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Hemlock Class

What a great autumn season. The children are going on nature walks and enjoy the falling leaves. We started to collect and dry them for future art projects. During circle time we talked about why seasons occur, that we have four distinct ones and why leaves change colors. We named the different parts of a leaf. Bird migration and the reason for it tied right into it as well.

We talked about the changes in weather. -Please make sure your childs/childrens next set of clothes are marked with their names, too. We have some similar winter coats ready to be mixed up! – We try to bring the outside in as much as possible and this month is definitely pumpkin time. We talk about the life cycle of a pumpkin and its parts. We sing the pumpkin song. There is a pumpkin in the Practical Life area for coloring and for hammering. There will also be a large one for carving into a Jack-o-Lantern during circle time closer to Halloween. The children are excitedly talking about their visits to pumpkin patches with you in the afternoons and on weekends, too.

We made our own apple sauce in the am and pm class. The children were able to wash, peel (not all children wanted to participate in this step) and cut their own apples. The crock pot softened the apples in class and smelled nice. The children enjoyed unsweetened apples sauce for snack and we were able to share with our Buckeye friends.

For science we found out if an apple sinks or floats.

Sunflowers were tweezed for their seeds so we could feed the birds. Thank you to the Buckeye class for growing and sharing so many of them. Now we are tweezing native corn.

We also talked about Columbus Day during an afternoon circle.

A big ‘Thank you’ goes to Meera’s mom, Radhika, for sharing her custom of Navratri (a nine day festival in India) with our class. We were lucky to have her come again for Diwali/Deepavali (the five day festival of lights) in the pm class. It was great to have you come and explain and show your traditions! Thank you for the diyas with decorations and the yummy sweets!

On Halloween we would like for the children to come in costumes that allow for easy access for the bathroom and no weapons, please. The first thing we will do is take a picture of each child in her/his costume. Later on we will create a work for the classroom with before and after pictures as a matching work. It will be enjoyed throughout the year by morning and afternoon children alike! During class time we meet with the Buckeye class on the playground to show off our costumes and sing “The witches brew” a favorite song of ours this season.

A lot of our circle times are used for Class Meetings. This is a time for children to share their ‘appreciations and compliments’ for and with one another, then they can bring up arising issues in class or with classmates and we find solutions that will work for the children. At the end we enjoy a fun activity together to leave on a positive note.

Please come and sign up for our conference in the coat room. Conferences will be held on November 7th and we will offer three spots per time slot as all three teachers will conference simultaneously.

Buckeye classroom:

This month we’ve been embracing all things fall. The children learned about the reason for our seasons, about trees and leaves, exploring why they change colors and eventually fall from the trees. Our pumpkin study was a highlight—the children learned about the parts of a pumpkin and its life cycle, and we even dissected one together during circle time to see (and feel!) what’s inside.

As Halloween is approaching, we’re exploring some of its familiar symbols—spiders, bats, and cats—learning fun facts about each. We had a simple discussion about the origin of Halloween, and how it has changed over time. The children expressed their creativity through Halloween-themed art projects, including making their own bat masks.

We also celebrated important cultural events this month. For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we discussed why we now honor Indigenous peoples instead of celebrating Columbus Day, focusing on respect for the first people who lived here. We were fortunate to have parents visit and share about Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, and Korean Thanksgiving (Chuseok)—both wonderful opportunities for the children to learn about traditions around the world.

We’re looking forward to Halloween, when children are welcome to come in costume (please keep them comfortable and school-appropriate).

A reminder that Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Friday, November 7th—we look forward to connecting with each of you then!

