Ms. Therese's Primary Montessori Classroom

2012-02-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

Lincoln Elementary February Newsletter
Primary Montessori Classroom #003
February 2, 2012

Dear Parents,
January has been action packed and February promises more of the same.   We started the month with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. studies and focused our efforts on ways to be peace makers.   The Chinese New Year came early this year so we went right to preparing for our Chinese New Year parade.   The Kindergarten children made the lion while the preschoolers made shakers to bring good luck to our school.   Thanks to all the parents and family who came to cheer us on.
February finds us finishing our study of amphibians and moving on to reptiles, dinosaurs, and fossils.   We will be focusing on Africa next and will begin the study of the planets.   In the Practical Life area we will be adding cracker spreading and clothes washing to the mix.   It is a good thing that February has an extra day this year as we are going to fill it to the brim.

NOTES & REMINDERS
Parent Observations
February continues to be a great time to come and observe your child in action in the classroom.   I will always take a few minutes with you to discuss your child’s progress.

Pajama Day to Help the Homeless
Next Thursday, February 9 is a day that we would like to dedicate to helping the homeless in our city.   We are asking children to bring in either a can of food or $1.00 in an effort to provide for the needs of the homeless.   Any child who brings in a contribution will be allowed to wear their pajamas to school that day!

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up at the end of February.   I will be holding conferences after school on Wednesday and Thursday, February 22 and 23 and on Tuesday and Wednesday February 28 and 29.   I will be emailing you the details and how to sign up in the near future.

Valentine’s Day
We would like to repeat what we did for Valentine’s Day last year.   We will have the children make one valentine in class to exchange at school on Valentine’s Day.   We will put all the children’s names in a basket.   Each child will choose a name of a classmate and give their valentine to that child.   We will use this as an opportunity to practice our manners. We will have a treat to share at group time.   Anyone interested in providing this treat (strawberries or apples?), please let me know.

Scholastic Books
Scholastic book orders are due Friday, February 10.    You can return the paper order form or order on line at www.scholastic.com   Our classroom code is GNGBW.

Love,
Ms. Therese, Ms. Addie, Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Paula

2011-12-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

Many of you asked for the recipe for the latkes that Jeremy's Mom made with the children before the break. They were delicious. Enjoy!

Jeremy's Mama's Latkes (pronounce LOT-kuz)

Ingredients (to serve 4 people, about eight 5" diameter latkes):

3 large potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 eggs
1 med or small onion
salt (to taste)
vegetable oil

optional:
1 Tbs finely chopped parsley
1/8th tsp pepper
flour (approx 3 Tbs)
Other grated veggies (carrot, beat, zucchini, spaghetti squash, etc)

1. Grate potatoes. My family grates them coarsely (e.g. the coarse area of a traditional grater, or the grater attachment that comes standard with the Cuisinart) because there will be lacy, crunchy edges this way.
2. Grate or chop onions. Add to potatoes and squeeze mixture to get out as much liquid as possible. You can use cheese cloth or just paper towels. The drier it is, the more crispy the latkes will be.
3. Mix egg with potatoes and onion. Add parsley and pepper if desired. Mix well. If still seems wet, you may add flour.
4. Heat 1/4" vegetable oil in skillet on med-high heat. Less can be used if desired, but oil is the point of the dish! When oil is hot enough that a drop of water violently sizzles. Put a soup-spoon worth of the mixture into the pan and flatten to approx 1/2" thick. Fry until edges start to brown (should be indicator that bottom is well-done), then flip to cook second side. Both sides should be browned. Note that this will take time- the only bad latkes I ever make is when they are under-done.
5. Place cooked latkes on paper towels to drain. Liberally salt the tops. Latkes are best served hot. It is traditional to eat them with apple sauce and/or sour cream.

Note: you can make latkes with nearly any vegetable; I like sneaking bits of other veggies into it. Sweet potato latkes are also very good.

