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!

 

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

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