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Mrs. Hood’s class: Spreading wings!

The moment we had all been eagerly anticipating finally arrived! Our beautiful butterflies emerged, taking their time to strengthen their delicate wings. The children were enchanted as they watched the butterflies explore their surroundings, using their long tongues to taste the fruits we provided. Children happily worked on a special spring crown craft and decorated it with many butterflies for the big celebration!  When the moment came, we gathered together in the butterfly garden and gently opened the glass doors. We could almost feel the butterflies’ excitement as they basked in the sun and felt the gentle breeze, ready to embrace their new freedom. The children were in awe! It was such a special moment! One brave butterfly soared high immediately, while the other ones seemed a bit shy. With a small stick, I coaxed them gently, and after a few moments, they took flight, bringing smiles and laughter to your children as they fulfilled their destiny.

This activity always stirs deep emotions within us as guides. As our school year draws to a close in just a few days, we can’t help but reflect on the journey of our butterflies. Like those tiny caterpillars, we have cherished every transformation in your children’s lives this year. They have grown so much, blossoming into more independent, confident, and capable individuals. Observing their development has brought immense joy to our lives. We are profoundly grateful to you for entrusting us with their care and growth.

On the morning of Friday, June 7th, at 9:15 am, we will open another set of “glass doors” and let your children soar too! We will celebrate with a simple but sweet and meaningful graduation that we traditionally call the Crossing Bridge Ceremony.  You should have already received an email with details, but if not, please let me know. We hope to see you all there to share in this heartfelt moment.

In the meantime, we will savor our remaining days together, mastering new skills, discovering the world, laughing, dancing, and most importantly, hugging each other a little tighter, treasuring the little family we’ve become.

Warmly,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie


Mrs. Wilson: Culinary Adventures!

Last Friday, we were surprised to see all seven of our butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. We set them free since they all emerged just before the long weekend. I learned that butterflies like very ripe bananas. So, next time you have ripe bananas, you can place them in a garden area and see if you can attract butterflies.

This was a busy week filled with special activities. We started the week by having the children participate in a special keepsake project that will be revealed at the Bridge Crossing Ceremony. Next, the children celebrated our youngest friend’s birthday. On Thursday, the children had a special visitor, Ms. Lynne, who is Poppy’s Auntie. She came in to read a story and make strawberry smoothies with them. Lynne brought back a special book from Italy, which we all know as “Pinocchio,” and a special gift from her trip: beautiful wooden Pinocchio pencils. Lynne also supplied us with delicious sweet strawberries and vanilla yogurt. The children all had a turn to help prep the strawberries by washing, hulling, and slicing them. We then put them into the blender with the yogurt, and they watched how the strawberries blended with the yogurt to make a delicious smoothie. They all drank their smoothies from swirly animal straws, also courtesy of Ms. Lynne.

Thank you, Lynne, for all your support and for creating a special day with all the children.

This week’s food tasting featured a large, juicy watermelon. I hid the watermelon from the children and asked them to guess what it was. Some of their guesses included melon, sprinkles, pancakes, marshmallows, and pumpkins, all of which were good guesses. Then, we passed or rolled around the watermelon so the children could experience its weight.  Each child seemed to enjoy the juiciness of the watermelon. This week marked our final food-tasting session of the year.

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara


Spanish Class-May 2024

 

Primary and LE: “La Primavera” (Spring) y “La Ropa” (Clothing); UE: “La Comida, La Primavera, Donde Estás?, La Escuela ; MS: “El horario en la escuela” y “La Primavera”. A general review of all we have learned to this point this school year was done at every level. In addition, FWM middle school students were able to present their Spanish Food Project.

FWM students are still working on their usual conversation about feelings, Spanish greetings, the calendar, and descriptions of the weather, as repetition is the key to learning another language. They are continuously improving their Spanish listening and vocabulary. Students from Primary, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School listened carefully to Spanish lessons, books, and songs and participated in interactive games that were presented during class.

Primary and Lower Elementary students also continued lessons using the same type of Montessori lessons such as three-part learning cards and matching cards to reinforce concepts. The children also really enjoyed singing and participating in classroom games. Spanish Montessori Lessons were presented in the students’ classroom and left in their classrooms to be practiced during the week.

Upper Elementary and Middle School students also continue working year-round on their Spanish greetings, description of weather, feelings and their daily calendar that includes days of the week, months and seasons. Also, students learned songs in class that helped with the memorization of vocabulary and with pronunciation.

In addition, Middle School Students continue working through the Spanish curriculum in the “Avancemos” program. They also focused on learning vocabulary to talk about School schedules. They are also learning how to use and write more verbs and their conjugations, learning about their daily schedule, reviewing how to say the time, and learning to say how often they do their activities.  We continue enhancing their vocabulary, reading, listening, and comprehension skills using our workbooks. We watched the movie “Elemental” in Spanish as part of “Spanish Enrichment”.

Middle schoolers presented their last project of the year, their “Spanish Food Presentation”. This project allowed children to expand their horizons, where they can experience the diversity of food that other countries can offer. They really enjoyed working on their project. All of them did a great job researching the dishes, history, origin, and recipe and showing videos of them cooking at home, and they even shared the food they prepared with classmates.

Overall, this year, all the students at FWM are enjoying learning Spanish, and I am very pleased with their progress accomplishing goals in my class.


Mrs. Doyle: Are You Ready For The Summer?

We asked the children what they loved about summer and /or what their plans were for this summer.  We hope you enjoy their answers as much as we did!

