Buckeye Class
The children have settled beautifully into the rhythm of our classroom at this point in the year. We continue to hold weekly classroom meetings, which have become an integral part of addressing and solving any issues that arise. When a problem comes up, we add it to our class meeting agenda notebook and discuss it together during circle time. This collaborative approach not only highlights the issues but also fosters meaningful solutions.
During our nature walks and time in the garden, the children have noticed an abundance of mushrooms. To build on their curiosity, we introduced “Parts of a Mushroom” cards to explore these fascinating organisms in greater detail.
At the start of the month, Ms. Govindaraj from the Hemlock Class joined us to share about Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. She demonstrated how to create rangoli, a vibrant art form using colorful sand, and lit a traditional oil lamp called a diya, enriching the children’s understanding of this special celebration.
Later, Ms. Erika visited during circle time to talk about Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican tradition that honors loved ones who have passed. She introduced pan de muerto, a sweet bread, and showed us how to decorate skulls, or calaveras. The children learned about papel picado, intricate paper decorations commonly used during this holiday, and enjoyed seeing examples of how they are traditionally displayed.
Snack has become a favorite, with the children actively participating in serving and enjoying their food. We’re grateful to the families who have already provided snacks and encourage everyone to check out our snack suggestion sheet for ideas. A variety of fruits and vegetables is always welcome, and trying something new can add an extra element of fun!
Thank you to all the parents who attended conferences. It was wonderful connecting with you and sharing insights about your children. Your support is greatly appreciated!
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we are excited to introduce the children to the cultural significance of totem poles. These beautifully carved poles, created by the Pacific Northwest Coastal Native Americans, tell stories of their people and heritage. We’ll offer an activity where the children can create their own totem poles using paper and add symbolic animals. Each animal carries a unique meaning: the dog represents loyalty, the owl symbolizes wisdom, the fox stands for cleverness, the bear signifies strength, the eagle embodies beauty and peace, and the orca represents wealth and long life.
You may have noticed friendship pins adorning shoes or backpacks recently. We’ve introduced an activity where the children can decorate small safety pins with colorful beads. The key to these “friendship pins” is that they aren’t meant to be kept—they must be gifted to a friend, encouraging thoughtfulness and the joy of giving.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we’ve started discussing the concept of thankfulness. The children are adding their thoughts to our “thankfulness tree,” writing what they are grateful for on leaf-shaped paper to hang on the tree. We’re also excited to prepare stone soup together as a class. Each child will bring an ingredient to contribute, and we’ll work as a team to prepare and enjoy the soup—a lovely way to celebrate community and gratitude.
Hemlock Class
Happy November! As we move into the heart of autumn, our classroom is buzzing with excitement and learning. As the outside air gets chilly our classroom gets cozy and warm with love and kindness.
Let us start with thanks to Shourya’s mom, Sushmita, for explaining about the Indian cultural festival called Deepavali. Children enjoyed the book about Deepavali and the rangoli design she brought.
On November 1st morning, Simon’s mom, Manon, read a book about Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) and in the afternoon Ms. Erika read a book and explained it. Children enjoyed making Skull and Ghost collage work.
We had a wonderful opportunity to discuss your child’s progress during the parent-teacher conference. We shared insights of your loved ones and set goals for the remainder of the school year. We teachers thoroughly enjoyed it, and we hope that it was insightful to you as well.
This month, we focused on gratitude and community. Our children are engaged in activities that inspire gratitude and kindness. We had a quick talk about elections in general and during our class meetings, we discussed snack situations, coat room manners, work cycle clean up and recess period gentleness. We practiced saying “Stop” and encouraged children to respect other friends’ feelings and words.
We were fascinated to learn about which animals are true hibernators and torpors. We honored and thanked all the brave men and women who have served our country.
We had a blasting Thanksgiving Feast which included butter churning and vegetable soup. This event encouraged children to understand the value of sharing and community.
School is being closed for Thanksgiving break from Wednesday 27th till Friday 29th. Wednesday was an in-service day for teachers to discuss and set up the classroom.
Please, check for the weather and dress them accordingly. December will be bustling with holiday projects. We will be exchanging books on Thursday, December 19th before winter break. Children are requested to bring a book not more than $10. If it is a used book in good condition is also fine. Please bring the books on or before Friday, December 13th. If your child has a full day, the child is requested to bring a book for AM and PM.
We are very thankful to all you for entrusting your loved ones in our hands. We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.
The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.” ———Dr. Maria Montessori.