Hemlock Class

Welcome to the new school year. We’ve had a great start, welcoming five new children who have adjusted smoothly. It’s been encouraging to see older students support younger ones, making the transition seamless. Our main goal is to provide a safe, happy environment for all, and we are committed to achieving that.
During the initial weeks, we recollected our names with songs and gone through our core classroom rules such as walk inside the classroom, talk quietly, touch your own work, use materials gently, put away the work for the next person. We emphasized the above rules to bring peace and harmony in the classroom. We reminded ourselves of how to carry a chair, roll out a mat, to pour water in a cup, to clean a mess of water. It has been a joy to watch some children to watch new and younger children to teach the snack table procedure. This is the beauty and benefits of multiage classroom.
We introduced easel painting, mirror polishing, and hammering, which were very popular. Children are also learning to put on their own shoes, collect their finished work from their box, pack their bags, and wear their coats independently, with our support as needed to make them feel successful and accomplished. Please label all their belongings with their names.
We just began our apple curriculum, and we learnt the parts of apple. Children enjoyed making the book. We’ll continue exploring the curriculum in the coming months.
We started our class meeting circles; children tried to find solutions for the concerns and problems of the classroom and their fellow friends.
We started our nature walk with returning so that teachers can spend time with new children. Soon new children would also join the stream.
World Peace Day fell on September 21st, but since it was a Sunday, we celebrated with the Buckeye classroom on Monday. After regularly practicing “Light a Candle for Peace,” most children memorized the lyrics. On the 22nd at 11am, we gathered around the playground in a circle with Buckeye friends to sing together and reflect on the importance of peace.
We had our first month of earthquake drill and Fire drill procedure. We talked about why we need to practice these drills every month and the significance of them.
Thanks to the new parents who attended the curriculum night, it might had given you a clear picture of what your child will be doing in the classroom and how they might progress in academics and independence and in social life too.
We celebrated the birthdays of Quentin (3), Shourya (5), and Camille (4).
As the weather is going to get cooler, please dress your children appropriately.

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.“
————–Dr. Mara Montessori.

Buckeye Class
September has been a wonderful start to our school year! We were delighted to welcome 11 new students to our community, alongside 13 returning friends. Together, the children have begun settling into routines, building friendships, and exploring the joy of learning in a Montessori classroom.

One highlight this month was Curriculum Night, where we had a fantastic parent turnout. Ms. Ross and Ms. Ekstrom shared about each area of the classroom and gave families a deeper look into what Montessori education offers their children each day.

In the classroom, we began with the foundations of grace and courtesy—important skills such as rolling a mat, walking safely inside, and pushing in a chair. These lessons help create a calm, respectful, and independent environment for all.

September also brought an apple theme! The children enjoyed apple-inspired art projects, explored a “Parts of an Apple” work, and had fun tasting different varieties of apples together at circle.

Peace was another important focus this month. We discussed how being peaceful and kind helps make the world a better place. Each day, we sang our peace song before circle, and we joined with the Hemlock class to celebrate the International Day of Peace by singing together outside.

We also began our nature walks, which take place twice a week. Each child will have the opportunity to go every other week, giving them time to observe, explore, and connect with the world around them.

Finally, we had our first earthquake drill. The children practiced going under a table, covering their heads, then exiting calmly outside for roll call. Our first fire drill will be coming soon.

We are so proud of how quickly the children are settling into routines and beginning their Montessori journeys this year. We look forward to a joyful and enriching October together!

Hemlock Class

The whole class worked together to prepare the vegetable beds for planting. They participated in planting, weeding, and watering the garden.

We also learned about worms that help enrich our soil, such as earthworms and redworms, and how they improve soil by adding nutrients.

In science, we’ve been exploring the life cycle of plants—from seed to germination to seedling, and beyond. We’ve learned what plants need to grow and how they make their own food using sunlight, water, and air through a process called photosynthesis.

We also studied ladybugs and their life cycle.

In the circle we read stories like Caps for Sale, and the students had a great time acting out the story.

With the school year coming to a close in just a few weeks, we’re heading into a busy time—including our annual all-school walk to St. Edwards. A big thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help on those days!

Buckeye Class

May was a month full of wonder, discovery, and growth in our Montessori classroom. With the arrival of spring, we embraced the season both indoors and out, diving into hands-on learning experiences that sparked curiosity and joy.

One of the highlights of the month was gardening. The children enjoyed getting their hands in the soil, planting seeds, watering our garden beds, and watching the first signs of growth appear. This work has not only nurtured a love for nature but also encouraged responsibility, patience, and care for living things.

In our science studies, we explored both beneath our feet and above our heads by learning about the layers of the Earth and the layers of the atmosphere. The children made their own booklets to represent the Earth’s layers—crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core—which helped them understand these concepts in a concrete way. We also talked about the layers of the atmosphere, introducing big ideas like the troposphere and stratosphere in simple, accessible ways.

