October 2012
Dear Room 9 Parents:
Autumn is bringing many new experiences for the children in Room 9! We’re singing songs and reading books about fall. Our classroom reflects the change of season with fall themes and colors throughout the room. We had an apple tasting at group one day to compare flavors of Granny Smith, Braeburn, and Golden Delicious apples and let the children vote for their favorites. (The Golden Delicious apple was the big winner!) We’ll be doing our autumn nature walk soon to explore our beautiful campus and see all the different evergreen and deciduous trees. Of course we’ll take some time to play in the leaves as well!
The children are getting to choose from a lot of new work in the classroom. We have changed our practical life, art, and perceptual works to offer new challenges and reflect the new season. In science, we are studying the seasons, rocks and minerals, magnets, and sink or float. In geography, we have begun our focus on the continent of Europe in geography, and we welcome any books, materials, or special presentations you’d like to share!
As the weather gets cooler, please send in a new change of clothes for your child. We’ll send home the short-sleeved shirts and shorts we have in their boxes this week. Also, please write your child’s name or initials in all jackets, sweaters, and coats. The children are getting presentations on how to hang their own jackets (including buttoning, snapping, or zipping them). Please let them practice these skills at home in order to refine their skills and boost their confidence.
These cooler days unfortunately mean that the cold and flu season is upon us, and we’re already seeing a lot of runny noses, sneezes, and coughs in the classroom. We work diligently with the children on hand washing, the importance of coughing and sneezing into their elbows (instead of hands), how to use a tissue correctly, and the importance of keeping their hands away from their eyes, noses, and mouths. However, germs can spread quickly in our hands-on classroom. Please evaluate your child’s symptoms carefully before sending him/her to school. We want to maintain the healthiest environment possible for all of our children, teachers, and families.
We have a busy week ahead! Our class photo will be taken on Wednesday, October 17, so please dress your child up nicely that day. The Book/Materials Fair is on October 16-18. Please check the e-news for more details. We look forward to seeing you at our first Open House on Friday, October 19. This is your chance to come and watch your child work! The All School Picnic follows that evening at Granny White Park from 5:30-7:30. While the children play, you get to take time to get to know other parents better and enjoy our amazing MA community.
As we finish up our fall conferences, we want to let you know how much we have enjoyed this opportunity to get to know you better and share information about your wonderful children. Conferences help strengthen the partnership we have with you, and it’s very important to us to keep an open line of communication with you throughout the year.
At our PIM, we extended a challenge to the parents: Academic excellence is extremely important to us at MA. It is an essential part of our mission as a school, and we achieve that goal through all grade levels. As impressive as our academics are at MA, we challenge you to look beyond academic success to also appreciate all of the other gifts a Montessori education gives your child. We’ll be focusing on these many gifts in our upcoming newsletters.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us!
Tanelle Murphy & Mia Lee
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