Constructing the Leaning Tower of Pisa

As we approach the holiday season it is quite easy to be swept up in the hustle and bustle of activities, and to loose touch with the quiet routine of daily life.  In the classroom, we keep routine sacred.  It not only gives us the guidelines for conducting a productive day, it brings a sense of security to our students because they know what to expect. They also understand their role in this process.

Independence and movement in the classroom depends directly on the ability of our students to work respectfully with the materials, and then return the work purposefully to its proper place.  When students forget or ignore this part of the routine, we gently and clearly remind them of this procedure to ensure that materials are ready for other friends to use.

The underlying expectation in our classroom is everything has its place and materials need to be ready for other children to use them.

This readiness allows the whole room to function in an organic way as the children are able to reproduce lessons they were given by a teacher. In the repetition of the lesson, they move from the initial understanding of the concepts to a mastery level of utilizing the materials.

We enjoyed a follow up evening to the parent orientation and appreciate all of our parents who attended.  Parenting is a lifelong journey filled with a full range of human emotions.  We can take wisdom from many places including “The Parent’s Tao Te Ching.”  Here is a quote that has application for us:

“The confident parent

is not the one who knows

how to parent in every situation.

The confident parent

is the one who knows

that knowledge will emerge

in the midst of the situation.

This parent’s mind

is free of complications,

ready to respond

without preconceptions.

This parent will always act rightly.”

REMINDERS

P1 Sing-A-Long is in the classroom on Friday, 12/15 at 9:15-9:45.

Ms. Diana sharing items from her home country of Honduras.

Half day dismissal on Friday, 12/22 at 11:15am.

Ms. Nancy sharing volcanic and sandstone rocks.

Winter break is 12/25/17 through 1/8/18.  School resumes on Tuesday, 1/9/18.

THANKS:

Thanks to McCoy and his family for supplying healthy and beautiful snacks, as well as flowers for our classroom.

Grace and courtesy are foundational themes in a Montessori classroom.  Grace refers to how a child moves in the space, how they handle the materials and how they function overall in the room.  Courtesy refers to the manner in which students speak and act with their peers and towards their teachers.  

There are continuous opportunities to practice grace and courtesy throughout the day, such as lining up to wash hands before lunch, lining up for recess, and  sitting attentively with the whole group during circle time.

Courtesy is also modeled when the children have differences among themselves.  Learning how to interact with others and to engage in conflict resolution when things are not “going your way” are some of the key concepts that we work on daily.  

The peace rose.

We’ve also spent some time talking about “tattling” to a teacher with the underlying intent of getting the other person in trouble.  Instead, we encourage our students to get out the peace rose and talk through their feelings directly with each other.  The peace rose gives each child the opportunity to speak, while the other child is listening.

When using the peace rose, we have taught the children to begin their dialogue with “I feel.”  This instruction helps each child to identify their own feelings and to quickly recognize the feelings in the other child. Communication about how to solve the problem then takes place, with assistance from teachers if needed.

 When resolution is achieved, the children each hold the rose and declare “friends” or “peace.”

We enjoyed our first classroom field trip to the Nevada State Museum and greatly appreciate the parents who chaperoned the event.  We also thank our parents who are helping us during our Kindergarten field trip to Red Rock Canyon.

Keith Goldman shared his wonderful professional experience with our class and may have inspired several of our students to walk in his shoes.  Thanks Keith for showing us some of the magic and thought that goes into designing Lego models!

Pencil and eraser made entirely of legos.

Thank you also for all our families who donated clothing for Project Homeless Connect, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

COOKING PROJECT

Delicious apple tarts were made by our students with the help of Kristina (Jonny’s mom) and Laura (Skye’s mom).  Thank you!

A recent assembly on wild animals brought amazement and delight to our students.

Thanks also to all of the Kindergarten students and their families who attended STEM night.

REMINDERS:

No school 11/22-11/24: Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!

P1 Holiday Sing-Along is on Friday, 12/15 at 9:15am in the classroom.