We also learned about the water cycle and how water moves through our environment in a continuous loop. The children were introduced to key concepts like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection, and we used visual aids and movement-based activities to help make this cycle come to life. Many of the children enjoyed pretending their hands were water droplets on a journey through clouds, rain, rivers, and oceans.

We spent time learning about pollinators, with a focus on bees and butterflies. The children were fascinated to learn how these tiny creatures help flowers grow and how important they are to our food systems. They asked thoughtful questions and showed a growing awareness of the interconnection between living things.

Adding to our study of butterflies, we’ve had a very special opportunity in our classroom—we’ve been raising caterpillars! The children have been observing them closely each day as they grew and entered the pupa stage. We are now eagerly waiting for them to emerge as butterflies, and the anticipation is high! This has been a beautiful, hands-on way for the children to witness the butterfly life cycle in real time.

We also explored the salmon life cycle, learning about the incredible journey salmon make from egg to spawning adult. The children enjoyed learning each stage—egg, alevin, fry, smolt, adult—and were especially interested in how salmon return to the same place they were born to lay their own eggs.

It’s been a joyful, active month filled with meaningful learning. Thank you for sharing your children with us each day—we’re excited to see what June will bring!

Hemlock Class

We started the month concluding our big community helpers unit children were excited to know and learn about all the different community helpers.

Just in time for Spring we had farmers from Oxbow farm who were environmental educators visit us and they had a brief introduction to pollinators, flower dissection, flower craft, and a pollination modeling game. Our children learned pollination in a fun way.

Spring in the air we have been talking to children about beginning of new life in plants and animals. Parts of a seed and how seed grows to a new plant.

They got to see parts of an egg. There are works on the shelf of different life cycles. The life cycle of butterflies was learnt in depth and to add to this we have our own caterpillars and the children get to see the metamorphosis of the butterfly. They were so excited to see the caterpillars and how they are growing every day. Once they turn into butterflies we will be releasing them in our garden.

On the practical side the egg shell grinding , bread cutting and the color dot work has been keeping the children very busy.

Happy Easter! Children got to make their own cute Easter egg baskets which they used for their egg hunt in our playground. This year the eggs were very tricky to find as they camouflaged with the wood chips but the children had lots of of fun finding their egg.

On Earth Day, we will educate the children on taking care of the planet that includes picking up litter, composting and recycling, conserving water, and planting gardens.

Our monthly fire drills and earthquake drills are ensuring that the children are well prepared for any emergency situations.

The sunny days have created perfect opportunity for eating outside at our picnic tables. Soon we will start to do work outside.

Coming up next the children will be helping in preparing the vegetables beds for planting and sowing seeds.

Buckeye Class

Now that spring weather is here, we look forward to spending much of our class work time working outside under our covered patio area in the fresh air.
We had a great visit with staff from Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center, in Carnation. They brought the farm to us! We learned all about wild animals found on the farm along with what produce is grown there. Children dissected a flower, exploring it with all their senses while identifying the parts. What happens between the flower and the fruit? Next was the magic of pollination and which animals play a vital role in this. The children buzzed around the classroom acting like bees, collecting and transferring pollen from one student’s flower to the next.
Next, we began to explore worms, including life cycle, their body parts and their functions. We talked about how these invertebrates have a key role in improving our soil. We then conducted three experiments with real earthworms to find out whether they prefer light or dark, wet or dry places, and what they prefer to eat. It turns out they preferred the salad, potato peel and banana peel (organic material) over the cheese and cracker plate.
Following spring break, our butterfly larva arrived! This is such an exciting opportunity to witness the transformation in our very own butterfly habitat. We are looking forward to learning all about this insect.
We also explored the concept of egg-laying (oviparous) and live birth (viviparous) animals including the parts of an egg.
We cannot wait to dig into plants and gardening!
Soon the whole class will pitch in to prepare the vegetable beds for planting. There will be plenty of opportunities for children to get involved in the planting process, watering and weeding too!
We have learned about the life cycle of plants (seed, germination, seedling etc.), what a plant needs to grow, and how plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and air (photosynthesis).
In honor of spring, we decorated “baskets” for our egg hunt. The kids were excited to find their own hidden egg.
Earth Day is a day to really focus on our connection with nature and what we can do to care for our environment. We will become familiar with ways to reduce, recycle, protect, reuse, and upcycle. For us, its earth day every day!
We are looking forward to learning more about our planet (layers of the earth) and what makes it special (the atmosphere).

