Unexpected opportunities create “fruitful” experiences in the classroom
- At August 29, 2017
- By CGMontessori
- In Blog, CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News
- 0
Unexpected circumstances stepped in this week and provided a learning opportunity to demonstrate that if you are flexible and creative, you can truly be grateful for all the food we have and minimize waste of these precious resources.
The children in our classroom have a “snack day” on a monthly calendar so that they may bring in food to share with their classmates. This week (and last) we received a bounty of fresh fruit. With the addition of a donation from one of our teachers, we ended up with ripe bananas, grapes, pears, and several pints of raspberries. Because I always try to stress that we never want to waste food unless absolutely necessary, I had to alter plans for cooking and snack preparation. And I’m OK with that. Keeps me on my toes!
The children requested pancakes, so the raspberries became a delicious sauce. The grapes and pears became a yummy fruit salad, and the bananas were perfect for a loaf of banana bread.
(Additional teacher challenge: We have numerous dietary restrictions this year, so I am getting to know all about cooking with gluten free ingredients. I am currently running into consistency issues, but I will keep at it and post my results.)
Enjoy the following photos from out “waste not, want not” week.
New Recruits and Old Pros: Cooking again!
- At August 24, 2017
- By CGMontessori
- In Blog, CGM BLOG, CGM Parent News, Oak Room
- 0
We’re back for another school year in our Montessori community, and these kids are ready to cook! Our returning friends went straight for the kitchen to see if anything had changed, while our new students followed to explore the tools and gadgets.
Given the success of our cooking endeavors last year, I changed very little in the environment. I found a bigger shelf in the garage, and after a quick coat of fresh paint, we had a much more flexible storage area…
I also added a few more child-sized stools to keep under the counter so the children could just pull them out for a visit with friends while waiting for items to bake. This was a really “social” time last year!
Since my veterans were ready to jump right in, I asked them to choose what recipe would be good to show our new students. The answer, of course, was muffins. We settled on blueberry.
May Oak Room
- At May 02, 2016
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
Welcome May!
The Oak room loves spring. We have been spending a lot of time outdoors, witnessing and experiencing nature and its changes this season brings. Young children have such a natural love of nature and it brings us great joy to watch their observations and explorations of their outdoor environment.
We wanted to send out a special thank you to our families and students who helped make our international fair and silent auction a success. It was a beautiful day of visiting with friends and enjoying what each classroom had put together for the continents of the world. Our silent auction raised over $1,000.00, which will be allocated to a CGM scholarship opportunity.
May is a busy month at CGM. The following are upcoming events and activities:
Elementary Cook Out and Open House – May 13, 5-8 pm.
This is a restaurant style cookout organized by our elementary classroom. The children serve customers, make the food and expedite the orders. Just like a real restaurant! We are also using this as an opportunity to open our building for family and friends to tour our beautiful school; so if you know of anyone looking for preschool/elementary school options for their children, please invite them!
Thursday, May 26th is our last day of school. This will be a half day for all students.
Dismissal times are:
- Oak Room: 11:30 am
- Tulip Room: 11:45 am
- Maple Room 12:00 pm
On Wednesday, May 25th, we will be celebrating summer birthdays with an ice cream sundae party! Children whose birthdays fall during our summer break may bring in their favorite ice cream topping for the celebration.
Please Note:
We will be spending more time outside this month. If you would like your child to wear sunblock, we will be happy to apply it for our afternoon time outdoors. We ask that all sunblock brought in is in spray form and labeled with your child’s name.
We understand that this is a very busy time for our families with work and numerous after school activities. Please help us keep our children safe in the school parking lot by approaching our building slowly and showing courtesy to those that are also trying to get children in and out of the building. If we all take our time and remain aware, we can work together to make sure everyone arrives and leaves in a safe and peaceful manner. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation!
“The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.” – Maria Montessori
What’s Happening in the Oak Room
- At January 29, 2016
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
What’s Happening in the Oak Room
Savya hard at work on place value.
What a wonderful January! We learned all about Antarctica and the animals that live there. The children all returned from break ready to learn, so our classroom has been a very busy place. No doubt you also heard all about our fun in the snow!
February will be filled with great learning opportunities and a lot of fun with friends. We will be exploring Asia; tasting interesting food, celebrating Chinese New Year, and discovering interesting facts about life on this continent.
We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, February 10th. On this day, we gather as a group to pass out Valentine cards to friends. If you child would like to participate we currently have 17 students in our classroom. Please have your child sign only their name on the cards as this makes distribution go more smoothly.
We would like to welcome Lincoln Davis back to our classroom. We have had fun getting re-acquainted with him!
