June 1, 2012
It is hard to believe that the end of the year is already here. It has been an amazing experience watching your little one grow and mature. Often while they are hard at work and the class is humming with activity, we turn to each other and say, “We have a great class!” They have met, and even surpassed, the goals we had for them at the start of the year. It is beautiful to see an older student reading to a younger student or a younger student choosing a challenging work they have not attempted before.
This month we wrapped up our tour of all the continents by studying about Australia. Amanda shared photos and stories about her year abroad studying there. The students particularly enjoyed learning about the interesting animals that are native to Australia like the koala, platypus and of course the kangaroo. We also explored the Great Barrier Reef which tied in perfectly to our ocean unit.
We learned about all five oceans and the different plants and animals that live there. The students learned about how some colorful coral and fish thrive in warm water like in the Pacific Ocean along the Great Barrier Reef. While other animals, like fur seals and orca whales, prefer the cold water of the Arctic Ocean.
Throughout the classroom we have different activities like shell categorizing, fish sorting, and sea animal labeling. We discussed interesting facts, such as that some ocean animals are mammals like whales and manatees and some are part of the fish family, like sharks and clown fish. The students really enjoyed our ocean floor puzzle that depicts the unusual sea creatures that live in the deepest part of the ocean.
The Torah Factory was a big hit and helped us prepare for the holiday of Shavuot. They each got a quill and practiced writing their name with ink to demonstrate how a Rabbi would really create a Torah. The kids also enjoyed making their edible Mt Sinai.
We appreciate you trusting us to teach your child and we are honored to have had the experience. We wish the best of luck to those who are moving on and hope you will continue to be involved in our community.
Have a fun and safe summer!
May 1, 2012
It has been a fun and busy month, as the students transition back into our routine and explore all of the fun new activities available in the classroom! The class has been taking advantage of this beautiful weather to explore nature. Many activities have been introduced this month that are inspired by Earth Day. We have been working with the students to recognize ways to help our environment and learn how to interact with living things in ways that promote respect. We have been able to enjoy the outdoors with our outdoor classroom. The students made bird feeders and hung them in our tree so they could use the binoculars to observe bird’s behavior. We also went for a spring walk and the students saw the beautiful things that we have been talking about: how green the grass is, the trees with their new leaves and blossoms. We brought some flowers back to class with us and we looked at them under a magnifying glass. On our way back to school we listened carefully and heard the birds singing.
In geography, we have begun learning all about Africa. We focused our attention on the country of Egypt. We will learn about the pyramids, the Nile River and how the Egyptians used the river. The students have been able to identify various animals that live in Africa. Morah Rochel also shared some beautiful artifacts from when she lived in South Africa.
We continue to explore our unit on the Human Body and Nutrition. The students have been making their own snacks and we have been putting out different vegetables to try with a “courtesy bite”. We have been learning about eating the rainbow for good nutrition.
In science, we have been discussing how to classify amphibians and talking about their habitats. We have some new work that presents the life-cycle of a frog. The students also have been working on “Parts of a Frog” booklet.
Next month we look forward to studying the geography of the Earth’s oceans and seas and we will also learn about sea life.
In our Jewish Studies the classes are finishing their sensorial Hebrew alphabet books.
Hebrew words and phrases are used daily in our classrooms and the students have grasped their meaning and usage. The holiday of Shavuos (giving of the Ten Commandments) is coming up. The children love counting the footprints in the hallway every time they pass them! They can also explain how every footprint means we are one day closer to this very special holiday. In addition, each classroom has their own counting system. The students love adding a flower as we count our way to the holiday. Also, in anticipation of the holiday, the children will discuss the different customs and Mitzvas of the day. Traditionally, one dairy meal is eaten and the 10 commandments are read. The students will also be creating a fun Shavuos craft.
We continue with our daily davening as well as individual attention to Hebrew letters and language. Shabbos party is always a welcome end to our week together and the students look forward to making their challah, singing songs, and having their special treat.
April 2, 2012
In the Gimmel class we are loving this beautiful weather! The children have begun to use our “outdoor classroom.” We have put together a discoverer’s kit that includes binoculars, a magnifying glass, and an insect habitat so the children can explore the outdoor area and observe the insects and plant life. We also have moved the easel outside to inspire our young artists to paint the natural world outside our door. Over the next few months we will continue new works to be done outside including a bird feeder making station and a work bench for wood working.
