Finding our way through this new way of doing school has its challenges.  We are missing seeing and being with each one of you, students and parents.  We are grateful for the technology to communicate with each other and yet the in person smile, touch and movement through the classroom is truly missed.

Our new classroom organization includes sending pre-recorded videos to you on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, made by all three teachers. Kindergarten Zoom morning lessons are also conducted on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays and are following the format that would normally be taught to our Kindergarten students with goals being completed each day. 

We trust that you have picked up (outside the school) packets of work for Pre-K and Kindergarten students.  These are designed to support students in refining their math, writing and reading skills. 

Friday mornings at 9:30 am we will be conducting our Zoom social meeting with all P1 students.  This is a chance for all of us to be together in the virtual world. We will sing a few songs, maybe eat a snack together, and create a platform for us to interact with each other.  You will receive the invitation via email from Ms. Melissa on Thursdays.  

Thank you for doing your part in social distancing and staying healthy.  We know it is not easy to disrupt routines, especially one as foundational as “going to school.”  We appreciate the extra challenge of parents stepping into the teacher role and helping your child to keep the learning process going.  This unprecedented time in our history will certainly leave its imprint upon our society, may we weather this storm together and be made stronger by the challenge.

Greeting P1 students and families!  As we adjust to our new way of staying home and being mindful of the part that each one of us plays in helping our community stay healthy, we also want to share our deepest intent of nurturing and supporting our FMS family. It is uncharted territory for each of us and the need to stay focused on what matters most is an important challenge for each of us.

Consistent, clear, repeatable processes are foundational to a Montessori education and in this unusual time we are in, the need for that kind of tempo and attention to the “how” things are getting done will serve us well. Tempting as it may be to get through the tasks at hand and keeping your child (children) occupied during this extended time together, we encourage you to take a moment, slow down and let the actions fill the space.  There’s no place to be, except right here, right now. Try as best you can to experience the process more than simply completing the task at hand. We practice this discipline in the classroom and know that when we do it, our students experience calm and develop confidence in themselves.

We turn to the natural world for encouragement and inspiration, and find that especially in this time of uncertainty that the plant world knows exactly what to do, when.  These plants were part of a Kindergarten lesson a few weeks ago, when beans and a wet cotton ball were placed in a sealed plastic bag and taped to the window. At first, it seemed like nothing was happening and then, the urge to grow, to expand to exist took over each plant and you can see the growth in front of you. We can take hope and inspiration in seeing the plants and flowers growing all around us and know that we too are heading in that same direction.

Looking forward to seeing all of our friends soon.

With love,

Ms. Melissa, Ms. Diana and Ms. Nancy

Our Valentine’s Day celebration was sweetened by the making of heart shaped pancakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream. 

Thanks to Evangelina (Roman’s mom), Heidi (Carl’s mom) and Michele (Sophia’s mom) for mixing and cooking the pancakes with us.  Students came to class wearing their comfy pajamas and spent the morning doing Montessori work in between playing games and exchanging Valentines.

We completed our ocean studies about marine plant and animal life.  One wall in the classroom was dedicated to creating a typical ocean ecosystem with fish both big and small, various marine animals, and seaweed.  Our students helped paint, and then cut out the sea plants and animals. This visual model gives all of us a chance to admire and appreciate the ocean life on Earth.

Kindergartners recently took a field trip to the Estes McDoniel marine lab.  It is such a great opportunity for our students to be hosted by the Estes McDoniel 5th grade students to learn about marine animals that we discuss in class.  We know that pairing tangible experiences with information really makes the difference in the level of understanding and engagement for our students.  

REMINDERS

Friday, March 20 there is no school for students due to parent/teacher conferences. 

Saturday, March 28th is the PTO Charity Fun Run, where donations and funds raised will be given to the Real Autism Difference organization. Come out and enjoy the morning by walking or running, followed by a pancake breakfast!

Special thanks too to Christi and her mother (Scarlett’s Mom and Grandmother) for making a special Dr. Seuss Day snack and craft.

