All this month we are talking about nutrition and the balance of eating healthy food. In Kindergarten we introduced the food pyramid which shows that eating more vegetables and fruits, moderate amounts of meat and dairy and less amounts of fats and oils will help make and keep a body healthy and strong.

There are many ways to provide lunch and snack options for your child when they come to school. A simple, balanced assortment of foods will ensure that your child is getting the daily nutrition they need to function at their best. Clear labeling and easy opening of snack containers helps guide your child to be self directed when they eat. Here is a sample:

We also encourage you to provide a clothe napkin which your child can use as a “place mat” and set up their lunch on a defined space. This helps keep all their food items available and organized.

Since independence is the ultimate goal of the Montessori philosophy, we encourage you to practice having your child open their lunch boxes, place their napkin on the table and be able to set up (and choose) morning and afternoon snacks as well as lunch. It is also helpful to include a spoon and fork with their lunch box, in case they are needed.

We are also studying apples this month and we encourage you to share an apple with your child, cut it open and talk about the parts of the apple. You can look at the outside of the apple (skin), the inside (flesh), the stem (if still attached, will show your child how the apple was attached to the tree). Conclude with observing the seeds inside and explain how each seed can form a new tree! You might even consider doing a taste test with different kinds of apples. Spend time pointing out the parts of the apple as this contributes to their language skills and then of course tasting the fruit encourages children to use their senses (touch, sight, taste and smell).

A fundamental tenant of the Montessori philosophy is to approach each lesson in a measured, ordered way. Each item that is used is carefully placed on a floor mat or on the table and presented in a simple, clear way. This allows the student the opportunity to see precisely how to use the materials in a predictable manner and to quickly have a “job” that they can use and practice independently. Repeatedly using the job reinforces the concepts being learned and builds a power memory of the ideas presented.

Montessori lessons are hands-on and there are many instances where a student will repeat the use of the materials many times until the concept it learned. Often there is paperwork that comes home with the student reinforcing the work the student is doing. Please check your child’s blue bag daily and if there is paperwork, please review it with your child and ask them, “how did you did this?” if it is language work, please ask them “what is this sound?” This kind of interaction is very helpful in reinforcing the effort and progress your child is making in the learning environment.

During the week, we have “specials” like music, art, Spanish classes where the students are taught in a whole group setting and then are given specific tasks to complete, reinforcing the lesson.

Kindergartners are working on their goals during the morning work cycle, then in the afternoon it is a Kindergartens only class in P4. Many lessons in Math, Language, Cultural and Science lessons are focused on.

Welcome P4 families to our P4 blog. We are off to a good start to our new school year as our students are acclimating beautifully to classroom processes and procedures and starting to build friendships in the classroom. The primary drive of a Montessori education is to foster a sense of order, concentration and coordination so that each student can develop and grow their sense of independence.

The classroom is organized according to academic areas. A few areas are shown below.

This is our “Sensorial” area, the area that explores the five senses.

We place a lot of emphasis on our students walking in with their blue bags, water bottles and lunch boxes so that they learn that those are their things that they are responsible for and they get in the habit of placing those items in their proper place in the classroom.

Please spend a few minutes showing your child the proper way of washing their hands. We are teaching them here at school, but with a little more practice at home this will help us expedite the process in the classroom. Thank you!

Students are exploring different areas of the classroom. Each “work” has its own tray and proper place on a shelf in the classroom. Students very quickly can see the pattern and with some mild prompting (from their peers), children lean to return the work to its proper place!

Please help your child be successful in choosing a morning and afternoon snack by providing reusable containers with labeling such as “morning snack” and then a separate container labeled with “afternoon snack.” Ideally, these snack items could be carried in their lunch box. If you need a separate snack holder, please be sure it it clearly labeled. Thanks.

Finally, please be sure that all of your child’s clothes and masks are labeled with their names, it is most helpful!

As we close this 2020/2021 school year, we reflect on how meaningful it has been for all of us to be in school together.  We appreciate your diligence in following through on necessary covid protocols and helping us to create a productive and happy learning environment for our students.

Kindergartners arrived!

Our younger students, ready for the next step!

We had so much fun during our recent water day!!

We wish you a happy and relaxing summer. We look forward to hearing about all the memories you made!

After collecting diapers, wipes and adorable baby clothes for the past two weeks, we were able to make two trips to Lullaby Connection and drop off our donations. The Lullaby Connection is located here in Henderson and for over 20 years it has been providing new mothers with essential items for their newborns. It is a neat and well organized retail location where any new mother would feel welcome visiting. It is a tribute to our community that the outpouring of donations was so easy and generous. Thank you for your participation and helping to teach our students the value of sharing with others.

On Earth Day, after taking a nature walk and using our senses to enjoy the school garden, we ended up in our Outdoor Classroom encircling a tree. Ms. Pauline also did a whole group lesson on recycling papers and plastic and after lunch we reviewed the items that can be recycled. We also spoke about conserving water at the sink and electricity by turning off lights when leaving a room.

Geography is a strong component of the Montessori curriculum. Each continent is color coded and children learn about the continents both from the globe and from the flat puzzle map. We also sing the continent song which gives our students a joyful way of remembering the names and locations of the continents.

This is a job where our students have to pin punch each continent and then glue it in its proper place on the hemisphere.