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Friday, February 02, 2007
GLM news 2006
2/14 Core meeting 5 – 6 pm
2/19 President’s Day – School closed, no childcare
2/20-2/23 Winter Break – Childcare by prior registration
3/7 Science show, 2 pm for Kindergartners & Elementary
RE-ENROLLMENT SCHEDULE
TO RETAIN YOUR CHILD’S SPACE FOR 2007/2008
Due 2/1/07: Enrollment Contract and 50% of Tuition Deposit (non-refundable)
Due 4/1/07: Remaining 50% of Tuition Deposit
5/31/07: This is the final date to withdraw your child’s enrollment in the 2007/2008 school year. On 6/1/07 the obligation to pay the full tuition for the entire school year becomes a fixed obligation.
Families filing for Financial Aid: A copy of your PFS (due to the office) will hold your child’s space until an award is determined and your Enrollment Contract is mailed.
Returning families due date: 1/1/07
New families due date: 2/1/07
GINNY SACKETT
For the second time this school year, GLM has hosted Montessori teacher trainer, Ginny Sackett. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday she observed Toddler and Primary classrooms. She had hour-long meetings with each classroom team of teachers. The teachers enjoy sharing with her and always feel supported and invigorated by her suggestions. Tuesday evening she screened the Montessori film “Edison’s Day” a day in the life of a 20 month-old.She then spoke for an hour about parenting and setting limits. Some highlights:
☛ Changing practices of Family Life will change behavior
☛ The later we start to initiate changes, the longer it will take for the child’s behavior to change
☛ We have to think of applying principles, not a formula throughout childhood
☛ See yourself in partnership with your child
☛ To become a person of their time and place a child needs to be able to imitate adults. The best way to get your child to do behaviors is you model them first. “This is what we do”. If we do things together, we model it first and the child imitates us. The child want to get along with you, wants to cooperate, want s to love you. Believe that.
Thank you all for joining us – we had a fantastic turn-out!
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 “S”, as in Sandwich, Snake, and Shower.
Raise $$ for a Mosaic Mural project that each class will participate in
AT NO COST TO YOU!!
Sign up with eScrip. Local eScrip merchants will contribute up to 8%* of the purchases to Grand Lake Montessori when you make purchases at merchants like Safeway, Piedmont Market, Whole Foods, Macy's, Planet Organics, Khana Peena Indian Cuisine, Viva Voce Cafe, Milano Ristorante, using your eScrip registered credit card. You can register any one or all of your existing grocery loyalty, debit and credit cards for use in the program. eScrip is unique -THERE IS NO COST TO YOU!!!!!
Group Name: Grand Lake Montessori
Group ID: 118429423
Sign up online. It’s quick and easy!
Go to www.escrip.com
Click on “sign-up”
Follow the instructions
There are no receipts to collect, no vouchers or certificates to buy, no hassles for you - and every purchase counts! Now, just shop at eScrip merchants. Check www.escrip.com for participating merchant locations. Sign Up Today!
Also, if you are interested in helping with the Mosaic Mural project by joining the planning committee, please email Sarah Lenoue at lenoue@yahoo.com. This is another great opportunity, along with the upcoming Wine and Cheese Auction, for you to work off your parent participation hours and build the GLM community.
WHAT’S ELEMENTARY UP TO?
✔ A snow trip Feb 14 – 16 to Norden, CA!
✔ Swimming at the YMCA beginning Mar. 1st
✔ Aftercare sewing class starting Mar. 2nd
✔ Mar. 7th “Color of Justice”, a Theater Works production
✔ Field trip to see “People Like Me” dance performance on Mar. 20th
ITEMS LEFT AT THE CRAB FEED
Someone left a sweatshirt and a child’s toy at the Crab Feed. Please contact the administrative office to identify, 510—836-4313.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
Every year the elementary class at GLM participates in Pennies for Patients, a fund-raising event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year’s event will begin February 26th and run through March 21st. There will be containers in each class for spare change – look under your car seats, lift the cushions off your sofa, empty the pockets of your raincoat! The GLM class that raises the most money gets a pizza party, and children with cancer benefit from funding for further research.