As we celebrate Pesach, we have brought the theme into all areas of the class. In science, we have begun our unit on amphibians. We have been discussing how to classify amphibians and talking about their habitats. We also have a new work on the science shelf that presents the life-cycle of a frog.
This month the children also learned all about the insect world. They had an amazing experience observing the caterpillars build their cocoons and then emerge as butterflies. We spent time learning about the interdependence that insects and plants have for survival and we spoke about preserving our environment to support nature. Thanks to the beautiful weather, we have begun to take nature walks again as well. Next month in the science area we will begin to learn about the human body and nutrition. We will also begin our amphibian unit.
In geography, we are wrapping up our unit on Asia. Our Israel unit has been a great success! Morah Mushkie spoke about what it is like to grow up there. The most interesting station was the prayers for the Kotel (Wailing Wall). The children wrote prayers or drew a picture to articulate hopes and dreams to be placed in the wall. Morah Mushkie has mailed them to her parents to be put into the wall. The students have really enjoyed exploring Japan! They have been trying on kimonos, doing origami, making cherry blossom trees and practicing with chopsticks. Morah Shana’s parents come in to share their experience of living in Japan and told us about their climb up Mount Fuji. We have built the volcano “Mount Fuji” and we will be exploding it in the next few days! Next, we will be learning about Africa. We will focus our attention on the country of Egypt. We will learn about the pyramids, the Nile River and how the Egyptians used the river. The students will identify various animals that live in Africa.
Next month we are looking forward to beginning food prep in the practical life area where the children will be preparing their own snacks. We hope you have a wonderful spring break with your families and look forward to seeing you after the holiday.
Both Gimmel and Daled classes have been busy getting ready for Pesach (Passover) which begins Friday evening, April 6. During circle time each day, we have been reading stories and singing songs about the Pesach story. We have reviewed the six items on the seder plate, the ten plagues, the burning bush, and the story of Moshe (Moses) from the time he was a baby in a basket until he grew up to be the leader of the Israelites out of Egypt. The children had a ball searching for the afikomen!The classes loved having the wooden seder set in our classroom and have enjoyed all the matching works with the various Pesach symbols in the language area. The country Israel has been a focus in the geography area with a flag –making work, a puzzle, and a book all available for the children to use. Frogs have been a focus in our science area due to their significance as one of the ten plagues. Making our haggadot for Pesach has been ongoing for the past few weeks. Each child has created their own haggadah to use at their seder. The children have enjoyed working on each and every page and have looked forward to seeing their finished creations! We wish you and your families a Zissen Pesach!
The Four Questions (traditional)
Mah nishtahnah haLailah hazeh
Mi kol ha lailot (2x)
Sheh b'chol halailot
anu ochlin
chametz u'matzh (2x)
HaLailah hazeh (2x)
kulo matzah.
(repeat last two lines)
Sheh b'chol haLailot
anu ochlin
She'ar yirakot (2x)
HaLailah hazeh (2x)
Maror.
(repeat last two lines)
Sheh b'chol haLailot
ein anu matbilin
Afilu pa'am ehad (2x)
HaLailah hazeh (2x)
Sh'tei f'amim.
(repeat last two lines)
Sheh b'chol haLailot
Anu oclin
Bein yoshvin
u'vein m'subin (2x)
HaLailah hazeh (2x)
Kulanu m'subin.
(repeat last two lines)
The Building Song (Shirley Cohen)
Bang, bang, bang
Hold your hammer low
Bang, bang, bang
Give a heavy blow
For it's work, work, work
Every day and every night,
For it's work, work, work
When it's dark and when it's light.
Dig, dig, dig
Get your shovel deep
Dig, dig, dig
There's no time for sleep
For it's work, work, work
Every day and every night
For it's work, work, work
When it's dark and when it's light.
Listen King Pharoah (Shirley Cohen)
Oh listen, oh listen
Oh listen King Pharoah
Oh listen, oh listen
Please let my people go.
They want to go away
They work too hard all day
King Pharoah, King Pharoah
What do you say?
"No, No, No.
I will not let them go."
No, no, no, he will not let them go.
The Frog Song (Shirley Cohen)
One morning when Pharoah awoke in his bed
There were frogs in his bed, and frogs on his head
Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes
Frogs here, frogs there
Frogs were jumping everywhere.
Eliyahu Hanavi (Traditional)
Eliyahu HaNavi
Eliyahu HaTishbi
Eliyahu (2x)
Eliyahu Hagiladee.
