Welcome to October!
September was very busy at Angel Wings Daycare and Montessori Preschool, with new children, new lessons and a new staff member. The new children have settled in well. They have made new friends, and are learning new routines, such as remembering where their coat hook is, and how to hang up backpacks and jackets. New lessons are always exciting; we have focused on the Practical Life activities for new and returning children, for example pouring beans and water, spooning, and grinding coffee beans, but most importantly, how to use their walking feet in
class! We’d also like to introduce Miss. Glynnis, our new teacher, who spends her mornings in Casa 1 and her afternoons in Casa 2. She is currently studying for her ECE level 2 certificate; she is proving to be a welcome addition to our team.
OUR THEME FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER: All About Me!
For the next two months we will be talking about our families, our communities, our likes and dislikes, our hobbies, our favourite sports and friends. If your child has clothes or artifacts that expresses an identity which is usually associated with a different geographical area that your family has connection with, please do allow your child to bring these items to school, as they play a significant part in the child’s identity and self-esteem. Also, if you have photos of your child participating in sporting events, family events or community events please do bring them in so that your child can share these wonderful memories with their peers and teachers.
THANKSGIVING DAY:
The daycare and school will be CLOSED on Monday 11 th October.
We will of course, be reading stories and making a craft for Thanksgiving.
HALLOWEEN PARTY and PUMPKIN PARADE: Friday October 29 th .
We will be having a Halloween party and Pumpkin Parade in class on Friday October 29 th . In keeping with Montessori philosophies, this is a normal work day, however, we will be stopping early for some fun Halloween games. Please dress your child in regular work day clothes; your child will be sad if his, or her costume gets stained with paint or water. For the Pumpkin Parade, your child can cut and decorate a pumpkin at home in any scary, wacky style they choose, bring it to school on Friday morning, and then the pumpkins will be displayed in class for all the children to enjoy. As we can’t share snacks, please pack your child a spooky snack, for example, bat shaped, blue tuna sandwiches. I’m sure you can find inspiration on the web! Just a reminder to please keep Halloween Trick or Treat candies at home the following week. Thank you!
REMINDERS!
- October fees are due on Friday 1 st October; you can pay by e-transfer, cash or cheque. Thank you!
- Please bring a water bottle every day for your child.
- Please label all of your child’s belongings, including bedding, jackets and shoes.
- Cooler weather is on the way, so please ensure that your child comes to school with a warm jacket every day; we all know how the wind can pick up so quickly here, bringing chillier days and the inevitable snow.
- If your child is here all day, please pack a good-sized lunch and afternoon snack. We are noticing that some children are hungry after their morning work and are eating their lunch and afternoon snack at lunchtime.
- Please label all snack and lunch containers with your child’s name; strip of painter’s tape works really well. We have a few lunch kits that are identical, so writing your child’s name on them saves upset and mix-ups.
- School and daycare is CLOSED on Thanksgiving Day.
BIRTHDAYS!
Beau, Hendrix, Whitney, Riley.
Please send a quick email or Seesaw note if you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday at school. If you do, then we would like one photo for each year of your child’s life to be brought in on the day. This helps us to tell your child’s birthday story in a special Montessori birthday celebration. Also, we have had a few queries about what to bring for snack; your child’s teacher can give you specific details about which snacks are acceptable to bring, for example, it is a licensing requirement that snacks are individually pre-packaged, such as fruit cups, cheese strings, and Made Good brand; please remember all nut free. From our experience, children much prefer smaller, easier to handle snacks like the ones mentioned. Cupcakes or muffins often have icing which is too sweet and therefore it is usually discarded by the child. As we don’t like waste, we have found that it is better to bring snacks that the children will enjoy and finish in one sitting.
SOUND OF THE WEEK;
Week of:
October 4 th : d – as in dog, dinosaur, Daddy.
October 12 th : e – as in egg, elephant, exit. Remember we are looking for the short
phonic so sound, not the long vowel sound.
October 18 th : f – as in flower, fish, fun.
October 25 th : g – gorilla, gate, goat.
MUSIC CLASS WITH MISS TESSA:
Currently in music class we are focusing a lot on rhythm. We do this through body rhythms and when we use small percussive instruments. We are learning about different note values through body rhythms as well. We are learning some of the differences between the major scale and minor scale. We are doing this through singing. We are always working on how movement and music connects. We dance and do guided movement songs in class for this. Some of our non- musical goals this year include patience and turn taking. An example of this is when we do the Rainbow Song. Music class is a great time for children to practice these skills.
Miss. Tessa.
ANGEL WINGS WEB PAGE:
The school web page is currently being rejuvenated! The teacher bios are now up, so please do check in and learn a little about us.
Thank you, as always, for being an active part of our Angel Wings community.
We wish that you all stay well in the coming weeks, especially as Thanksgiving Day is such a wonderful time to get to together with loved ones.
Your Angel Wings Montessori team:
Mrs. Divya, Mrs. Joce, Miss. Nicole, Miss Diana, Miss Michelle, Miss Tessa & Miss. Glynnis.