November 2025
Peek Inside our Children’s House Community
Dear Bobcat Families,
What an amazing month we had! We extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who attended our recent charity event. Your support helped us raise significant funds to ease tuition for families with younger students.
Cultural and Language Enrichment
This month, we learned two beautiful fall songs!
"Pass the Pumpkin"
This is a fun circle game where children sit around the carpet, passing a pumpkin to the rhythm of the song. When the music stops, the child holding the pumpkin gets a turn in the center. You can listen to the version we use, "Pass the Pumpkin (Minor Sound)" by Music with the Dunlops, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQUMntL1ZpU
"Johnny Grim" . We sang this song while playing our music sticks. The children absolutely adore making different tapping rhythms while following the song. The song is a fun Fall scarecrow tune. You can find the rhythm game instructional video, "Johnny Grim | Music With Mr. DelGaudio," here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljXXJ8BO4fk
Baking Fun: Bagel Recipe!
The children thoroughly enjoyed having warm, freshly baked bagels for snack this month! Here is the simple recipe we used so you can try it at home. Add the yogurt little by little to get the right dough consistency.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and lightly spray with oil to avoid sticking.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined (it will look like small crumbles).
Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until the dough is tacky, but not sticky.
Shape the bagels by dividing the dough into equal balls. Roll each ball into 1/2-inch-thick ropes and join the ends to form the bagel shape.
Bake Top with the egg wash and sprinkle both sides with a seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Upcoming Event: Winter Potluck Social
Save the date for our annual Winter Social!
When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025, from 5:00–6:00 PM
Where: The Bobcat playground
Details: This will be a cozy potluck picnic. Please bring a blanket or throw for your family to sit on. All children and their siblings are welcome to join! It's a relaxed way for the kids to play and for families from both classrooms to connect.
Potluck Sign-Up: We ask everyone to bring a dish or finger food to share. Please use the link below to sign up and let us know your attendance count and what you plan to bring: Potluck Sign-Up Link
Our Circle Time Favorites
We are so happy to see our students developing a passion for reading! Circle time is a favorite, and we wanted to share what we've been enjoying:
Featured Book: Ready to Soar by Cori Doerrfeld. This wonderful book tells a story about being true to yourself and the value of a supportive friend.
Cultural Sharing: A special thank you to Claire for sharing some books written in Chinese! Although we cannot read the text, the beautiful pictures have provided a great opportunity for the children to look at the illustrations and create their own stories. This inspires creativity, vocabulary enrichment, and naturally introduces conversations about different languages and cultures.
Enjoy the long weekend and have a Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful to have each of your wonderful children in our classroom.
Warmly,
Ms. Hany and Ms. Rocio
Dear Cactus Wren Families,
Happy Thanksgiving! The children have been working hard in the classroom this month, learning and growing. Throughout November, they spent time in the garden and even began harvesting tomatoes and celery with Ms. Laura. The cooler weather has made it especially enjoyable for them to work outside and explore the natural world. They also shared their family traditions by talking about their Thanksgiving feasts, and each child mentioned something they were thankful for.
This past month, we also introduced new games that engage the children’s auditory senses along with movement. Our favorite activity involved the rhythm eggs (egg-shaped percussion instruments that make a sound when shaken, similar to maracas). During the activity, the children listened to a melody, followed along with movements using the rhythm eggs, and tried to repeat the same motions. They absolutely loved it, and we had so much fun together.
Thank you so much for all your support, and remember, our winter social is coming up soon! Don’t miss this opportunity for your children to share a special moment with all the Cactus Wren families.
With much gratitude,
Joselyne and Luisana
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, discovery, and seasonal joy in our classroom. Here are some of the wonderful highlights from our time together:
Gratitude and Thanksgiving
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the children spent time reflecting on gratitude and sharing moments that make their hearts happy. They expressed appreciation for their families, friends, teachers, and even their favorite classroom activities. These heartfelt conversations filled our environment with warmth and reminded us to cherish the simple joys of everyday life.
We also explored Thanksgiving traditions and read stories about kindness, sharing, and community..
Pumpkin, Gourd, and Seasonal Exploration
Our classroom continued its festive transformation with a variety of pumpkins and gourds. The children enjoyed touching, comparing, and learning about the different textures and parts of pumpkins. These hands-on observations encouraged curiosity and rich vocabulary.
Our Orange Tree Surprise!
One of the most exciting moments this month came from our own outdoor environment, our orange tree bloomed beautifully and produced so many oranges! We tasted a few together, and the children were delighted by how sweet and juicy they were. We are eagerly waiting for more oranges to ripen so we can continue enjoying this special treat from nature.
If you have any extra citrus fruit from your trees at home (such as lemons, oranges, or grapefruits) please feel welcome to share them with our classroom. The children truly enjoy exploring and tasting fresh produce.
Outdoor Joy & Rainy-Day Fun
The children are thoroughly enjoying our outdoor environment. From nature walks to seasonal activities, the fresh air has been inspiring and energizing.
On rainy days, we brought the fun indoors! We sang rain songs, listened to the soothing sound of raindrops, and enjoyed cozy moments together. The children loved the music and movement activities connected to the weather.
Community Meeting Appreciation
Thank you, parents, for attending the community meeting. Your participation and support mean so much, and it was wonderful connecting as a community.
Winter Precautions
With winter approaching, we kindly ask that all jackets, hats, gloves, and extra layers be labeled with your child’s name. This helps ensure belongings stay organized and easily identifiable. We also encourage children to practice putting on and zipping their jackets independently to support confidence and self-help skills. Please remember to follow uniform guidelines when choosing winter gear.
Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of the Gray Fox family.
Warm regards,
Ms. Rama & Ms. Silvia
Hello Jackrabbit Families,
Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful for each one of our families.
During November, the children help set up an “Altar de Muertos,” which they enjoyed, and they learned about Mexican traditions such as Día de los Muertos. We also baked traditional Mexican bread. We celebrated Diwali as well, and the children enjoyed singing and reading several books about this holiday.
The children spotted our very first eggplant in the garden, and they can’t wait to harvest it once it’s ready. They also also enjoyed baking pumpkin seeds as they learned about the parts of the pumpkin.
It was wonderful to see you during conferences and to have a chance to meet and discuss your child’s progress. I enjoyed having this time with you. Our next conferences will be held in the Spring. Please join us for our next “Social”; it will be held on December 8th from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thank you for attending our Jackrabbit Community Meeting, where we talked about spoken and written language. It is always wonderful to see you there!
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, we appreciate you.
Kindly,
Ms. Yadira and Ms. Karen
