Last week, frigid temperatures kept us indoors, but we made the most of our indoor spaces! The children got excellent exercise in the gym and our Primary Open Space, using wobble boards, stationary bikes, climbing cubes, and more. This indoor time also provided wonderful opportunities for the children to strengthen their classroom community. One of the most beautiful developments we observed was how naturally the children are supporting one another. We always suggest to the children to “ask three friends before you ask a teacher” for help with work. This has been working beautifully, as we are seeing our little classroom community working together and collaborating. Watching older children guide younger friends through work and seeing peers problem-solve together demonstrates the power of our mixed-age environment. The children have easily adjusted to having me back from maternity leave, and I have really been enjoying getting to know all my “new” students! Their warmth and adaptability continue to impress me daily.

In mathematics, we were busy practicing skip counting by 10’s, working on The Snake Game, exploring addends of 10, and building numbers with The Golden Beads. These foundational math materials support the children’s development of their “mathematical mind” and help them understand abstract concepts through concrete, hands-on experiences. Looking ahead, we are excited about Valentine’s Day! February also brings us Black History Month, and we will be celebrating Black Americans throughout history.

Extending Learning at Home

Practice skip counting during everyday activities—count by 10’s while putting away toys or going up stairs. Look for groups of 10 items around the house (silverware, toys, books) to reinforce this concept. Encourage your child to help siblings or friends with tasks, reinforcing the “ask three friends” approach we use in the classroom.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week

• Monday–Friday
  – Book Loan Month: Quinn & Leo
  – Moving Up Classroom Observations
  – Food & Flowers: Eowyn
• Monday, February 2
  James’ Birthday Walk
• Wednesday, February 4
  Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary students at 9 a.m.

Next Week

• Tuesday, February 10
  Welcome to Kindergarten! Talk at 8:45 a.m. for parents of P4 students
  Moving Up Night at 5:30 p.m. for parents of K students
• Thursday, February 12
  Classroom Valentine Exchange
• Friday, February 13
  No School | Teacher Professional Development Day

Last week, the classroom was filled with multi-step practical life activities. Baby washing emerged as the biggest hit, capturing the children’s attention with its sequence of careful steps. This work involves so much more than it appears—children must follow a precise order, maintain focus throughout the process, and leave the materials ready for the next friend. Next week we will introduce table scrubbing, always a fan favorite in our classroom!

We have witnessed remarkable growth in the children’s ability to care for their belongings and prepare themselves for outdoor time. At drop-off, we encourage you to step back and allow your child to unpack their own things, change their shoes, hang up their coat, and decide what to bring into the classroom. Even if they make mistakes along the way, this is essential work for their independence journey. As Maria Montessori reminds us, “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” The classroom is the child’s world, and bringing what they need into it builds confidence and self-reliance.

Kindergarten Adventures

Our Kindergarten students began reading their first chapter book together: My Father’s Dragon. Each Friday, a kindergarten child takes home a stuffed dragon and a journal to record their adventures—a treasured rite of passage in this pinnacle year!

The whole class has been practicing syllable work, clapping out each child’s name to discover how many syllables we all have. This playful activity serves as a wonderful transition tool as we prepare for line time or head to recess. Letter sound recognition continues to be a focus across many levels, and our embedded mnemonics approach has proven extremely beneficial. If you hear your child saying “a apple /a/” or “z zebra /z/” at home, now you know where it comes from!

Extending Learning at Home

Support your child’s growing independence by creating opportunities for multi-step tasks at home. Let them help wash vegetables for dinner, set the table following a specific sequence, or care for a special toy or plant. The key is allowing them to complete the entire process and leave materials ready for next time.

For kindergarten families with the dragon journal, embrace this special ritual! Help your child document their weekend adventures together, but let them lead the storytelling and illustration.

Upcoming Events & Announcements

Next Week

• Wednesday, February 4
  Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary at 9 a.m.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, February 12
Valentine’s Day at Fraser Woods is a cherished friendship celebration in our Primary classrooms! On Thursday, February 12, the children will exchange valentines with their classmates, marking a special part of their school experience that emphasizes expressing love and gratitude for one another. This celebration beautifully combines the joy and excitement children naturally feel about Valentine’s Day with important developmental skills like writing, independence, and expressing kindness toward others.

Preparing Valentines at Home: We encourage you to involve your child in preparing their valentines. Please have your child sign their own name on each card—whether that’s their full name, just one letter, or their own special mark, every effort is meaningful and developmentally appropriate! Please allow ample time for this name-writing process, which serves as wonderful practice. (If writing their full name, remember to use uppercase only for the first letter.)

Important: Please leave the “To:” area blank. Do not address envelopes or cards with specific names. This allows children to distribute valentines independently without needing to read each classmate’s name, supporting their sense of capability and confidence. Note: If your child is able to read their classmates’ names, they may write names on the envelopes as additional reading practice—but this is entirely optional.

 

Our classroom baby, Frances, received lots of loving attention last week! Multi-step water activities like washing the baby naturally draw interest from the children, as they practice sequencing, care of others, and develop their concentration through this meaningful, practical life work. The children carefully gather their materials, prepare the water, gently wash Frances, dry her, and clean up their workspace—all while developing independence and fine motor coordination.

Another highlight from the week was the concept of rhyming! The children have been engaged in rhyming games as we explore the musical patterns in our language. We’ve been discovering that for words to rhyme, they need to share the same middle and ending sounds—a foundational skill that supports phonemic awareness and future reading development.

The children have embraced reciting our January poem with enthusiasm:

In January, it’s so nice,
While slipping on the sliding ice,
To sip hot chicken soup with rice.
Sipping once, sipping twice,
Sipping chicken soup with rice.
–Maurice Sendak

The rhythm and repetition of this poem have captured their imaginations, and many children are beginning to recite it from memory.

Extending Learning at Home

Practice the January poem together at home! The repetition and rhyming patterns help children develop phonological awareness while having fun with language. You can also play simple rhyming games during car rides or at the dinner table—choose a word and take turns finding words that rhyme with it.

Your child can practice similar care activities at home by helping to wash dishes, wipe tables, or care for stuffed animals. These everyday tasks build the same sequencing skills and sense of responsibility we’re cultivating in the classroom.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week

• Monday, January 19
  No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please review the birthday celebration schedule, as we have many birthdays and half birthdays coming up in the next few weeks!

 

What a warm welcome back I received! The children and I picked up right where we left off, and it has been such a joy to see how the returning students have grown and matured during my absence. The new students have settled into our routines beautifully, and I am enjoying the opportunity to bond with each of them and learn about their unique interests and strengths.

This week, we focused intensively on phonological awareness activities—the foundation for reading and writing. The children are learning about compound words, syllables, and breaking words into individual phonemes (sounds). We practice these skills in various settings: small-group lessons where children learn from one another, large-group activities that build community, and one-on-one work that allows me to meet each child exactly where they are in their development. The children are having fun manipulating words, discovering how language works, and building the confidence that comes from mastering new skills.

Our art area received an exciting refresh this week with several new activities. We added watercolor painting, which allows children to experiment with color mixing and brush control. A tracing projector has captured significant interest—children can project images and trace them, developing hand strength and control while exploring their creativity. The new pin-punching work has also been popular, as children use small pins to punch designs into paper, refining the pincer grip needed for writing while creating beautiful artwork.

The weather has provided us with daily opportunities for outdoor exploration. We have been adventuring into the snow every day, and sometimes twice! The children absolutely love this time outside, and the fresh air and physical activity support their ability to concentrate deeply when we return to the classroom. To make the most of these snowy days, please send waterproof boots and gloves with your child each day. We will keep this gear at school all week and send it home on Fridays.

Extending Learning at Home

Try clapping out the syllables of people’s names in your family. You can turn this into a fun game at dinner or in the car. Say each family member’s name slowly and clap once for each syllable: Mar-i-a (three claps), Dad (one clap), E-li-jah (four claps). This playful activity strengthens your child’s phonological awareness and helps them understand how words are constructed from smaller parts.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Friday, January 16: All School Early Dismissal. Primary pick-up at 11:30 a.m.
Monday, January 19: No School, MLK Jr. Day

Last week brought beautiful opportunities to celebrate the diversity of traditions within our classroom community. We explored both Hanukkah and Christmas through stories, conversations, and shared experiences that helped the children appreciate the different ways families celebrate this special time of year.

These celebrations were made possible by the generous participation of our parent community. Thank you to all the parents who contributed their time, energy, and resources to make our holiday celebrations meaningful and fun. Your involvement enriches our classroom in countless ways and shows the children the importance of community and working together.

The joy on the children’s faces during these celebrations reminded us of the true spirit of the season—coming together, sharing with one another, and appreciating our diverse traditions.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season filled with warmth and togetherness.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thank you in advance for continuing to send snow gear—hat, waterproof mittens, snow boots, and snow pants—so the children can enjoy winter play comfortably throughout the season.

Monday, December 22, 2025 – Friday, January 2, 2026
Monday, January 5: School Resumes

 

Last week, the children engaged deeply with new practical life activities designed to refine their movements and build concentration. The food preparation area continues to be a hub of activity, where children practice real-life skills with purpose and care. We introduced soap grating, where children carefully grate bars of soap into flakes, and suds whipping, where they transform those flakes into fluffy whipped soap. These activities not only develop fine motor control but also provide a sensory-rich experience that children find deeply satisfying.

The metal insets remain popular, allowing children to practice precise hand movements while creating beautiful geometric designs. Mirror polishing has also captured the children’s attention—they take great pride in seeing their reflections become clearer as they work. Eggshell pounding offers another way for children to refine their hand-eye coordination while experiencing the transformation of materials.

Understanding Animals in Winter

Alongside our practical life work, we have been studying how animals survive winter through hibernation, migration, and adaptation. This study connects beautifully to the seasonal changes the children observe outside our windows each day, making their learning immediate and relevant to their own experiences.

