February Newsletter 2021
Hello MMCH friends and families, welcome back after February break! It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of February already...where does the time go!? Read on for more information about what we are studying in our classrooms, plans we’re making as we look to the future, and important dates to mark on your calendar.
Thank you for taking the time to look this over and, as always, please reach out if you have any questions!
Last Month In Our Classroom…
During the month of February, we were busy studying the various forms of water found on our planet - be sure to ask your children about melting ice cubes, mixing watercolors, and drawing and snipping snowflakes. We tied this in with our study of Antarctica and the Arctic regions. Misse has a friend (Suzanne) who’s spending time in Alaska, in an area north of the Arctic Circle. She sent us some fabulous videos and photographs of the area and even Facetimed us one morning so we could see how dark and windy it is in real time! Luckily, Suzanne was also able to weigh in on the never-ending debate amongst the children over where polar bears live vs. where penguins live (pssst...just so you know...penguins are in Antarctica and polar bears are in the Arctic).
Here is a photo of M (6 years old) & R (2.5 years old) working together to match Antarctic animal figurines to their corresponding photos. Oh, the beauty of multi-age classrooms!
R (5 years old) saying hello & reading a book to our new class pet, Ecko the Gecko (she is a crested gecko) :)
Next Month in Our Classroom…
Next month we will delve into our study of the land. We’ll have lessons that show the different layers of the earth and what they’re made of. We’ll put out lots of rocks, models of volcanoes, and examples of land formations. We’ll also study the planet as a whole; focusing on what makes Earth unique, theories on how Earth began, and a look at how our Earth and its creatures have evolved over time. We’ll get to study dinosaurs (yay!!!) and other prehistoric animals, which will weave back into our study of reptiles that we kicked off when we adopted our sweet pet Ecko the Gecko.
Our goal at MMCH is to help children begin to understand that our planet is AMAZING! We introduce the idea that it’s made up of so many things that we may not have ever seen before, that it existed looooooooooooooooong before us, and that we are just one of the millions and millions of species that live on our planet and rely on its resources. We assume that many of you are also engaged in this lofty goal, and that your children have probably had neat introductions to dinosaurs, volcanoes, rocks, and other natural history topics through books, toys, and models. Feel free to let us know what you’re doing at home, if you have an item you’d like to your child to show the classroom, or if you’d like to Zoom in to read a book to the children. Which brings us to our next topic…
WHAT IS MY CHILD UP TO ALL DAY?!
Have you ever gotten home from your work day and asked your child(ren), “What did you do at school today?” only to get a blank stare or an, “I played”? That’s because children are wired to live in the “now” and it’s hard for them to think back about the individual things that happened throughout the day. Often they may remember what happened just before they saw you (played outside, got dressed, etc.) or something that happened weeks ago (“I made a pumpkin with Jess!”). Here are some questions you can ask them over the coming weeks to help get a conversation flowing:
Are you studying any new animals in your classroom?
Is Ecko the Gecko an animal? What type of animal is she? What does she need to live?
I wonder how many different types of animals live together on our planet!
Did you get to look at some interesting rocks on your geography shelf?
I wonder what rocks are made of… do we have any around our house?
We can’t guarantee what their answers may be, but at least it will get you chatting and maybe, just maybe, it will stir up some specifics about the day. If you ever have questions about what we’re studying in the classroom, or need some inspiration for conversation starters, just let us know :)
A beautiful card gifted to the school for SAMshine day!
Spreading some SAMshine…
After celebrating SAMshine day in January, the children fully embraced the idea of doing random acts of kindness for their friends, teachers, and families. After more than a month, we still see children dropping little love notes in each other’s cubbies, getting lunch boxes out of the refrigerator for each other, or helping a friend get dressed to go outside (often with an “I just SAMshined you!” or “That makes me a Peacemaker!”).
We took our SAMshine love outside of the classrooms, and decided to donate food and funds to Webster Library’s food pantry. Though the children don’t totally understand the idea of non-perishable, we tried to incorporate their suggestions of fruit, cheese, and gummies as best we could :) We also created little gift bags for two members of our Kingfield community and left them on their doorsteps - these included little rainbow banners the children made (Sam loved rainbows!), a gift certificate to the Orange Cat (support local!), and other little goodies that remind us of Sam. Some of our staff put together a short video of our classroom and testimonials from the children about the peacemaker, Sam, and how she made the world a better place. We shared it with some of Sam’s friends and family to make sure they know that her spirit lives on in the children of the wonderful school Sam started.
Wants/Needs for the School:
Paper towels - we usually purchase these!
Toilet paper
Sleds (to pull each other around the yard on!)
Used child-sized snowshoes - we’re creating a track around the MMCH property :)
Watercolor paper
Scotch tape/Masking tape
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS:
Wednesday, March 3rd: Early Release, pick up by 12:00
Friday, March 5th: Parent/Teacher Conferences continued - School Closed
Friday, March 19th: Teacher Workshop Day - School Closed
April 1st: Re-Enrollment Period Begins
Wednesday, April 7th: Early Release, pick up by 12:00
April 19th - 23rd: April Break
May 1st: Summer Enrollment, Open-Enrollment Begins