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Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer…

Posted on by Gina Tryforos

As this is the last installment of the Parent Corner for this year, we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your continued support, participation, and collaboration in your child’s educational journey at FWM.

Summer is a time for relaxation and enjoyment; however, maintaining structure and engaging in educational activities can significantly benefit your child’s development. Therefore, it is essential to emphasize the significance of establishing a summer routine and encouraging summer learning.

A consistent summer routine provides stability and helps children maintain a healthy balance between leisure and productive activities. A schedule incorporating regular sleep patterns, meal times, physical activity, and designated learning periods can contribute to their overall well-being. In addition, it allows them to maintain a sense of discipline and prepares them for the routines they will resume when the new school year begins.

Summer learning plays a vital role in preventing the “summer slide,” a phenomenon where students may experience a decline in academic skills during the extended break. By encouraging your child to participate in educational activities, such as reading, puzzles, and educational games, or even enrolling them in summer enrichment programs, you can help them retain the knowledge they acquired throughout the school year. 

Take advantage of the warmer weather and the longer days to engage in outdoor activities that promote learning. For example, visiting museums, exploring nature, embarking on educational field trips, or organizing family discussions about current events can foster critical thinking, curiosity, and a broader understanding of the world.

Your involvement and support motivate your child to embrace summer learning. Please encourage your child’s efforts, celebrate their achievements, and actively engage in their summer learning. 

Summer also offers valuable opportunities for relaxation, family bonding, and exploring other interests. It is essential to balance structured learning activities and unstructured playtime. Allowing your child to engage in activities they enjoy and allowing them to explore their interests will foster creativity and a sense of independence.

Looking ahead in the coming weeks to help you plan:

  • FWM teachers will send Summer Learning Resources appropriate for your child’s level (LE-MS).
  • A Suggested Summer Reading List will be made available to all families.
    • Please encourage your children to read daily over the summer. Summer vacation allows us to relax, but it is also a critical time to ensure students keep learning.
  • Later in the summer, you will receive new school year instructions and supplies lists for the upcoming school year.  

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we wish you and your family a wonderful and enriching summer.

Lower El Biome Study

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

The Lower Elementary students have been studying biomes for the past few weeks. They learned that biomes are natural areas on Earth where certain plants and animals grow. There are over thirty types of biomes on Earth. We are taking a closer look at eight of those biomes: temperate forests, grasslands, oceans, deserts, tropical forests, mountains, wetlands, and polar regions.

The first years used a material called the Biome Readers and Animal Biomes to study the animals that live on different continents and biomes. This is also fantastic reading comprehension work. The second and third years are taking their biome study a bit further, studying the animal, plant, soil, rainfall, temperature, and human impact of each of the eight biomes. They use a material called Biome Classification for this.

Mrs. Hood: Spreading wings!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

The time we all were waiting for finally arrived! Our beautiful butterflies emerged, took time to strengthen their wings, and enjoyed the well-prepared environment your little ones created for them. Children enjoyed watching the butterflies walking around and using their long tongues to taste the fruits we provided. When the time came, we gathered together in the butterfly garden and opened the glass doors! We could almost sense the butterflies’ excitement as they felt the sun and the wind and immediately started to flap their wings. One flew high as soon we opened the doors, while the other three seemed a little shy. I grabbed a little stick and offered it to them. After a couple of seconds, the butterflies decided to fly, bringing smiles and laughter to your children while fulfilling their purpose as butterflies.

This activity always brings so many emotions for us as guides! In just a couple of weeks, our school year will be over, and as we reflect on the butterflies flying away, we realize that, as with those tiny caterpillars,  we have observed and enjoyed every change in your children’s lives during this year! They have grown so much! It has brought so much joy to our lives to step back and observe how independent, confident, and capable your children have become. Like the butterflies brought so much joy to your children, your little ones have brought so much joy to us, and we are so incredibly thankful to you for trusting us with them. Soon it will be time to open the “glass doors” and watch them fly, and we are so sure each one of them is going to spread their wings and fly high!

On another note and continuing our bird studies, this week, children got to be little ornithologists learning the parts of a bird (head, chest, wing, tail, and legs). They also got to observe, feel and smell the type of food birds eat and learn some names like sunflowers seeds, millet, corn, and wheat as they prepared the bird feeder for our classroom.

As a fun sensorial activity, the children worked on a little art project creating colorful binoculars, and we went for a walk, spotting some beautiful birds.

Lastly, the children enjoyed some cherries as our weekly food-tasting lesson!

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Marissa

Reminder: As the weather gets warmer, please apply sunscreen to your child before school.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Happy Friday! Another great week in Middle School, and we are excited to welcome Upper Elementary and Middle School families to the 8th Grade Expert Presentations on Monday at 6 pm in the Commons.