THE NEXT TUFF TUMBLERS
New classes begin next week, Wed. Feb. 7th, and will end Wed. March 21st, and Fri. Feb. 9th, and will end on Fri. March 23rd. Registration forms have been distributed – turn them in ASAP as classes fill up quickly. Please note that you will be charged for, and need to sign-up for, childcare on the days that your child stays late for Tuff Tumblers.
MONDAY & FRIDAY 3 PM CLASSES ARE FULL.
❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
Last week our class made delicious soup with homemade noodles! Angelina’s mom, Mariana, came in and the children, in groups of three, each made noodles. The noodles were made with flour, milk, and eggs. They hand mixed the ingredients, rolled the dough out, and then cut it into strips. We also had homemade corn bread. The children had a lot of fun and almost everyone really enjoyed the soup. It was packed with zucchini, carrots, onions (for flavor) tomatoes, and celery. We have been making lunch a few times out of the month for our practical life program and to give parents a second day out of the week that they don't need to make lunch. It is great for the children because everything they make is from "scratch". They get so excited when they realize that macaroni and cheese actually doesn't have to come from the box, and is a longer process but it sure does taste good!
This week we had some delicious yogurt lemon muffins with leftover lemons from the crab feed. The children also delivered some of the lemons to the other primary classes as well. Camille brought some tangerines, which she shared with the class. She also brought her ostrich egg to share this week as we are focusing on Africa.
Nacalah did a presentation on the Loleta cheese factory this week. She shared three different types of cheese with the children: salami cheddar, Havarti dill, and garden vegetable. They were very good. She explained how cheese is made and the varieties the Loleta cheese factory focuses on making. They make 40 different types and they get all of their milk from the dairy, which is right across the street. The whey is then fed back to the cows.
Last week we went to see a storyteller at the library who told the children a story handed down by her grandmother. The story was based on a painted ceramic plate. This week the children painted their own plates for homework and came up with their own stories to tell the class orally.
We have been working on a lot of creative writing and research. The first years this week wrote a story based on pretending they were a bug in a room. They needed to tell what they would see, hear, feel, smell or taste. This was Camille's story:
“This room is an apple. It looks like a green apple. I can hear the wind and other bugs in the apple. There is a room with carpet in the apple. The carpet is so deep! It makes a hole in the ground when I walk on the carpet. I can smell flowers. I can also smell fruits. This strawberry on the carpet tastes sweet. It is big. The carpet is big, too. The strawberry is tasty. The door is a circle with a seed for a door handle. My desk is a half of a plum. The end.”
JACARANDA
The children continue to thrive in the classroom this week: exploring, partnering and being guided by the adults through the array of work choices on the shelves. Even when friends and teachers are sick (or the child of a teacher, as happened this week), the environment provides the children the consistency and continuity that they need.
The environment that includes the parents and the home, the classroom and the work arranged on the shelves, and the adults as guides in the classroom forms one important triangle of experience for the children.
Following the cultural calendar, the children's study of Europe threads its way through the classroom in the morning and the afternoon. To name a few, the flags of Europe wait on the cultural shelf, books with European clothing and architecture placed on the bookshelves, the puzzle maps on the shelf include Europe on the map of the world and the European map itself, and human needs and tendencies of European cultures discussed at appropriate moments, just as with the other continents in previous months.
February is the month of Valentine's Day and the lunar new year, so if you would like to volunteer to help the children in any way, please talk to Ms. Leck, Mr. Keating or Mrs. Saleem. Expect some guidelines around how the Jacaranda classroom deals with the Valentine's Day celebration soon.
When you are dropping your children off in the morning at the door of the Jacaranda classroom, please direct any questions to the teacher who is closest to the door from 8:45-9am. After this time, we thank you for your cooperation in dropping your children off as quietly as possible so as to not interrupt the other children who are already engaged in their own activities.
JUNIPER
Cultural Calendar for February
During the month of February, the children will be focusing their studies on the following topics:
Geography: Europe
Botany/Science: Weather
Zoology: Mammals, parts of the horse, varieties of mammals
Geometry: Geometric solids, making solids
Holidays/Events: Valentines Day, Lunar New Year
As always, we extend an open invitation for parents to come and share with the children on any of the subjects above. The children really enjoy it when parents come in to visit them.