Bimhayra
V'yamaynu
Yavo eilaynu
Im Mashiach ben David (2x).
(repeat)
Baby Moshe (with hand motions)
Where is baby Moshe, Moshe, Moshe?
He is floating in a basket, a basket, a basket.
He is floating in a basket in the river Nile.
Miriam is watching, watching, watching.
Miriam is watching by the river Nile.
The princess she is swimming, swimming, swimming.
The princess she is swimming in the river Nile,
She sees the baby Moshe, Moshe, Moshe.
She sees the baby Moshe in the river Nile.
She takes him to the palace, palace, palace.
She takes him to the palace by the river Nile.
There our Moshe grows up, grows up, grows up.
There our Moshe grows up by the river Nile.
March 7, 2012
It is hard to believe that we are already heading into spring! The students have been really busy trying all of the new activities on the shelves. We have been focusing on South America and learning all about the rainforest. The students have really enjoyed decorating animals and insects to put in the different levels of the rainforest. Thank you so much to the Guzmans for spending a morning with us to help the students learn about Peru and Columbia. They created a fun and exciting presentation that allowed the students to experience what it is like to live in South America.
This month in the geography area, the children will be introduced to the continent of Asia. We will name the surrounding continents, major bodies of water and will begin to learn about the Asian culture. We have a beautiful unit to learn all about the culture and geography of Israel. The students will get to experience Israeli foods, currency, music and dance. We will also build a model of the Wailing Wall (Kotel) and write prayers that will be mailed to Israel to be placed in the wall. Some authentic Asian objects will be on display in the classroom as we study specific countries such as Japan and China.
Last month in the science area, we focused on botany. The students learned about the parts of a plant, and participated in fun experiments with different plant life. Hopefully their parsley seeds will continue to grow and be ready for the Seder plate. This month we will begin learning about insects. We have new works on the science shelve to learn about the characteristics of insects and why they are important to nature. The students will be able to identify and name various common insects. The butterfly larva has arrived and soon the students will be able to observe the metamorphosis process.
Purim is approaching quickly at Chai Tots! The children have really gotten into the spirit of
celebration of such a joyous holiday! Over the last two weeks, the Gimmel and Daled classes
have been making their own Graggers, and creating their own Purim character puppets to be
able to tell the story to you at home. They have been enjoying the retelling of the story of how
Queen Esther of Persia saved her people from the evil Haman. They have all enjoyed making
their Hamentaschen – a three cornered pastry with a sweet filling in the middle.
Tomorrow will be a wonderful carnival! First we will start with a Megillah
reading that retells the Purim story. Come with your kids and shake a Gragger when you hear
evil Haman’s name read aloud! After the reading, there will be games, prizes, food, and a
costume parade. We hope to see you all there!
Our readers in the room are blossoming! Please help them practice reading everyday so their excitement does not go away. If you have extra time and could donate about 1/2 hour to listen to readers here at school, please let our room mom, Emily, know your availability. We would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks to our parent helpers this month - we really appreciate everything you do for us! We hope to see many of you at our Purim celebration or our upcoming Seder.
February 3, 2012
We are having great new experiences in the Montessori classroom. This month we began our unit on "Botany" in honor of Tu B’Shvat - "Birthday of the Trees." We will begin by learning the parts of a plant and how each part has a function for its survival. To illustrate this, we will put two carnations in food coloring and observe how the dye is pulled up through the stem into the petals. To learn about the parts of a plant, we are growing beans in a plastic bag to see how the sprouts form from a seed. We also learned of the elements a plant needs to grow. We will do an experiment with two identical plants. One plant will be place on the windowsill and will be given water; the other will be put in the dark closet without water. We will also sow carrot, radish, and onion seeds in a clear planter in order to see the development of the roots and how they transform into vegetables. The children will also plant parsley seeds in our class in preparation for the Pesach Seder. They will be monitoring the growth of their plants and making sure there is enough water and sun.
On Friday, January 29, in honor of the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, the birthday of the trees, we will be doing a special activity. There will be a birthday cake prepared for the students and they will also be making an edible planting craft.
This month in Geography, we will be learning about South America and the Rainforest. The puzzle maps and globes are available for the students to work. They have enjoyed looking at pictures of all the unique animals that have made the Rainforest their home. We will also explore the cultures, languages, and biospheres through books and some new works. The students will also learn about the strata (zones) based on the living environment called: emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor.
