In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we were touched by the sweet introduction of “the Kindness Wreath” to our classroom, by Krishna and his mother, Dr. Nalini Velyudhan.  The concept was simple, the effect profound.  After reading a book about being thankful, we were presented with a heart-shaped wreath and varied colors of ribbon.  We took turns saying what we were grateful for and then tied a ribbon on the wreath.  Together, we created a beautiful reminder of our connection to each other and the abundance of life’s bounties that we all share. 

Wrapping up our month of studying North America, we were enriched by a personal look at Canada, given by Addie Gross’ mom, Katy.  She gave us a close up look at the wonder and beauty of living in Canada and the friendliness of our neighbors located North of us.  Thank-you. 

We also looked at Black Elk’s medicine wheel and learned about the intersection of the black road (path of life lessons) intersecting with the red road (path of peace).  At the center where the two paths cross we have the opportunity for thoughtful action leading to the point of balance between all the natural forces, and the place where balance and imbalance meet.  This center is the “power of the world’, the unity behind and within all things.  It was symbolized by a blooming tree, with birds living in it.  The children loved to work with this activity and some brought their own work home.  A special THANKS to Maria Cavalle for making the medicine wheel.

We are so grateful for the overwhelming response by our families for donating food to our canned food drive.  It really is a testimony to the generosity of our community.  A hearty thanks to all of you who have participated.

Thanks to Tommy and his family for providing snack this week.

Have a restful weekend,

 Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

We are wishing you and your families a safe, relaxing and refreshing Thanksgiving break.  This week in our circle time we have spoken about two words found in “Thanksgiving”, “thanks” and “giving”.  The children have sweetly and candidly told us what they are grateful for: “for family,” “for food,” “for air,” “for my brand new potty chair” even for “my bones!”  It is truly a time to reflect on the bounty of food, comforts and friendships that we share in our Foothills Montessori Community.

Thank you for being part of this wonderful mosaic of people creating and supporting a unique and enriching school experience for your children. Have a safe long weekend and we will see you next week.

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

This month we are learning about Desert Animals and their habitats. Our children are working in classifying, matching and doing research about these wonderful animals. The first field trip of the year was taken by our Kindergarten students this week.  They visited Red Rock Canyon.  We are currently learning about the desert environment and all of the attributes that make that biome so unique.  Red Rock Canyon is a marvel of nature, boasting geology hundreds of millions years old offering plant and animal life indigenous to the desert.  If you are new to town, it is truly worth the drive (215 to Charleston) and the visitor center offers an easy entrance into the complexity and beauty of the desert.  All levels of walking and hiking are available in the park.  

Now that the weather is shifting and jackets and sweaters are becoming more of a daily requirement, we are spending time teaching our younger students “how to put on a jacket.”  We encourage you to spend a few moments walking your child through the mechanics of putting on a jacket. 

 The easiest way to do it is to help them place the hood of the jacket on their head, if there is no hood, focus your child on the label as being the back of the jacket and have them place the back of the jacket on their head.   If sleeves are turned inside out, they will quickly learn to pull them out before placing the hood on their head.  Learning to put on a jacket is truly a milestone in development for a young child. Once a child is able to put on a jacket they have deepened their awareness of taking care of their body and taken a large step forward for their independence

We are grateful for Diya and her family for providing a delicious snack this week.

Please be reminded, that Thanksgiving is next week (is time moving faster and faster?).  Students will be dismissed at 11:15 on Wednesday (11/21) and will return to school on Monday (11/27).

Have a restful weekend. 

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

Special “Thanks” to the PTO for organizing such a lovely Fall Festival and for the opportunity of getting our families together to enjoy delicious food and fun activities. 

We also want to thank them for setting up the voting booth this week and creating the opportunity for our students to vote for their favorite color of M & M’s.  The children were guided into the “voting booth”, asked to mark their ballots, and deposit their ballots into the voting box.  It was a simple, yet profound experience for the children to learn about a fundamental right that Americans have by being citizens of the Unites States.  It turns out that the RED color was voted the most popular color at FMS.

This week we enjoyed a visit from Dr. Wilcox (Ashten’s father and a local dentist) who talked to us about dental hygiene and about finding “Tommy the Tooth Bug” in our mouths using the three techniques of “BRUSHING, FLOSSING and RINSING” as a means of keeping “Tommy the Tooth Bug” away from our mouths.  Dr. Wilcox also generously gifted new toothbrushes and toothpaste to each student.  Thank you Dr. Wilcox.

The children also got a chance to visit the kitchen thanks to Mr. Jay (Addie’s father) and Mr. David (Ms. Nancy’s husband) to mix ripe bananas with flour and spices and bake the ingredients into delicious banana, chocolate chip muffins.  Thank you both for your time!

We are also very grateful for all of our families who have collected box tops and brought them to our classroom.  We appreciate the attention to this detail and applaud your discipline and your efforts.

Please be reminded to label your child’s jackets and sweaters, as it helps us aid our students to keep track of their clothing.

No School on Monday, November 12^th as we celebrate and honor our veterans.

Have a restful weekend.

Ms. Lina,  Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

A big shout out to all of our families for helping to transform P1 into the Bolivian rainforest.  Our room was filled with artifacts and food found in that ancient South American country as we participated in the annual, FMS International Children’s Day Celebration.  A special thank-you goes to our room mother, Maria Cavalle for coordinating all of the activities and the overall look of our room.  We also see that she has the skill and creativity to make “realistic-looking” animals by the wonderful presence of the lama that she brought to our  room.  Thanks also to the parents who cut and glued and prepared the room the night before and to all of you who helped so graciously to restore the room back to its regular look after the event.  Finally, we were graced by the multi-generational contribution of Ashten’s family and we appreciate all of their help.

As the weather is changing and the children are in need of extra layers of clothing, please be sure to label all sweaters and jackets so we can help keep track of their clothing. This will  make it easier for all of us.

This Friday, November 2^nd is the PTO sponsored Fall Festival from 5pm-8pm.  We encourage all of you to attend and enjoy the activities planned for this event.  It is an easy way to enjoy the company of the families who make our school a great community.

Thank you to Jaxon and his family for providing delicious snacks and beautiful flowers for our classroom this week.

 A couple of reminders:

 Friday, November 9^th – no school – teacher in-service

Monday, November 12^th – no school – celebration of Veteran’s Day

Friday, November 16^th – Kindergarten students must be here by 8:10 for the Assembly

Wednesday, November 21^st – half-day dismissal at 11:15am – beginning of Thanksgiving Holiday