Five-Year Olds Learn About Dental Care From a Professional
On Thursday, Diana Fong (Claudia Lee's mother and a dentist) spent an hour with the five-year olds teaching them about their teeth and how to care for them. They all received a gift bag containing a toothbrush, Tom's toothpaste, a coupon and pamphlets on brushing, flossing, and keeping the mouth healthy. A big thanks to Diana!
All Day Students
All day students (those staying beyond afternoon snack) should collect and bring in egg cartons for a special project that Elizabeth Rynecki - Tyler and Owen's mom - will be leading. The egg cartons will be used to make Chinese Dragons!
LIVE OAK
A new month, and a new round of cultural studies. This month we will be exploring mammals, Europe, famous African-Americans and the Lunar New Year. Please feel free to come in and share a story or do a craft with the children. We have lots of ideas if you have the time!
As you’ve probably noticed we are experiencing some sort of flu that is hitting adults very badly. Please do not send your children to school if they have discharge from their noses that is not clear or if they have diarrhea or feel like they are going to throw up. We would really like to get this bug out of here.
Valentine’s Day is coming soon. Please remember not to put individual names on the envelopes. If your child would like to write names let them write Live Oak Child or To My Friend, or something generic. 24 times 24 are a lot of valentines to pass out. Thank you for your consideration in this. We would also love for a parent to come in and help the children make bags.
Thursday is our coming together of kindergartners for sports and other activities. Thursday the 8th is Live Oak’s “sponsor day” and we would love a parent to come help us with all the extra kindergartners. We would need someone from 1:30-2:45. Let us know and always, thanks.
GINKGO
Touching is an important aspect of human interactions. It is also a strong sensorial and social experience. Sometimes we feel the need to hug or be hugged and other times we do not. The Gingko children have been using grace and courtesy lessons to channel these energies into positive experiences. We introduce these lessons not as lessons but as games. This is a fun and interactive way of teaching the children what are appropriate ways of touching and dealing with touching. Our first game is how to touch our own bodies gently. This teaches movement control and anatomy. For example, touch your chin gently or touch your nose lightly. The second game is a social lesson through role-playing. A child begins by asking to touch another child's body such as "May I touch your hair?" The other child responds with yes or no, thank you. Then the children act accordingly to the response. This lesson empowers children with the responses of his/her own body.
MAGNOLIA
Welcome back Ben Weinstein, He has returned from a six-week trip to India. He brought back some wonderful gifts wrapped in beautiful hand-made paper for the classroom. We looked at where India is on the Asia continent map and read one of the Indian folk tale books (The Eyes on The Peacock's Tail) he brought for us.
Jake brought in an interesting nest made of dirt and twigs; any artifacts from nature are always welcome.
Next week Ms Olivares will bring in some special bird visitors to share with the children.
Valentine's day is coming!
Just a quick reminder for the day: If you plan on your child passing out Valentines please remember that there are 32 children in our classroom. Please do not address them to individual students. Also, making homemade Valentines gives the child an opportunity to practice the skills they have been developing in the classroom; these include cutting, color and shape recognition. Children need to bring in an empty cereal box that will be decorated in the classroom as a container for all of their Valentines.
Thank you, Charity Ellis, Desmond's mom, for helping the children make their family tree ornaments.
MULBERRY
Thank you to all of the parents who took time out of their busy lives to come hear Ginny Sackett speak on setting limits. She was amazing and the movie about Edison really showed what a 20-month old is capable of doing if their environment is set up for them.
"Little Chefs" this week made vegetable soup with dumplings and a fruit salad. The children cut potatoes, carrots, broccoli, onion, celery and snap peas for the soup. Then they rolled dough for the dumplings into balls and dropped them in the soup with noodles. They also cut peaches, bananas, and cantaloupe for the fruit salad. Lunch was a big hit. Everyone ate well. Next Tuesday "little Chefs" will make homemade macaroni and cheese. Reminder to label lunch containers, coats and clothing.
Song of the week:
Old Mac Donald had a farm E I E I O.
And on his farm he had a cow E I E I O.
With a moo, moo here and a moo, moo there, here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo, moo.
Old Mac Donald had a farm, E I E I O.
Quote of the week: All the activities connected with looking after yourself and your surroundings, such as getting dressed, preparing food, laying the table, wiping the floor, clearing the dishes, doing the dusting, etc., are activities belonging to what Maria Montessori called "Practical Life" and are precisely the tasks that adults like least. But between the ages of one and four years, children love these jobs and are delighted to be called on to participate in them. - Dr. Silva Montanaro
CAMELLIA
Thank you to all the parents who came to the "Setting Limits" workshop. A big thank you to Ginny Sackett for coming back to speak to us! We hope everyone got his or her questions answered.
This week "Little Chefs" special was vegetable soup, along with a fruit salad. They really enjoy being involved in the process of preparing what they eat. The soup, with dumplings rolled by the children, was such a hit that we had it for snack in the afternoon. Next week’s special is old fashioned Mac and cheese. Again, no lunch boxes needed.
With toddlers comes a very strong sense of order. Lots of them make sure the door is closed when we enter or exit the building, and in the classroom they make sure all the chairs get pushed under the tables. One time Mr. Tien opened the gate to let a child and didn’t close the gate. Another child very quickly announced, "Mr. Tien, you forgot to close the gate!”
This week’s sound was "R" and we had Robot, Remote control, Rubber band, Rock, Rice, and Roses. Next week’s sound is "S" as in Snake, Sock, and Sand. Please label the item you bring so we may ensure it’s return home via the cubbies. Parents please check your cubbies for G.L.M information and your child’s cubbies for artwork. Thank you.
The Camellia class would like to welcome the Megan Dedmon family; dad (Chuck), mom (Greta) and baby sister Madeline.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: continued toddlers and infants play (Achieving Balance):
We surely need a balance. We don't want to be either too "intrusive" or too "just observing" so nothing happens in terms of growth and learning through play. Do you see that we have to dance somewhere in the middle on the tightropes of life - not too intrusive or only observing? You can observe all you want, but if one child is poking another, I surely hope that you do intervene.
2/14 Core meeting 5 – 6 pm
2/19 President’s Day – School closed, no childcare
2/20-2/23 Winter Break – Childcare by prior registration
3/7 Science show, 2 pm for Kindergartners & Elementary
RE-ENROLLMENT SCHEDULE
TO RETAIN YOUR CHILD’S SPACE FOR 2007/2008
Due 2/1/07: Enrollment Contract and 50% of Tuition Deposit (non-refundable)
Due 4/1/07: Remaining 50% of Tuition Deposit
5/31/07: This is the final date to withdraw your child’s enrollment in the 2007/2008 school year. On 6/1/07 the obligation to pay the full tuition for the entire school year becomes a fixed obligation.
Families filing for Financial Aid: A copy of your PFS (due to the office) will hold your child’s space until an award is determined and your Enrollment Contract is mailed.
Returning families due date: 1/1/07
New families due date: 2/1/07
GINNY SACKETT
For the second time this school year, GLM has hosted Montessori teacher trainer, Ginny Sackett. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday she observed Toddler and Primary classrooms. She had hour-long meetings with each classroom team of teachers. The teachers enjoy sharing with her and always feel supported and invigorated by her suggestions. Tuesday evening she screened the Montessori film “Edison’s Day” a day in the life of a 20 month-old.She then spoke for an hour about parenting and setting limits. Some highlights:
☛ Changing practices of Family Life will change behavior
☛ The later we start to initiate changes, the longer it will take for the child’s behavior to change
☛ We have to think of applying principles, not a formula throughout childhood
☛ See yourself in partnership with your child
☛ To become a person of their time and place a child needs to be able to imitate adults. The best way to get your child to do behaviors is you model them first. “This is what we do”. If we do things together, we model it first and the child imitates us. The child want to get along with you, wants to cooperate, want s to love you. Believe that.
Thank you all for joining us – we had a fantastic turn-out!
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 “S”, as in Sandwich, Snake, and Shower.
Raise $$ for a Mosaic Mural project that each class will participate in
AT NO COST TO YOU!!
