This week we dove into the wonderful world of bees and learned about their “wriggle dance” as one honey bee “dances” the location of flower (food source) to another bee.  The sweeter the flower, the more enthusiastically the scout bee dances. 

 We also sampled honey that was flavored by orange blossom (the favorite), wild buckwheat, avocados and wild flowers.  The honey flavored by wild flowers was the darkest honey, looking like syrup.

 Thank you for attending our Spring music performance and enjoying our class singing and speaking their way through a classic and timeless story. 

Next week is the close of our 2012-2013 school year!  We encourage our students to bring in board games to share and play with each other.  Please be sure the games are clearly labeled with their names and any loose pieces are contained in a zip lock bag.  We also would rather not have noise making games, or electronic games. Thank you!  

Spanish instruction

building words in Spanish

 Please be reminded of the following activities:

 Monday, June 3 is Field Day.  There will be plenty of water activities.  Please dress your child with their bathing suit on underneath their clothes.  Lather them up with sun screen and provide a towel.

Wednesday, June 5^th is our Kindergartener’s moving up ceremony at 1:30.  Congratulations to all of our kindergarteners!

work in Spanish

parts of an inscect

 Thanks to Zoey and her mom (Lynn) for providing delicious and whimsical snacks this week.

 Friday, June 7^th is our last day, dismissal at 11:15am. 

Have a restful weekend, 

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

 Last Thursday it was our Spanish Immersion party.  It was hosted by all teachers from E3, P1 and P2. A good time was had by all. 

 Thank you to Maria (Emma’s mom) and Jay (Addie’s dad) for assisting in the activities.  “Muchas gracias por la fiesta! Tan bonita.” 

  As the school year is quickly slipping into summer vacation we take a moment to thank each one of our parents for providing their support, attention and belief in the Montessori philosophy for making this a memorable and productive year for your child (children) and for us as their teachers.

 Please remember, no school this Monday, May 27 as we are celebrating Memorial Day.

 Next Thursday, May 30^th is our musical performance at 10am. 

Monday, June 3^rd is Field Day here on campus. There are plenty of water activities, so please have your child come with their bathing suits on underneath their clothes.  We also ask that you lather them generously with sun screen and provide a towel.  Thank you.

A big thanks to Emma and her family for providing beautiful flowers and healthy snacks for us this week. 

Have a restful, long weekend. 

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms.Julie

A beautiful and sweet time was had by all at our Mother’s Day Tea.  We know how sacred the relationship is for every mother and their child (children).  It is truly the foundation for every child’s view of themselves and how they relate to others.  We acknowledge you and cherish the love and care that you give your children on a daily basis.  Your efforts show up every day as we engage your children at school.

Our excursion to the new Discovery Children’s Museum was a great success.

The children enjoyed the variety of hands on materials, including painting, cutting and using a wind tunnel to test the lift of their paper airplanes!  The water room on the ground floor was also a favorite experience.

We were especially grateful to our parent chaperones for doing a wonderful job in keeping their students in sight and providing a safe and fun field trip.  Thanks to Kevin (Thomas’ dad), Amysue (Isaac’s mom), Mariam (Isaiah’s mom), Kerry Francis (Jack and Lucy’s mom), Jay (Addie’s dad), Crista (Ashten’s mom), Barbara (Aydin’s grandmother), Ileana (Brooke’s mom), Mary (Diya’s grandmother),  Kari (Elie’s mom), David (Jackson’s grandfather) and Adam (Emma’s dad).

Please note that our music program is on Thursday, May 30^th at 10:00.  We are looking forward to seeing all of you there.

Labeling in Spanish

On Tuesday, June 4^th we will be participating in Field Day here on campus.  There are plenty of water activities, so please have your child come with their bathing suits on underneath their clothes.  We also ask that you lather them generously with sun screen and provide a towel.  Thank you.

Have a restful weekend, 

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy and Ms. Julie

We introduced the map of Africa and began speaking about some of the magnificent animals that populate that continent.  Did you know that the largest desert in the world is located in Africa?  It is the Sahara Desert and it takes up as much room as the entire United States!

We are learning about the life cycle of a butterfly this week and have begun to look into the intricate and carefully constructed insect world.  There are four stages to the life of the butterfly: egg, caterpillar, pupa and then butterfly.  Each stage is vitally important for the growth of the butterfly.  Besides bringing beauty and whimsy to the human eye, butterflies are flower pollinators and of course are part of the food chain for birds and small reptiles.

Next Tuesday, May 14^th, we will be going on a field trip to Discovery Children’s Museum. We are excited to explore this wonderful museum as it recently re-opened at the Smith Center with brand new exhibits.  Please have your children to school no later than 8:30am that morning (including our afternoon students) and also have them wear their blue tie-dyed Foothills Montessori tee shirts.

We are looking for a family to care for “Spikey” our lizard over the summer months.  Spikey is our blue bellied lizard pet.  He is fed 20 small crickets weekly and needs his heat light turned on daily.  Please let Ms. Nancy know if you are interested.  Thank you!

Also, “Thanks” to Isaiah and his family for providing wonderful snacks this week.

Have a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend,

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

As we enter our final full month together, we step into the fascinating continent of Africa.  It is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent.  It is often referred to as the “birthplace of humans” and we will explore this idea along with the geography, music, art and culture of this continent.  If any parents have any artifacts from Africa and would like to make a presentation to the class or do a special cooking project, we would enjoy hearing from you.

At the same time, during the month of May we will be exploring the wonderful world of insects.  Where do insects fit on the evolutionary scale?  How do they fit in with the cycles of nature?  Why are there so many of them?  Besides biting humans, what very important functions do they do that directly affect human’s lives?  Stay tuned for these exciting developments!

Mother’s Day Tea is set for next Friday, May 10^th at 10:30-11:15am.  We are looking forward to sharing this sweet and special time with each of you.

Thank you to Zoey and her family for providing healthy and beautiful snacks this week.

Have a restful weekend, 

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie