February 2023
Peek Inside our Children’s House Community
Hello Bobcat families,
Hello Bobcat Families,
We would like to welcome to Jaxson to the Bobcat Children’s House!
We hope you are enjoying this wintertime! It is fun having cold mornings and warm afternoons in Arizona… and what about the rain!? Children absolutely love rainy and windy days. It is fun seeing the children running and having so much fun at recess time. This month in our classroom we have been talking about different types of weather.
During group time, we have also been talking about feelings. For instance, the children have talked about all the things we can do when we feel frustrated and/or sad and how we can use our words to express our needs.
At circle time, we read the book “When I make Silence” from Parents Child Press. This book help the children discover peace “within” when they “make silence.” It awakes children’s awareness of their own powers of silent reflection.
We have practice some breathing exercises as well as one of our favorite affirmations of breathing which is: “1,2,3 I am taking care of me.” We have also been doing meditation exercises, for about 5 minutes, in which we place our hands on top of our chest, close our eyes, breath slowly, and just make silence.
Warmly,
Ms. Hany and Ms. Joselyne
CACTUS WREN
Dear Cactus Wren Families,
It has been a wonderful February and the children have been hard at work in the class this past month. The children have been taking turns caring for the plants in the garden, watering and caring for the soil, and soon will be harvesting the vegetables. They are especially excited for the carrots to share in class. This month, we have been listening to jazz and learning about the sounds and instruments of this musical style. A popular song in class is “Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop,” by Lionel Hamilton and His Orchestra. Below is a link to the song for your family to listen and sing along to at home.
“Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop” by Lionel Hamilton and His Orchestra
This past month has seen a great interest in reading and writing activities in class. Our readers and emerging readers have been using different moveable alphabets to create stories, lists of objects and works in the class, and writing down the different parts of a frog and flag. Our younger students have been drawn to Sensorial activities. We often see the children matching shapes from the geometric cabinet to their corresponding shape card, working from one end of the room to the other. This material is great practice for developing memory and concentration, as well as practicing lightness of touch when tracing the shape, which aides in their future writing.
Thank you families for all you support and sharing your children with us. It is amazing to be a part of their journey and to see how the children have truly formed their own community in Cactus Wren. We are excited for the months ahead!
Warmly,
Ms. Laura & Ms. Annette
Hello Gray Fox families,
Hello Gray Fox families,
What a wonderful February it’s been. February is a month of few holidays and a great time for us to settle back into our routines and begin focusing on the social and academic goals we have set for the last semester. This month we also had our final Gray Fox member join our tribe. Again, if you haven’t introduced yourself to our new families, please do and give them a warm welcome. With all of the new faces and adjustments, we will continue to hone in on grace and courtesy lessons and engage in fun ice breaker activities to allow more opportunities to get to know one another and form those loving and trusting relationships that we yearn for.
Additionally, we are happy to report that the seeds which we planted and started in small indoor pots have begun to sprout and have some amazing growth! We cannot wait to transfer these to our flower beds once the weather lets up. If you have any extra seeds for seasonal vegetables or herbs laying around your home that you won’t find use for, your child is always welcome to bring them in and I can assist them in planting. We love gardening and we love adventurous eating just as much! Lastly, we have been loving the abundance of citrus donations as it always provides such a joyous time spent together making juices and foods with the freshest ingredients. I know that with harvest season, you typically get much more product than one family can consume so we truly do appreciate the donations and for thinking of us here in Gray Fox. I hope everyone had a wonderful month filled with lots of love and I look forward to sharing more in our Spring conferences next month!
Warmly,
Ms. Kayla and Ms. Edna
JACKRABBIT
Hello Jackrabbit Families!
Thank you to all the parents who attended Parent Night. It is so fun to be able to share part of the philosophy and what goes on in the classroom. As always, I truly appreciate your support and trust.
The children were so excited as they harvest some vegetables from our outdoor environment planters, they have been waiting patiently for the vegetables to be ready. The children prepared a green and yellow bell pepper salad with radish, and it was served for snack. Yes! They ate it and enjoyed tasting it. The children take full responsibility for the watering and upkeep of the environment and take full pride of their accomplishments. This is true for the entire environment. Karen and I enjoy witnessing every morning how the environment comes to life as soon as we open the gate. At this point of the year, we have children who walk right in to prepare snack, fold the laundry, put clean dishes away, feed bubbles, Lucy, and Leo (fish and birds), continue a work from the day before, bake for the class, water the plants, etc. It is a pleasure to see the children taking ownership of the environment.
There are many works happening in the classroom. From washing tables and windows, to working on division or parts of speech. The children enjoy working and also observing each other.
Kindly,
Ms. Yadira and Ms. Karen
