the children who are already engaged.
The class has begun learning some of our holiday songs. Our class Sing-a-Long will be Wednesday, December 13 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. I would like to invite parents who would like to share a holiday tradition of yours with the class to let Mrs. Aima know.
Quote of the week: SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all the steps of movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember is, when working with a young child, to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
Song of the week;
Build a little snowman round and fat.
Find a carrot nose and an old straw hat.
Now my little snowman, won't you stay?
Out comes the sun and you melt away.
CAMELLIA
Welcome back! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families. A big thank you to all those parents who helped with our feast. The children had a great and busy time preparing fruit for their fruit salad, decorating with flowers, sprinkling cheese, and peeling soybeans. They truly enjoyed the activities and the food.
Reminder: Mr. Tien needs to have the pre-conference forms back by this Friday, Dec. 1. If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, please do so. If you have questions please feel free to ask Mr. Tien. The Camellia conferences begin Dec. 4th.
This week’s sound was "K" and we shared Kite, Keys, Ketchup, Koala, and a person Kicking a ball. Next week’s sound is "L", as in Lemon, Lipstick, and Lamp.
BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THURSDAY, DEC. 14th, which is the evening of our Camellia Sing-a-Long celebration, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome so please come and join us. We ask that you bring a finger food dish, dessert, or drinks to share (NO nut products). Questions? Ask the Brown Cottage staff. One song is "BUILD A LITTLE SNOWMAN”, and the children will do something special with this one.
This week’s quote:
SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually, what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she, in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all of the steps of the movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember when working with a young child, is to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with the child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
Calendar
12/12 Ginkgo & Jacaranda Sing-A-Longs 6 – 7 pm
12/13 Sing-A-Longs: Mulberry 5 – 6 pm, Live Oak & Magnolia 6 – 7 pm
12/14 Sing-A-Longs: Camellia 5:30-6:30 pm, Juniper 7 – 7 pm
12/15 Redwood Sing-A-Long 6:30-7:30 pm
12/18 – 12/29 Holiday Break – childcare provided by registration
1/1/07 New Year’s Day – school closed, no childcare
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid paperwork for the 2007/2008 school year is available from the business office. Email Nancy Haskins at nancy@grandlakemontessori.com, or call her at 510-622-0259 for more information. Paperwork for new families is due back by 2/1/07; deadline for current/returning families is 1/1/07.
CHILDREN AND GATES ON CAMPUS
For obvious safety concerns, children (elementary excepted) are not allowed to open the gates on campus, especially the security gate at 466 Chetwood. In addition, do not tell your child the code at this gate. Thank you for your cooperation.
NEW TUFF TUMBLERS CLASSES
Another session of Tuff Tumblers will begin on Dec. 13 (Wednesday class) and Friday, Dec. 15 (Friday class). Registration forms have been distributed to Parent Pockets. These classes fill up very quickly and children are added on a first come, first served basis. We will try to accommodate specific day and time requests.
TAKE A BREAK
Another “round” of TAB has begun, starting today and ending Feb. 16th. Please sign your child up in advance for the pizza lunch (Wednesday before the Friday that you wish your child to participate) as pizzas must be ordered Thursday morning based on the number of children in the program. Shopping for the melons and carrots is also done in advance. Thank you for your cooperation. Volunteers are also needed.
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 “L”, as in Lemon, Leopard, and Lice.
LUCCIOLA & GLM
Now through December 31st, Lucciola bookstore will donate 10% of all purchases by the GLM community* to Grand Lake Montessori, which the teachers will use to purchase books for the classrooms.
This is a great way to support our school while stocking up on beautiful, high-quality books for holiday, birthday, and other gifts. In addition, you will be patronizing an independent, local, multicultural, women-owned cooperative business in Oakland. How can you beat that?!
Tell all your friends and family to come out and patronize them too—and to mention GLM at the counter so we can raise lots of extra funds, and bring some wonderful new books into the school.
*Patrons must identify themselves as Grand Lake Montessori family/friends in order for this contribution to be made, so don’t forget to let them know at the counter.
Lucciola Children’s Bookstore is on Piedmont Avenue near the corner of Monte Vista.
HELP SAVE A RESCUE KITTY TODAY
A friend of GLM has a fantastic rescue kitty, Lilly, who needs a permanent home. She is between 3-5 years old, spayed, and is up to date with her shots. She likes to talk and play with little mock mice. Her fur is black on top, and white underneath. I am looking for a home for her with someone who understands that while she is a sweetheart, it may take some time for her to adjust to her new home. While she is affectionate and loves to get pets and purr and knead, she also needs to be the kitty-in-control, which means letting her come to you on her schedule. Because of her background, Lilly will probably do best in a home with someone who would love to have an active kitty but who does not have small children or dogs. She likes to explore the house, and especially likes to find the highest nooks.