We need a few things, which you may have, for some up-coming projects. Please bring in baby food jars, shoe boxes, and small water bottles. If you have any such these items at home, please bring them in at your convenience.
January 9, 2012
Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed your break!
We have been welcoming grandparents on January 9 and 10. Please be sure to tell your child’s grandparents or special friend now so they can arrange a visit.
On January 24, we will go to the Drake Planetarium — we will leave at 9:10 am, please be at school on time. A school bus is arranged to transport us to and from the planetarium, and we will not need additional drivers or chaperons for this trip.
This month we are doing our winter unit. We are discussing the changes in the weather and how it affects people, plants, and animals. We are exploring all aspects of winter weather including blizzards, snowdrifts, temperature, and weather predictions. Hopefully we will be reading about extreme weather and not experiencing it!
In the science area, we are beginning many exciting experiments with water. The teachers will perform an experiment with dry ice and all of its interesting uses. We will also freeze water, creating water vapor to show students the different states of liquid. The students will be able to experience the water cycle at work and learn new vocabulary words, such as evaporation and condensation.
In geography, we are continuing to learn about Europe. We are practicing greetings in different languages, including: Russian, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. And, later this month we will learn about Antarctica. We will: build igloos made of sugar cubes, create glaciers, and learn about the animals of Antarctica. We also have a beautiful Arctic Biodome for students to explore!
Stay warm!
December 2, 2011
We appreciate your great feedback during conferences. We really enjoyed sharing your child’s school experiences. We have an open door policy and you are always welcome to sit with your child in class to learn more about how they spend their day.
We will have end-of-year conferences in May, but you are welcome to contact the teachers by email if you would like to discuss your child’s progress before then.
It is that time of year now to talk about winter! Please keep a set of mittens and a hat in your child’s backpack for outside. If your child wears snow boots to school, please send slippers so they can change before coming to class. We ask students not to wear their snow boots in the classroom. We find that the boots prevent them from sitting comfortably on the floor and create wet spots on the carpet.
This month we are learning all about the upcoming holiday of Chanukah. The students enjoy learning the story of Chanukah using the “Chanukah Big Book,” and hearing all about the Greeks and the Macabees of the second Temple era. We have integrated the Chanukah theme into many different areas of the classroom, including math, practical life, art, and pre-language.
Students are making stained glass Dreidels and will paint their own Menorahs. We will be playing dreidel games and singing our Chanukah songs. Every morning during Chanukah, we will light the Menorah and practice the blessings. We will do olive tasting and create a graph to measure which type of olives are preferred by the class. There are dreidels to count in the math area. In the science area we will been squeezing olives to make oil and the kids will get to enjoy the oil experiment trying to mix oil and water.
We will also be introducing the Solar System this month. We will discuss new vocabulary words like gravity and orbit, and learn about the position of the planets. In the art area, the children will be painting their own solar systems.
Happy Chanukah!!
November 1, 2011
We had a busy and exciting month! We hope everyone had a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday. Our transportation unit was a big hit. The children really enjoyed buzzing around the room with planes, trains and automobiles! We spent a lot of time working in Geography area learning about directionality with a compass and then we used that knowledge with a new mapping work. We also began to learn about our world and how the globe represents what the Earth looks like from space. The children were introduced to the continent map, and we will begin learning about countries in each continent beginning with North America. We will focus on the United States and explore Native American history just in time for Thanksgiving. In the science area, we have been learning how to classify things in our environment as natural and man-made. Next month we will begin to learn about zoology as we discuss what animals do in the season of Autumn. We will be discussing how some animals prepare for winter by hibernating and some by migrating. The children will also examining acorns, leaves, walnuts, and other items with a magnifying glass in the science area.
Many activities will be introduced into the learning environment this month that are inspired by the season of autumn. We will focus on the change in weather and how it affects people, animals and plant life. Please take time to go for a walk with your child and observe the changes in the weather, plants and animals that you see. We ask that each child bring in some leaves from their walk that they can share with the class so we can identify them with our leaf book. We will also have a Leaf Challenge to see who can bring in the biggest leaf! We will be discussing how farmers harvest their crops because the plants are not able to survive the cold weather. Some fun activities include corn tweezing, pumpkin scrubbing, leaf rubbing, leaf prints and corn cob painting.