Sign up with eScrip. Local eScrip merchants will contribute up to 8%* of the purchases to Grand Lake Montessori when you make purchases at merchants like Safeway, Piedmont Market, Whole Foods, Macy's, Planet Organics, Khana Peena Indian Cuisine, Viva Voce Cafe, Milano Ristorante, using your eScrip registered credit card. You can register any one or all of your existing grocery loyalty, debit and credit cards for use in the program. eScrip is unique -THERE IS NO COST TO YOU!!!!!
Group Name: Grand Lake Montessori
Group ID: 118429423
Sign up online. It’s quick and easy!
Go to www.escrip.com
Click on “sign-up”
Follow the instructions
There are no receipts to collect, no vouchers or certificates to buy, no hassles for you - and every purchase counts! Now, just shop at eScrip merchants. Check www.escrip.com for participating merchant locations. Sign Up Today!
Also, if you are interested in helping with the Mosaic Mural project by joining the planning committee, please email Sarah Lenoue at lenoue@yahoo.com. This is another great opportunity, along with the upcoming Wine and Cheese Auction, for you to work off your parent participation hours and build the GLM community.
WHAT’S ELEMENTARY UP TO?
✔ A snow trip Feb 14 – 16 to Norden, CA!
✔ Swimming at the YMCA beginning Mar. 1st
✔ Aftercare sewing class starting Mar. 2nd
✔ Mar. 7th “Color of Justice”, a Theater Works production
✔ Field trip to see “People Like Me” dance performance on Mar. 20th
ITEMS LEFT AT THE CRAB FEED
Someone left a sweatshirt and a child’s toy at the Crab Feed. Please contact the administrative office to identify, 510—836-4313.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
Every year the elementary class at GLM participates in Pennies for Patients, a fund-raising event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year’s event will begin February 26th and run through March 21st. There will be containers in each class for spare change – look under your car seats, lift the cushions off your sofa, empty the pockets of your raincoat! The GLM class that raises the most money gets a pizza party, and children with cancer benefit from funding for further research.
THE NEXT TUFF TUMBLERS
New classes begin next week, Wed. Feb. 7th, and will end Wed. March 21st, and Fri. Feb. 9th, and will end on Fri. March 23rd. Registration forms have been distributed – turn them in ASAP as classes fill up quickly. Please note that you will be charged for, and need to sign-up for, childcare on the days that your child stays late for Tuff Tumblers.
MONDAY & FRIDAY 3 PM CLASSES ARE FULL.
❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●❄●
CLASS NEWS
REDWOOD (ELEMENTARY)
Last week our class made delicious soup with homemade noodles! Angelina’s mom, Mariana, came in and the children, in groups of three, each made noodles. The noodles were made with flour, milk, and eggs. They hand mixed the ingredients, rolled the dough out, and then cut it into strips. We also had homemade corn bread. The children had a lot of fun and almost everyone really enjoyed the soup. It was packed with zucchini, carrots, onions (for flavor) tomatoes, and celery. We have been making lunch a few times out of the month for our practical life program and to give parents a second day out of the week that they don't need to make lunch. It is great for the children because everything they make is from "scratch". They get so excited when they realize that macaroni and cheese actually doesn't have to come from the box, and is a longer process but it sure does taste good!
This week we had some delicious yogurt lemon muffins with leftover lemons from the crab feed. The children also delivered some of the lemons to the other primary classes as well. Camille brought some tangerines, which she shared with the class. She also brought her ostrich egg to share this week as we are focusing on Africa.
Nacalah did a presentation on the Loleta cheese factory this week. She shared three different types of cheese with the children: salami cheddar, Havarti dill, and garden vegetable. They were very good. She explained how cheese is made and the varieties the Loleta cheese factory focuses on making. They make 40 different types and they get all of their milk from the dairy, which is right across the street. The whey is then fed back to the cows.
Last week we went to see a storyteller at the library who told the children a story handed down by her grandmother. The story was based on a painted ceramic plate. This week the children painted their own plates for homework and came up with their own stories to tell the class orally.
