After days of observing patiently, most of our very hungry caterpillars fulfilled their metamorphosis process and became beautiful painted lady butterflies! Children were in awe to see them stretching their wings when they emerged from their chrysalis. They also had the opportunity to observe them very closely while the butterflies used their tongues to drink the nectar from the fruit we provided for them.
As we are waiting on one more butterfly to come out we can’t wait to release them into our garden early next week! Until we are able to do so, we continue to enjoy watching them explore the beautiful prepared environment your children set up for them.
Thanks to the beautiful Spring weather, we spent longer periods in our outdoor environment this week. Apart from getting strong physically while exploring, children truly improve cognitively and socially while being outdoors. This place offers such a variety of exciting stimuli! The song of the birds, the smell of the flowers, the texture of the dirt, and more, increase your child’s curiosity and sharpen their senses. This wonderful space allows them to learn about the world, be in control, make decisions, cooperate with others, invent and follow rules, and have fun while also improving their communication skills.
We observed this week how your toddlers have started to invent their own games while playing more intentionally with the other children. It’s precious! Even though most of them are just growing in their expressive language, it’s incredible how they can communicate with each other through gestures, smiles, and gentle touch. The fact that they are so present in this stage of development make these interactions just so great to witness!
We couldn’t be more thankful and amazed at how much each of your children have grown!
Lastly, Mrs. Maria and I want to thank you for the love shown through the class gift and the delicious teacher appreciation lunch! We feel so honored by knowing each of your toddlers and working together with you to create the most beautiful experience for each of your children.
Enjoy the pics,
Mrs. Hood and Ms. Maria
The Lower and Upper Elementary students participated in and practiced skills associated with volleyball. Students were taught the forearm pass (bump), the set, and the underhand and overhand serve. Volleyball is a team sport that can be played indoors, on grass, or at the beach. Playing volleyball has many benefits. Playing volleyball will strengthen the upper body, arms and shoulders as well as the muscles of the lower body. Our main focus during the unit was to improve hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. The students learned and practiced with balloons, beach balls and soft volleyballs. Games that were played were, “Keep it Up,” “Four Square Volleyball,” and hitting the volleyballs over the net. Lower nets were used to modify the game for student success.
We have had a busy and exciting week here in Primary! Completing our butterfly life cycle study, beginning our last continent study unit of the school year, and the Kindergarten students went on a field trip for a pond and insect study!
Last weekend our caterpillars finished their metamorphosis and came out of their chrysalis as beautiful painted lady butterflies. We finished up our study of the butterfly life cycle this week by observing our butterflies for a few days and then releasing the butterflies out on the playground. It was so fun to watch the butterflies flutter away and the children enjoyed tracking where they all flew off to.
As we finished up the study of the butterfly life cycle, we also began our last continent unit of the school year, Australia. Australia is such an interesting continent due to its size and the fact that many of its native animal species are only found in Australia. We will be exploring the animals, culture, and landmarks of Australia over the next few weeks.
On Monday, our Kindergarten students took a field trip to Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury, CT. This was a great introduction to amphibians and the life cycle of a frog. The students took a hike through the woods to a pond. Once at the pond they were introduced to some of the species that live there and were given nets to do some exploration on their own. We had so much fun catching tadpoles, newts, dragonfly nymphs, and even a giant water bug! At the end of the program, we explored a large open field with butterfly nets to try to catch some insects. The highlight was a toad found in the grass! I would encourage you all to visit Flanders Nature Center for a fun outdoor family activity: flandersnaturecenter.org.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Amanda & Sharlene
On Monday, the Kindergarten children spent time at Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury. First, we gathered our nets and took a hike through the woods to the Botany Pond. The children then had the opportunity to catch and identify amphibians, reptiles and insects. We found tadpoles, beetles, giant water bugs, and salamanders. We observed turtles resting on a rock, fish swimming, and we never gave up searching for those elusive frogs. When we were done, we released any living thing we had collected and headed back to the field to begin searching for insects. Walking back, several children shared what a great day it was! Flanders is open to the public and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazingly beautiful nature center. They also offer several summer programs. You can find more information on their website.
On Wednesday, we were able to release our Painted Lady butterflies. It has been a fun learning experience to observe the metamorphosis that took place from the time our tiny little caterpillars arrived.
Miss Lizette and I would like to thank all of you for outpouring of love and support for Teacher Appreciation week. We are so incredibly grateful for the relationships that we have with each of the children and their families. It truly takes a village and we are blessed to have such an amazing one.
Wishing you a week filled peace and love.
Michelle & Lizette
Math
It’s been a busy week, and we are starting to feel like the end of the year will be here before we know it! While we are enjoying the spring weather and the pop of greens and pinks, we are reminded that our 8th year students are nearing the end of their time at Fraser Woods. This is a special time of year for them with expert projects and high school plans on their minds.
As leaders in the FWM community, 8th graders safely became reading buddies with FWM’s Kindergartners. Both 8th graders and Kindergartners come together once a week, outside, with books and read their choices to each other. This has been a highlight for both classes the last couple of weeks, and we can’t wait to continue throughout the month.
Humanities
The 6th grade Humanities class has been studying SubContinental Asia, particularly the country of Afghanistan, as they read the novel, Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai. They completed guided research about Islam and are watching a documentary about Kabul, highlighting the beauty of the Afghani culture. They also completed current events this week.
After completing George Orwell’s Animal Farm last week, the 7th grade Humanities class is wrapping up their work for the novel. They began the week with an activity called, “Who’s Who in Animal Farm?” Based on what they learned in class about the historical context of the novel, students took guesses as to who or what in Russian history the characters and setting were meant to represent. They had to provide evidence for their claims as well. Next, students began writing their final literary essay about the novel and are using quotations from the book to defend their thesis statements. 7th graders also completed current events presentations.
8th grade students spent the week presenting their Expert Presentations for the first time. First, they worked with peers and then presented to Mrs. Lamb for feedback. They are impressive projects and clearly show the amount of time and effort students have dedicated to the work.
Science
In Science, 6th, 7th, and 8th year students are all working on their individual end-of-the-year projects. This project requires students to select a concept from within their respective course (Earth, Physical, Life). Each student is to research and find supportive information/data that addresses the overarching question of their concept. Concepts range from anthropogenic changes to environmental issues attributed to overpopulation. Each student will be required to present their research/data to the entire class at completion.
Math
Each year the National PTA designates this week in May as Teacher Appreciation week. Looking back into the history of Teacher Appreciation Day, I learned that discussions for a day to honor teachers started in 1944. Then in 1953, Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded the 81st Congress to declare a National Teachers’ Day. Finally, Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day. It was in 1985 when the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May.
Through all the challenges we’ve faced this year, educators and families have stuck together to show students a bright path forward and our amazing Class Parents have been working on a lovely surprise for all of our teachers in honor of Teacher Appreciation!
The restrictions of operating school during the pandemic left us without our traditional Parent Association. For those of you who are new to FWM, it is our Parent Association that is the beating heart of Fraser Woods. Our Parent Association members volunteer and work tirelessly to promote a sense of community among our families. They are also the communication link between the parent community and the school (both faculty and administration). The time and gifts our parents volunteer to FWM, at essentially ALL of our school’s events, allows our school and our students to thrive.
Parents and teachers together make Fraser Woods Montessori School the warm, welcoming, and inclusive community we are.
Wishing families a Happy Mother’s Day!