September Community Helpers

This month we learned about typical community helpers, such as doctors, firemen and police women, just to name a few.  We discussed how a community is formed, including the role each person plays as a contributing member. We also spent some time talking about the peace rose as a tool for solving disagreements.

Dr. Montessori observed how being peaceful influences our abilities to feel at ease, to concentrate, and to consider the needs of others.  In 1948 she commented, “Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.” Our students embraced their roles of being peacemakers in our classroom and began to experience the positive results of this teaching.  

We also discussed how taking on the role of leadership fosters the growth and development of both the leader and the person being helped or nurtured.  Practicing these communication skills helped the children understand the responsibility and importance of being in a community, and learning how to take care of themselves and each other. 

A heartwarming moment came this month when one of our youngest friends decided to challenge herself to work with the step board. To the sheer delight of our kindergartners who were watching in the wings, they cheered her on (in the quietest possible way). When she completed and cleaned up her work, our “cheerleaders” were asked how they were feeling right now. “Happy, excited, and warm inside,” they replied. These same feelings are shared by teachers when we watch our students work diligently, and especially when students receive new lessons and then work independently with the materials. 

Reminders:

October brings two all-school events to campus.  First, the PTO Fall Festival on Friday, 10/18 and then World History Day on Thursday, 10/24.  On World History Day, each classroom is transformed to represent a particular epoch of history and students get to “travel” to different classrooms sampling activities, food, and art activities reflective of that time period.

We will also host our first of three parent/child nights on Thursday, 10/10 where parents are invited to the classroom and shown a sampling of favorite works by their child.  We invite families with last names starting with A-M to visit the classroom from 4:30-5:15, and families with last names starting with N-Z to visit the classroom from 5:15-6:00. Please let us know if you have a scheduling conflict and prefer the other time.

Welcome back to the new school year!  We are focusing on executing functioning skills within the classroom including: locating jobs on the shelves, how to use the materials, and how to properly place them back in their special spots. 

Much of our discussions center around grace and courtesy, and how we conduct ourselves in the room while working around our classmates. Moving our bodies more slowly with purpose and focus helps our students build their coordination, and eventually increases their level of concentration. 

There are seven main academic areas of our classroom including: language,  math, sensorial, practical life, science, cultural, and art. Each one of these areas is defined by the shelves holding specific materials.

Work is placed on the shelf in a manner which is useful and interesting. The introductory (easiest) work is on the top of the shelf going from left to right, with the most challenging work positioned on the bottom of the shelf.

In early October, we will be hosting a Parent/Child night where you will have a chance to visit our classroom with your child and have them show you some of the works they are doing. Please look for more details at the door as we get closer to the date.

September themes:

Safety and community helpers

Nutrition and food groups

Plant vs animal

Land and water

Apple studies

Dear P3 Families,

Another school year has gone by. It seems like yesterday when we had nervous, wide eyed little ones walking into our classroom, unsure about this strange and unfamiliar place!  Now, here we are saying a bittersweet goodbye to our Kindergartners, in awe of how much all the children have grown, and getting excited for the new faces that will greet us next school year.

May has been a short, but eventful month. Mother’s Day was such a sweet celebration, an occasion the children really looked forward to. They loved creating their gifts, and it was such a heart warming moment seeing their eyes light up when all their mommies and grandmas came to have snacks and tea!


Our field trip to the Shark Reef was such a success and was truly enjoyed by all the children. The animals, along with the guided tour, was extremely informative and interesting. All the parent volunteers were AMAZING this year! We are overwhelmed with gratitude, as we had a year with outstanding parent involvement. Thank you once again from the bottom of our hearts!

Perhaps the most exciting day of the school year was Field Day! Although the weather was not very cooperative, the rain managed to stay away and the children still had a blast with all the obstacle courses, water balloons, and popsicles. A huge thank you to Coach Bob and our parent volunteers for making this day as flawless as possible!

In addition to all our fun activities this month, the children remained busy in the classroom learning about the people, plants, animals and places of Africa. They loved learning all about insects (especially the ant farm), and continued to power through their math and language goals.The all time favorite was learning how to play Mancala, an ancient African two-player game dated back to the construction of the Pyramids! We are also so proud of how far students have progressed in their reading! Kudos to you, P3!

The last day of school is on Friday, May 24th. Please be reminded that pick up is at 11:15 AM. Whether you are attending camp, staying in town, or travelling this summer, we wish you a safe and fun filled break. The first day of school for the year 2019-2020 is Monday, August 12th, 2019. 

Sincerely,

Primary 3 Team

Dear P3 Familes,

We are extremely grateful for all your work and generosity during Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you so much for the luncheons, gift cards, letters of appreciation, our take home dinner, yoga and massage treats, and finally, the envelopes filled with the “faces of presidents”! We are truly blessed to be a part of your children’s lives. Thank you for giving us that privilege; we are the luckiest teachers in the world!

We would like to thank the Mota-Gastelo family for spending a morning with us doing a beautiful bird craft with the children. A special shout out goes out to Emma, as well…Happy Birthday!

We can’t believe the end of the year is creeping up on us! However, there are still many exciting events going on between now and the last day of school. Our field trip to Shark Reef is on Monday, May 6th, and we would like to thank our parent chaperones who make this trip possible. Please mark your calendars for the following important dates:

Monday, May 6: Shark Reef Field Trip 9:00-11:00am

Friday, May 10: Mother’s Day Tea: 9:30-10:15am

Thursday, May 16: Primary Field Day: 9:00-11:00am

Friday, May 17: Kindergarten Late Night: 5:00-8:00pm

Wednesday, May 22: Kindergarten Moving Up Ceremony: 1:30-2:30pm

Friday, May 24: Last Day of School! Half Day Dismissal 11:15am

May Studies:

Insects

Invertebrates

People, Plants, and Animals of Africa

Sincerely,

Primary 3 Team

Dear P3 Families,

Spring Break is finally here! We kicked off the month with our third Parent/Child Night, and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to see what your children have been working on. As always, it was a lot of fun talking about all the different concrete materials and seeing parents solving the trinomial cube!

We celebrated Maiz’s and Rosalie’s birthdays. We hope you had a very special day and thank you for celebrating with us!

Our field trip to Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary was so much fun. We want to give a big “thank you” to our chaperones who made our trip possible. Due to space on the bus, we could not accommodate all of our parents that wanted to volunteer that day. However, to those that requested, we have already reserved your spot for the Shark Reef Field Trip in May. Please be informed that parents who did not have a chance to chaperone this school year will be given priority. We will definitely reach out to more parents if needed. We are extremely grateful for our supportive families, so again…THANK YOU!

All the children have been busy learning new concepts and have been working extremely hard for the last stretch of the school year. In addition to learning about South America, Flowers, and Environmental Awareness, new math concepts have also been introduced such as Multiplication and the Snake Game to Pre-Ks and Kindergarteners. We love how excited and proud they are while tackling new works!

Whether you are enjoying a stay-cation or traveling out of town, we wish you a safe, fun, and restful Spring Break! We look forward to seeing everyone return on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Important Dates:

Mon-Fri 4/15-4/19: NO SCHOOL, Spring Break

Mon 4/22: NO SCHOOL, Teacher In-Service

Tues 4/23: School Resumes

Sincerely,

Primary 3 Team