Hemlock Classroom Review

Happy March! Spring has just started, and we were excited about the wonderful learning opportunities this month brought. As the weather got warmer, more cuddling and giggling started, which led to new friendships and possibilities.

Thank you to all the parents who joined us for the Parents’ Conference. It was wonderful to connect with each of you and discuss your child’s progress. Your insights and collaboration mean so much to us as we work together to support their growth. If you have any lingering questions or thoughts, feel free to reach out- we are always here to help.

We dedicate March to Unit Studies and this year Unit study is Community Helpers. Community helpers are the heart of our neighborhoods-they dedicate their time, energy, and skills to make our lives safer, healthier, and better. From firefighters to police officers and doctors to garbage collectors and construction workers to postal workers, every helper plays a vital role in our community.

We discussed how firefighters put out fires and respond to emergencies and we talked about the fire drill and earthquake drill procedure and why we do we practice every month. Children were excited to see the fire truck and the equipment used. Huge thanks to the Shoreline fire department.

Doctors and Nurses help us stay healthy by treating illnesses and providing care and we learnt the tools doctors use. Huge thanks to Katie, Asher’s mom who is a nurse practitioner who shared her work experiences and the demonstration of a regular checkup. Huge Thanks to Dr. Ravi, Ms. Managuli’s husband, who is an Ultrasound doctor, came to our classroom and demonstrated how Ultrasound is performed. It was very informatic and profound.

We talked about veterinarians too and we learnt how they care for our dear pets and make them feel better.

Garbage collectors or sanitation workers keep our neighborhood clean and safe by collecting ang managing the waste. We see them almost every week. We talked about the importance of separating trash, recycling and composite and how it would help to take care of mother nature.

Construction workers build roads, homes, schools, shops, and other essential infrastructure. They work very hard to make sure that we have safe and functional spaces to live, work, and thrive.

We will continue our mail carrier and other community helpers in the month of April too.

“Let’s take a moment to thank all our community helpers for the amazing work they do. They remind us that helping others is one of the most important things we ca do!”

Children enjoyed a lot when Ms. Leach joined the classroom on March 17^th to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the honor of her Irish tradition.

As we enter April, it will bring more showers. Please dress them appropriately. Please make sure they bring water bottles with their names since they need more water. Encourage your child to observe signs of spring, budding flowers birds building nests, etc.

Mark, your calendar that spring break is from April 7 till 11.

“The Child who has felt a strong love his surroundings and for all living creatures, who has discovered joy and enthusiasm in work, gives us reason to hope that humanity can develop in a new direction.”

                                                                                ———Dr. Maria Montessori.

Buckeye Classroom Review

Throughout March, we continued our unit on Community Workers, exploring the roles of pilots, veterinarians, chefs, doctors, dentists, and farmers. The children engaged in hands-on activities and lessons in “seeds-to-plant” and “farm-to-table”, which included a felt story about tomatoes and a discussion on healthy vs. unhealthy foods. As part of our food preparation work, the children also practiced slicing carrots—a new skill they were excited to try!

In honor of Women’s History Month, we introduced the children to the idea of celebrating women who have made a significant impact on the world. We highlighted a few inspiring women and their contributions to the world.

During our special class meetings, we continued fostering community problem-solving skills. The children are encouraged to express their ideas, listen to one another, and collaborate on solutions. Each meeting begins with “Compliments and Appreciation”, during which a talking stick is passed around, giving each child the opportunity to share kind words—or simply listen if they choose to pass.

We welcomed the first day of spring, and briefly discussed the reason for the seasons. Many children are beginning to grasp the concept of Earth’s orbit around the sun, and are making the connection to our Birthday Circle. During this special celebration, month cards are arranged circular around a sun representation and the birthday child walks around the sun holding a small globe, while the class sings:

“The Earth goes around the sun, the sun,It takes 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days”.