THANKS:

A great big thanks to Camila and her family for providing delicious snacks and beautiful flowers for our classroom.

We finished our studies on space and have plunged into learning about the oceans on Earth.  A favorite activity by the Kindergartners is to help create the ocean wall, where an assortment of sea plants and animals are represented.  Students helped paint and cut out the animals and eventually, Kindergartners will be giving informational tours about the sea creatures to their younger peers.

Kindergartners will also apply their knowledge of sea life when they visit the Estes McDoniel Marine Lab later in the month.  This is a fully functioning marine lab, located at a nearby elementary school. Tours are given by 5th graders running the lab with plenty of hands on opportunities to touch some of the sea life.

Every year at about this time, the Kindergartners reach the 100th day of instruction.  We had a celebration in the afternoon to honor the milestone of being in school for 100 days.  Kindergartners were invited to do activities celebrating the number 100 such as graphing 100 shapes, making a collage with the number 100, stacking and building with 100 plastic cups, and imagining what we would do with $100!

Thanks to all of our families who attended Parent/Child Night.  This evening gives each student a chance to demonstrate their skills and helps parents to see in person some of the work that is done in the classroom on a daily basis.

REMINDERS:

No school on Monday, 2/17 in honor of President’s Day.

Friday, 2/21 is the primary field trip to the Discovery Museum. All primary students will attend. Please have your child wear their red FMS shirt.

Thursday, 2/27 is the Kindergarten field trip to the marine lab located at Estes McDoniel Elementary school from 9:15am-11:30am.  Kindergartners are asked to wear their red FMS shirt and bring a disposable lunch, including bags and containers.

THANKS:

A great big thanks to Graham, Carl, and their families for providing delicious snacks and beautiful flowers for our classroom.

We are closing out the first month of the new year, and students have enthusiastically embraced our studies of the solar system, space, and constellations.  Kindergartners methodically created their own paper version of the solar system after hearing lessons from Ms. Melissa and Ms. Diana about each planet. Keeping with Montessori practices of presenting material in a concrete way, the children were taught about our solar system through songs and movement.  During whole group instruction, 3 children were chosen to represent the sun, earth, and moon. The proper rotation times were then recited. For instance, “it takes 365 days for the earth to go around the sun” and “it takes 28 days for the moon to go around the earth.” An ample supply of planet books in our science area gave our students the chance to learn about our solar system.

Eating a “moon snack” after preparing it with Evangelina (Roman’s mom) and Michele (Sophia’s mom) in our kitchen. Thanks ladies for orchestrating the cooking project this month.

Completing a four digit addition problem, using the stamp box objects.

On to a more earthly subject, considerable effort is used to teach and reinforce grace and courtesy in the classroom.  Every Wednesday morning, Ms. Melissa gives a whole group peace lesson. At times, she talked about what makes someone a good friend (a good friend is kind, a good friend is helpful, and a good friend listens to your words).  It has been wonderful to watch our students employ these guidelines in some of their social relationships! Ms. Melissa routinely emphasizes the importance of using good manners. It has a profound effect on the room when students are using their good manners.  As their interactions are respectful of each other, the room is more peaceful and deeper levels of concentration and learning are experienced in the space. Let’s keep this process going both at home and at school. We find that the more children use “please and thank you” in their daily interactions, the more natural and unprompted their responses become.

Exploring Europe while using the puzzle map to trace the countries onto a white piece of paper.

REMINDERS

Wednesday, 1/29 is kindergarten re-enrollment information night at 5:00pm for the 2020-2021 school year.  All families who have currently enrolled pre-K children are encouraged to attend.

Thursday, 1/30 is 1st grade re-enrollment information night at 5:00pm for the 2020-2021 school year.  All families who have currently enrolled kindergarten children are encouraged to attend.

SNACK AND FLOWER THANKS

A great big thanks to Ben, Zach, and their families for providing delicious snacks and beautiful flowers for our classroom.