The Gazette
September 2016
Back to School 2016
It is hard to believe that the month of September has come to a close and October has commenced. As always, we were delighted to welcome back both returning and new children to our Full Day Children's House.
This is my fourth school year at North Shore Montessori and with every back to school year brings something new and exciting. This year we are thrilled to have opened as a 5 Full Day classroom as well as having three Kindergarteners. It is especially exciting as these kindergarteners are in their third year of the three year cycle.
This September we welcomed 20 children who attend school 5 full days and 1 child who attends 3 mornings. Many returning children were in our full day program last year and therefore, were used to the routine. As for our 8 new children, some of them were just starting school for the first time and have done an outstanding job adjusting to their new routine.
It is always enjoyable to watch how the returning children begin their year. Their role is crucial for a successful back to school month. They serve as role models for both the younger and newer children. Returning children come back to school, happy to pick up where they left off; their positive influence encourages children to explore the classroom with ease. New children were able to observe from day one, what goes on in the classroom. They had children showing them where things were and how certain works were done. It is marvelous to watch these moments as both returning and new children get to know each other and begin to take ownership of the classroom.
Many Practical Life Exercises have been presented. These exercises are intended for several reasons. First of all, they allow children to feel more comfortable in the classroom as they recognize and have already used most of the objects found on the shelves. Secondly, these materials allow children to work on fine motor skills. They encourage children to slow down and pay attention to their movements. As Practical Life materials are real life objects that are breakable, children gain self-confidence and appreciate the fact that we (the adults) also have confidence in them. There have been a few water pitchers or bowls broken but that is part of the learning process. We don't reprimand a child for breaking something, but encourage him or her to help clean it up. We take the time to talk about how to hold and carry fragile objects. These materials encourage children to take care of things by keeping them clean, dry, orderly and in once piece. Practical Life exercises help children concentrate so that they can move on to more challenging work later on. These exercises are also done by older children as they are considered 'restful' works especially after a more challenging work.
I have spent some time focusing on Practical Life in this newsletter, but your children have been doing many other things of course! Some are busy working on Sensorial, while others are exploring the Sandpaper Letters. Some children are concentrating more on Mathematics. I have been able to observe and better understand what the needs of your children are. I have a lesson plan for each of your children. When I present a work to your child it is because I feel he or she is ready and interested in the work
A Grace and Curtesy Exercise
Pre-Schoolers Observing Kindergarteners
Specials and Schedule
Weekly Specials
Monday Morning- Gym
Monday Afternoon-Italian for a small group of students.
Tuesday Morning- Gym and Music
Tuesday Afternoon-Italian for second group & Kindergartners.
Wednesday Morning- Gym and Art
Thursday Morning- Gym and Library
Friday- Only Kindergartners have gym
Important Reminders
I would like to remind everyone that our classroom will be Peanut Free this year. Please continue to bring fruits and vegetables and if you would like to bring crackers, cheese, yogurt or anything else, please make sure that all items are Peanut Free (or not processed in a facility that has traces of peanuts). If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Nurse Jane or myself.
Thank you to the families who have already brought in snack. The children enjoyed the fruit very much. We also very much appreciated the bananas and carrots for our works.
***Every day the schedule is slightly different, therefore, we don't have snack at a set time. If your child has a birthday celebration scheduled, please bring in the snack when your child is dropped off at 9 a.m.. As we will most likely have to set up snack and perhaps have snack before we do the actual birthday celebration.
Folders:
Please make sure to check your child's folder every day. Please remove 'old documents' to make room for new ones. Folders are checked daily. If you need to send me or the office a note, please place it in your child's folder. Ms. Gabby or Ms. Sasha check your child's folder first thing every morning.Restime:
Please make sure that you have your child's sheet placed in a labeled ZipLoc Bag. This is very important as when we remove your child's sheet it will go into a crate until rest time. When the ziploc begins to get worn out, please replace it.
We will be keeping the sheets in the classroom for the week (in a crate) and at the end of the week they will be sent home to be washed.
Thank you for your understanding and patience!
*School is closed:
October 10 &12.
November 11th.
November 23,24, 25.
*Halloween Carnival: October 29th, 12-3 p.m.
*Conferences are on November 18th. If possible, please come into the classroom to sign up. If you are unable to come into the building, please email me. Thank you!