Scarecrows and Turkeys adorn the classroom wall

Who would have thought these decorative fall buddies would've have taken three weeks to complete! The kids were so meticulous with their painting, cutting and gluing that this multi layered project went on and on, but boy did they turn out nicely.

  

 

Turkey Button Activity

A simple task for an adult is to button something. For a toddler this can be a whole new world. The fine motor skills it takes to fasten a button is not something that comes easy for little hands. This turkey button activity adds a little fun to learning this crucial life skill. 

Counting doesn't have to be boring!

This Fall inspired counting activity has the school children more than interested. Simply spin the small wheel, stack the corresponding number of building blocks on the corresponding pumpkin number and we have ourselves a fun lesson in number counting. Yes, easy – but profound for learning counting.

Fun FLUBBER finds it's way to the classroom

It's not play dough...
It's not cloud dough...
It's not goo...
IT'S FLUBBER!

So much fun to play with, flubber is in the classroom and many have asked how we do it!

The students have sincerely enjoyed playing, stretching and molding the new "flubber" in the classroom. Are you brave enough to re-create at home? You should be! It is so easy to make and flubber is hours of fun. 

Learn how to make it here....

2013 Holiday Program - Mark Your Calendar!

Our Holiday Program will be Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 6:30 pm. 

The children will perform for parents, siblings, grandparents and anyone else who shows up!

Getting to know your turkey dinner

The Sweetwater students are learning about all the parts of the Turkey this week. If you are serving this bird on your family dinner table this year, make sure to discuss the different parts that made "the cut" or the parts that were left off the serving platter. 

Brrrr...It's cold outside!

Please make sure your child has mittens, a hat and a warm jacket that can stay at school. Layered clothing is always a good choice! They love to go outside, frosty or not!

Halloween party was a monster good time!

The annual Sweetwater Montessori School Halloween party was a huge success. The carved pumpkin was carefully constructed by Jeffry who was strongly instructed to not make it too scary! The classroom was beautifully decorated with pumpkin and hanging ghosts from all, but the Kinder Starlight Pumpkin Art Lesson definitely topped the  decoration in the room. 

These glowing pumpkins had a lot going on: drawing from observations and sequence, primary color mixing, adding highlights, cutting and pasting skills and composition. They did wonderful with this multi-step project

 

Carrot Cutting is more than just for “C”

The kids have been experiencing a wonderful “farm-to-table” activity that teaches them about many Montessori values such as manners, respect, valuable life skills and more.

The carrots were planted by last year’s kindergartners and this year we are pulling up some pretty large carrots. The kids get to take turns prepping and serving the carrots, which is actually a large ordeal for a little person.

As you can see in the picture, they have to get fresh water to clean and scrub the carrot multiple times. They also learn how to peal the carrot and cut the excess off and put in the compost. After they cut the carrots into servings they will share with their classmates. When serving they are supposed to greet each person by name and ask them if they would like a piece of carrot. Their classmate is supposed to respond with a “no thank you” or a “yes please.”

Cloud Dough

The kids enjoyed making and playing with 

Cloud Dough as we covered “C” in the class room. 

The dough is easy to make with just flour and 

baby oil. Easy to clean up too! 

Badger FREE class room

Mr. Dapple decided to go hunting for Badgers in the class room. Digging for them comes natural to him as dachshunds were originally specifically bred for the purpose of badger hunting – just not through carpet! Needless to say we are safe from badgers thanks to Dapple. 

Post Office Field Trip

A field trip to the local post office was a great way to kick of the new school year. Such a trip offered such valuable curriculum even for the littlest of students. 

The kids followed a letter from the point of entry into the office to its departure for delivery. The experience shows them how the mail touches everyone’s lives almost everyday. Plus it was loads of fun!

 

Halloween Party – Important Information

Time for the Sweeetwater Annual Halloween Party!

