Dear P3 Parents,

We would like to thank you all for your patience and hard work with your children during our 2 weeks of distance learning. Zoom classes are not ideal, especially with this age group and the concrete approach of the Montessori method. However, your children did beautifully! We are truly amazed by how much they have learned this month about the solar system and Antarctica! The Kindergarten afternoon sessions were so successful that we often ran out of time due to all the questions and information they all wanted to share!

As we say goodbye to January themes, we are on to studying the ocean this month. We have started our ocean mural, and the children are so excited as they all take part in creating this classroom project. Valentine’s day is also around the corner. Although we are not able to celebrate with handing out Valentines this year, they will be spending the day working on special projects and activities to celebrate this special holiday. You also should have received a link to purchase Val-O-Grams online. Please let us know if you did not receive it.

February Studies:

Oceans

Fish and Marine Life

People, Plants, and Animals of Australia

Dr. Montessori’s Birthday

Important Dates:

2/8-2/12: Teacher Appreciation Week

2/15/21: President’s Day: NO SCHOOL

2/19/21: General PTO Meeting

We are so happy to be back on campus and look forward to a new month!

Sincerely,

Primary 3

Dear P3 Families,

It’s hard to believe the end of the first semester has arrived! We have had so much fun getting to know our new friends and working with our previous students again. We have learned so much this month! We’ve talked about various winter holidays, the continent of Europe, and have completed our tree studies. The children are very much in the holiday spirit, enjoying all holiday themed work in our Practical Life and Art Area!

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Many of our younger friends are working hard daily on their phonetic sounds, using their favorite materials such as the sound board, step board, and sand paper letters! It’s amazing how far they have come, we are so proud of them!

They have also enjoyed learning about the continent of Europe, especially the animals that live there and the famous landmarks such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower.

Our other friends at work!

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Switching over to the Procare check in/out system has definitely been a change for all of us, and we would like to thank you for being patient as we all navigate this new procedure! Please don’t forget to check out your child as well at the end of the day.

We hope you all enjoy this much needed break! Whether you are staying in town or flying out of Vegas, we wish you a very safe and restful holiday. The last day of school is on Friday, December 18, and resumes on Tuesday, January 5th 2021!!

Sincerely,

Primary 3

Dear P3 Families,

One of the main goals we have for your children is for them to become independent and self directed in our classroom. Lessons on grace and courtesy skills are often repeated, such as pushing in chairs, folding mats, hanging up their coats, washing hands, manners, putting their jobs away, cleaning up after lunch, and walking around work mats. With time and patience they become self reliant and confident, leading to a “normalized” classroom.

While each child is given individual lessons based on their academic level, they also practice making their own work choices, and are encouraged to repeat activities often to gain mastery and confidence to move on to the next level.

We strongly encourage practicing independence at home as well. Children love to do things themselves, and at this age they are able to do simple tasks such as dressing themselves, putting toys away, helping with laundry, and getting their things ready for school the next day. Responsible and independent children are more likely to be helpful, contributing adults!

We have learned a lot so far about North America, the Mojave desert, and reptiles. They also enjoyed learning about different Native American homes and tribal regions across the country! Did you know that Lady Liberty was originally bronze? She is made of copper and over time has oxidized into the greenish color that she is now! Here are your children making their independent choices in our classroom!

Important Dates:

Thursday, 11/19: Picture retake day

Wednesday-Friday, 11/25-27: NO SCHOOL (Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

We thank you once again for your patience and honesty during our screening questions in the morning. Thank you for making the health and safety of our community a priority! As with curbside pick up as well, thank you for waiting for your children in your vehicle as a staff member loads them in. This will ensure the safety of the children and the quick flow of traffic.

Sincerely,

Primary 3

Hello P3 Parents!

Although the celebration was small compared to International Children’s Day in the past, everybody had a blast celebrating all things Australia! The children created fun crafts such as Paper Plate Koalas, Boomerangs, Aboriginal Dot Painting, and even had some vegemite on toast! Surprisingly, many of them absolutely loved it and asked for seconds! We enjoyed seeing your children dressed up in cultural attire. We had traditional wear from Samoa, China, and even had cowboys, cowgirls, and a member of the royal family!

November is a short month, please take note of these important dates:

Wednesday, 11/11: NO SCHOOL, Veternan’s Day

Thursday, 11/19: Picture retake day

Wednesday-Friday, 11/25-11/27: NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Holiday

The children have concluded their November studies. They were fascinated learning about the human body, from the 5 senses to naming different bones. Fall was definitely a feeling despite the warm weather, as many enjoyed writing stories about pumpkins and trees changing color. We also learned about how unique mammals are, how they are the only animals with hair and feed their babies milk from their bodies!

November Studies:

-Desert Biome: People, plants, and animals of the Mojave Desert

-Reptiles

-North America (people, places, animals) and the United States

-Thanksgiving

Thank you!

Primary 3

Hello P3 Families!

We’ve had a wonderful October so far, as the children are busy enjoying all things fall, learning about pumpkins and their life cycle, weather changes, and upcoming Halloween fun. I’m sure some of them have come home singing Halloween songs as well! As we learn about the continents, mammals, vertebrate and invertebrates, the human body, and the 5 senses, we are also making steady progress with individual lessons for language and math.

We have also started our Peace Curriculum. This focuses on appropriate conflict resolution, understanding feelings and emotions and how to appropriately deal with them, grace and courtesy, acts of kindness, and activities to calm busy brains and bodies. Some children may have come home talking about the story of Black Elk, a Native American boy who talked about the “red road” (Road of Peace) and the “black road” (Road of Difficulty). We walk the Red Road when we show kindness and feel happiness and peace, and walk the Black Road when we choose to make inappropriate choices or feeling sad or angry. We understand that everybody, adults included, will walk the Black Road at some point, but we can always make choices that will make things better. The Peace Curriculum is taught every Thursday.

We are so proud of your children for working so hard everyday!

International Children’s Day is coming up on October 29th. This is normally a very extravagant event, involving parents and the whole FMS community. However, due to the COVID restrictions we have to adhere to, ICD will be celebrated in our own classroom with only P3 students. Our classroom will be representing Australia, and it will be a half day of fun activities pertaining to the continent such as boomerang making, koala crafts, vegemite tasting, and Aboriginal painting.

Here are important October dates coming up:

Thursday, 10/29: International Children’s Day (Half Day, Primary pick up @ 11:15am)

Friday, 10/30: Nevada Day NO SCHOOL (Enjoy the holiday!)

Thank you parents!

Primary 3