Extending Learning at Home

• Invite your child to help with real kitchen tasks like grating cheese or whipping cream
• Practice polishing skills at home with child-safe cleaners on mirrors, silverware, or shoes
• Notice together how the winter weather affects the animals and plants in your neighborhood

ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPCOMING EVENTS
This Week
Monday, December 15: Classroom Hanukkah Celebration
Thursday, December 18: Classroom Christmas Celebration
Friday, December 19: Winter Showcase* (Buses begin at 9:15 a.m., Concert begins 10:30am), Half-Day Dismissal for All Students 11:30am
* All Primary children participate in the Winter Showcase. Please check the dashboard for more information.

Winter Break
Monday, December 22, 2025 – Friday, January 2, 2026
School resumes on Monday, January 5, 2026

Last week, our classroom embarked on an exciting exploration of Antarctica! The children were captivated as we studied this unique continent, learning about its extreme weather conditions, fascinating wildlife, and the scientists who dedicate their lives to research there. We discussed the specialized clothing people wear to survive the cold, observed how animals like penguins and seals have adapted to their frozen environment, and explored how scientists study the air, water, and animals in this remarkable place.

The children showed particular interest in understanding how people hunt fish in Antarctica and the important work scientists do to protect this pristine environment. This study beautifully connected our practical life, sensorial, and cultural studies areas as the children made observations and connections about climate, adaptation, and human exploration.

New Works on Our Shelves

Several engaging materials were introduced this week to support the children’s growing independence and academic development. In practical life, the children are now working with sewing, polishing a mirror, and hammering—each activity building fine motor skills, concentration, and care of the environment. These purposeful activities help children develop the coordination and focus they need for all areas of learning.

On the language shelves, we introduced beginning sound games to support early literacy development. In mathematics, the addition strip board appeared, offering children a concrete, hands-on way to explore number combinations and build their mathematical minds.

Holiday Magic and Community Celebrations

The spirit of the season filled our classroom this week! After reading a beautiful St. Nicholas book together, the children discovered a special surprise the following morning—a boot filled with candy canes from St. Nick himself. Their faces lit up with wonder and delight at this magical tradition.

We also celebrated a friend’s birthday with a special snack that everyone enjoyed. The sense of community was further strengthened when a grandmother joined us to read a book to the class, reminding us how much our classroom benefits from family involvement.

Extending Learning at Home

• Antarctic exploration: Look at maps together and find Antarctica. Talk about what makes it different from where we live. Watch nature documentaries about penguins or seals.
• Practical life practice: Let your child help with real tasks like polishing shoes or mirrors at home, or simple sewing projects like sewing buttons.
• Holiday traditions: Share your family’s special holiday traditions and the stories behind them, just as we’ve been learning about St. Nicholas in school.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

***Winter Weather Reminder: Please make sure your child has snow boots, pants, gloves, winter coat, and hat. It is so helpful if each piece of clothing is labeled! Also, please let us know if you would prefer your child’s snow gear to go home each day or stay in their locker at school.

This Week
Monday, December 8:
Tuesday, December 9:
Wednesday, December 10: 

Next Week
Tuesday, December 16: Classroom Hanukkah Celebration
Thursday, December 18: Classroom Christmas Celebration
Friday, December 19: Winter Showcase (PA Breakfast 10am, Half-Day Dismissal for All Students 11:30am

Winter Break
Monday, December 22, 05 – Friday, January 2, 2026
School resumes on Monday, January 5, 026

 

The classroom was alive with cultural exploration this week as we began our study of South America, with a special focus on Colombia. The children learned about the Colombian people, their vibrant music, rich culture, and traditions. Through stories, images, and hands-on materials, the children developed an appreciation for how people live in different parts of our world.

As part of our Thanksgiving preparation, we welcomed a parent volunteer who helped the children make bread. This experience connected beautifully to our discussion of Thanksgiving history and traditions. The children took great care in preparing bread that will be shared during our school-wide bread sharing ceremony, embodying the spirit of gratitude and community.

Practical Life Explorations

The practical life area drew considerable interest this week. Children were particularly engaged with suds whipping, an activity that develops hand strength and coordination while creating fluffy, satisfying peaks. Pumpkin washing allowed the children to care for our classroom materials while exploring the texture and weight of real pumpkins.

Flower arranging continued to captivate the children as they carefully selected stems, trimmed them to appropriate lengths, and created beautiful arrangements. The geometric cabinet also remained popular, supporting the children’s visual discrimination and preparation for geometry. Additionally, new works appeared on the shelves, including yoga cards with a yoga mat, cucumber cutting, and soap grating—all designed to support the children’s growing independence and coordination.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

As the weather grows colder, please label your child’s clothing—mittens, gloves, caps, and hats. This simple step helps us ensure everything makes it home with the right child. At home, continue encouraging your child to put on their own winter gear, building the independence and self-care skills we practice at school.

This Week
Tuesday, November 25: Half-day, 11:30 dismissal
Wednesday, November 26 through Friday, November 28: No School—Thanksgiving Break