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October | 2008 NEWSLETTER |
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 Brandy's Corner:
I can't believe the leaves are falling and we have already had our first sprinkling of snow... Although we do live in Ohio so I guess nothing surprises me. October was a wonderful month with many special events and crafts.
I would like to make an exciting announcement that we have added Kelly Andamasaris to the Absorbent Minds Staff. Her official title is Assistant Administrator. She is going to handle the day to day tasks, planning etc. Kelly has had many years of experience running and managing businesses. She is going to be a great asset to assisting the parents, children and staff at Absorbent Minds. She will be working out of the office on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and working from home on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
As many of you have already experienced with your child, the sickness season is among us. I wanted to remind you to be aware of how easily germs spread. Please keep your child home if they have symptoms such as fever, bad cough, green runny nose, diarrhea or vomiting, as these are signs of a contagious illness. Also, please encourage your children to wash their hands frequently. We want to do our best to keep everyone healthy.
As the snow begins to fall, please keep in mind that if Cuyahoga Falls City schools are off for snow days then we will not have school. Please check the Channel 3 News iAlert for details.
We are looking forward to a wonderful November.
~Brandy. |
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 Cooper's Corner:
In October the children have had a blast learning about our Solar System. The children really enjoyed reading stories, creating space art, singing songs and reciting riddles about the Solar System. The children discovered the Moon's composition and it's many phases. We spoke of Neil Armstrong and the first trip to the Moon. The children learned that the Earth and other planets spin around the Sun and how day and night occur. We also explored why the Sun is the most important star and how it is made up of hot gases. In class each planet was named, described and numbered according to its distance from the Sun.  Featured Work: Geometric Solids
Found in the Sensorial area, this work consists of various wooden solids such as triangle & square pyramids, spheres, cubes, cylinders and triangular & rectangular prisms. The work involves lifting, holding and feeling the solids in order to recognize it form. The students enjoy having the shapes covered and having to touch the solid in order to name it. The children practice recognizing the solids on paper for a visual aid and practice writing the solids names.
Upcoming in November:
In November we will focus on Native Americans. The students will learn about various tribes and their cultures. This will include such areas as: food & agriculture, family, travel, clothes, homes, art and festivities & rituals. We hope to instill in the children a sincere respect and appreciation for Nature through their studies of Native Peoples. ~Mrs. Cooper |
Mr.  John's Corner:
Lately, you may have heard classical music playing and seen the children quietly walking in circles in the classroom. We have implemented a circle walk before we sit down for circle time. The children clean their work stations after the bell is rung and instructions are given. When cleaning begins the children are silent while Pachelbel's Canon in D Major plays in the background. When the children are finished cleaning they walk on the circle calmly, silently, slowly and sit on the circle when the music stops. All this happens in five minutes! This exercise helps develop gross motor skills, the control of the body, and recognition of time.
The students have learned about different modes of transportation. We started with the earliest of years, when the only way people got around was by walking. Then we explored how humans used different animals to help them transport things, then came the invention of the automobile and finally we looked into the future and talked about rockets and space shuttles.
The children were introduced to the food pyramid and the food groups. They learned what the food groups are, what belongs in each food group and how many servings one should have on a daily basis. The students are often quizzed at lunch on which food groups they have in their lunch. The class also delved into healthy habits. We learned the importance of keeping clean by washing hands and brushing and flossing teeth.
The children had fun with science experiments this month. They inflated balloons using vinegar and baking soda. They also witnessed the liftoff of a tea bag rocket. We tested how equal pieces of clay, one in the shape of a sphere and one in the shape of a bowl sink and float in water. Finally, we investigated germs throughout the classroom. We swabbed tables, floors, door knobs and the restroom then grew the samples in agar in a Petri dish. Oh, the things that grew!!!!!
We are in the process of decorating the containers for the 2 cents a meal program. The children will be bringing them home soon!!
~Mr. John |
Other Topics:
Thank you for allowing us to teach your child the basics of tennis; forehand and backhand groundstrokes and volleys. Over the past six weeks, we have seen great improvement in your child's gross and fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, improved self-esteem and confidence during the Little Racquets program! We have built motor skills and confidence, learning teamwork and had a ball!
Over the past few weeks, we have sampled the following pretennis and tennis activities:
· Warm-up skills: catching and throwing the smiley face balls, shuffling around our "tennis court", identifying letters, colors and shapes on the racquets.
· Hitting forehands and backhands off of stationary cones with lady bug, rainbow, star, foam and spinner balls (ribbon attached) helped us focus on our groundstrokes.
· In addition, we have learned the high "five" volley which begins close to the net.
In conclusion, we have improved our coordination, kept our hearts beating strong, learned some tennis technique and worked on balance and footwork games. We especially love to play ABC forehand, duck, duck goose, "Jail" and tennis ball "sandwich" relay races. We have had a ball participating in the Little Racquets program with our friends from our class.
~Lynn Buchinsky
Graf Growers Field Trip:
On October 14th we journeyed to Graf Growers to see how pumpkins grow. Along the bumpy hayride the children saw the pumpkin fields and many scarecrows dressed in funny clothes. After the hayride, we watched a puppet show that taught us about planting a pumpkin seed, watering it, and nurturing the growth of the pumpkin. The children saw a pumpkin grow before their eyes during the show! Then, awaiting them at the end of the big corn stalk maze were little pumpkins to take home. It was a wonderful and educational trip.
