Ms. Kaltrina & Ms. Diane's Class : November
November Newsletter
Dear Parents,
Happy fall! It is amazing that November is here and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. We are happy to say that our search for the Montessori Head Teacher is going well. During this interim period, Marilia Menezes has stepped in to be the Montessori presence in the classroom. She wants you to know that “it’s been such a pleasure getting to know your children and I am truly enjoying my time with them as they work, play, socialize and have fun. They are bringing back sweet memories from the 20 years of teaching that I have had in a Montessori classroom”.
We start our mornings with a brief group time reading, followed by some warm up exercises. We also play short games or sing songs to help us practice listening and following directions. Our work time is very productive. New practical life activities were added: clamping with clothespins, using a baster, lids and containers, dressing frames and pumpkin scrubbing, to name a couple. These activities help develop order, concentration, coordination, and independence.
The sensorial area of the classroom builds upon the foundation in practical life of order, concentration, coordination, and independence, and focuses on refinement of the senses to be able to take in more of the details of the world around us. Both these areas prepare the children for the academic areas of the classroom such as language, math, science, and geography. We are continuing to add activities to the visual sense such as: geometric solids, a geometric cabinet, and color box 5. As the next few weeks progress, the shelves will be filled with activities in the other senses: touch, hearing, taste and smell.
In the math area, there are many activities incorporating the concept of numbers and numerals 0-10. Each activity is a little bit different to encourage the children to repeat the same concept in a different way. The more they practice, the more they master the concepts. All the activities are set up with concrete materials because that is where the children are in their development. They learn by doing the work. As they conquer 0-10 activities they will be introduced to teen numbers, numbers up to 100, beginning addition and an introduction to the decimal system.
In all areas of the classrooms activities are set up in the range of children from 2.9-5 year old. As your child grows they are exposed to activities at their age level and also challenging work. With each new activity they reach a deeper level of understanding and additional skills. The children receive individual or small group lessons to help them proceed in the activities.
We began a unit on fall by going on a nature walk. It was a beautiful day and the children enjoyed collecting leaves, acorns, and discovering autumn sights and sounds. We talked about the differences between nature and man-made objects we encountered along the way. The
children learned the names of some of the trees on the school property and for the next few days we will focus on learning more about the parts of a tree in science area.
With the Thanksgiving season approaching we will have opportunities to talk about being grateful, coming together as a community and sharing with those in need. New work will gradually be added to the shelves to reflect the history and meaning of the holiday and of course we will be cooking together as one big family.
Reminders:
Please see the November Happenings Flyer for more information.
Don’t forget to sign up for your Parent-Teacher conference online.
Please save the date for our Thanksgiving celebration on Tuesday, November 26 at 2:15. You are invited to join us. We will have a sign-up sheet by the classroom door and would love for you to participate by bringing a dish.
Thank you for your support,
Diane, Marilia, Ruby, Sandy