Please join us for our parent education night, “What is my child doing all day?,” on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:30 pm. This hour-long session will answer questions about meeting state standards, the three year classroom cycle and take you through how your child spends their day. Child care will be available for $2.00 per child.
Please Note:
Please take a few minutes to make sure you child has a change of warm clothing in their cubby. (Including socks; they are often forgotten.) Unless the weather is inclement, we will be spending time outdoors. Our school policy is 32 degrees or higher for outside activities.
“The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul.” – Maria Montessori
Oak Room newsletter
- At January 04, 2016
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
What’s Happening in the Oak Room
Welcome back! Hopefully all of our families had a restful and fun-filled holiday break. We are ready to start our second half of the school year with more learning and laughter with our CGM community!
We are excited to get started with our planning of the Spring International Fair and Art Auction. Our room will be displaying information about and artifacts from Australia and Africa. If there is anyone interested in assisting with this fun and educational event, please let us know!
Since we are in the colder months of the year, we will take this time to feature Antarctica and the Polar Regions in our geography area. The children are particularly fond of this continent, being that it’s only full-time inhabitants are of the polar bear and penguin variety!
We have two new students starting in our classroom this month. Welcome to our new friend Elliott and our returning friend Lincoln! We look forward to getting to know you!
Please Note:
Please take a few minutes to make sure you child has a change of warm clothing in their cubby. (Including socks; they are often forgotten.) Unless the weather is inclement, we will be spending time outdoors. Our school policy is 32 degrees or higher for outside activities.
“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.” – Maria Montessori
What’s happening in the oak room
- At November 30, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
The holiday season is officially upon us. We all had a wonderful time learning about Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, and Thanksgiving, complete with a feast shared with friends! As we say goodbye to November, we look forward to a very busy December celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and St. Nicholas.
The next stop on our geography studies…Europe! We will examine and explore European customs, food, landmarks and animals.
Please Note:
Please take a few minutes to make sure you child has a change of warm clothing in their cubby. (Including socks; they are often forgotten.) Unless the weather is inclement, we will be spending time outdoors. Our school policy is 32 degrees or higher for outside activities.
We have a short month. Our last day before our winter break is Friday, December 18th. We will resume classes on Monday, January 4th.
We hope that all of our families have a peaceful and joyful holiday season, full of tradition, memories and new experiences in the coming year!
Whats happening in the Oak Room
- At November 02, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
Decorating cookies for our Halloween celebration!
Wow! October went by so fast! We are having such a great time in the Oak room and it goes quickly. We’ve spent the last weeks studying biomes, North America, South America, Classes of Vertebrates, and so much more! The children have all settled in to their individual routines and have evolved into a very cohesive classroom community!
Welcome Max! He is 3, and is our new student that joined us last week. We look forward to getting to know our new friend!
Thank you to our parents that came in for conferences! We really enjoy this time with our families and it’s always so fun for us to hear stories from their home life!
Upcoming Events
Get out your calendars! It’s a busy month!
November 11th is our Chick-Fil-A Spirit fundraiser. When you dine ANYTIME that day, a percentage of your bill will be given to our school. This is a wonderful family-oriented establishment that often donates to local schools and organizations, so let’s show our support and help our school in the process. Be sure to get the flyer from Brenda for your meal to count for our school.
That same night, November 11th, after your Chick-Fil-A dinner, join us for Dad’s Night from 6:30 pm -7:30 pm. This is a great opportunity for some one-on-one time with your child and they are so proud to show you their classroom!
Don’t worry Moms! Your turn is the following week, on November 18th. Same time, from 6:30 pm -7:30 pm. We hope to see you there!
Thanksgiving will be here soon. We will be out of school from the 25th-27th of November. We will resume school on the following Monday. For our celebration this year we will be having a “feast,” prepared by the students that will be served at 11:00 am on the 24th. We will be sending home a note for your child’s contribution to the meal. This is a voluntary event, participation is not mandatory.
We hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. We are looking forward to the start of a very exciting holiday season!
What’s happening in the Oak Room
- At October 01, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
Enjoying “homemade” popsicles on a hot September day!
September provided all of us with many memories and a lot of new experiences and learning opportunities. We had apple tasting, learned the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates and also began learning all about the parts of a biome! The children have also been exploring our world as well as the landmarks, artifacts and animals of North America.
Welcome Faby! Our Spanish teacher has begun making her visits to our classroom on Wednesdays. She is teaching the children vocabulary, conversational phrases and delighting them with storybooks they are familiar with, only written in Spanish! I look forward to all that she will teach us!