Enjoy and Hag Sameach!

2011-12-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Next Thursday, December 15, Jeremy Simon’s Mom, Anna, is coming to our classroom to tell us about Hanukkah. She would like to work with the children that day and make latkes. She is asking that every child bring a small potato to school by Thursday. We will be shredding our potatoes and making them into the latkes during the morning class time and then we will eat them during our line (group) time. Anna is also asking if there is a parent who could loan us an electric fry pan to use to fry the latkes. If you can help with this, please let me know ASAP.

Thanks to all the parents who come in and share with our class. Otylia's Mom, Patrycia, did a wonderful presentation on Poland and provided some delicious Polish treats for the class. We learn so much from you. Thanks for all your help, sharing and support.

Peace,

Ms. Therese

2011-12-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

December Parent Newsletter

Lincoln Elementary

Montessori Primary Classroom, #003

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Dear Parents,

I hope your Thanksgiving was full of good food and family fun times. November was a busy month in our classroom. It provided many opportunities to learn about our country with our study of the first Thanksgiving and the introduction of the map of North America. We learned how to work as a community by gathering ingredients, washing, peeling, shaking and chopping, and finally sharing our wonderful ‘stone soup’.

December promises to be another busy month. We are exploring musical instruments including bells, drums, shakers and nature sounds. Combine that with our winter concert practice and our classroom will be filled with joyful noise. We will complete our vertebrate study this month with fish and move on to amphibians. We have many holiday art works planned including one surprise project! So, December will be a cozy busy time.

Notes and Reminders

Winter Vocal Concert

Kindergarten and Full Day four year olds will be participating in Dr. Brown’s Winter Vocal Concert on Monday, December 12 at 6:00PM. Our morning three and four year olds won’t be participating in this concert but will be participating in the spring concert. All are welcome to attend. Look for more details in upcoming Thursday folders.

Winter Outer Wear

Winter weather is here. We do go out everyday unless the weather is too wet or too cold. By too cold we mean, when the temperature, including the chill factor, goes below 20 degrees. Therefore, children need to be dressed appropriately. Remember that handling hats, gloves, mittens, boots, coats, and scarves is part of your child’s Practical Life training at the Primary level. We will help your child learn to handle the extra clothing. If the weather is wet or there is snow on the ground, all children need to wear boots to school. It is not good for children’s feet to wear boots all day and our classroom floors don’t need the mess, so all children need a pair of shoes or slippers to wear in the classroom and a separate pair of boots to wear outside. (Kindergarten and Full Day Fours need a pair of athletic shoes or rubber soled slippers for P.E.) You may choose to have your child keep their shoes or slippers in their cubby at school or they can carry them back and forth from school to home in their bag.

Volunteer Opportunities

Classroom Pet Sitting - Any family interested in taking our classroom turtles home for the winter break, please let me know. Food and a clean cage will be provided.

Classroom Laundry - Anyone who would be willing to take the classroom rugs home to launder over the winter break, please let me know.

Thursday Folder Stuffers – The school is always in need of fresh volunteers to help with Thursday folder stuffing every Thursday. Let the office know if you would like to help or just show up on any Thursday.

Lice Outbreak

There have been a couple of cases of lice in the school. One case is on our floor and some on the upper floors.

Peace to you and yours this holiday season.

Ms. Therese, Ms. Addie, Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Paula

2011-11-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

November 3, 2011

Dear Parents,

I enjoyed meeting with all of you at Parent/Teacher Conferences. Thanks to all parents for supporting your child's educational experience at Lincoln Elementary by attending the conferences. As usual, we had 100% attendance.

The United Nations celebration supported our geography studies and reminds us all that it is a ‘small world after all’. In the month of November we will focus on the continent of North America. This will include work with the flags of North America, the story of the first Thanksgiving, placemat weaving, dishwashing and table setting works. We will also be discussing serving and table manners just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday!