The song continues for each year of the child’s life. This month we celebrated Coralie’s 4th birthday, and at the end of March, Lisa will turn 5!

We are also looking forward to a special visit from Arad’s dad, Siavash, who will share the beautiful Persian New Year tradition of Nowruz with our class!

Looking Ahead: soon we will begin a short unit on cats, learning about both big cats and domestic cats—an area of great interest for many children in our class!  The first week of April we will explore worms and their important role in nature, followed by Spring Break in the second week

We truly enjoyed meeting with you during our parent-teacher conferences and appreciate your continued partnership in your child’s learning journey!

Hemlock Class

We would like to start by saying a big Thank you to Aiden’s and Valerie’s moms for preparing and spending their time with us for Lunar New Year 2025. One came in the am class and one in the pm class. Anytime a parent can join us and share about their heritage and tradition, it is an enrichment for us all. The children learned about the monster in the mountains and heard a song about the lunar new year calendar animals. We learned about all the preparations that go into the family festivities and the different ways to celebrate in different places as well as how to congratulate one another. We received red envelopes from both mom’s and oranges for good luck from Aiden’s mom. Each had her unique way to tell us about their traditions and we are looking forward to inviting them next year again!

After the Happy Lunar New Year we continued our circle lessons with our peace curriculum. This year we talked about recycling and other ways to be good to our earth. Now we take a closer look at our peace bottles in the classroom and what they represent for us. The children have a good understanding of their virtues: truth, peace, personal best, caring/friendship, kind words and joy. It ties in very well with our weekly class meetings in which the children talk a lot about how we can achieve the virtues named above.

Valentine’s Day was a success with filled bags that went home and a lovely snack shared by all. We had some questions from some parents and want to clear it up for all. Homemade cards are  welcome and little trinkets to share in the festivities are fine. Just not big gifts, please.

Happy Birthday to our birthday children this month: Emon (3) and Johanna and Oliver (4)!

Guest NIght was a success for all of us present and thank you to all the visitors for showing interest in the children and their works. The room was buzzing with their activities and everyone was sporting a proud smile on their faces 🙂 Unfortunately then came the snow days which kept us from continuing the next day but we are glad everyone was safe!

The conference sign-up sheets are up in the coat room, please make sure to come in and sign yourself up for a 20 minute talk with your teachers about your child/children’s progress. We are looking forward to giving you attention for a change.

Conference day will be the 7th of March.

Buckeye Class

February brought us a few unexpected snow days, giving everyone some extra time to enjoy the winter weather at home! Once we were back in the classroom, we had a wonderful month filled with exciting activities.

For Valentine’s Day, the children enjoyed passing out their valentines to the special bags they decorated earlier in the month. We also had a small celebration with a festive snack of red grapes, raspberries, heart-shaped cheese, heart-shaped tortillas, and fresas con crema — delicious strawberry drink that the children made with Ms. Samantha!

This month, we also began our unit on community workers. The children are learning about the important roles of mail carriers, veterinarians, police officers, construction workers, trash collectors, firefighters, doctors, librarians, chefs, and bank tellers. One of the highlights of this unit will be a visit from the fire department at the end of the month! The firefighters will bring their truck to our school and teach the children all about their work.

We will also talk about Black History Month. We will have books in our book corner and materials that help us learn about important figures in history and the value of kindness, fairness, and celebrating differences. Our goal is to introduce these ideas in a way that is meaningful and engaging for young children.

Guest Night was a wonderful success! The children were so excited to share their classroom and daily activities with you. Thank you for taking the time to visit — we loved having you!

Looking ahead, parent-teacher conferences will take place at the beginning of March. We look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress.

Thank you for being part of our school community!

Hemlock Classroom Review

It was wonderful to welcome back all of the children in January from the winter break. We also welcomed 3 new kids in our classroom Narin & Emon.  The children all settled in quickly.

We started our learning with why January was named and the poem. We talked about winter equinox and weather change. Then we moved to our planet Earth. We learned the position of Earth in Space and how it supports life on it. So, it is our job to protect our planet. We looked at the sandpaper globe to recognize land and water. With a colored globe, we learned the continents and made a playdough globe and learned how to divide the globe into two halves, eastern and western hemispheres to make it easier for us to learn and important landforms of the Earth too, how they are opposite to each other. Children were excited to learn and identify the landforms in our map.