There is an adoption contract to sign as a part of the process. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me at lillycat@fribble.org or call 925-429-1117, 5-9PM weekdays or weekend from 9-5PM. Lilly is a great girl and I am hoping that someone out there can find a place in their heart and home for her.
Thank you!!
CHILDCARE NEEDED
I am looking for childcare for two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) for my two daughters, ages 5 and 9. Both have after-school activities and would love to have a fun, caring person with a car take them to their activities. The hours would be from 3:30pm to 6pm. Please contact Celeste at crgrinage@yahoo.com if you can help or have a referral.
NANNY AVAILABLE
Our wonderful Nanny is available now that our children are in school. Our nanny, Betty, has been with us for 4 years. She raised our 4 and 1.5 year old daughters who are now at GLM.
She treats our children as if they are her own, giving them lots of love and attention. She took our daughters out almost every day, typically going to the library and the park, walking around the lake, feeding the birds, going to MOCHA and many other activities. She is reliable and shows up on time.
She is available from 7:30-6:00 M-F. She does not drive, so she prefers to be with a family or a share that is easily accessible, as we are, from public transportation. We live near Lake Merritt on the Oakland/Piedmont border. Betty is English speaking and can be reached directly at 510.206.9702. I am sure that you will be happy that you found her. I (Kara Kelly) can be reached at kara_g_kelly@yahoo.com. should you have questions or need a reference.
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CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
This week our class went to Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley to watch the Chinese Golden Dragons. They are an acrobatic company touring all over the world. The show started with the performers using large sized hula hoops to move around on the stage. We saw a contortionist bend in various directions holding trays of glasses filled with water, several men juggling hats, and various other acrobatic acts. The show's finale was with a man balancing in various gymnastic moves atop seven chairs. The show was absolutely fascinating. The children really enjoyed it!
"It was really cool and interesting!" said Clare.
"They stacked people on top of each other and juggled soccer balls with their feet." Kai said.
"I liked the woman who juggled the umbrellas with her feet and I liked the man who balanced on the chairs and the hats!" Nacalah said.
"I liked when the guys were throwing up and juggling the hats!" Michael said.
"The lady who balanced the ball on the stick on her head was cool!" said Zoe.
Our classes’ new favorite word these days is "cool".
We have a wonderful new assistant teacher, Mr. Flushman. His first day was last Tuesday, the day of our Thanksgiving feast. He is a great match for our class and the children are doing a good job of helping to orient him into the classroom.
Last week's Thanksgiving feast went very well! The children wrote Thanksgiving compositions for what they are thankful for and we made those into their placemats. They were thankful for family, money, pets, and school!
We have had a great back to school week after the break and it is nice to have our class "normalized". The children are so focused on their work and accomplishing so much!
Thank you to everyone for coming in and doing your observations. Remember that conferences are next week and if you have not signed up for one, please do so.
JACARANDA
Last week we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast. The children were so reverent as they sat at a long 'family' style table with white linen tablecloths and fresh flowers all set by them, eating a lovely lunch prepared by them. Thank you to you all who helped support the children to do it by themselves as well as the parents who assisted the teachers in preparation and clean up!
The children have been singing holiday songs and practicing for the Jacaranda Sing-a-long on December 12. Mark your calendars for this special time.
Now that everyone has had a chance to observe the classroom during work time and to sign up for a conference, remember that the conferences will be in Helen Campbell's office at your appointed time next Monday and Tuesday.
Nico Stella's family is moving in December, so the class has been talking about the move, about how far away Nico's family will be, and how long they may be away. The Jacaranda class will have a special goodbye on Friday for Nico and his family.
The Juniper classroom has reported finding lice eggs, or nits, in a child's hair, so please read the information on the Jacaranda clipboard on checking your child's hair. Be assured that your children are checked when they arrive in the morning.
The classroom had an earthquake drill, which is an opportunity for the older children to pass on to the younger children what they know about previous earthquake drills. The adult claps and says, "Earthquake, earthquake!" The children duck under a table, cover their heads and hold on to a table leg. The class then talks about what might happen if there were a real earthquake and how the adults would help the children to walk outside safely one at a time.