Thursday

October 31

10:30 am

Parents are more than welcome and younger siblings are welcome as well. Please send your child’s costume in a labeled bag. No weapons please! We will help them get changed into their costumes at party time (this is where the parent volunteers come in handy).

There will be a food sign-up sheet for treats on the orange bulletin board. Please be creative in thinking of a treat that is not excessively sugary. And please NO hard candy!

Houses = Addresses!

One sunny autumn day the kids took an eventful walk in the neighborhood to learn about numbers. With every house and street sign the kids stopped and identified the numbers and letters.

Applying what they learned, the kids are busy making their own houses. Complete with windows, doors and a roof they will be finishing the project by labeling it with their house number. Please help your child identify their house number so they are ready to complete their home.

Sunflowers head to seed

Who knew that the biggest and flashiest flower in the garden would also pack a tiny sized snack? 

The Sweetwater kids sure know now! With tweezers in hand they have been periodically welcomed to challenge themselves to picking the tiny seeds out of the large sunflower head. 

Some of the kids enjoy this more than others, but the coordination and concentration this task takes for small hands is impressive. 

"A" is for Apples on a tree

The kids have been working hard at decorating our classroom tree with painted apples and Froebel pinned leaves and stems.  

Show and Tell / Sharing

Children love to bring things from home to share. Here are some guidelines to help you help your child select appropriate items:

Encourage your child to bring an item that begins with our sound of the week. This is a great way for parents to reinforce the language work that goes on in the classroom.

Children may bring toys to school when they directly relate to our sound of the week or other current unit of study. Please refer to your printed school guide for more information.  

We plan to change the letter of the week MOST Fridays.

New School Year Just Around the Corner

Hi everybody!

Our new school year is just around the corner! Here are some dates and details to help us all get settled in here at Sweetwater.

Open Houses:
- Friday August 30 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.    

- Tuesday September 3  11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

First Day of School:
- Wednesday Sept. 4th

Parent Night for New and Returning (non-kindergarten) Students:
- Wednesday Sept. 11 at 7:00 p.m.  Adults Only

Kinder Parent Night:
- Let's pick a date!

Back to School Picnic:
- Sunday September 15 at Triangle Park (Milton)  2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Please let me know if you are able to attend the Parent Night. This is an opportunity for teachers and parents to talk about the school year, for parents to meet each other and observe demonstrations of some very cool Montessori materials, such as the Golden Beads and pre-reading materials.

The Open Houses are available for children to get re-acquainted with the teachers and classroom; find their cubby and file (for take-home work); for parents to bring in paperwork, their child's extra clothing and napping supplies.

Get Prepared Now

Please Bring to School:

A complete change of clothing for your child, to be kept at school. Please put the (labeled) clothes (including socks and underwear) in a ziploc bag with your child's name on it. Please check the extra clothing supply frequently throughout the year.

A labeled lunchbox or bag. It is very important to put your child's name on their lunch! If you don't want to use permanent marker, please write it on masking tape.

A blanket, if your child naps (or I should say, if you want your child to nap, as opposed to whether they want to).

Slippers, to be worn in the classroom. Please, no bulky, loose-fitting or scuff slippers. Please label them, to aid identification with duplicates.

Check Your Mail!

New registration materials are coming in the mail to each family (even if you just filled one out last spring). Please make sure I have your current address! If you need a certificate of exemption from immunization for your child, please let me know ASAP, as this needs a signature from a licensed health care provider (unless you belong to a church or religious body whose beliefs or teachings do not allow for medical treatment, in which case the parent's signature will suffice).

You can ask your health care provider if they put vaccination histories onto the CHILD Profile Immunization Registry (Washington's statewide database). If they do, ask them to print the CIS (Certificate of Immunization Status) from the CHILD profile and your child's information will automatically fill in. Be sure to review the information, sign and date the CIS (in upper right hand box) and return it to the school. 

If your doctor's office does not use the CHILD profile, ask for a copy of your child's record and fill the form (CIS) out by hand. We must have the CIS (or exemption) by the first day of school.