They were happy to make landform books.

We talked about Martin Luther King Jr Day, how we can achieve peace in the world by giving everyone equal rights.

We also had a Parent visit our classroom and talked about his Profession. He is an anesthesiologist doctor showed kids the stethoscope, otoscope, and some kids volunteered in checking knee reflexes. It was an interesting 25 minutes circle time all the kids were involved in the learning.

Since we are in winter and also the weather keeps on changing, we request to provide appropriate clothes, socks and shoes. Thanks to the parents who showed up on kindergarten night. We were excited to share our values and work with you.

Buckeye Classroom Review

It was so nice to have everybody back in the classroom after the long break and we hope you all enjoyed extra family time during the holidays.

We welcomed in this shorter month with talk of winter and all things cold!

We began with the polar regions that reside in most continents including the animals, plants, temperature, and soil that can exist there.

In the south we have Antarctica which is entirely a polar biome. We learned all about penguins, seals, whales, and the albatross that live there and under what conditions.

In the Northernmost area of the planet, the Arctic circle/tundra, we studied interesting facts about caribou, whales, polar bears, hare, fox, walrus, seals, and huskies. We found out just how animals either adapt, hibernate, or migrate to deal with extreme temperatures.

We learned about how a snowflake forms. While they share common characteristics, each snowflake is unique due to its own individual journey through the air.

We also took a close look at the earth’s surface and observed the many land and water forms that cover the earth’s crust. Children can now choose an island and a lake or a peninsula and a gulf and add water, animals and buildings for a hands-on experience.

In science children are experimenting with objects that either sink or float when placed in water by first making a prediction, and then testing it out.

Children have been working hard mastering their bubble making, chalk board washing, table washing and dish washing skills this month.

Later this month we are looking forward to learning about the Lunar new year and all about how it is traditionally celebrated. We even have a guest coming in to share their family’s tradition!

We also celebrated Martin Luther King Jr., a man of peace, who worked for fairness for us all!

Looking forward to next month as we begin our unit study on community workers/helpers.

Hemlock Class

What a wonderful year full of learning and growing is coming to an end!

These last three weeks in December were filled with gift making and card writing and ornament crafting alongside our normal classroom hustle and bustle. During circle time we talked about Christmas with its traditions of Advent wreath, tree and Santa and where they come from. The children learned about St. Nicholas Day and tried “Lebkuchen”. We looked at Kwanza traditions as well as learned about Hanukkah. The menorah candles burned bright and shared a sweet light in class for both the morning and afternoon time!

The children also have class meetings twice a week during circle time to discuss upcoming issues related to peers and classroom organization. We are still working on our “compliments and appreciation” beginning part of this forum. So far we still get a lot of “I love my family” (which is actually very sweet just not the point for this open talk round:-)

The second part of the meeting is bringing up a problem and finding possible solutions which always brings out great thinking skills! Then we choose the most doable solution and follow up with a positive activity like a fun song or story to end the meeting.

At the next meeting we follow up and see how things worked out with the choice of action and if there is need for improvement. Our last meeting for example involved the mix up of wet clothes coming home (apologies to the involved parents) and we will see if our ideas can help keep things more organized in our cubbies and backpacks!

In the following year we will commence with Nature Walks again and there will be more wet clothes involved. Please keep your children’s extra clothes in school stacked for the appropriate season. Just an fyi: some children complained about cold feet in their rain boots. They are great for mud and water but get very cold quickly if they are not the insulated kind.

During our last week in class we sent home four ornaments and a gift with a card for you to enjoy during the holidays. Most children were present and enjoyed making the crafts. We also did our book exchange for the morning as well as the afternoon class (thanks for sending your child with one or two books depending on their schedule) and had a seasonal snack to celebrate the end of our school year in style.

Some of you got to go on vacation early so we will keep your items ready for pick up in 2025. We are looking forward to seeing everyone happy and healthy in the next year! Have a great break! Your Hemlock teachers

Buckeye Class

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 1^st 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 27^th till Friday 29^th. 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 19^th 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 13^th.  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.