November Newsletter 2017

Klahanie School

November 2017 Newsletter

THANKS A LOT

Thanks a lot,
  Thanks for Sun in the sky.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for clouds so high.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for whispering wind.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for the birds in the spring.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for the moonlit night.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for the stars so bright.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for the wondering me.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for the way I feel.

Thanks for the animals,
 Thanks for the land,
 Thanks for the people everywhere.

Thanks a lot,
 Thanks for all I've got.
 Thanks for all I've got.


-RAFFI CAVOUKIAN

October 2017 Reflection

Thank you parents and children for such wonderful conferences, what fun sharing about your children!   As shared during conferences, your children makeup a warm and inviting group.  The leaves are changing and the rain has re-emerged, autumn is fully here.  Thank you parents for dressing your kids so weather ready with warm layers and easy to slip on boots!  Thank you also for practicing with your child at home ways to put clothing and coats on independently.  We use the following technique at school:

“You put your tag by your toes, hands in the holes and your flip it” flipping the coat on by laying coat upside down by child’s toes.

Drop off has been a benefit witnessed by teachers when children are greeted by their school day with independence and feelings of pride entering the classroom.  The experience has manifested from our teachers hopes, the day begins and ends focused on the children and they sincerely show the joy from that.  They enter class with smiles and ease, ready to help sing or talk about animals we are interested in or even making a tent with our class parachute.   Now that the routine is well established please feel when you feel your child is ready, to walk your child to the door (maintaining all parent conversations in the cozy tentJ) to take a peek on our powerful circle of love and connection. 

We have been talking about how our rain gear acts as our own personal tent when in the weather elements.  Inside and outside the children are exploring new friendships and with that we are able to support the natural and normal relationship dynamics playing out and figuring out how to open our listening ears and learning to speak from the heart, and what defines a kind leader.  I am taking a lot of time to help the children figure out joyful ways to connect with friends and introducing mediation “holding our concentration” complimented with movement stories.   There is a great amount of kindness offered and received during class daily.  The main focus I leave them with is how kind they are.  We explore together that kindness and gratitude will lead to a joyful life on earth and possibility greater connection with others and earth.  We continue to build our empathy development with inquiry and listening along with important grace and courtesy response to friends’ questions and actions. 

“Dad believes that the things of nature are a gift.  And that in return, we must give something back.  We must give thanks…..

To me, it’s a little embarrassing to say thanks to trees and things.  But Dad says it becomes a habit; it makes you feel good.  ‘Thank you, stars,’ I say as we near home.  And the stars come out, one by one, as if from hiding.”

Giving Thanks by Jonathan London

November Curriculum Topics

Day of the Dead, Dia de Muretos (Oct 31-November 2) art and inspirations from the honoring and remembrance of family

·      Salmon: amazing life cycle journey, Pacific Northwest salmon and habitats.  This is a very dear unit to me and we read some amazing books and poetry about the salmon’s inspiring life. 

·      Giving Thanks: exploring ways to express our thanks to those we love and the earth.  Before our Thanksgiving break we will make a meal as a class over a couple of days, set our table, sing a Thank You song and eat our class made meal together.  The meal will be applesauce (pealed cooked by the children, a bit of honey added), smoked salmon and corn bread (made by the class).

o   Thank you song: “Thank you for the food we eat.  Thank you for the friends we greet.  Thank you for the birds that sing.  Thank you, thank you for everything.”

·      Orcas: Like Salmon, we are very honored as an island community to be able to observe first hand the Orca migration led by Grandma, the matriarch of the Puget Sound J pod.  We will learn about Orcas and compare our native whale activity to those surrounding Scotland’s archipelago Inner Hebrides. 

·      Turkeys: parts of the turkey and behaviors, get ready for some funny words coming home! 
Ara Lee, Juniper's mom and musician/teacher, will come in the first Wednesday of the months to introduce our class to music!

Reminders/Thank You

Thank you Jordan Beck-Vroom for your amazing teaching talents in class, your time offered for Spanish lessons and daily practice and loving patience with children and co-teacher colleague!  Thank you Klahanie School parents for your participation creating a beautiful school vibe of friendliness and kindness.  And thank you for helping create a fun and memorable Pie Auction fundraising event, the school made $3406.00 for scholarships next year and we could not have accomplished this without MC and evening Chef, Jeff Miller and organizers Colleen Miller, Jen Keller and Jordan Vroom.  Such a fun evening! 

·      No School: Thanksgiving, Thursday 23^th

October 2017 Newsletter

Klahanie School

October 2017 Newsletter

September 2017 Reflection

Congratulations, you successfully made it through the first busy first month of school!   And we certainly began this school year with a fantastic amount of joy.  Welcome new and returning families to Klahanie School!  The children are beginning to remember names of classmates and we continue to play finger-plays, rhyming games, songs and movement during circle time as well as wonderful library books centered on self-care and emotions.  We have been laughing a lot at group and throughout class, what a gift! 

