Gratitude

Gratitude rock

November is the month of giving thanks. We see it on social media, “the 30 days of thanks” and all the buzz about Thanksgiving. The turkey, the obligated family gatherings, the pilgrims which we are thankful for finding this great land, the Indians for sharing their land with us. (Not really sure HOW the Indians feel about this holiday, they may regard it as something COMPLETELY different, but I digress) We are being thankful this month, and I want to jump on the band wagon for a minute.

I am thankful for so much in my life. Health, happiness, family, friends, love, forgiveness, and my CGM family, just to name a few.

But really, we should be doing this every day, every moment. Thanking and giving gratitude to people around us, in our everyday lives. That is one thing that has kept my marriage strong, I believe, is gratitude. I learned it from my husband, really. I was a stay at home mom for a few years. That came with a lot of joy, work and regret. I felt bad I was not contributing to the family finances like I should. He thanked me, nearly every day, for staying at home and raising our boys. That meant a lot. He was recognizing that it was a job, a hard one, and expressed his gratitude. That gave me a since of pride, and an understanding between us, that he appreciated me. This goes for all things, big and small. Taking out the trash, running the vacuum, laundry, fixing the car, playing with the boys, getting up and going to work….anything and everything we would exchange a thank you. Not every time, but often. It may be our “job” or it may be expected of us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show that you are grateful for them doing it, and recognizing the effort it takes.

This goes for your children as well. Just remembering to do their chore, or put their glass in the dish washer, I try to recognize it, and throw a “thanks” their way. I may EXPECT them to do all these things, but letting them know I saw their effect, really makes a difference. I am always trying to pull my boys aside and thank them for being kind and having patience’s with the little ones at family parties. I think this took a lot of effort for my son somedays, and I thanked him and hugged him for his awesome patience that evening. He had a smile as big as a cantaloupe across his face when he realized I was acknowledging his effort.

…and the BEST is when you get it back! Nothing makes your heart swell, and eyes tear up, then hearing your child thank you, without being prompted.

Like, when your child is so excited to take you out around the neighborhood to sell some pizza cards…and it is a cold, rainy night. No complaints, and as you are nearing your last house, they say, “Thank you for supporting me while I did this tonight.”….be still my heart. Or, you are going to basketball practice, 2 nights a week, every week….since….forever, driving 20 minutes there and back. Not to mention the countless games in various places. When returning home, they look at you and say” Thank you so much for taking me to practice every night and going to my games. I know it is a lot.”….I can’t breathe…pulls at my heart strings.

We have always been quick to point out, at said sports games, to thank the aunts, uncles, friends and grandparents that attend your game, and cheer you on. We point out that their grandmother could probably use some help unloading the groceries from the car, and they jump on it. They see their dad hold doors open for people, or their mom unload a stranger’s grocery cart that is in a wheelchair behind them. They hear us thank each other for our daily tasks, and chores.

Live by example.

Montessori follows this in many ways. In the teachers training, they are instructed to talk quietly, walk slowly and move gracefully. Grace and courtesy. Greeting a person, walking around a rug (rather than stepping on someone’s work), speaking quietly indoors, and waiting quietly rather than interrupting, are all examples of important grace and courtesy skills. As the year progresses, we see the children in the classroom doing these things without being reminded…most of the time =)

If children see and hear your gratitude, it WILL come back around. Not all the time, and not every time, but when it does….watch out, it gets you right in the heart….and it feels amazing.

One on One Time

father-and-child

Our days are hectic. Running one kid here, picking up another kid over there, dinner, work, and basketball….AHH!! Maybe that is just MY life right now =) But we are all our own busy. Kids need to stay active, and that means we are too. I’ll miss it one day, I know.

One thing I try to do, is have some time with my children, individually. Weather it’s in the car on the WAY to practice, or hanging at home together while the other two are off together. These are the times I hear about their friends, what happened at school, and what they want to be when they grow up. I have to ASK them these questions, and usually YANK the headphones out their ears, but we have a good time, and I show I am interested in what they do, who they are, and what they want to be.

This is JUST as important at any age. Children need to feel loved, and safe. The BEST way to convey this is to give them your T-I-M-E, something we feel we never have enough of. Just their favorite dinner out, or watching their favorite show with them, going to the movies, playing a game, or just sitting and talking to them.

Setting aside a CERTAIN time every month may help you with your schedule in doing this. I read one example, your child receives one on one time with a parent every birth DAY of the month. If they are born on the 27^th, every month, on the 27^th was THEIR day. They pick dinner, they get an extra special story at bedtime, and they get special time with either mom or dad that evening. Too crazy of a schedule to do that? Only time you have available is 2 am? Write them a note. Place it in their lunch box or at the breakfast table. Who doesn’t love notes that just say “I love you and I am thinking about you.”

We want to help you with this here at Center Grove Montessori. Every year, just once a year, we have Daddy’s night out, and Mommy’s night out. Take an hour, come sit in the classroom, and let your child show you his or her world here with us every single day. Take an interest in their favorite job, meet their “best friend” of the week, and watch them in their own environment, their own world, and watch them bloom. Sit and listen and observe on how they move about the room, getting jobs out, putting them away and working on their own. Enjoy your time with them, one on one. May be even head to dinner beforehand and talk about what they might show you and do.

Live and be in their world, if just for an hour, and you will never regret it or forget it. It is fascinating to watch them, at this age. Before you know it, YOU will be yanking the headphones out of THEIR ears and begging for their attention. Wanting an invitation into their world. Take advantage now, while they still want to let you in.

Whats happening in the Oak Room

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!

