Toddler February Newsletter

Friendship

Hello Toddler Families,

In the spirit of February, our toddlers will focus on all things friendship. Tending to baby dolls and playing doctor will foster the toddlers’ inherent desire to nurture while also helping them learn about their emotions! Teachers will encourage kind behaviors whenever they can by modeling friendly and gentle interactions. We will also spend lots of time labeling our emotions and talking about how we feel. Our beautiful new yoga corner is complete with yoga mats, a large mirror, and yoga cards which will help guide toddlers into peaceful poses and allow us to practice being calm. In addition, we’ll focus on grace and courtesy lessons in the classroom. These introductory social skills help to create a sense of community while offering the older children the confidence to teach and support the younger students. Our toddlers sure love helping their friends and it is so wonderful for us to take time this month to focus on friendships!

Important Dates to Remember:

February 15th: President's Day Observed; PFM Closed

Classroom Reminders…

• Please bring in cold weather items such as mittens, hats, and warm jackets for your child to keep in their cubby.

Happy Birthday

No toddler birthday's this month

Toddler January Newsletter

Dinosaurs

This January we plan on learning all about Dinosaurs! Some of the things we will learn about include names of several dinosaurs and some of the types of food they ate. We will also put some dinosuar sorting and puzzle work on the toddler shelves, as well as several new & interesting books. Each toddler’s own personal sensory bin will allow them to practice their very own dinosaur excavation, complete with skeleton and sand! So much fun!

Important Dates to Remember:

January 4: Back to school for the new year

Janruary 18th: MLK Jr. Day; PFM Closed

Classroom Reminders…

• Please bring in cold weather items such as mittens, hats, and warm jackets for your child to keep in their cubby.

Happy Birthday

No toddler birthday's this month

Infant January Newsletter

Transportation

Our classroom focus is transportation. We will learn about cars, trains, and busses and enjoy working with matching cards and completing art projects that are transportation themed. “Little Red Caboose,” “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Let’s Be Planes” are some of the songs that we will have on repeat.

While playing outdoors, the infants will be invited to explore a fun array of pushing cars, trucks, and pulling carts to encourage gross motor movements.

Important Dates to Remember:

January 4: Back to school for the new year

Janruary 18th: MLK Jr. Day; PFM Closed

Classroom reminder…

• Weekly cubby supply emails will be sent out on Fridays

Happy Birthday

January 18: Estelle C

South Preschool January Newsletter

northern lights

The northern lights are sometimes called by their scientific name, aurora borealis, It is a result of the Earth’s magnetic waves, and the wind that create these colors in the sky. Our classroom will include geography lessons that will teach us where in the world we may view these lights, the difference between northern & southern lights, and we also have several beautiful and open-ended art projects planned! Each child will paint their own version of an aurora borealis & with it we will create a beautiful (& scientific) art piece that can be displayed for all to see.

A bit of classroom news- Teacher Liz (from NP1) will join South Preschool with Teachers Linnea and Jayde. Liz will be in charge of the online learners in this classroom and will be brought up to speed on this over the winter break by Erika and Linnea. Liz is excited to make this change and to learn from Teacher Linnea while she supports the kids in the South Preschool class. South Pre says goodbye to Vera H. and Taani (who are moving to NP1) and hello to Nathaniel (from NP1) and Cruz (from toddlers)!

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Important Dates to Remember:

January 4: Back to school for the new year

Janruary 18th: MLK Jr. Day; PFM Closed

Classroom note…

• Please remember to continue bringing your child’s water bottle, rain coat, and rain pants each day.

• Thank you!

Happy Birthday!

January 6: Joey N

January 10: Wiley L

North Preschool January Newsletter

north pre 1: winter animals

north pre 2: outer space

North Pre 1 Families,

A bit of classroom news- Teacher Erika will become the lead teacher in NP1 and Taani and Vera Harmer will join this group (from South Pre) as role models and leaders for this class. A new child named Lihai begins on Jan. 5th. Our other Erica (Erica W.) will join this classroom to assist Teacher Erika. And more exciting news: Erica W. is expecting a baby and due in April! Congrats Erica!

This month we are so excited to begin incorporating more elements of the Montessori learning environment that your children thrive in. We will focus on a winter animal theme with an emphasis in Montessori materials. Some of the things we will feature on our work shelves include information on animals in Antarctica-penguins, whales, seal, as well as early math, language arts, science, and art curriculum items among other work. We will have picture to object matching, 55 arctic counting, and matching to 1-10. As a science experiment, we will test various salts to see which one melts ice first. And we will dig away to free all the animals trapped inside blocks of ice. So much fun!

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North Pre 2 Families,

A bit of classroom news- Teddi will be mentoring Teacher Lex as Lex continues working on her Montessori Training Certification from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies (CGMS). Ms. Teddi will be in the classroom each day for the next few months guiding Miss Lex as she completes her Montessori Teacher training program. Lex has done well navigating this so far and we are proud of her and can't wait to see her become the best teacher she can be!

This month we’re looking to the biggest thing we know: the universe. To introduce this concept, we’ll survey the parts of outer space, including stars, planets, galaxies, and even cosmic dust. This study of grandeur gives children a sense of perspective, learning how everything is connected and fits together.

Our shelves will be full of constellation work, planet matching and sequencing, and parts of the sun. We’ll also read about our Solar System and the Night Sky as well as sing The Planet Song and Blast Off!

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Important Dates to Remember:

January 4: Back to school for the new year

Janruary 18th: MLK Jr. Day; PFM Closed

CLASSROOM notes…

• Each child will still have their own playdoh and sensory

• Work tables are set apart from others so that children can be socially distanced.

• Teachers will continue serving children their meals and snacks instead of the family-style self service that we used to do pre-COVID.

• We will continue to sanitize and clean frequently, wear masks inside and outside, and continue our hand washing routines.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

January 14th: Lily P

January 25: Sebastian N