After a group of children set up the lunch tables, the children eat with real plates, silverware and glasses every day during lunchtime. Occasionally silverware needs to be replaced, so we are asking that if anyone has any extra child-sized spoons and forks, donations to the Jacaranda lunch service are welcomed.
The afternoon children had a lesson on 'air' doing two science experiments with water and a glass and a sponge in water. We discovered that even though we cannot see, taste or smell air it does indeed take up space and can be observed coming out of holes and spaces as bubbles. Ask your child what happened to the napkin in the glass....after being submerged in a glass was it wet or dry?
JUNIPER
The Holidays Have Begun!
We will be learning about winter festivals including Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah over the next two weeks, and we strongly encourage you to visit our class and share your family's experience regarding any of these. Consider baking with the children, doing crafts, telling a story, or any other activity that teaches the children about your holiday tradition. Also, Thursday, December 14 is Juniper's holiday Sing-a-Long, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Look for a sheet on the clipboard to sign-up to bring food, paper goods, or drinks.
Canned Goods
Elementary is heading a canned food drive for the less fortunate. Many of you have already brought in canned goods, thank you! You can bring any additional goods as late as Friday, December 1. All canned goods will be donated to Harbor House of Oakland.
Toy Drive
Juniper, along with other primary classes, is doing a toy drive. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with, wash it clean, and bring it in to class. All toys will be donated to Bananas and will in turn be distributed to children in the Bay Area. Children can also donate new toys. The deadline is Friday, December 15.
Illnesses or Medical Conditions
If your child stays home because of an illness or contagious medical condition (such as the flu or head lice), it is very important that you notify the school so that we can inform the other families of possible exposure. Exposure notices are anonymous, and they are very important in curbing the extent of any illness's impact on the children. In addition, when we have 2 or more cases of any illness listed on the Exposure Notice, we must send a report to Licensing.
Despite the Traffic...
Despite the foot traffic in Juniper from toddler parent visits, potential parent visits, and class parent observations, the Juniper children continue to work with little or no distraction. We should give them lots of credit for their ability to stay focused and on task throughout the past month!
LIVE OAK
The holidays have begun! We’d like to share with you how we will be celebrating in our classroom. We will be learning about festivals of light from all over the world including Loi Krothong, Divali, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. If you celebrate these or any other festival, please come to share how you celebrate. If you are not able to come in, please email us a story of one of your family holiday memories or traditions that we can read aloud to the children.
Wednesday, December 13, we will have our Sing-a-Long from 6 - 7:30 pm. We will focus on two main topics: The joy of family traditions and how we can help those less fortunate than ourselves. The elementary is hosting a canned food drive and our class is hosting a toy donation. Please help your child select any gently used toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We will have a toy washing station in our classroom to clean the toys and prepare them for their new children. We will donate these items to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children can also bring in new toys to donate. All toy donations must be in by Friday December 15.
Please look at the calendar of events outside the classroom. We would love volunteers to come in to share their holiday traditions with us including baking (cookies etc.), crafts, story telling, story writing and more.
GINKGO
The Ginkgo class would like to welcome a new child, Mia Chun Noval. Mia’s first day was Monday November 26th.
The children were very excited about their Thanksgiving vacations. They mentioned all the different places they’ve been and the family members they’ve seen. We’re glad to hear that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We’ve had a great Thanksgiving ourselves in the Ginkgo classroom. The children decorated the tables with beautiful flower arrangements and pinecone centerpieces. They spent the whole morning preparing the food. The children cut the fruit for the fruit salad and prepared the vegetables (we allow children to use real knives so that the child has the whole real experience of preparing meals from start to finish). They grated cheese for the pasta and helped cook the pasta; they also helped bake the pumpkin and the sweet potato pies. The feast turned out beautifully.
This week there were a lot of sound games going on in the classroom. The children are starting to recognize the beginning and ending sounds of words. We use games such as, I- Spy to practice sounds. For example, “I spy with my little eye, something with the beginning sound “b”. “ The children then point to an item on a shelf or rug.
We had a birthday celebration for Chiara Mapp who turned 3 years old on November 26. Chiara’s parents, Erin Scott and Ben Mapp, came in and told the story of Chiara’s life and shared a special snack, muffins. As a gift Chiara brought the class a book titled “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
We had a birthday celebration for Aidan Hsu who turned 3 years old on November
29. Her mom, Moira Chapman, came in and shared pictures and the story of Aidan’s life. She also brought in apple crisp to share with the class. Aidan also brought a book titled, “Who Would Want Those Apples Anyway?”, as a present to the classroom.