We have been working on a lot of creative writing and research. The first years this week wrote a story based on pretending they were a bug in a room. They needed to tell what they would see, hear, feel, smell or taste. This was Camille's story:
“This room is an apple. It looks like a green apple. I can hear the wind and other bugs in the apple. There is a room with carpet in the apple. The carpet is so deep! It makes a hole in the ground when I walk on the carpet. I can smell flowers. I can also smell fruits. This strawberry on the carpet tastes sweet. It is big. The carpet is big, too. The strawberry is tasty. The door is a circle with a seed for a door handle. My desk is a half of a plum. The end.”
JACARANDA
The children continue to thrive in the classroom this week: exploring, partnering and being guided by the adults through the array of work choices on the shelves. Even when friends and teachers are sick (or the child of a teacher, as happened this week), the environment provides the children the consistency and continuity that they need.
The environment that includes the parents and the home, the classroom and the work arranged on the shelves, and the adults as guides in the classroom forms one important triangle of experience for the children.
Following the cultural calendar, the children's study of Europe threads its way through the classroom in the morning and the afternoon. To name a few, the flags of Europe wait on the cultural shelf, books with European clothing and architecture placed on the bookshelves, the puzzle maps on the shelf include Europe on the map of the world and the European map itself, and human needs and tendencies of European cultures discussed at appropriate moments, just as with the other continents in previous months.
February is the month of Valentine's Day and the lunar new year, so if you would like to volunteer to help the children in any way, please talk to Ms. Leck, Mr. Keating or Mrs. Saleem. Expect some guidelines around how the Jacaranda classroom deals with the Valentine's Day celebration soon.
When you are dropping your children off in the morning at the door of the Jacaranda classroom, please direct any questions to the teacher who is closest to the door from 8:45-9am. After this time, we thank you for your cooperation in dropping your children off as quietly as possible so as to not interrupt the other children who are already engaged in their own activities.
JUNIPER
Cultural Calendar for February
During the month of February, the children will be focusing their studies on the following topics:
Geography: Europe
Botany/Science: Weather
Zoology: Mammals, parts of the horse, varieties of mammals
Geometry: Geometric solids, making solids
Holidays/Events: Valentines Day, Lunar New Year
As always, we extend an open invitation for parents to come and share with the children on any of the subjects above. The children really enjoy it when parents come in to visit them.
Five-Year Olds Learn About Dental Care From a Professional
On Thursday, Diana Fong (Claudia Lee's mother and a dentist) spent an hour with the five-year olds teaching them about their teeth and how to care for them. They all received a gift bag containing a toothbrush, Tom's toothpaste, a coupon and pamphlets on brushing, flossing, and keeping the mouth healthy. A big thanks to Diana!
All Day Students
All day students (those staying beyond afternoon snack) should collect and bring in egg cartons for a special project that Elizabeth Rynecki - Tyler and Owen's mom - will be leading. The egg cartons will be used to make Chinese Dragons!
LIVE OAK
A new month, and a new round of cultural studies. This month we will be exploring mammals, Europe, famous African-Americans and the Lunar New Year. Please feel free to come in and share a story or do a craft with the children. We have lots of ideas if you have the time!
As you’ve probably noticed we are experiencing some sort of flu that is hitting adults very badly. Please do not send your children to school if they have discharge from their noses that is not clear or if they have diarrhea or feel like they are going to throw up. We would really like to get this bug out of here.
Valentine’s Day is coming soon. Please remember not to put individual names on the envelopes. If your child would like to write names let them write Live Oak Child or To My Friend, or something generic. 24 times 24 are a lot of valentines to pass out. Thank you for your consideration in this. We would also love for a parent to come in and help the children make bags.
Thursday is our coming together of kindergartners for sports and other activities. Thursday the 8th is Live Oak’s “sponsor day” and we would love a parent to come help us with all the extra kindergartners. We would need someone from 1:30-2:45. Let us know and always, thanks.
GINKGO
Touching is an important aspect of human interactions. It is also a strong sensorial and social experience. Sometimes we feel the need to hug or be hugged and other times we do not. The Gingko children have been using grace and courtesy lessons to channel these energies into positive experiences. We introduce these lessons not as lessons but as games. This is a fun and interactive way of teaching the children what are appropriate ways of touching and dealing with touching. Our first game is how to touch our own bodies gently. This teaches movement control and anatomy. For example, touch your chin gently or touch your nose lightly. The second game is a social lesson through role-playing. A child begins by asking to touch another child's body such as "May I touch your hair?" The other child responds with yes or no, thank you. Then the children act accordingly to the response. This lesson empowers children with the responses of his/her own body.
