November News:  In November, we look forward to our theme of the month, Virtues and Values. We will be reviewing topics such as “what is a friend?” “How do we show kindness to others?” and what we are thankful for. Letters of the month that we will be learning are i, j, and k. The book of the month will be Fill A Bucket by Carol McCloud and Katherine Martin. Some upcoming events to look forward to in November will be our Feast, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. You can find more information about these events in our November newsletter.

October Recap:  

It has been festive here at Montessori School of San Clemente, from all the Fall decorations within our lobby to all the leaves down the halls. When walking by each classroom, you would see unique artworks and projects such as handprint ghosts, bedazzled spiders, Paper Mache Planets, and much more.

In October, the theme of the month was The Solar System and Space; our classroom learned and discussed how many planets there are, the layers of the Earth, the Sun & Moon, Astronauts, and Space shuttles. Our focus letters of the month were e, f, g, and h, which we reviewed in songs, Montessori work, and shared something that started with those letters. Our classrooms completed incredible artwork that centered around Fall, Fire Safety, and Halloween. We cannot wait to send all masterpieces home to display. The book of the month was Going on A Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger; it was about three friends that went on an adventure collecting different kinds and colors of leaves to jump and play in.

September Recap: 

 The air is crisper, and the leaves are dropping welcome all to Fall! We are so excited for the cooler weather and new season to bring us joy with fun upcoming projects and experiences. In September, the students learned all about themselves and each other. Our students all worked on activities that helped them define what is unique about themselves and embrace all their similarities and differences! It was so rewarded learning about each student and their families and learning what makes them who they are as individuals. They also studied the seven continents and did a few colorful activities to help them remember new things about each one. The book of the month “The kissing hand” by Audrey Penn was a big hit with so many of our students returning from a prolonged period at home with family into a school routine; it reminded them of family love and how it is always with you.

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Summer Recap:

So long summer we will miss you! Wow, this summer went by fast, but we created many memorable moments that are sure to last. We had five fun-packed weeks that let us camp out in the classroom, learn about Independence Day, become astronauts in outer space, explore farm life, have adventures under the sea, and watch volcanoes erupt! During our camping week, we did many activities like use homemade binoculars to explore our play yards, painted some campfires using our handprints, and even had some campfire snacks like Smores. We also celebrated our Fourth of July in style during our Independence week by making the American Flag out of Strawberries, blueberries, and whip cream for a festive snack. We also got to make firework artworks and learn about the meaning of our independence. Outer Space week was a massive hit; we learned about our solar system, stars, and astronauts. We got to lift off into space with our instructional videos on rocket ships, and we all loved counting down from ten, then shouting out, “Blast off!” During our farm animal week, we got to explore farm life and see what it takes to manage a farm and the different types of animals you would find there. We got creative and made some fun artwork of sheep, pigs, and barn houses. The popcorn on the cob was a huge favorite in the classrooms. Under the Sea week was filled with many wonders to explore. We studied different types of sea creatures, shells, and made colorful jellyfishes. We also got to see some incredible virtual aquariums and all the unusual, different sea creatures that all peacefully coexist. Lastly was our volcano week, it was a hot topic in all the classes and filled with lots of excitement. We all made volcanoes together as a class with papier mache, paint, and had a fun science experiment to watch them erupt using baking soda and vinegar. We also got to learn about all the different types of magma and watched some videos of active volcanoes.

This summer, we implemented some new policies and procedures to keep all our families and staff healthy and safe. We have families drop off and pick up at the front door to minimize contact within our school; during these times, we are taking temperatures to ensure our students’ health and teachers’ health. We are also having our students bring two pairs of shoes to change into when going inside and outside to limit germs coming back into class. Our staff is doing their best to keep the school clean, the children safe, and our families healthy to be able to focus on the education of our children.

March News:

During March, the children will be learning all about the Rainforest and South America. On March 2nd, the children will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday by reading Dr. Seuss books and creating a special craft. It is also Read Across America month, which is a great reminder that children should be read to daily by multiple people to expose them to language, story progression, and to instill a love of reading! Be sure to wear green on Tuesday, March 17^th to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  Also, please mark your calendars for March 2, 2020 as Re-Enrollment packets will be due. We are also collecting Spring Recess tuition and paperwork for the week of April 6^th – April 10^th all due by Monday, March 23^rd, 2020.