Thank you parents who were able to attend our school Curriculum night, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of sharing our Compassionate Listening, empathy development and emotional intelligence class foundations as well as weaving Montessori practice information.  During our evening, we discussed the intentions of Montessori education, our intimate class space where we nurture connection building while maintaining the integration of age and readiness for one-on-one and group lessons in Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, Zoology, Botany and Cultural areas of the curriculum.  During these first months of school our teacher role is to assist in the children’s safety of self, environment and friendship development.  Many children have begun forming very sweet friendships and you may begin talking more about play-dates with friends from school or pass with hellos out in the world.  You all have very friendly and warm children.  And thank you teachers and parents for helping model a very kind and gentle space for our school community. 

A topic of curriculum night conversation was also focused on our daily class practice of Inclusion during play and use of the following response if asked by a friend to play:

“Can I play?”

“No thank you, maybe later.  I am working/playing alone right now.” 

Or if approaching an existing group working on project or imaginative play:

“Sure, we’ll figure it out.” 

To assist the children being creative in the group activity including more if ask to join, is requested in class to assist the individual forming good foundation experiences when seeking connection.  This is a confidence builder for all involved because everyone is able to answer authentically while also being kind.  Teachers assist if a younger two-half year old classmate who might want to play with the same material yet play/concentrate alone.  This is the gift of observation in class where we can help decode what is being sought after and seeking to communicate.  I also ask the children to practice listening as much as “use your words” and sometimes help brainstorm.  The majority of the times the children are showing great care and imagination attached to this empathy developing response in-group work.

Some songs we are exploring in class:

Jordan is singing and reading songs and books at ending circle in Spanish, a great favorite is (Thank you Jordan for this classroom gift!):

Los pollitos dicen
Pío pío pío
Cuando tienen hambre
Cuando tienen frio

La gallina busca
El maíz y trigo
Por les da comida
Y les presta abrigo

More songs we are enjoying surrounding our changing weather and friend connection building:

The rain flows down the river
And washes out to sea,
Evaporates into the clouds then
It rains back down on me.

The rain is watering the flowers

The rain is watering the trees

I put my arms up

and the rain waters me

Meet New Friends and Keep the Old, Five Little Pumpkins, In the Autumn Time, Deciduous Trees loose their leave/ Evergreen Trees keep their green, Listen to the Water, name game finger plays and fun with the parachute. 

October Topics

·      Spiders (arachnids) and Bats (mammals): looking at their life cycle, parts of the bodies, habitats and how they help the earth.

·      Pumpkins, Gourd family & Apples: life cycle, parts of the plant and sensory games, songs and food preparation and tastings. 

·      Garden preparation for winter and plant cycles: Winter crops and soil care for winter preparation.

·      Bird Migration: Pacific Northwest bird migration.

·      Loads of Halloween/Autumn Songs and Felt Story Board

·      Friends & Neighbors: What makes a friend.  Peace practices (invitation to play, concentrate together) on how to be neighborly and available for help when asked.  Inclusion practice and name games.

“Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.”

Mr. Fred Rogers

Reminders/Thank Yous

·      Important!  Please Read Carefully:  Now that we are moving into the cold season, it is best if you are aware of a health issue with a student in our class. This child has mild asthma that is induced by common respiratory viruses (common colds essentially). He/she has a history of common colds turning into bronchiolitis rather quickly (not the same as bronchitis). Here's a link to more about bronchiolitis on mayoclinic.  Please keep your child home when sick.  And thank you for alerting the school if your child has been diagnosed with an extreme virus to share with this family so he/she can stay home and safe.  What happens to this child is that a common cold virus moves into his/her lungs and small airways, making it difficult to breath as mucus blocks his small airways. He/she has had about six occasions of developing bronchiolitis.  Of course it is impossible to keep children away from all cold viruses but, we'd like to try to keep this child away from any particularly nasty viruses if we know of it ahead of time.

·      Lice  Please get your hair combing lice kits and start preventatives: Please check our school blog under Parent Resources for the lice prevention and treatment.  Lavender, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus oils diluted with water and rubbed daily at the base of neck hairline as well as around ears are some great preventative bases combined with frequent nit checks.  Children will need to stay home until all nits are gone and treatment completed. 

·      Autumn Conferences: October 23, 25, 26 get questions and hopes for your child ready and sign up for your optional Autumn conference to hear about what your child is doing in class cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically.  Conference sign-up is emailed out and on the school board in our drop off tent. 

·      Thank you Play Dough Makers!  Jordan Beck-Vroom and Jen Keller

2017 Scholarship Pie Auction Dinner Fundraiser!  Saturday October 21

6-10pm Vashon Books 22100 Vashon Hwy SW

Tickets $35 Dinner included, adult event

Parent Contribution Donation:

1.     Attendance

2.     Non-Alcohol Beverage

3.     Selling Tickets, Spreading the Word:

Please use and keep track of sales in the attached envelope to collect funds and document in attached sheet if a Gift to school or Ticket Entry to event.

Thank you and very happy autumn to you!

Emmy and Jordan