THANKS:

Thanks to Helen, Ryndon, and their families for supplying healthy and beautiful snacks, and flowers for our classroom.

International Children’s Day was celebrated on campus last week with P1’s room being transformed into the oceans of the world.

With the help of our parents, we had several ocean related activities throughout the room giving all of our visitors many opportunities to explore ocean  wonders.  

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers for helping us to create this special event.

We also appreciate the four middle school students, Alysa, Kian, Jason, and Riley, for volunteering in our classroom and for wearing such great costumes.

Our first all class field trip is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7th.  We will be visiting the Nevada State Museum.

This is the shirt we ask students to wear during the field trip.

Please be sure to have your child wear their orange Foothills Montessori shirt and comfortable walking shoes.  We will leave promptly at 8:30am and will return to school for our regular lunch period.

Thank you for the wonderful turnout at Parent/Child Night.  It really is a wonderful opportunity for your child to guide you around the classroom teaching you some of the work they are doing.  

Montessori education is a hands on education, and we are delighted you had the chance to get your hands on the materials and observe your child’s progress. Thank you again for your participation!

Upper Elementary students are gathering clothes for Project Homeless Connect, please see details on paper stapled to collection box.  Thanks for your generosity!  

Dr. Rafael Valencia sharing his extensive knowledge about human anatomy.

Thanks Doctor Valencia!

We appreciate Andrea (Haley’s mom) for coming into the classroom and exploring the slimy, interior wonders of a pumpkin.

REMINDERS:

No school on Thursday, 11/9 due to a teacher in-service day.

No school on Friday, 11/10 in honor of Veteran’s Day.

Family STEM night for Kindergartners and their parents on Tuesday, 11/14 from 5:00-7:00 pm.

Kindergarten field trip to Red Rock Canyon on Friday, 11/17 from 9:30 am- 2:30 pm.  Please have your child wear their orange FMS shirt and bring a lunch packed in a disposable bag.

Thanksgiving break is scheduled starting Wednesday, 11/22 through Friday 11/24.  School resumes on Monday 11/27.

Parent orientation follow-up will be held on Tuesday, 11/28 at 4:30 pm in the multi purpose room.

THANKS:

Thanks to Logan and his family for supplying healthy and beautiful snacks, as well as flowers for our classroom.

The FMS Spanish immersion program is available in two primary classes (P1 and P2) and one lower elementary class (E3).  Students receive all their lessons in English first, making sure that the concepts are understood, then they are given the same lessons in Spanish. The Spanish immersion program offers our students a unique opportunity for acquiring a second language.

Doing Spanish sound sorting work.

Research has shown that learning a second language “gives your brain a good workout and the process helps make the brain stronger.”

In our classroom, Ms. Melissa and Ms. Diana trade off days for giving various circle lessons.  When Ms. Diana gives her lessons, she speaks entirely in Spanish, immersing the children in the language.  Over time, the children recognize the common directions such as “lavarse sus manos” (wash your hands) and “sientate, por favor” (please sit down).

Not only are our students acquiring the skills to communicate in a second language, the very act of learning a second language has useful benefits.  “Brain researchers who study bilingualism believe that the act of juggling two languages strengthens the brain system that helps people pay attention. That strong capacity to focus might be what leads to better academic performance in some children who grow up bilingual or attend language immersion programs.” Mind/Shift, September 2014

The executive function of the brain has to do more “every time you speak, both languages pop up and the executive control system has to sort through everything and attend to what’s relevant in the moment. Therefore the bilinguals use that system more, and it’s that regular use that makes that system more efficient.”The New York Times, May 2011.

Research has also shown the long term benefits of learning a second language at such a young age trains the brain to think with more flexibility and ease, especially when information changes and a student is required to re-evaluate and apply a new order to data.  Dual language learners are already used to juggling two completely different systems at the same time and this process helps them be more adaptable to other academic challenges.