Humanities

6th-grade Humanities classes have been exploring the Asian Subcontinent this week. With their completed maps, we used Google Earth to explore capital cities, bodies of water, and areas of interest in each country while discussing their demographics. While in this region, the class is reading Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai. This book takes place during 9/11 and discusses both U.S. and Afghani history and culture during this time.

The 7th-grade Humanities class finished their work with Animal Farm this week. They spent a class period giving their planned lesson from their Humanities Rebellion activity last week. The lesson centered around how children of color are affected by racism and included an article from Harvard University, a short video clip from the show “All American,” and prepared discussion questions. They even provided a snack for the class! Finally, students ended the week writing their final essay for Animal Farm. 

The 8th grade exclusively worked on their Expert Presentations this week and was able to practice in the Commons on stage. Tech setup, movements, and eye contact were focused at the end of the week. The students are working hard these days leading up to their final presentation, and they are going to rock!

Science

6th year Earth Science students have finished their unit, Phases of the Moon. Our next unit will be, Formation of our Solar System. Within this unit, students will be able to describe the formation of our solar system and the orbits of the planets in our solar system. Additionally, they will explain the relationship between a planet’s distance from the sun, its length of a year, its orbit duration, and why the inner and outer planets have different sizes and compositions.

7th-year Physical Science students are continuing their work on the unit, Refraction. Students spent the week conducting experiments and representing concepts from our unit, such as how white light refracts through a different medium (prism) to generate a rainbow. They learned how each color represents a different wavelength and frequency, relating it to ultraviolet (U.V.) and infrared light. Students have just begun a laboratory experiment focusing on refracting light from bubbles.
8th-year Life Science students have finished their unit, Circulatory System. Our next unit will be, Digestive System. From this unit, students will be able to describe the process and function of digestion and the organs involved, create a digestive system model, and explain how food moves through the alimentary canal.
Math
In the Pre-Transition math class, students explored different ways to solve proportions. This class can solve proportions in real-world situations, divide mixed numbers, and solve for an unknown variable in an equation of A.X. =B. They will conclude their learning of Chapter 8 next week and introduce the year-end project.
In the Transition math class, students concluded their learning of chapter 10 and can successfully understand linear equations. This week, they worked with distance-time graphs and wrote creative stories to match a given graph. In addition, students practiced translating situations of linear combinations and can now rearrange equations in the form y=mx+b.
In the Algebra math class, students have shown an excellent understanding of polynomials. This class can find common monomial factors, multiply polynomials using a FOIL technique, and expand problems involving a difference of squares.
Math Joke: I like Linear Algebra…… It’s straightforward!
Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Lopes: The Future is So Bright We Need Shades

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

It’s always a little startling to realize that the end of the school year is quickly approaching. May is an amazing month because we look back to see all that we have accomplished and take stock of what we have left to do. Each child’s learning at this point is very much cumulative and continues to build upon all of the skills that have been mastered since August. A perfect example of this is the kindergarten animal research project the children have been working on for several weeks. We start this project in late spring because we need a foundation of reading, writing, geography, science, and even math in order to be successful. I was ‘interviewing’ the kindergartners for the About The Author section of their books, and, as typically happens, several other children quickly wanted to be interviewed and share their future career aspirations. Their answers are sure to brighten everyone’s day.

  • Advay:  Wants to be a construction worker and build a New York bridge.
  • Annie:  Wants to be a princess and live in a castle.
  • Arjuna: Wants to be a cop so he can chase bad guys and put them in jail.
  • Ayan:  Wants to be a scientist because he likes to do experiments.
  • Brisa:  Wants to be a princess so she can marry a prince.
  • Carmen: Wants to be an art teacher at Fraser Woods and teach kids how to paint.
  • Daniel:  Wants to be a police officer so he can chase bad guys with his police car.
  • Desi:  Wants to be a scientist so he can make things explode.
  • Eleanor: Wants to be a scientist so she can make potions.
  • Evie:  Wants to be a mommy and take care of her babies
  • Fiona: Wants to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex so she can stomp around with sharp claws.
  • Isabella:  Wants to be a chef and make french fries.
  • Jack: Wants to be a soccer player for the red team.
  • Kian: Wants to be a teacher and teach kids how to write numbers.
  • Nava:  Wants to be a mommy and have five kids.
  • Noelle:  Wants to be a florist and grow flowers.
  • Owen: Wants to be a geologist because he likes rocks and wants to learn all of their names.
  • Parker:  Wants to be a firefighter so she can put out fires.
  • Rowan:  Wants to be a ninja, skateboarder, guitarist, drummer, and video game programmer.  She said she will have plenty of time for all of these jobs by doing one every day.
  • Sara: Wants to be a princess so she can wear fancy dresses.
  • Sullivan: Wants to be a geologist and study gems.

Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema

Mrs. Doyle: The Future’s So Bright You Need To Wear Shades

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

It’s always a little startling to realize that the end of the school year is quickly approaching. May is an amazing month because we look back to see all we have accomplished and take stock of what we have left to do. Each child’s learning at this point is very much cumulative and continues to build upon all of the skills that have been mastered since August. A perfect example of this is the kindergarten animal research project the children have been working on for several weeks. We start this project in late spring because we need a foundation of reading, writing, geography, science, and even math to be successful. I was ‘interviewing’ the kindergartners for the About The Author section of their books, and, as typically happens, several other children quickly wanted to be interviewed and share their future career aspirations. Their answers are sure to brighten everyone’s day.

  • Ainsley:  Wants to be a ballerina who dances all over the world.
  • Alex: Wants to be a soccer player and play on the same team as his brother.
  • Angie:  Wants to be a vet who helps all types of animals.
  • Bodie:  Wants to be a mail person who trucks a white truck.
  • Ella: Wants to be a teacher that helps everyone learn to count to 100.
  • EmmaJo: Wants to be an artist or a ballerina.
  • Greyson: Wants to be a teacher who teaches people how to become an artist or a paleontologist.
  • Harper:  Wants to be a Mom who can do all sorts of grown-up things.
  • Isla:  Wants to be a vet who helps dogs.
  • Jonathan:  Wants to be a Daddy with 78 kids or a Super Hero.
  • Landon: Wants to be a video game designer who creates exploring games.
  • Leo:  Wants to be a police officer who catches bad guys.
  • Noah: Wants to be a doctor who helps people that are sick.
  • Melina: Wants to be a Princess who lives in a castle.
  • Olivia:  Wants to be a teacher who helps people learn all different kinds of things.
  • River: Wants to be an artist who draws unicorns and ponies.
  • Saanvi: Wants to be a ballerina who does dance shows everywhere.
  • Stephen: Wants to be a scientist who mixes all kinds of things together to see what happens.
  • Tommy: Wants to be a constructor man who builds everything.
  • Zara:  Wants to be a Mom and a Teacher.

“Thank you” seems so little to say for the outpouring of love and kindness during Teacher Appreciation Week. We felt the love all week long and count ourselves truly blessed to have the relationships we do with each of you.

Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Wilson: Here, Birdie Birdie!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week we had many exciting experiences.

We arrived from our weekend to find that all five butterflies had emerged from their chrysalis. As I was about to remove the empty chrysalis from the butterfly house, one flew out around the classroom. Luckily, I could catch the butterfly and return it to the house. Before any more could escape, we took them outside to watch them fly away freely.

During one of our afternoon dismissals this week, the children saw a baby raccoon walking around in the grass across the driveway. We believe it was looking for its family. That time we had to view it, we brought the children joy. I am happy to say that we were able to have it rescued and reunited with another sibling.

Ms. Paromita visited our class and did an impromptu yoga class with the children. The children had so much fun! Thank you, Ms. Paromita

Lastly, the children colored paper cups with markers and decorated them to make binoculars. We went for a walk around the outside of campus to go bird watching. We heard many bird calls and saw a hawk circling high in the sky.

Cynthia and Sara

Mrs. Hood: Observing and Waiting!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Your children continue to observe patiently how our very hungry caterpillars fulfill  their metamorphosis process and become beautiful painted lady butterflies! They have already witnessed how these tiny caterpillars have grown, climbed up, positioned themselves upside down and how quickly they had made their chrysalis.

At some moments the children seem to despair a bit because the butterflies are not coming out so this has been a great opportunity to talk and reflect about the importance of waiting and being patient. The children have helped to collect nature items to decorate our glass house and prepare the environment for when the butterflies emerge. We might come back on Monday to find butterflies out of their chrysalis but we are having our fingers crossed for them to wait and give the VIP show to the children next week. Regardless of what happens, we can’t wait for next week!

To reinforce this special life cycle lesson, the children have learned a new song and since it has been loved  by your children, we want to share it with you at the end of this note, so you can rock it at home and watch your children dance to it. We hope you enjoy watching them dance to this song as much as we do everyday!

While waiting and waiting, children also had the opportunity to learn  about the life cycle of another fascinating insect: the ant! Eggs, larva, pupa and ant were some of the names they learned this week and children repeated over and over.

We also initiated our studies on birds. Cardinal, blue jay, robin, woodpecker, oriole, indigo bunting, warbler, house sparrow and goldfinch are some of the names you will hear often in our environment. We can’t wait to dig into this unit as a class!

For food tasting we explored some crunchy celery and even though it wasn’t a big favorite some children really enjoyed it! At home, I invite you to spread some sun butter on top of it and add some raisins to create “ants on a log” and watch your toddler enjoy this vegetable even more!

To all of you, beautiful mamas: Happy Mother’s day! Without you, we wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do!

Enjoy the weekend,

Mrs. hood and Ms. Marissa