Upcoming Events
Please tell all of your family and friends about our Open House this Sunday, October 4th, from 2:00-4:00 pm. All families; current, past and potential, are welcome for a tour of our beautiful school.
It is conference time! Hopefully everyone has had the opportunity to sign up for a time to meet with us to discuss your child’s growth in the classroom and address any questions or concerns you may have regarding their progress. Sign up sheets are available at Brenda’s desk.
Fall break will be here soon. We will not have school from October 12-23. Hopefully you will be able to spend some time outdoors with your child to observe all of the changes in our environment that this time of year yields. The children are more than welcome to bring in an item they have found to put in our “nature basket.”
And finally; upon our return from fall break we will be spending some time celebrating one of the kids’ favorite holidays, Halloween. We will allow costumes for a quick “parade” on Wednesday morning. (Parents are welcome!) We ask that the children please leave any weapons or masks at home.
Oak Room September Blog
- At August 31, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
What’s Happening in the Oak Room
Owen’s face says it all! We are learning so much about our environment in the Oak Room. The children have been exploring the outdoors and having many discoveries comparing what is “living” and “nonliving” and the differences between the air, land and water that make up our earth.
The children all seem to be settling in nicely and we are enjoying our time together. We currently have (2) 2-year-olds, (3) 3-year-olds, (3) 5-year-olds, (4) 5-year-olds, and one 6 year-old. This is a near perfect age mix for a Montessori classroom! And it shows! Our older children are very helpful with their younger peers and our small group lessons have been very effective.
Fall will be here soon and that means APPLES! This is truly a wonderful time of year as we get to compare different varieties of this delicious fruit, study its life cycle and bake some yummy treats! We look forward to the trees changing so that we can observe the striking fall colors in our outdoor environment.
With the coming fall, we would like to remind you to please check your child’s change of clothes at school and update them according to the season. Often it is cool during the morning and warmer in the afternoon during this time, so we recommend a light jacket or sweatshirt. Your child may keep one here at school if that is more convenient. Thanks for your assistance in this matter.
This month we will begin our study of the continents. While we start with a more “general” exploration, we do delve into each continent and discover interesting facts about its climate, culture, animals and landmarks. If you or your child have any artifacts to share from different countries we would love to see them!
Thanks to our families for contributing the healthy snacks for the children to bring in. Please consult our website for the September snack calendar at www.centergrovemontessori.com.
What’s Happening in the Oak Room
- At August 05, 2015
- By CGMontessori
- In Oak Room
- 0
We are ready for a new school year to begin! We are looking forward to seeing all of our old friends and getting to know some new ones! There is so much to see and do in the Oak room and we are excited to get started!
Following area few highlights from our parent orientation:
We understand that saying goodbye to loved ones is one of the most challenging parts of your child’s day. We recommend a quick and upbeat “see you soon,” and a wave as you go. Prolonging the process is stressful (often times, more for the parent) and not a great way to start the day. If you are still nervous after you leave, give Brenda a call in awhile. She’ll be happy to assure you that your child is fine!
As many of you know, snack is available to the children throughout our morning work cycle. The children take turns bringing in a snack for the class on their assigned day. If you did not get a snack calendar at the parent orientation, there is one available on our website. The snack bag will be hanging in your child’s cubbie when it is their turn. Bringing a snack is always optional, so please just return the bag if you choose not to participate.
Lunch is not provided by the school. Children need to bring their own lunches and store them in their cubbies. If they have an item that needs to be kept cold, please include an ice pack in their lunch, as we do not have refrigerator space available for that purpose.
All children under 5 years of age are required to participate in rest time. They are provided with their own cot, sheet, blanket and pillow in their nap bag at school. There is no need to bring any of these things from home. If your child has a special item that they sleep with, they may bring it, but it needs to be small enough to fit into their bag.
Please make sure that your child has 2 changes of clothing to keep at school, including socks. We are known to get a bit wet or dirty when working outside!
The best way for you to truly understand what happens in our classroom is for you to come and observe or sign up to volunteer! Please just let Brenda know and she can help you schedule a convenient time.
We have a wonderful Facebook group that includes families and teachers. Please just search for Center Grove Montessori and request to be a part of this private group. I post pictures weekly and it’s a great way to get to know our other families. Please let me know if you do not want your child’s picture posted.
I am here as your partner in your child’s education. Please feel free to approach me with any concerns or questions you have about our class or your child in particular. I am available most days when our class dismisses at 3:00 pm. You may also email me at hollyj2005@gmail.com.
Again, I am really looking forward to sharing in your child’s experience at Center Grove Montessori.
It’s going to be a fun year!
Miss Holly