Primary August 30, 2010

August 30, 2010

 

Good Afternoon!
 
Jacob held the globe during our Pledge to the Earth this morning, and we set a record for our 1st Fire Drill–1 1/2 minutes! 
 
Tomorrow, Ryker will hold the globe, & we will celebrate Finley’s 4th birthday.
 
Here is the schedule for the week of whose turn it will be to hold the globe:
Monday:  Jacob
Tuesday:  Ryker
Wednesday:  Simon
Thursday:  Alton
Friday:  Emery
 
Miss Michele

 

Primary

August 28, 2010

 

Our first Show & Share was a complete success!  The children sat with great anticipation for their turn.  With 36 students, group took almost one hour, and the children were so patient!
 
During the Share time, everyone was very respectful and asked permission to see others Show and Share.  Our next Show & Share will be Friday, September 24th.  Mark your calendar!
 
Beginning last Friday, each child will have a turn to hold the globe while we recite the pledge.  Friday, William held the globe.  Monday will be Jacob’s turn.  Everyone will have a turn.
 
Also, on Monday, we will have our first official Fire Drill.  We have been practicing since the first week of school.  “When the smoke alarm goes off, you stop what you’re doing and get in line.”  We have explained to the children that we are just practicing.  There will not be a fire.  As required by the state of KY, Plum Tree holds monthly fire drills and quarterly tornado and earthquake drills.  We prepare the well in advance children, and try to make them as fun as possible.  During our tornado drills, we go to the bathroom with a flashlight & read books.  In an earthquake drill we go under tables, and this is the only time we are allowed to do so.
 
Enjoy the weekend!
 
 
Miss Michele

Snack August 30-September 4, 2010

August 27, 2010

Snack Menu

Monday:  Apple Smoothies(secret ingredient:  avocado!) & toast with milk & water

Tuesday:  Bagels with cream cheese & dried fruit mix with milk & water

Wednesday:  Build Your Own Nachos!  Wholegrain chips, salsa, & beans with milk & water

Thursday:  Colton’s Favorite!  Grilled cheese strips with marinara for dipping with milk, juice & water

Friday:  Hummus with cucumber & carrot sticks with milk, & water

August 26, 2010

 

Plum Tree hosts Show and Share the last Friday of each month, and our first Show and Share of the 2010-2011 school year is tomorrow, Friday, August 27, 2010.
 
Over 18 years ago, while my son, Colton, was a student at Community Montessori School in Glasgow, I first experienced Show & Share.  It was such a wonderful experience,  Show & Share has become a tradition each year at Plum Tree.
 
Children are invited to bring something from their home to share with their friends and teachers.  Show and Share also provides an introduction to public speaking.  Children are invited to come in front of their class mates to show their item and tell something about it.  After each child has shown their item, we discuss how to care for others property, including asking permission.  The children then take their Show & Share to the classroom to Share. 
 
So mark your calendars!  Show & Share will be held the last Friday of each month. For the months of  November & December, we will host special Show and Shares, which we will ask for certain items.  In November, we have a food drive.  In December we have a toy drive. 
 
Send in an item for Show and Share, and as usual, we ask that you label all items sent in.  We do not allow any toy weapons for Show and Share–no guns, knives, swords, etc.
 
Thank you,
 
Miss Michele

Smoothies 8/26/10

August 26, 2010

Ellie said our smoothies were “yummy!”

Unbeknownst to the children, our  smoothies were made with vanilla yogurt, bananas, cucumbers, & carrots.

They were a huge success!  What a great way to sneak in their veggies!

Snack August 23-27, 2010

August 25, 2010

Monday:  Pretzels & Apples with milk & water
 
Tuesday:  Carrots, Cucumbers and Hummus with milk & water
 
Wednesday:  Bean & Cheese Quesadillas with juice, milk & water
 
Thursday:  Yogurt & Banana Smoothies with a surprise ingredient!
 