We would like to thank Paxton’s mom, Tana Johnson, for coming in and doing an art project of leaf prints with the children. The children enjoyed discovering all the different shapes of leaves she brought in and using the beautiful fall colors to create prints.
MAGNOLIA
The Children had a wonderful time preparing and feasting last Monday. They chopped vegetables for the soup with Aleka (Eva's mom), made a variety of different sandwiches with Stella (Ethan's mom) including cucumber and cream cheese which was one of the favorites. For dessert we had oatmeal cookies. The children mixed in all of the ingredients for them with Kathleen (Kaelen's mom). Everyone had such a wonderful time cooking that we will be making all of the sweet treats for the holiday sing a long. If you have a favorite cookie or bread recipe you would like to make with the children please let Ms. Olivares know. Thank you Bob Houser for taking pictures and Naima Hart for helping us with set up.
The holidays are here! This a perfect opportunity to volunteer in the classroom with cooking, crafts, or sharing holiday traditions. We will also be participating in a toy drive with the Live Oak classroom. Please help your child select any toy they are no longer playing with to bring in for a child who is less fortunate. We have a toy washing station to clean and prepare the toys for their new children. We will donate all of the toys to Bananas and they will distribute them to children in the Bay Area. Children may also bring in new toys to donate.
Save the Dates:
Holiday Sing-a-Long Wed. Dec.13th
Conferences Dec.7th, 8th,and 11th
MULBERRY
Thank you to all who helped out with our class Thanksgiving Feast. The children helped make the lasagna by spreading the sauce, layering the noodles, sprinkling cheese and tasting when they had the opportunity. The children also cut up fruit and made a fruit salad. A group of children removed the soy beans from their pods. Parents helped the children make beautiful flower arrangements in small vases for our tables. We also had delicious garlic bread, chicken wings, and raspberry lemon cheese cake. The children set the tables with festive placemats, flowers, and glassware. We set the food up buffet style and the children served themselves. It was quiet while they ate and they all went right to sleep with a full stomach.
A special thank you to David, Ariana, Sharon and Peter for taking home our class parakeets for the holiday. The birds came back singing.
This week our class intern, Tellihah, began teaching Spanish to small groups. The children are learning colors in Spanish.
Reminder that class starts at 8:45. If you are going to be late please call the office to let us know and please enter the classroom quietly in order to not disturb the children who are already engaged.
The class has begun learning some of our holiday songs. Our class Sing-a-Long will be Wednesday, December 13 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. I would like to invite parents who would like to share a holiday tradition of yours with the class to let Mrs. Aima know.
Quote of the week: SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all the steps of movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember is, when working with a young child, to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
Song of the week;
Build a little snowman round and fat.
Find a carrot nose and an old straw hat.
Now my little snowman, won't you stay?
Out comes the sun and you melt away.
CAMELLIA
Welcome back! We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families. A big thank you to all those parents who helped with our feast. The children had a great and busy time preparing fruit for their fruit salad, decorating with flowers, sprinkling cheese, and peeling soybeans. They truly enjoyed the activities and the food.
Reminder: Mr. Tien needs to have the pre-conference forms back by this Friday, Dec. 1. If you haven't signed up for a conference yet, please do so. If you have questions please feel free to ask Mr. Tien. The Camellia conferences begin Dec. 4th.
This week’s sound was "K" and we shared Kite, Keys, Ketchup, Koala, and a person Kicking a ball. Next week’s sound is "L", as in Lemon, Lipstick, and Lamp.
BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THURSDAY, DEC. 14th, which is the evening of our Camellia Sing-a-Long celebration, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome so please come and join us. We ask that you bring a finger food dish, dessert, or drinks to share (NO nut products). Questions? Ask the Brown Cottage staff. One song is "BUILD A LITTLE SNOWMAN”, and the children will do something special with this one.
This week’s quote:
SLOW DOWN
Adults often move far too quickly when working with children. We observe the child, but the child also has a special way of observing us. Usually, what a child sees is just a blur of movement, and so she, in turn, will move too quickly and appear uncoordinated. In order for a child to be able to perform some of the tasks in food preparation successfully, she must be able to see all of the steps of the movement required. Exactly how do you hold the knife? At what angle does the knife go into the cheese? A young child can internalize this only by seeing it done very slowly. Also important to remember when working with a young child, is to separate talking from doing. For example, peel the banana silently with the child watching. Before beginning or after finishing the movement, give the words for the action.