NOTES & REMINDER:

No School Reminders

There is no school for all primary Montessori classes next Wednesday, November 9(First Aid/CPR/Universal Precautions training for all primary teachers), and for the entire school Thursday, November 10(Assessment Day) and Friday, November 11, (Veteran’s Day). Wednesday through Sunday, November 23-27 is no school for Thanksgiving break.

Small Hands Orders

Small Hands orders are arriving. Information on when and where to pick your orders up will be available soon.

Change of Clothes Reminder

Just a reminder! Please don't forget to send warmer clothes for your child's change of clothes here at school. (Please label everything!) ALL children need an appropriate change of clothes available to them at school. Thanks for your help with this.

Boots

Now that the snow has started to fly, your child will need to wear boots to school. Please send a pair of shoes or slippers for them to wear in the classroom. (Kindergarten and Full Day four year olds need to have a pair of shoes rather than slippers as they go to P.E. in the afternoon and slippers are not safe in the gym unless they have rubber soles.) Boots are too hot to wear inside and it will help keep the classroom floors clean. You may choose to have your child either keep the shoes/slippers at school or transport them back and forth in their bag. Please label all outer wear. Thanks for your help with this.

Scholastic Book Orders

November book order forms are coming home in your Thursday folder. Orders are due on Tuesday, November 7. You may order on line until Friday, November 11. Our classroom code is GNGBW.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and know that we are grateful to have the opportunity to work with you and your children.

Peace,

Ms. Therese, Ms. Addie, Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Paula

October Newsletter

2011-10-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Elementary Montessori Classroom News

Ms. Therese – Room 003

October 6, 2011

Dear Parents,

What a wonderfully, busy month September has been. Everyone has settled nicely into our school routines. Please know that occasional tears at your departure are still normal and will continue to diminish with time.

In the classroom we have been working very hard in the Practical Life area and have perfected many basic motor skills. From pouring and tweezing to chair scrubbing and window washing, the Practical Life area is a very productive place. In the cultural area we have focused on invertebrates to start off the year and will be watching our caterpillars transform into butterflies. We have also been discussing the seasons and have set up a nature table where children are encouraged to bring nature items including signs of fall. So many wonderful things to experience and discover at this age!

NOTES & REMINDERS

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up this month. We will be offering evening conferences from 4:00PM-6:00PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 18, 19 and 20 and Monday and Tuesday, October 24 and 25. Conferences will be 20 minutes long. We are going to be signing up for conferences online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/mstherese Just type in your name and email address and choose the conference time that works for you. If you are unable to come to conferences during these scheduled times, please let me know and we will work out an alternate time. I look forward to talking with all of you.

Cooler Weather

Cooler weather is just around the corner, we hope! We want to remind you that we go outside everyday unless it is raining or extremely cold. Outside time is important for children’s growth and development. Please make sure that your child has outerwear appropriate to the weather. Remember to label everything so, if it gets misplaced, it will find its way back home.

Scholastic Book Orders

Scholastic book orders are due next Friday, October 14. Remember that you can order books online at http://www.scholastic.org/ Our class code is GNGBW.

News

The News procedure is going very well. Thank you for working with your children and preparing them to give clues about their News items. There is a sign on our arrival/dismissal door that reminds everyone of the sound for the current week

United Nations Day

We will be honoring United Nations Day on Monday, October 24, time tba. Kindergarten and Full Day 4’s will be participating in this event. All parents and morning preschoolers are welcome to attend.

Peace,

Ms. Therese, Ms. Addie, Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Paula

Welcome Back!

2011-08-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Elementary Montessori

Primary Class, #003

September Class News

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dear Parents,

Whew! Well, it looks as if we all have survived the first few weeks of school. I have truly enjoyed getting to know all our new children and their families as well as welcoming back all of our returning children and their families. I would also like to welcome back Ms. Addie, who has worked with me for the last four years, Ms. Bonnie, who had been in our classroom the year before and who is now back and Ms. Paula, who is volunteering as an assistant in our classroom while doing her Montessori internship. We are getting used to the new and old routines of arrival, dismissal, Thursday folders, canvas totes, etc.,etc.,etc. and things are really starting to settle in. It does feel as if we are in a sea of little ones but they are all doing wonderfully well. I look forward to a fun year of learning with you and your children.

Sorry that this letter is a bit long and repetitious but I wanted to make sure that you have all the information you need as we start this new school year.

NOTES & REMINDERS

**Non-Student Contact Day

ECE teachers and paraprofessionals are required to have staff development focused for this age group. Our first training is scheduled for Tuesday, September 20, 2011. This will be a no school day for all Montessori Preschool children. Please mark this on your calendars now.

**Nut Allergy

We now have three students in our classroom who are highly allergic to nuts of any kind. This is a very serious health issue for these students. We are asking you to not send nuts of any kind as snacks for your children. Also, please read labels carefully as many granola bars have nuts or are processed with peanut or nut oils. If your child brings a snack with nuts as an ingredient or part of its processing, we will be sending the snack back home and will provide your child with an alternate snack for that day. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

**Water Bottles

We would like all children to bring a water bottle to school on Mondays to use in the classroom during the week. We will send water bottles home on Fridays to be washed and returned on the following Monday. This is especially important during these hot, end of summer days. We are trying to cut down on the paper cup waste we have. Water in paper cups will still be served when your child is having snack. The rest of the day, their water bottles will always be available to them.

**Arrival and Dismissal

Arrival and dismissal are going very well. Thank you for your patience and support as we help our little ones adjust to the routines.

**ECE Forms/Classroom Funds

Our three and four year old children must turn in all paperwork ASAP. Our program is licensed by the state and it is a state regulation that we have this paperwork in your child’s file. If you are missing any forms we will be contacting you at arrival/dismissal times.

Also, don’t forget that we ask parents of Kindergarten children to contribute $35.00 and parents of Preschool children to contribute $25.00 to the classroom fund for consumables and supplies. If you haven’t sent this in yet please do so.

**Scholastic Books

We will be sending Scholastic book orders home with your child monthly. Scholastic Books offers quality paperbacks at reasonable prices. We enjoy the added plus that Scholastic offers bonus points with your orders to obtain books and materials free for the classroom. So we really appreciate all your orders. We are offering you the opportunity to order books from Scholastic on line if that would be more convenient for you. A letter was sent home with your child that explains how to order on line. If you would rather order on paper, turn in your order and make your check payable to Scholastic Books, Inc. Send checks or monies in an envelope marked Scholastic Book Order, Ms. Therese, and Room 003. All orders are due this Friday, September, 3.

**What is news? For New Parents

News is an oral language experience designed to give the children an opportunity to talk about an object they bring from home and to answer questions the other children ask. Six children a day are allowed to participate in this process. The children sign in on the News book as they arrive in the classroom. Participation is decided on a first come, first served basis. Children are allowed one turn per week. If News is full and a child has brought an item, they are welcome to bring it another day. We will again be using the alphabet sounds to guide your child’s choice of News items. News will officially begin on Tuesday, September 6. The sound for the first week is ‘a’ as in apple. The sound of the week will be posted on our arrival door. We ask that you help your child choose an item that begins with the sound of the week. Also, help your child think of clues such as what color the object is, or what the item is used for, as your child will keep their item hidden and give these clues to the children at News. The children will then guess what the item is. News items will be available to take home from the News basket at dismissal. If you have any questions, just give me a call.

Thank you for your support as we begin this school year. Please feel free to contact me at school anytime you have questions or concerns. Dismissal times are good times to catch me or you can call and leave a message at school for me to call you. The school’s number is (720)424-5990. Also, you may email me at therese_hester@dpsk12.org.

Peace,

Ms. Therese, Ms. Addie, Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Paula