Friday:  Peanut Butter & Dried Fruit Tortillas with milk & water

Toddler Newsletter 8-25-10

August 25, 2010

Dear Parents,

Our friends have been busy these past few weeks meeting new friends, learning about our Montessori classroom and enjoying the playground. This is the schedule we’ve adapted:

7:30 – 8:00 Arrive at school

8:00 – 8:30 Spanish Group with Ms. Mary Tues., Wed., & Thur

Spanish Group with Ms. Emilia Monday & Friday

8:30 – 9:00 Playground

9:00 – 9:30 Group

9:30 – 10:15 Work Cycle

10:15 – 10:30 Playground

10:30 – 11:00 Lunchtime

11:00 – 11:30 Clean up our lunch and get ready for nap

11:30 – 1:30 Nap

1:30 – 2:00 Clean-up nap stuff, potty/diaper, snack

2:00 – 2:30 Playground

2:30 – 3:00 Clean-up and get things together for home

3:00 – 3:30 End of day group, dismissal

 

This schedule may change due to weather, special events, or the mood of the children! J

We always ask every child if they want to potty during the morning diapering, lunch diapering and after nap diapering. We ask all of our older toddlers who are 3 or almost 3 to potty about every fifteen to thirty minutes. We change diapers three times a day 9:30, 11:00, and at 1:30. We also do a check before they go home, at about 2:30. Of course, if your child needs diapering we will do so accordingly.

If you noticed, our group time lasts for thirty minutes! Our friends love group! Our group time consists of the following and will, for the most part, be the same all year:

First, we sing our “Good Morning, How are you?” song.

Then we review our class rules:

Use your inside/outside voices. Hands are not for pushing, hitting, or pulling hair, but they are for hugs. Feet are for running outside. Teeth are for eating food – not biting friends. Only teachers open & shut the door.

Then I go over the proper way to use our works. The first step is to get a work rug. Carry it with both hands, unroll it, then pick out a work. Always carry work with two hands. At group, children are shown how to be gentle & careful with our works – we cannot throw or bang them together! Once done with work, children put it back on the shelf where the picture is. The last step it to roll up the work rug and put it away. If seated at a table, first “ Stand up, then chair up.”

Then the work goes back to the shelf where it belongs.

 

After giving the children a lesson on the proper way to do work, we then read a book called Thank You.  It’s a very short book about saying thank you. We then sing four to five songs. These could be the “Days of the Week”, “ Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “The More We Get Together,” “ Bringing Home my Baby Bumblebee” and, of course, “ Old MacDonald!” We will also use puppets during group time and the felt story boards. The last thing we do in group is have the children put their mat away themselves. They wait until their name is called to put their mat away “nice and neat!” They have been doing so well with learning to wait their turn!

 

This week, we started the geometric shapes, cube & sphere. Almost all of our friends from last year remembered them and some of our new friends already know them! By Thursday, we had added the cone & the cylinder.

 

We would love for you to work on these things at home with your child! Learning to wait their turn is a huge lesson for toddlers, as we are sure you already know! Another important lesson is learning to put our work and other items back where they belong. You and your family could also look for cubes, cylinders, cones, and spheres at your house! We would love to hear about anything your child is starting to do differently at home because of Plum Tree!

 

Please remember to always label EVERYTHING, because it may not come back home otherwise. J

Thank you for a great start to the school year!

 

 

Toddler Teachers,

Ms. Whitney, Ms. Tina, Ms. Krista, Ms. Kaitlin, Ms. Jana, & Ms. Emilia

 

 

Toddler Snack August 16-20th

August 18, 2010

Monday:  Toast & Apples with milk,juice & water
 
Tuesday:  Bagels & Cream Cheese with milk, juice & water
 
Wednesday:  Strawberry Yogurt & Bagels with milk, juice & water
 
Thursday:  PB&J Sandwiches with milk, juice & water
 
Friday:  English muffin pizzas with milk, juice & water

Primary Snack August 16-20

August 18, 2010

Monday:  Chips & Salsa with milk, juice & water
 
Tuesday:  Chips & hummus with milk, juice & water
 
Wednesday:  Oranges, Yogurt & bagels with milk, juice & water
 
Thurday:  PB&J Pitas with milk, juice & water
 
Friday:  English Muffin Pizzas with milk, juice & water