MAGNOLIA
Welcome back Ben Weinstein, He has returned from a six-week trip to India. He brought back some wonderful gifts wrapped in beautiful hand-made paper for the classroom. We looked at where India is on the Asia continent map and read one of the Indian folk tale books (The Eyes on The Peacock's Tail) he brought for us.
Jake brought in an interesting nest made of dirt and twigs; any artifacts from nature are always welcome.
Next week Ms Olivares will bring in some special bird visitors to share with the children.
Valentine's day is coming!
Just a quick reminder for the day: If you plan on your child passing out Valentines please remember that there are 32 children in our classroom. Please do not address them to individual students. Also, making homemade Valentines gives the child an opportunity to practice the skills they have been developing in the classroom; these include cutting, color and shape recognition. Children need to bring in an empty cereal box that will be decorated in the classroom as a container for all of their Valentines.
Thank you, Charity Ellis, Desmond's mom, for helping the children make their family tree ornaments.
MULBERRY
Thank you to all of the parents who took time out of their busy lives to come hear Ginny Sackett speak on setting limits. She was amazing and the movie about Edison really showed what a 20-month old is capable of doing if their environment is set up for them.
"Little Chefs" this week made vegetable soup with dumplings and a fruit salad. The children cut potatoes, carrots, broccoli, onion, celery and snap peas for the soup. Then they rolled dough for the dumplings into balls and dropped them in the soup with noodles. They also cut peaches, bananas, and cantaloupe for the fruit salad. Lunch was a big hit. Everyone ate well. Next Tuesday "little Chefs" will make homemade macaroni and cheese. Reminder to label lunch containers, coats and clothing.
Song of the week:
Old Mac Donald had a farm E I E I O.
And on his farm he had a cow E I E I O.
With a moo, moo here and a moo, moo there, here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo, moo.
Old Mac Donald had a farm, E I E I O.
Quote of the week: All the activities connected with looking after yourself and your surroundings, such as getting dressed, preparing food, laying the table, wiping the floor, clearing the dishes, doing the dusting, etc., are activities belonging to what Maria Montessori called "Practical Life" and are precisely the tasks that adults like least. But between the ages of one and four years, children love these jobs and are delighted to be called on to participate in them. - Dr. Silva Montanaro
CAMELLIA
Thank you to all the parents who came to the "Setting Limits" workshop. A big thank you to Ginny Sackett for coming back to speak to us! We hope everyone got his or her questions answered.
This week "Little Chefs" special was vegetable soup, along with a fruit salad. They really enjoy being involved in the process of preparing what they eat. The soup, with dumplings rolled by the children, was such a hit that we had it for snack in the afternoon. Next week’s special is old fashioned Mac and cheese. Again, no lunch boxes needed.
With toddlers comes a very strong sense of order. Lots of them make sure the door is closed when we enter or exit the building, and in the classroom they make sure all the chairs get pushed under the tables. One time Mr. Tien opened the gate to let a child and didn’t close the gate. Another child very quickly announced, "Mr. Tien, you forgot to close the gate!”
This week’s sound was "R" and we had Robot, Remote control, Rubber band, Rock, Rice, and Roses. Next week’s sound is "S" as in Snake, Sock, and Sand. Please label the item you bring so we may ensure it’s return home via the cubbies. Parents please check your cubbies for G.L.M information and your child’s cubbies for artwork. Thank you.
The Camellia class would like to welcome the Megan Dedmon family; dad (Chuck), mom (Greta) and baby sister Madeline.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: continued toddlers and infants play (Achieving Balance):
We surely need a balance. We don't want to be either too "intrusive" or too "just observing" so nothing happens in terms of growth and learning through play. Do you see that we have to dance somewhere in the middle on the tightropes of life - not too intrusive or only observing? You can observe all you want, but if one child is poking another, I surely hope that you do intervene.
