Infant March Newsletter

Rainbows & Colors

With a new month comes a new classroom theme- this month in the infant room we will learn about rainbows and colors! We’ve got a variety of colorful work and materials set up in our classroom & teachers will make an effort to talk about colors as well as name the colors we see throughout the day! We also have a sensory bin filled with various infant-safe materials like yarn, felt, cups, and spoons. Much of our classroom work is open ended & exploratory, which helps to benefit an infant's creativity, independence, and motor skills. For the older infants we have a shelf of Montessori work that teachers will work one-on-one with children throughout the day, providing demonstrations on how to use the work as intended.

Some exciting classroom news- We have a new infant, baby Olive, beginning this month in our class. Welcome Olive! We also have Ms. Sosina, Ms. Teresa, and baby Miles who are all back to our classroom after a few months off. Welcome, all!

Important Dates to Remember:

N/A

Classroom reminder…

• Please label your child's bottles and/or food with their first and last name, the date, and the type of milk or food.

Happy Birthday

March 26th: Mai L

March 30th: Miles H

North Preschool February Newsletter

north pre 1 & north pre 2: Africa

North Pre 1 & North Pre 2 Families,

Happy February! We are so excited to announce that all preschool classes (NP!, NP2, and South) are all going to be focusing on a very special geographic location - Africa. The kids will learn African animals, such as the Nile crocodile which is the largest reptile in Africa. We will talk about where Africa is on a map (fun fact- the continent of Africa is the second largest continent in the world), as well as talk about the food, art, and cultures. We will also spend time celebrating Black history month and will learn about famous African American inventors.

Our sensory bins are filled with different types of safari animals hidden inside of their own habitats, and our art shelves are lined with fun animal printed paper for preschoolers to practice cutting, pasting, painting, and coloring with. We have several large Africa maps that preschoolers will be able to use throughout the day, and during our circles teachers will give lessons which will help provide new knowledge about this vast topic. We are so excited to explore Africa for February!

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Important Dates to Remember:

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

CLASSROOM NOTES…

• Since it is still quite chilly and rainy this month please remember to bring your child’s rain gear (boots, rain pants, coats) each day. Thanks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

February 28th: Lyla S

South Preschool February Newsletter

Africa

Welcome South Preschool Families to February, where teachers have transformed the classroom to focus on a very special geographic location - Africa. The kids will learn African animals , such as the African elephant which is the largest living land mammal. We will talk about where Africa is on a map (fun fact- the continent of Africa is larger than the United States, Brazil, and China combined), as well as talk about the food, art, and cultures. We will also spend time celebrating Black history month and will learn about famous African American inventors.

Our sensory bins are filled with different types of safari animals hidden inside of their own habitats, and our art shelves are lined with fun animal printed paper for preschoolers to practice cutting, pasting, painting, and coloring with. We have several large Africa maps that preschoolers will be able to use throughout the day, and during our circles teachers will give lessons which will help provide new knowledge about this vast topic. We are so excited to explore Africa for February!

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Important Dates to Remember:

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

Classroom note…

• It is still a chilly & wet month here in Seattle so please do be sure to send your child’s rain gear to school each day; thanks!

Happy Birthday!

February 16th: Alex S

February 23rd: Mackenzie C

February 25th: Vera Y

Infant February Newsletter

African Animals

This month, we have several infants on the verge of walking. It’s an exciting time in their development and a privilege to witness in the classroom! To support this developmental milestone, we have several “pushing works” in our environment. (This is something you can emulate at home if your child is close to walking.) Pushing work helps prepare an infant for weight shifting to their feet, strengthens hand-eye and bilateral coordination, and encourages the movement of walking! We have several rolling carts and cars throughout the classroom for students to enjoy.

Welcome to February in the Infant room, where we will learn all about different animals that live in Africa! A sensory bin filled with yarn grass hides various safari animals for the infants to dig and explore. Lions, hippos, giraffes, and more are found throughout the room, as seen on puzzles, flash cards, books, and large animal figures on our shelves. We also have some fun music from Ethopia that we will play for the infants during our music & movement hour during the afternoons. So much fun!

Important Dates to Remember:

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

Classroom reminder…

• Please label your child's bottles and/or food with their first and last name, the date, and the type of milk or food.

Happy Birthday

February 3: Miss Tashi

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

Head of School Newsletter: January 2021

On behalf of all of us here at PFM, I hope you all had a festive time with your family over the holiday vacation!  We are ready to have a fantastic 2021 here at Pacific First Montessori and are so happy that you and your children are along with us for the ride.  The New Year is such a refreshing time to take inventory of what is important to us and to make goals to improve ourselves and our well-being. As everyone knows, this year it is especially important to make sure we are on the right path in taking care of ourselves since we have been through so much in 2020. While the health pandemic did not disappear at the strike of midnight on December 31 as I hoped it would (in my dreams), I have hope that the vaccine will make this year a lot easier to maneuver.  And I hope you do, too.

In December we enjoyed learning about celebrations around the world and the children especially enjoyed the holiday lights in the classrooms as well as the trees and decorations in our building.  

In January, we welcome Evelyn and Henry to the toddler room from the infant room.  We are excited to watch them navigate this new world with the older children! Cruz moves up to South Preschool and we can’t wait to see him tackle this with his confident and capable self. We also welcome Lihai into NP1 – it will be great to see Lihai get to know his new school and see how well the children help him along the way. 

This month, South preschoolers will be focusing their attention on winter themed ideas like animals that live in the arctic and Antarctic, and ice and snow. NP1 will study Alaska and the Northern Lights while NP2 learns about building and engineering with a winter theme in the background as well.  The toddlers are exploring dinosaurs! It is a fun time of year around here and I am sure you are hearing all about it at home.

I hope you have a wonderful month!

Teddi Blades

Director & Owner, PFM

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