October Recap:

Good- Bye October! October was a spooktastic month full of fun, spooky crafts, and space exploration. Students learned all about the solar system. Specifically, the planets, the sun, the moon, stars, comets, and so much more. Students discussed how many planets there are, the layers of the Earth, the sun is a star, and what astronauts do. Our science component included hot/ cold and liquid and gases. The literature for the month was focused on Going On A Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger. This book helped us welcome the season of Fall, and students went on a few fun leaf-finding adventures.

Within botany, students learned the life cycle of a pumpkin and used their senses when dissecting a pumpkin. For our primary students, the geography component was all about North America. Students in this class learned about different North American plants, landmarks, flags, animals, etc. For Zoology, they learned about nocturnal animals and plants vs. animals. We also had a whole week where we learned all about fire safety. The school had a fire drill and did fun fire art and crafts. We also had a visit from our local firefighters from our local fire department. It was a fantastic experience, and the students loved seeing the big red firetruck. We had a spooktacular Halloween parade and class parties to end this month. Students dressed up in their fun costumes and went trick or treating. They also had fun class parties with yummy spooky treats, and they did fun Halloween crafts. Thank you to the families who brought fun Halloween goodies for the students. You made this extra event special for them.

October brought us fun enrichment activities as well! In music, students were introduced to the composer Camille-Sait-Saens, famous for the Carnival of the Animals. Students also had fun rhyming with the Itsy-Bitsy Spider, learned the difference between a note and a rest, and ended the month with fun, spooky music, and musical instrument exploration. In art, students created fun pumpkins inspired by the great artist Picasso and fun fall crafts and creepy crawler art projects. Cooking this month was a tasty treat! Students made a yummy spider snack, fall trail mix, apple treats, and their favorite, pumpkin fluff. In Spanish, children learned that feelings are the same within every culture and language; they knew the five senses and had a great time learning about Dia de Los Muertos and how it is similar and different from the holiday we celebrate Halloween.

I am looking forward to what fun things we will explore next month. 

November News:

November is bringing us virtues and values. Students are learning about friendships, kindness, empathy, being truthful, and how to be helpful. To help students understand these virtues and values, the focused literature for the month will be Fill A Bucket by Carol McCloud and Katherine Martin. This book warms the hearts of our students. All students explore color mixing in science and examine leaves using a magnifying glass and leaf rubbing activities. For our primary students, the geography component focuses on the United States of America. Students in this class will learn about the map, the 50 states song, and much more! For Zoology, they will learn about living vs. nonliving eagles, turkeys, and bears.

We will have our first parent-teacher conferences. Parent-teacher conferences are an excellent opportunity to discuss goals, discuss your child’s progress and share your child’s areas of strengths and needs. Lastly, this month will also be a time to be thankful. All classes will discuss what they are grateful for and will come together for a harvest feast. Please have a look at our school calendar for all the important dates. We do not want you to miss anything.

We are looking forward to a busy month ahead.