November 1, 2013

Dear Parents,

I have really enjoyed meeting with all of you for Parent/Teacher Conferences.   You are a wonderful group of Lincoln families and I truly enjoy working with you and your children.   Kindergarten parents, I will be setting up your children with a reading program called Raz Kids in the next few weeks.   This is a program that you and your child can work with at home.   Becoming good readers is a very important piece of their education and we do need parents help to get our children where they need to be by the end of their Kindergarten year.

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, food preparation, 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 for Full Day 4s and Half Day 3s.

Don’t forget that there is no school this coming Monday, November 4 for Full Day 4s and Half Day 3s.   All our Primary staff will be taking First Aid/CPR training.   Kindergarten children will have school as normal.

Apple Sauce Time!!!

We will be making applesauce as a fun, fall harvest activity.   We ask that each child bring one or two of their favorite apples to contribute to the pot.   Please send these in by the end of next week so we can get cooking!!!!

 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

When the snow begins 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 orders are due on Friday, November 8.    For ordering on line 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 and Ms. Bonnie

Dear Parents,

I knew that I would have forgotten a few things and would need to send at least one more note to you!

First of all, thank you so much for the teacher appreciation flowers, gifts and well wishes.   We feel much appreciated!

Next, we have finished using sounds to guide our News’ choices.   Your child is free to bring anything that is not a toy to share at News.   Just as before, they need to bring it in a bag and be able to tell us the sound it begins with and clues for us to help us guess what they have brought.   Some ideas would be:  Objects such as rocks, leaves, etc. found on a hike or walk, postcards from a trip or souvenirs from a trip.

Kindergarten children will be going up to visit the Lower Elementary classrooms this week so that they will get an idea of what happens there as well as meet some of the teachers and students that they may work with next year.   We think that this will help them deal with some of the nervous feelings they may be having.

Finally, we are planning on taking our Primary classes up to Washington Park for a class picnic on Wednesday, May 23.   All children will need to wear sunscreen and bring a sack lunch, water bottle, hat and good walking shoes that day.   We will be leaving school shortly after arrival so it is important to be on time that day.   We will arrive back at school in time for morning dismissal, 12:15.   All parents are welcome to walk up with us and bring a lunch and join in the fun.   I will be sending another reminder right before just in case plans change a little.

Thanks for all your help and patience this year!

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

May Newsletter

Montessori Primary Room #003

May 3, 2012

Dear Parents,

Can you believe that it's May, our last full month of school??   April just flew by.   In the classroom we finished our study of birds and had an incredible visit from Matt Herbert (Nico’s Dad) and the Denver Zoo.   They gave a wonderful presentation to all three Primary classes with examples from all five classifications of vertebrates that the children were able to handle and explore, as well as living examples.   Matt, we can’t thank you enough for the experience you provided to our students.     

We will continue our study of animals throughout May by finishing the vertebrates with mammals and focus on some invertebrates which we have already begun with the arrival of our ladybug larvae.   We also finished our study of the planets and may touch on constellations before we finish the year.   Don’t forget that night sky viewing is a fun, summer family activity.

Thanks to all Moms (and Dads) who came to Mom’s night.   It was fun watching you work with your children.  Your children were excellent teachers and you were equally excellent students.  

Even though May is our last month, it promises to be action packed to the end.   Between celebrating all our May and summer birthdays, Field Day and our Kindergarten continuation celebration, (and anything else I have forgotten) we are going to be plenty busy.   We will send reminders and more information as some of these events get closer.   This is a wonderful group of very enthusiastic learners and we are looking forward to this last month with them.

 

NOTES & REMINDERS

May and Summer Birthday Celebrations

If you haven’t scheduled your child’s May or summer birthday, please do so ASAP.   August birthdays will be celebrated in August.

Classroom Cleanup

The construction of our new bathrooms and an elevator is going to impact the amount of time that we have to clean up our classrooms.   Our last week of school, May 21-25, I will be asking for volunteers to take home some of our classroom works home to clean.   Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Summer Volunteers

I need parent volunteers for a few summer jobs:

ü  Washing our classroom rugs and laundry.

ü  Taking a plant or two to care for over the summer.

ü  Taking the classroom hamster, fish or turtles to care for over the summer.

Let me know if you are interested in helping with any of these jobs.

Important Upcoming Dates

Field Day – Tuesday, May 22, 9:15AM.   (Rain Date – Wednesday, May 23)

Kindergarten Continuation – Friday, May 25, 2:30PM.   Time was printed wrong on the school calendar.

Last Day of School - Friday, May 25.

Details will come closer to each event.

Hot Weather Reminders

Please help us by applying sunscreen on your child before they come to school.   Also, please send a water bottle with your child to school!!!!

Summer here we come!!!

