Writing this, I can’t believe that this is the last blog of the school year. We have made some amazing memories, met some wonderful new friends and strengthened old friendships, learned about the world, and fed our curiosity. We thank you for trusting us with your child!

The last few weeks have been filled with exciting events such as gardening class for our kindergarteners, field day, and Someone Special and Me Tea. It has been wonderful seeing parents on campus gathering together again as a community. Pictures of these events are included in the picture link.

What have we learned these last few weeks? Well, there certainly has been a lot of buzzing going on lately with all of our insect studies! Figuratively, of course! Ms. Jessie taught us that insects are invertebrates, and that all insects have three parts to their bodies: cabeza (head), torax (thorax) and abdomen (abdomen). Ms. Sadie taught us about the life cycle of the butterfly and we discovered that some butterflies don’t emerge until it’s warm enough outside, while others emerge after only a few weeks. We’ve also looked more closely at ants (many of us decided we would like to be the reina – or queen ant, while some of us would like to be the obrera – workers), bees, and grasshoppers. We have also discussed the difference between arachnids and insects.

We have taken a magical safari trip into Africa and have learned about the different zones in Africa: the savanna, the rainforest, and the desert. We have also learned about each climate and the animals found there.

We wish you all the happiest, safest of summers filled with popsicles, memories, and relaxing days spent together. We say a bittersweet goodbye to our kindergarteners and wish them success in first grade. We look forward to seeing you all in August! Adios!

To view pictures from the last few weeks, click here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jqMci2yTo-N38-iv6Hz-SoWUV94B58Rl?usp=sharing

“Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child open up himself to life.”
~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team

We have continued our study of the rainforests of the world by learning about the people of the Amazon. We’ve learned about the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest and how they depend almost entirely on the rainforest for survival. We learned that they have thatched houses that are stilts along the river so that they don’t flood. We also learned that they have different cultural beliefs and even have a shaman who teaches them about plants and animals.

We have learned the Spanish words for different birds. Parrot: papagayo, cockatoo: cacatua, eagle: aguila, hummingbird: colibri. We have learned about the different parts of a bird: feet, wings, beak, legs, feathers. We also learned about the life cycle of a bird. All birds start out in eggs. Some eggs are HUGE like the ostrich egg, and some eggs are so tiny such as the hummingbird egg. All birds are hatched with downy fluff. As they mature, they grow feathers and as adults they lay their own eggs.

We also learned about different kinds of anteaters. We learned that an anteater can eat 30,000 – 50,000 ants or hormigas in one day! They have incredibly long tongues that start waaaay down in the chest. We also learned about the smallest (and quite cute!) anteater known as the silky anteater. Anteaters also have very large claws or garras to get into ant hills.

As it is getting warmer out, we have turned on the air conditioning in the classroom. We recommend having your child bring in a light sweater or sweatshirt to keep at school in case they get chilly during the day.

Please click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LUEHmfWAHQ9bzH0brAD5YqLWJEa5YHu4?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
May 2: Someone Special and Me Tea @ 8:30
May 13: Kindergarten Late Night
May 18: Kindergarten Moving Up Ceremony @ 1:00pm
May 20: Last Day of School

South America is chock-full of some amazing plants, fruits, and a plethora of animals that range from the pokie sloth, to the sneaky jaguar, to the horrific bullet ant! We have been discussing how the rainforest has four different layers to it. The emergent layer which is home to parrots and toucans, the canopy layer which is filled with monkeys and sloths, the understory where you can find jaguars and frogs, and the dense, dark, forest floor where anteaters, armadillos and caimans live.

This year, the primary classrooms’ service project is Three Square Food Drive. We thank everyone who participated and brought in items to donate.

One of the things that we’ve been discussing with our P2 friends lately is how to keep recess games fun and safe for everyone. Using only gentle hands and saying kind words are important rules in the classroom that extend to the playground. Our friends love to play hard during recess, but safety is incredibly important. Reviewing this with your child is always helpful.

Please click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gGLc1OOi-vNR6_zT8zpFXmedfdAG8ZZa?usp=sharing

We wish everyone a happy, fun, and safe spring break. We will see you all on the 19th!

“Children become like the things they love.” ~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team

We are just full of energy and feeling spirited by the beautiful spring weather! It’s a good time to check on your child’s extra clothes to make sure they fit and are for the correct season.

A friendly reminder that you need to be checking your child both in and out of procare every day. This helps us to both keep track of attendance and to monitor your child’s health. Please take the few seconds it takes to do this each day. Thank you!

We’ve continued talking about dinosaurs and have covered different dinosaurs in the Jurassic period, as well as the Cretaceous. We learned that during the Cretaceous period, the continents were about the same as they are now. We also learned that at the end of the Cretaceous period, all of the dinosaurs became extinct. By a change in weather? Asteroid? No one knows for sure! Ms. Jessie did a volcano experiment with us and we got to see a volcano erupt with a combination of baking soda and vinegar! How exciting!

We’ve learned about reptiles, and how baby reptiles look the same as adult reptiles. Characteristics of reptiles include a backbone, dry skin, cold blooded, and they lay eggs. Some reptiles include dinosaurs, snakes, and lizards.

This month we have explored the continent of Asia. Wow, it’s a huge continent! Our friends have enjoyed the challenge of completing the Asia continent puzzle map. We’ve smelled some interesting spices and foods from China, as well as played a Chinese board game called Jungle. We also got to see some Japanese origami, and learn how to say some of the Japanese sounds. We have learned that the Giant Panda ONLY eats bamboo and how important it is to conserve their bamboo forests.

Our outdoor recess area has gotten an infusion of new sand toys, walking cups, and foam blocks that we are having the best time with at recess.

A HUGE THANK YOU for all of your love, generosity, and sweet notes during Teacher Appreciation Week. We felt so loved and appreciated.

You can view pictures from the last two weeks below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YfcuaRHrU4H0Ao47MmqtSQuxVYwwCd_t?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
April 11-15: NO SCHOOL: Spring Break!
April 18: NO SCHOOL: Teacher In-Service

Love,
The P2 Team

“The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” ~ Maria Montessori

We have kicked off March by celebrating and discussing some children’s authors to get us in the mood for National Reading Week. We have learned about Dr. Seuss, Lucille Colandro, Mo Willems, and Anna Dewdney. We were fortunate enough to listen to stories by each of these authors and learn a little bit about each one.

We have kicked off “dinosaur month” by learning about the supercontinent pangea, and then the Triassic period. We learned about the earliest reptiles, pterosaurs, mammals, and how it was so dry and hot! Some of the earliest reptiles looked like the crocodiles that we know today, and some looked really strange with claws on their tails! We have then started delving into the Jurassic period. So far we have learned about how it had lots of vegetation, beetles became present, and there were dinosaurs such as stegosaurus, brachiosaurus, and allosaurus.

We have also learned about amphibians. We learned that they have moist skin, they breathe through their skin (cutaneous breathing), have backbones, and they grow legs as they mature. Some amphibians include frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians.

So many of our friends have been celebrating birthdays lately and we love their enthusiasm for turning 5! When you turn five, you are able to go on the spinner on the playground. This is a huge milestone, and something that our friends look forward to as they watch their older peers enjoy this activity!

Click on the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S5m8XCFWoHOoxKEWjfg4y8HHvZahToA4?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:
April 11 – 15: NO SCHOOL – Spring Break!
April 18 – NO SCHOOL – teacher in service day
April 19 – School resumes

“Peace is what every human being is craving for and it can be brought about through humanity of the child.” ~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team