Hello Red-tailed Hawk Families,
We have had a busy first month of school in the classroom! The students are getting into the routine of environment, choosing work with fewer prompts. Several students are beginning to gravitate towards their favorite works. Providing a wide range of lessons helps them to balance their work cycles, and spark interest in areas they may not have frequented in the Children’s House or last year. The volume of the classroom reflects the excitement of group work and the forming of new friendships.
During the first few weeks of school we present the Montessori Elementary “Great Lessons”. These lessons act as an introduction and touchstone to all the areas of learning throughout the year. These impressionistic lessons ignite curiosity and interest in science, biology, geography, math, language, geometry, culture and so much more. They are often the starting point to research during the first few weeks of school. This has been true this year with research such as fish, volcanoes, space, Spain and more, already in progress. The children have begun sharing their researches and other work with each other, providing valuable group speaking experience, as well as sharing their knowledge with others.
In addition to the Great Lessons, there has been a wide variety of other lessons going on in the classroom. Our older students have begun their weekly Writers’ Workshop groups, in which they focus on foundational writing skills and refining their written work. Our new students have been getting many lessons, including vertebrate/invertebrate, External Parts of the Fish, point/line/surface/solid, synonyms, compound words, bead chains, the wooden hierarchy material, and lots of reading! Additionally, our returning students have been reviewing key concepts, and getting new lessons such as the checkerboard, Body Functions of Mammals, abstract and concrete nouns, the 6 traits of writing, and money work with menus. It is wonderful to see the variety of work that is happening so early in the year. We have also begun our specials (Spanish, music, art, yoga) and P.E. The parachute is always a big hit! We’re anxiously awaiting cooler weather so that we will be able to go outside for recess, but until then we have been having fun in the classroom and occasionally the gym.
A few “housekeeping items” to cover:
Please remember to leave water bottles at home. They are unnecessary and we are limited in space in the classroom. P.E. is on Tuesdays, so please help your student to remember to wear good shoes and clothes for moving. While the weather outside is very warm, the classroom can get a little cold for some students. If they want to bring in a light jacket or sweater, please remember to write their name on the tag, so we can be sure it makes it back home.
Thank you all so much for sharing your children with us. It is our pleasure and privilege to work with them. Please join us on Wednesday, September 2 for the first Community Meeting. Following that meeting we will have a meeting in the classroom to discuss Montessori Math and get some lessons. This is a great opportunity to get a peek inside the classroom and see some of the things that your students are working on in math.
In peace and appreciation,
Mrs. Amie