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

Montessori Primary April Newsletter

Ms. Therese, Classroom #003

Dear Parents,

          I don’t know about you but wasn’t it just March!   Spring has definitely sprung!   Our classroom will be springing into many new activities this month.   We finished up our study of reptiles and our next focus will be birds.   We will be having a visit, thanks to Matt Herbert Nico’s dad, from the Denver Zoo to support our study of the vertebrates.   We will also be continuing our study of the planets and end with making maps of the solar system.   Down on earth we will be putting out the map of Australia.   And, of course, plants will start coming to the forefront.

          Hope you all had a wonderful spring break.   We look forward to a fun and busy month ahead.

Notes and Reminders

Parent’s Nights

We have set dates for our Parent Nights.   Dad’s Night is Wednesday, April 11 from 5:00-6:00PM and Mom’s Night is Wednesday, April 18 from 5:00-6:00PM.   These are nights where your child is your teacher and you are the student.   It actually doesn’t matter which parent comes which night but we ask that only one parent come each night so our room doesn’t get too crowded.   These are nights that you and your child spend learning together.   We look forward to seeing you all there.

Vocal Concert

All primary children (Preschool and Kindergarten) will be involved in Dr. Brown’s upcoming vocal concert.   The date is set for Tuesday, April 24.   Look for more details in upcoming Thursday folders.

News Items

We have reached the end of the alphabet for our news focus.   We will be using our Double Sandpaper Letter sound combinations for the next few weeks news focus.  This week will be sh as in ship.   The news procedure will be the same except that your child’s object may end in the sound as well.   For example, they could bring a fish as it ends in the sh sound.   Just a reminder, children bring their news item in a bag and need to be prepared to give clues, including the sound that their item begins or ends with, so that the other children can guess what their item is.   Children are allowed one turn a week to bring a news item but they can join news to guess what other children bring as often as they want.

Thanks

Thanks to Mae Reynolds and her family, including her Grandparents, for watching the turtles over the break.   Both turtles looked refreshed after their vacation with you!

Thanks to Mia and her family for washing our classroom rugs over the break.   They really needed it and I’m sure the Maestas’ family doesn’t have enough laundry to do at their house!

Thanks to Max McCurdy and his family for providing some extra snacks for our classroom.   Our supply was running low and we don’t want anyone to be hungry.

Thanks to all the Kindergarten parents for working with their children at home with their sight words and reading books.   Your efforts really show in how well your children are reading.   Keep up the good work.

Scholastic Book Orders

Scholastic book orders are due next Friday, April 13.

Happy spring!

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

Lincoln Elementary Montessori

Montessori Primary #003 – Mrs. Therese Hester

March Parent Letter

Dear Parents,

February just whizzed by.   Valentine’s Day was heart warming as we exchanged our hand made valentines.   We began our trip through the solar system with Ms. Frizzle, finished our study of reptiles, rolled around in every snow storm that came our way and worked on our class auction project!   I truly enjoyed discussing your children’s progress with you during Parent/Teacher Conferences.   I want to thank all of you for your support  

In March we will focus on our next vertebrate, birds and we will continue our trip through the solar system.   Our focus in geography will be the continent of Europe.   In the Practical Life area we will be making ants on a log for our food preparation work.    With the coming of spring Botany will be another focus of the cultural area.   We will be sprouting beans and learning about the growth cycle of plants.   Spring brings much growth in nature and I anticipate much growth as well in our classroom.

NOTES AND REMINDERS

Parent Observations

This is still a great time to observe our class in action.   I find that visiting the classroom always helps parents have a better understanding of their child and the Montessori classroom.   Just let me know when you plan to come.   30 – 45 minutes is usually plenty of time and from 9:15 – 10:30 A.M. is the best time to observe.   I will always take a few minutes to answer your questions.   You may leave a message at school, email me (therese_hester@dpsk12.org) or catch me at your child’s dismissal time to set up an observation.   Thank you to all parents who have come to observe already.

Scholastic Book Orders

Scholastic book orders will be due this Friday, March 9.   Either turn in your paper order forms or order on line.   Our class code is GNGBW.

Thank You

Thanks to Charlie’s Mom for providing our Valentines treat.   Thanks to our faithful reading parents, Amy Traplani-Bowen, Jennifer Reynolds, Cori and Cameron Pope, and Kelly Maestas.   Your dedication has helped all our readers grow in their love of books.  Thanks to the Martino family for donating a fish and tank to our classroom.   Our parents are the best!

Lincoln Auction

Don’t forget that this Saturday is the School Auction.   We have some incredibly cute stools up for grabs that the children have made.   Also, my husband and I and Cori and Cameron Pope will be taking a group of 12 lucky children to the zoo!   Look for all the details in your auction book.   I hope to see you all there!

Spring here we come,

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

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 

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!