  • Ainsley–Can’t wait to visit Hershey Park with her family.
  • Arya–Hopes she can go to Florida with her Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma.  She loves the beaches there.
  • BodieIs looking forward to spending time in his pool and bouncing a lot in his bouncy house.
  • Ella–Is excited to go swimming at a beach with big waves.
  • EmmaJo–Is planning to visit a water park with her mom.
  • Hadley–Is going to ride her jeep all over her yard with her dad.
  • Hannah–Loves to go to the beach with her family.  She just loves to swim and be in the sun.
  • Harper–Can’t wait for her cousins from England to visit so they can have at least 10 sleepovers.
  • Isla–Is so excited to visit her Grandma and Grandpa in Rochester.
  • Jacob–Is looking forward to going to the mall with his brother Alex.
  • Jonathan–Is hoping to read 100 books.
  • Joseph–Plans to wake up early every day and make a really big breakfast.
  • Leo–Is going to go to the beach and play with his brand-new cousin.
  • Maayan–Hopes to put water on the trampoline and jump really, really high with her sister.
  • Melina–Is so excited to go camping with her family.
  • Oliver–Is so excited to set up his water slide in his yard.
  • River–Can’t wait to eat lots and lots of cookie and cream ice cream.
  • Ryan–Is excited to play outside every single day with her sister Poppy.
  • Saanvi–Is going to jump from the bouncy house to the pool all day long.
  • Tommy–Is looking forward to laying on his hammock for a really long time and may even pretend it is a boat.
  • Zara–Plans to go to the beach, then Six Flags, and then Colombia. (Just not all in the same day)
  • Zion–Is eager to eat as many red popsicles as he can.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria


Mrs. Lopes: Are You Ready For Summer?

We asked the children what they loved about summer and /or what their plans were for this summer.  We hope you enjoy their answers as much as we did!

  • Amelia – Hopes to go swimming in the pool with her Mommy this summer.
  • Annie – Hopes to take a trip to the beach to look for shells.
  • Arian – Is hoping to go to the beach and launch rockets.
  • Ben – Plans to plant flowers and make a garden.
  • Brisa – Is planning to play in the sprinkler and go to Florida.
  • Casey – Plans to spend time in Long Island playing with his toys and swimming in the ocean.
  • Daniel – Hopes he will go to the beach and play in the sand.
  • David – Plans to go to the beach so he can roll in the sand and go swimming in the ocean.
  • Elanour – Plans to go swimming in her pool this summer.
  • Elizabeth – Plans to go to her Nanny and Poppy’s to play Lego and Magnatiles.
  • Enzo – Has a lot of plans this summer.  He is going to the Connecticut beach, Quassy, and is looking forward to going down the slide on his boat.
  • Evie – Hopes to spend a lot of time sliding on her rainbow cloud sprinkler.
  • Fiona – Plans to go to the beach and make sand castles and sand angels.
  • Harlan – Is excited to play Ninjago on his iPad during the summer.
  • Kian – Plans to take swimming lessons over the summer so he can learn how to swim in his pool or Enzo’s pool.
  • Kimberlin – Is excited to go to Texas in June and spend time swimming in the pool with G-mom and Daddio.
  • Levi – Is excited to go camping at Lake George, Hershey Park, and Stafford Motor Speedway this summer.
  • Nicolas – Plans to play with his toys in the pool this summer.
  • Noelle – Plans to spend a lot of time swimming in her pool this summer.
  • Parker – Plans to go bug hunting for a golden beetle.  She has seen them before, and they are really slippery.
  • Ryder – Is hoping to play with his water fire truck because it needs to be summer to use it.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema


Cherished Friendships and Memories in LE

It’s incredible to think that we’re already here in June, with only a week left of school left! Even as the year draws to a close, the children’s enthusiasm for learning remains as strong as ever.

As I reflect on each child’s progress throughout the year, I am filled with pride and joy. They have not only grown physically but have also shown significant academic and social development. Witnessing their curiosity and determination, their laughter and friendships, warms my heart daily.

I am so pleased to see what a compassionate, kind-hearted, and unique group of students we have in the classroom. Each child’s individual journey has contributed to creating a vibrant, supportive community where everyone thrives. Their growth and achievements this year have been truly remarkable, and I am excited to see how they will continue to flourish in the future.


Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

As we conclude the school year with our toddlers, we reflect on the joy and liveliness they have brought to every moment. Observing the emergence of four painted lady butterflies from their chrysalises, we were reminded of the incredible process of metamorphosis. This transformation beautifully mirrors the growth of our young students. Just as a butterfly spreads its wings for the first time, our toddlers are beginning to explore their world with newfound confidence and curiosity.

A visit from a squirrel to our bird feeder delighted our young students, who expressed their excitement with joyful squeals. Additionally, we enjoyed a food-tasting experience featuring sweet, juicy watermelon, which was a delightful treat for everyone.

Wishing your families an enjoyable week,

Christine & Lizette


Ms. Marissa: Moving on Up!

With the school year winding down, we have been reflecting on our past year. A new teacher, a new classroom for some, new friends, exciting work, responsibilities, and routines. We are feeling emotional about saying goodbye to our Kindergarten friends who are all moving up to Lower Elementary! They have been such wonderful role models in our classroom, always there to help teach a lesson, show a friend something, help each other out, and lead our classroom! How much we’ve all grown!

We have also talked about our second-year children moving up to Kindergarten and how we will welcome new three-year-olds into our classroom next year. So many exciting things in our future!

We have been talking about the United States and where we are in this big, wide universe! We look at the Solar System, our planet, our continent, our country, our state, our town, and finally, ourselves!

Have a lovely weekend,

Marissa & Sue