May South Preschool Newsletter

Hello May~

This month, the South Preschool students will learn about strawberries. They’ll learn how strawberries grow and complete matching strawberry-focused language cards and art.

“There is a great sense of community within the Montessori classroom, where children of differing ages work together in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competitiveness.”--Maria Montessori

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Dates to remember:

• Early Closure (12:00 p.m.) for May Day on May 1
• Mother's Day Brunch May 10, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
• PFM Closed May 27 for Memorial Day

Quick Classroom Reminders:

• Please be sure your child has extra clothes in his/her cubby

May Birthdays:

Freya (3) May 4 ; Zoe (3) May 7 ; Sienna (5) May 14 ; Noah (3) May 19

May North Preschool Newsletter

Hello May~

This month, the North Preschool students will study insects! They’ll focus on the lifecycle and body parts of butterflies, beetles, and ants. The students will complete art projects to share what they learn.

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.”--Maria Montessori

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Dates to remember:

• Early Closure (12:00 p.m.) for May Day on May 1
• Mother's Day Brunch May 10, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
• PFM Closed May 27 for Memorial Day

Quick Classroom Reminders:

• Please be sure your child has extra clothes in his/her cubby

May Birthdays:

Zora (3) May 19 ; Frida (3) May 22 ; Aarav (4) May 28

May Toddler Newsletter

Hello May~

This month, the toddler students will study frogs. They’ll learn about where they live, what they eat, and complete several fun frog art projects! During circle time, we’ll sing “Five Green and Speckled Frogs.”

“The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”--Maria Montessori

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Dates to remember:

• Early Closure (12:00 p.m.) for May Day on May 1
• Mother's Day Brunch May 10, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
• PFM Closed May 27 for Memorial Day

Quick Classroom Reminders:

Please check to see that your child has extra clothes and diapers in the classroom.

May Birthdays:

Daphne (2) May 7 ; Emery and Quinn (2) May 23 ; Nathaniel (2) May 25

May Infant Newletter

Hello May~

This month, our theme is color! We have new colorful work on the shelves, via mobiles (for young infants), and other classroom decor. Teachers will sing the colors of the rainbow to familiarize the infants with the names of each color. The infants will continue to experiment with paints and crayons, and we look forward to sharing their creations with you!

Weekly focus—

• May 1-3: Fine motor (ring pegs)

• May 6-10: Practical life (pitcher and cup)

• May 13-17: Sensory (colorful fabric and texture)

• May 20-24: Cognitive (puzzles)

• May 27-31: Self-help (zippers)

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“An authentic child is one who feels secure, autonomous, competent, and connected.
When we help a child to feel secure, feel appreciated, feel that ‘somebody is deeply, truly interested in me,’ by the way we just look, the way we just listen, we influence that child’s whole personality, the way that child sees life.”

— RIE Principal

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Dates to remember:

• Early Closure (12:00 p.m.) for May Day on May 1
• Mother's Day Brunch May 10, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
• PFM Closed May 27 for Memorial Day

Classroom reminder:

Please label your child's bottles and/or food with their first and last name, date, and the type of milk or food. Let us know if your child has dietary restrictions! We'll update thier file and ensure these are monitored during communal snack times. Thank you!

May Birthdays:

Dax (1) May 11

Learning to Write and Draw

Children begin developing writing and drawing skills at a young age. An interest in holding and utilizing a writing utensil (such as a crayon) may begin as early as 15 months. From 15 months to three years, a child’s creativity, and in turn, their ability to write and draw, expands.

Writing stems from drawing, so it is important to allow your child the opportunity to draw as soon as they express an interest. At PFM, art is incorporated in all levels of learning — the infant classroom, in addition to the toddler and preschool students, greatly enjoy dedicated art time.

In this article, you can learn the four stages of writing, beginning in infancy. If you have questions about your child’s writing or drawing skills, we welcome your communication!

Toddler Newsletter

Happy May!

This month we will learn about flowers!

April showers bring May flowers, and boy have we been seeing a lot of them! This month we will be focusing on smells and textures of flowers and learning about the different types of flowers we see locally, whether that be on the playground or outside!

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“When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength”

— Maria Montessori

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Weekly curriculum:

Week 1: Lavender Spooning

Week 2: Flower Water Sensory Bin

Week 3: Flower Arranging

Week 4: Flower Press Work

South Class Newsletter

Happy May!

Important dates this month...

May 1st PFM will be closed for In-Service

May 11th 7:30-9am Mother's Day Brunch

May 28th PFM will be closed in observance of Memorial Day

Happy May!

This month we will learn about animals! More specifically, about pets. We will talk about the pets we take care of at our house, the pets we take care of at school, and their attributes like animal class, animal coverings, and animal locomotion!

In the geography area of the classroom, we will explore landforms! We will sort pictures of islands, lakes, capes, bays, gulfs and peninsulas! We will make our own landform shapes using rocks and water as well.

What a fun month ahead!

Sarah

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“A child more than anyone else is a spontaneous observer of nature.”

— Maria Montessori

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Ways to bring the classroom home in May...

• Have your child help take care of the pets in your home! They can fill water dishes, scoop food, brush pets, feed fish, and help clean pet messes. If you don’t have any pets they can help take care of the plants in your home by watering them and polishing their leaves with water and a cotton ball!

• Learn about animals at home! Sort some toys or stuffed animals at home into categories like animals that fly/swim/walk, or by class (reptile/amphibian/mammal/fish/arthropod/bird), or by animals with feathers/fur/skin/scales!

• Make your own landforms at home! Use a baking pan with playdough, clay, sand, rocks, or soil to explore the different types of landforms you can make, and then pour in some water!

• Go on a nature walk! Walk to the park or around the block and see how many animals you can find. Make a list as you go and then talk about their attributes (skin covering, how they move about, where the live, etc).

Sounds this month...

Our sounds have been put in order by the AMS sound groups- the easiest to pronounce and write to the hardest.

May 1st-4th: Tt

May 7th-11th: Ff

May 14th-18th: Ll

May 21st-25th: Bb

May 28th-June 1st: Oo

Birthdays this month

Sienna is turing 4 this month on May 14th!