MONTHLY COOKING PROJECT:

We followed a special family recipe for pumpkin muffins, thanks to Celeste Martin (Cora’s Mom).  With help from Laura (Skye’s Mom) and Kristina (Jonny’s Mom) all went smoothly in the kitchen.  Thanks!

REMINDERS

International Children’s Day is next Wednesday 10/25.  Your child may dress up in any costume representing a nationality, or a realistic animal.  Students will be dismissed at 11:15am.

No School on 10/26 due to teacher in-service.

No school on 10/27 in honor of Nevada Day.

Ms. Melissa leading the class in a Yoga pose called “tree.”

Parent/child night on Thursday 11/2.  If your last name starts with A-M please come at 4:15-5:00, and if your last name starts with N-Z please come at 5:00-5:45.  Your child will show you materials they are working with and give you a first hand view of their experience in the classroom.

Our first, whole class field trip is scheduled for Tuesday 11/7 to the NV State Museum (located at the Springs Preserves).  The bus will leave by 8:30 am and return to school by 11:15am.  Please remind your child to wear their orange FMS t-shirt.

THANKS:

Thanks to Noel, Sydney, and their families for supplying healthy and beautiful snacks, as well as flowers for our classroom.

At the beginning of every month, you can expect to see different cultural, art, and science materials coming home.  The materials reflect the particular theme and subject matter found in our curriculum.  For instance, we are introducing the concept of “vertebrates” and “invertebrates”  along with mammals in our science area. Jobs on the shelves reflect this curriculum and any of the work coming home is an extension of our monthly themes.

One of the areas that gets a big monthly update is called Practical Life. Currently, this area reflects the fall season and has jobs focused on fall activities such as tweezing plastic spiders out of their web.

The Practical Life area offers students a chance to develop practical skills that help them do things in life like slicing a strawberry and serving sections to a friend, or tweezing and pouring jobs designed to build the coordination and strength in the fingers to correctly grasp a pencil and learn to write comfortably.

Ever wonder what the themes are for the month?  We invite you to look carefully at the calendar your child brings home at the start of the new month.  A small art project (tied to the current theme) is made by the children and attached to the calendar.

You will notice on these calendars that we include monthly themes and also highlight important dates for you to be aware of. These themes may give you discussion topics with your child, or enrich their new found knowledge with your experience.  The year long curriculum can be found in the parent information packet we distributed earlier in September at parent orientation.  

A recent art class conducted by Ms. Angela.

Every week, Ms. Angela centers her art class around reading a book then doing a piece of art about the subject of the book.  A few weeks ago, she read “The Colors of Us” and provided our students with a template of blank faces, which they could fill in with any expression they wanted.  Then they dipped their finger into three separate spices, cumin, coco and turmeric, giving their faces a particular skin tone and color.

The scholastic book fair was a big success and we appreciate the generosity of our families who donated books to our classroom.  THANK YOU!!

We also appreciate the time, effort, and donations made to the PTO to create a wonderful Fall Festival.  It is the support and involvement of our FMS parents that makes a huge difference in the overall student experience at FMS.  We appreciate your involvement!

Kindergartner students stretching during their PE class with Coach Bob.

A big thanks to our parents who chaperoned our first, Kindergarten field trip to the fire station down the street.

REMINDERS:

The PTO Fall Festival is on Friday, 10/20 from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Come and enjoy the lovely weather, games, music, and food with the whole FMS community.  We are looking forward to seeing all of you there!

International Children’s Day is on Wednesday, 10/25.  Your child may dress in the traditional dress of any culture in the world.  They will enjoy an “excursion” through several classrooms, with each room hosting a different country or continent.  An all school parade will commence around 11:00am (parents are invited) and students will be dismissed at 11:15am.

No school on 10/26 due to teacher in-service.

No school on 10/27 in observance of Nevada Day.

THANKS:

Thanks to Alex, Jonny, and their families for supplying healthy and beautiful snacks, as well as flowers for our classroom.