And don't forget the Thanksgiving feast! We will help the children create their own pumpkin pie recipes, and our class will be working together to create a special dish for our Thanksgiving lunch.
Please remember to bring in a backpack each day so we can send home notes and your child’s hard work. Also please bring in a warm outfit to exchange for the summer outfit in the extra clothes basket.
September 28, 2011
The children in the Gimmel class are hard at work! They are busy making new friends and exploring all the areas of the classroom. We have had a fun filled month with exciting events like the Shofar Factory. The children enjoyed assisting Rabbi Cohen as he took them through the process of how a shofar is made. We also had an amazing trip to the apple farm! The children really enjoyed touring the orchard and picking their own apples. Thank you to all the parents for volunteering to drive and chaperone.
Shana Tova! We hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families! Our class will continue to learn all about the high holidays with Yom Kippur right around the corner. This week we will be learning about forgiveness and making good choices. We will also introduce a scale in the science area to begin learning about weights and measuring. We will also be using the scale as a concrete representation of weighing our good deeds verses bad.
This month we are focusing on the festive holiday of Sukkot. We are learning about the history of Sukkot and about the travels of the Jews in the desert. We are learning what it takes to build a Sukkah, and will even build our own edible one. Four special species are used on Sukkot, the Etrog - a citrus fruit, a Lulav – a palm branch, Aravot - willows and Hadassim - myrtle. In art, we will make a Lulav and an Etrog just like those on our Chag (holiday) shelf.
Our themes this month are transportation and construction. We will have various transportation works throughout the classroom including counting trucks, painting with cars, and labeling different modes of transportation in the language area. This unit should satisfy our motor enthusiasts! We will also begin learning about construction and architecture. We will be using some recycled materials to build our own structure and we will be learning about famous buildings throughout the world. We have begun learning about directionality and they will be using this knowledge when we begin mapping later this month.
Just a few quick reminders…
1. The weather has quickly taken a turn for the cooler. Please make sure that your child has a weather-appropriate change of clothes at school to change into, if needed. Also be sure to bring a jacket for your child on chilly days. While it may not seem necessary for the short trip from car to school, it is important to have for our time out on the playground. With the exception of rainy days, we go outside EVERY DAY!
2. In order to help your child bring home the work they do at school, any important paperwork, and other personal items, it is important that each child bring a backpack to school every day.
3. Our morning meeting starts at 9am each morning. Missing the start of this whole group activity, or entering in the middle of the discussion, can be an awkward start to your child’s day. Please make every effort to arrive by 9am each day.
We are excited to have gotten this year off to such a wonderful start, and we look forward to working with you and your children in the month ahead!
Wishing you a very happy new year!
August 29, 2011
The school year is off to a great start! We are lucky to have such a wonderful group of new students to enrich our class this year. Our returning students are doing a great job at helping their new friends feel welcome. For the first few weeks we are concentrating on learning how to work as a community and getting to know our classroom routines. It is truly amazing to watch our students serving themselves snack with such pride and displaying proper manners while socializing with a friend at the snack table. We are so happy with how well all students are engaging in the environment.
On Wednesday, Miss Joanie the music teacher came. What fun!!! The children saw pictures of vocal cords, learned about the guitar and got to strum a few cords and sing songs.
We have a lot for which to look forward in September. Things are getting busy as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Our themes this coming month are bees and apples, in honor of Rosh Hashanah. The Rabbi will be coming to class to blow the Shofar and the children will become familiar with the different sounds.
In the math area, we will be using apples to measure each child’s height. Your child will have the opportunity to taste a variety of apples and we will graph the results of the children’s favorite. We will also be counting pomegranate seeds to help remind us how we are each full of Mitzvot [deeds] as a pomegranate is full of seeds.
In the science area, we have several works in our science area identifying the bees’ anatomy, and the different types of bees that make up a colony. During our morning meeting time, we will be discussing how special bees are, their unique characteristics, and how the bee and bee keeper work together to produce the honey that we enjoy. Did you know that bees taste using their front legs as well as their tongues? We are looking forward to the beekeeper coming to give us a live demonstration. We will also be learning about life-cycle of an apple and identifying each phase with nomenclature cards.
In art we will begin to work on our Rosh Hashanah booklet depicting the holiday traditions.
We will also begin learning our Rosh Hashanah song:
"Dip the apple in the honey make a Bracha loud and clear. L’shana Tova Umesukah, have a happy sweet New Year."