Spanish:
Hola Amigos! During the month of October we have been practicing many new words in Spanish class. We have learned the colors and a song to help us remember them. It is sung to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel."
Red is Rojo
Green is Verde
Blue is called Azul
Yellow is Amarillo
These are our colors
Purple is Morado
Orange is Anaranjado
Pink's Rosado
Brown's Café
These are our colors
The children have mastered the Hola (Hello) song and the Adios (Goodbye) song in Spanish. Ask them to sing it for you; you'll be amazed! Keep checking your child's take home folder for weekly updates from Senora Lisa! Adios!
Sign Language:
The last few weeks of sign language have been really productive for the kids! We've perfected the days of the week, learned signs in the categories of food, transportation, and family, and the kids formed their first sentence in American Sign Language. I've been really pleased to see a lot of the kids using sign language around the classroom and when they see me in the halls. Many of the kindergarteners can understand what I'm saying before I even translate it. The progress is really impressive. A note to our preschool parents: if your children aren't using the signs yet, it is completely normal. Most children can understand more than they can produce, and I'm happy with all of the student's progress. Please let me know if you have any questions.
~Miss Brown
Art Projects:
We would like to thank Nichole Calhoun (Emma's mom) for volunteering to teach Art classes for the children every other Tuesday. Her first project for the students consisted of creating hot air balloons. She began by reading "Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon" and inspired the children to think about making their own. Nichole then proceeded to show the children how to do it. Cardboard figures represented the sky and the hot air balloon. The children decorated these as their imaginations desired. Then they learned how to connect their figures with string to represent how they fly. It was a lot of fun and a great success!
Grandparents' Day:
Great memories were created on Grandparents' Day at Absorbent Minds Montessori School! The highly anticipated event took place on Friday October 10th, 2008.
The Children were very excited for their Grandparents to see what a day in the life of a Montessori student is like and were eager to impress them with their skills. Grandparents were able to work in the classroom with the children and even participated in a Spanish lesson. The Grandparents were very proud of their little ones' achievements.
The children and their grandparents also had the opportunity to make a craft together, which was picture frames. These will be lovely complements to the photos that were taken of each family at the event and the photos and frames will be sent out as keepsakes of this special day.
 Halloween Party:Our Halloween party was a fun filled adventure with care bears, super heroes, Darth Vader, Yoda, Storm Troopers, Batman, pirates, princesses and witches. We began by decorating treat bags. Then each child passed out a treat to their friends and received treats from their classmates. The students made creepy crawly spiders, cute decorative pumpkins and a leaf collage. The games were a blast! We danced to scary music, played pin the nose on the pumpkin, and pass the pumpkin. Everyone enjoyed pizza and treats at lunch!
A special thanks to JoMarie Silvidi and her helpers for all of their hard work and planning. The party was tons of fun!
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| Montessori Tidbits:
Mixed Age Groups in the Montessori Classroom
The term "mixed age groups" mean a class of students whose ages fall into a 3 year developmental cycle. Students in the classrooms of Absorbent Minds range in age from 2 ¾ - 6 years old.
Children naturally form mixed age playgroups on their own. Children in families and neighborhoods have historically learned together and from one another. Mixed age groups provide the flexibility for children to learn at their own level of development and speed. The older children have the opportunity to hone their leadership skills such as leaning to be more patient and tolerant of others with differing abilities. Younger children are exposed to higher levels of thinking giving them the opportunity to grow socially by being around their older classmates.
Mixed age classes prepare children for "real life" where groups of people with varying ages and abilities live and work together. The benefits of mixed age classes are boundless. Younger students emulate older students, understanding as they watch that they too have the ability to tie shoes, count and read. Older students learn to care for others and to delight selflessly in the achievements of their classmates. As they serve as role models they learn responsibility and the power of their own leadership. They may teach lessons or help check work and correct errors. Being able to re-teach a skill that has been previously learned enables the one teaching to learn as much as the child receiving the lesson. Re-teaching reinforces the previously-learned concept and moves the child toward complete mastery. It also helps develop independence and autonomy in the older child, something that is often lacking in traditional settings.
At Absorbent Minds children develop a sense of community connecting with other children in meaningful ways, seeing first hand how much we can learn from each other. | |
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Themes of the Week
Franks / Kotradi Class
November Theme:
Animal Classificaton
11/3 - Mammals & Fish
11/10 - Reptiles & Birds
11/17 - Amphibians
11/24 - Thanksgiving
Cooper / Brown Class
November Theme:
Native Americans
Upcoming Events in November:
11 & 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
26 - Thanksgiving Feast
27 & 28 - Thanksgiving No School
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Please continue to save your "Box Tops" for Absorbent Minds Montessori School. We are putting in a new collection box for you to place them in at the school. This will be located to the left of the tuition drop box.
Also, Giant Eagle and Box Tops for Education are offering 7 months of great Bonus Box Tops opportunities for our school. Participating products may be purchased at Giant Eagle throughout the school year and can be identified by looking for the "Box Tops for Education" coupon located on the packaging. Simply cut out the coupon and bring it in.
Be on the lookout in your child's folder for box Tops updates. Thanks for savings those for us. They really add up if all of our family members and friends save together.
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