Maple Room Newsletter

Maple Room November Newsletter

I want to thank you all for attending the parent/teacher conferences – as a team we will work together in your child’s journey of growing and learning. Also want to extend my thanks for sending your children to CGM!

It was so nice to be off for 2 weeks but glad to be back to see all these cheerful faces!

The kids enjoyed exploring the inside of a pumpkin but some found it gooey, mushy and smelly! They liked roasting the pumpkin seeds and again some liked its taste. Nature walk this month was cold, wet and very leafy. The children looked very cute in their Halloween costumes!

In the upcoming weeks, we will be learning about pilgrims, Native Americans and of course Thanksgiving, focusing on Europe and North America. We are going to have our Thanksgiving lunch on Tue, Nov.24^th. Half-day kids can join us too. We will update you more on this in coming days. Please keep practicing zipping coats and washing hands.

Have a Very Happy and a Safe Thanksgiving!

Important Reminders

Thurs. Nov 12^th: Dad’s night out

Wed. Nov 18^th: Mom’s night out

Diwali celebration (in class)

Tue. Nov 24^th: Thanksgiving lunch

Wed. Nov25th – Nov.27^th: Thanksgiving Break

Ms. Jyoti

Seperation Anxiety

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Welcome back! What a much needed, well rested fall break. I enjoyed family, friends and the wonderful weather. Ready to get back and see all the smiling, familiar faces. Most of us are not so happy to be returning, thou. Reminds me of an article we hand out at the beginning of the year, on separation anxiety. After long breaks like this, it can rare its ugly head. We have a hard time being separated from our loved ones after hanging out with them. Here is an article to refresh our memory on how to handle it. Happy Monday!

The First Day of School separation anxiety

Time with Children

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“ Gotta get up, gotta go work, then I come home and I gotta go to bed, cause I gotta get up… and do it all over again…”
The Bottle Rockets

Sound about right?? The daily grind can get exhausting. It takes a toll on us, and our children. They, believe it or not, feel some of the same stress of “do it all over again”, day in and day out. We ALL need a break.

Being in the education field for 7 years or so now, I look forward to fall and spring break! But I do understand the other side to this, finding child care for those breaks. We know these breaks can be a burden or a daunting task to find childcare while your children are not in our care…but we all need a break.

Just as my mother would say, it goes by fast. In a blink of an eye, each year they celebrate a birthday. With that comes new growth, new milestones, new challenges, and they are moving out and headed to college before you know it. Your children need you in their life. When you add up all the time your kids spend here, asleep, at friends’ homes, with babysitters, at camp, and otherwise occupied with activities, the remaining moments become especially precious. There are only 940 Saturdays between a child’s birth and leaving for college. That may sound like a lot, but how many have you already used? And the older your kids get, the busier their Saturdays are with friends and activities.

Playing with your child, helps build and deepen your relationship with them. Run, skip, walk, play ball, play in the sandbox, swing, have a tea party, and just hang out with your child. For the older child, find out what their interests are outside of school and participate in those activity with them. Draw, paint, read, play basketball or throw the football. Don’t wait for your child to ask and interrupt your “Facebook” check, or your “last email for work”. Surprise your child by seeking them out and asking them to join you in the activity. This sends a message that you are genuinely interesting in them and want to spend time with them.

If you are just unable to take time off work, try to get some family members, other close friends or loved ones to spend time with your child. They can all make these relationships and attachments grow as well. It takes a village to raise a child, and including some other family members or close, loving friends is always helpful for you and your child.

We are all busy, and need to make that green, but your child is going to remember the memories you make with them, not the money you make.

Have a great fall break, and go enjoy your child.

What’s happening in the Oak Room

popcicles

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.

Maple Room Newsletter October 2015

Happy fall! Maple room is continuing to enjoy this beautiful weather and admiring different hues of fall!

September went by learning so much about apples, we thoroughly loved it! Children are learning to work with peers, working in small groups and with the whole class. We also started our Spanish lessons. Ms. Faby, comes on Wednesdays to teach us Spanish! Hola, Española!!!

In October, we will continue learning about the fall season, different types of leaves and pumpkins. Since the weather will be colder now, please replace the extra set of clothes according to the weather. We are practicing zipping up our jackets, keep practicing at home too. Pumpkin patch and apple orchards are the best places to visit this fall break.

We will be celebrating Halloween on Friday, Oct 30^th. Children are allowed to wear their Halloween costumes; they can bring a change of clothes too. No masks, no face painting, no weapons or anything scary!

Important Reminders:

Oct 2^nd: Open House, 2PM- 4PM

Oct 5^th – 9^th: Parent Teacher conferences

Oct 6^th: Wine tasting fundraiser, 7PM-9PM

Oct 12^th – 23^rd: Fall Break

Oct 20^th: Ryo’s b’day (celebrating on Oct. 26^th)

Oct 30^th Halloween celebration

Have a Safe and Happy Fall Break!!!

Ms. Jyoti

How to have a great Parent/Teacher Conference

Remember getting called down to the office in Elementary school? The anticipation of “what do they want?, What did I do? Am I in trouble?”…and come to find out your mom forgot to tell you, you had a dentist appointment that day? I never got in TOO much trouble, but when I got that note, it worried me no matter WHAT I thought was going on.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are a time to reflex and review on how your child is doing in the classroom, both socially and academically. It takes a village, and we just want to keep you in the loop on how their day is. Together, we ensure the child’s full potential and success.

Please read Great-Parent-Teacher-Conferences, and make this conference a success.

Oak Room September Blog

What’s Happening in the Oak Room

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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.