November 2024
Peek Inside our Children’s House Community
Dear Bobcat Parents,
What We're Reading
At circle time, we've been reading "What Should Danny Do?" by Adir & Ganit Levy. This book teaches children about making positive choices and shows the natural consequences of negative ones.
Baking Fun
The children had a blast baking bagels! I'll share the recipe. Remember to add the yogurt little by little.
Bagels
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 egg , beaten
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky.
Divide into equal balls. Roll each ball into 1/2-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels.
Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Classroom Social
We'll have our Winter Social on Tuesday, December 10th from 5:00-6:00pm. This will be a finger food potluck at the Children's House Playground. Please bring a blanket for your family to have a place to sit and eat. We look forward to seeing you there! so mark your calendars! We always have a wonderful time!
Observation/Conference Meetings
I enjoyed meeting with each of you and sharing valuable information.
Happy Thanksgiving! May this month be filled with thankfulness and lots of hugs.
Ms. Hany and Ms. Roxana
Dear Cactus Wren Families,
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The children have been working hard in the classroom this month, learning and growing. This past November, they have been working in the garden with and have begun harvesting with Ms. Laura. Some of the crops included parsley, tomatoes, and eggplant. The cooling weather has been a joy for the children to work outside and explore the natural world. We have had nature walks to observe all the different colors of the leaves on the trees and many other different aspects we can perceive from nature during this season of the year.
During the week of Thanksgiving, children shared their family traditions. They talked about their thanksgiving feast and each child shared what they were most thankful for. These are some of our thankful phrases:
I am thankful for mom and dad spending time with me
I am thankful for my dog
I am thankful for my friends
I am thankful for my baby brother
I am thankful for my cousins
I am thankful for my cat
Something new we have practiced during the past month is playing games where our auditory sense was involved, including some movements. Our favorite game was the rhythmical egg, which are egg-shaped percussion instruments that make a sound when shaken, similar to a maraca. The activity was about listening to the teacher and the way she was shaking the instrument and trying to reply to the same movement and sound. The children definitely loved this activity, we had so much fun.
Thank you so much for all the support and remember, our winter social is coming soon. Don't miss this opportunity to let your children share this moment with all the cactus wren families.
Joselyne and Roxanne
Dear Gray Fox Families,
I hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoys the beauty of autumn! November has been a month filled with gratitude, learning, and seasonal exploration in our classroom. Here are some of the exciting highlights from our month together:
Gratitude and Thanksgiving
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we focused on the importance of being thankful. The children shared thoughtful expressions of gratitude, ranging from appreciation for their families to the simple joys of playing with friends. These heartfelt moments reminded us all to cherish the little things that bring happiness.
Pumpkin and Gourd Exploration
We transformed our classroom into a festive space filled with pumpkins and gourds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The children examined the various parts of a pumpkin—from the
stem and skin to the seeds and pulp. This hands-on experience sparked curiosity and excitement, as they discovered the unique characteristics of each variety.
Thanksgiving Feast: Vegetable Chili
As part of our Thanksgiving celebration, we prepared a delicious vegetable chili together. The children took pride in helping with the preparation, and it was wonderful to see their enthusiasm for trying new flavors. The feast provided a warm and festive way to celebrate the spirit of the season.
Winter Precautions
With winter just around the corner, we kindly ask that all jackets, hats, gloves, and other belongings be labeled with your child’s name. This helps ensure that everyone stays warm and that items don’t get misplaced. Please also encourage your child to practice putting on and zipping up their jackets independently.
Thank you for your continued support and for being an essential part of the Gray Fox family.
Warm regards,
Ms. Rama and Ms. Rocio
Hello Jackrabbit Families,
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the holiday weekend. We are grateful for each and one of you.
During November, the children set up an “Altar de Muertos” and baked “Pan de Muerto” enjoying and learning about the Mexican tradition of “Día De Los Muertos”. We also learned about India’s Festival of Lights, Diwali. The children enjoyed singing and reading several books about this holiday.
The children spotted in the garden our very first eggplant and they can’t wait to harvest it when it’s ready. They enjoyed baking pumpkin seeds, as they learned about the parts of the pumpkin. We also baked butternut squash and a very large sweet potato from the Infurna’s family farm. Thank you!
It was wonderful to see you during observations and conferences. I enjoyed having this time with you so much. Our next conferences will be in the Spring.
Thank you for attending our Community Meeting where we talked about “Spoken and Written Language in the Montessori Classroom”,. it is always wonderful to see you there and share this important information with you.
We have been baking Bagels in the classroom, here is the recipe if you would like to bake at home:
Bagels:
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 egg , beaten
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky.
Divide into equal balls. Roll each ball into 1/2-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels.
Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Thank you Jackrabbit Families.
With appreciation,
Ms. Yadira and Ms. Karen
