South America…Here We Come!

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.

We are also learning about birds. Even though there are close to 10,000 (wow!) species of birds, they all follow the same life cycle. All birds hatch from eggs, become hatchlings, grow into fledglings, then adults who then lay eggs and the cycle repeats. We’ve learned that some birds, like pigeons, develop in the egg for only about two weeks, whereas Emperor Penguins develop in the egg for over two months. We’ve also taken a look at the different parts of a bird and have compared how there are different types of beaks and feet depending on the type of bird.

This year, the primary classrooms service project is the Lullaby Connection. The Lullaby Connection is a non-profit organization that helps mothers and infants in need. We are asking for donations to either be brought in or shipped directly to the school. The Lullaby Connection is in need of diapers (sizes 0-3 months), baby clothes, board books, and hygiene products. All items need to be new, not gently used. Our service project runs until next Friday, April 23rd. We thank you in advance for your help and support!

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. Keeping our hands to ourselves and only using 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/1USmqRZ-sWa3P2t4f1oJC5tGCcf47mI9w?usp=sharing

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

Love,
The P2 Team

This month we are learning about so many different things. We started out the month learning about Dr. Seuss. We read some of his books, and had fun learning about his books and how he writes. Then we jumped right into learning about Pangea (the supercontinent), the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. We are absolutely smitten with all of the amazing dinosaurs that existed millions and millions of years ago.

Ms. Sadie introduced us to the continent of Asia. We saw pictures of a variety of different countries, and how different they are from one another. We’ve talked about the wide range of animals that are found in Asia such as pandas, tigers, rhinos and komodo dragons. We also learned about the variety of impish monkeys that inhabit some Asian cities!

We have learned about what classifies a reptile as a reptile and got a chance to look at and feel our class pet, Sandy, the leopard gecko. We now know that reptiles lay eggs, have scales and are cold blooded. We also learned about amphibians and learned that they have cool, moist skin, lay squishy, shell-less eggs, and are cold blooded.

Ms. Jessie taught us about the different parts of a volcano and we learned that there was a lot of volcanic activity during the triassic, jurassic and cretaceous periods. We also learned that some volcanoes are dormant, or sleeping, while others are very much awake! We talked about the important job of paleontologists and how they learn about dinosaurs. Grab your shovel, goggles and a brush!

Click the link below to view pictures from this month:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ABJ9_4NW4FwhnvSnk5HlgduRnDALak49?usp=sharing

**We want to THANK everyone so very much for all of your thoughtfulness, love, gratitude, and gifts last week. We all felt so very loved and appreciated. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

Dates to Remember:
March 29 – April 6: NO SCHOOL/ SPRING BREAK

“The child who concentrates is immensely happy.”
~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team

A Big Hello From Down Under!

We are wrapping up February by exploring Australia. Ms. Sadie taught us that Australia is the driest continent and that most of the people live along the coasts. Australia is completely surrounded by oceans… and whales! Ms. Jessie taught us all about whales and how some of them don’t have teeth, but have baleen instead. Baleen works like a big filter, and all of the food gets stuck in it! We have also learned all about The Great Barrier Reef and saw some pictures of the incredible animals that live there.

Ms. Sadie taught us all about Australia’s national animal – the kangaroo! We learned how they’re big muscular tails help them balance and even act like a third leg. We also learned that kangaroos are great swimmers and they are herbivores.

We’ve learned different ways to calm ourselves down when we’re feeling sad or angry. We’ve practiced breathing with a breathing ball, and have been enjoying creating our own zen garden. Taking deep breaths helps to clear our mind, our emotions, and helps our bodies work better. We’ve been practicing this skill!

For March’s calendar art, Ms. Julie helped us create beautiful cherry blossoms using tissue paper that we crumpled up and glued on. We always enjoy our monthly calendar art!

On Tuesday March 2nd we will be celebrating Dr. Seuss Day by participating in some fun activities. Your child is welcome to dress up as their favorite Dr. Seuss character or wear something that represents Dr. Seuss. Please make sure that this clothing is comfortable for school!

Click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1U-645qUTCHOKXx_cpX04lMnNalkqdm1_?usp=sharing

Important Dates to Remember:
March 2: Dr. Seuss Day
March 12: NO SCHOOL – Parent-Teacher Conferences

“The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”
~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team

Under the Sea!

We are starting out this month by studying the oceans. Did you know that there are five different oceans? We’ve learned that each one is different from the others and that different animals live in different oceans. We have also learned that there are different layers of the ocean. Ms. Jessie taught us about the sunlight zone. In this zone we can find dolphins, people, and sea otters. If we dive down deeper we will enter the twilight zone. Ms. Sadie taught us that there is just a little bit of sunlight that reaches this zone. Some animals here are jellyfish, octopus, lantern fish and eels. Next is the midnight zone where we find the ever so creepy angler fish and then the Abyssal Zone where everything moves so slowly. Lastly are the trenches. We’ve been loving learning about all of the different zones and all of the different animals that are found there.

We had such a great time celebrating Valentine’s Day. We decorated cards, colored pictures, and decorated some incredibly delicious cookies!


A quick reminder to pack your child both a snack and a water bottle on pizza days. The pizza and bottle of water doesn’t arrive until lunchtime. They are both hungry and thirsty before then! Thank you for help with this.

Please click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vv87YMbu9jHU2dvkanY-yqZlYXiI3mUK?usp=sharing



“It is a fact that anyone who lives with children, anyone who knows how to approach them with love, will always learn new things.”
~ Maria Montessori

Love,
The P2 Team

Here in P2 we have boarded our rocketship and have been exploring space! We started out by learning about the sun and about how important the sun is for life on Earth. We saw how all of the planets orbit the sun and how the closer planets have shorter orbits while planets like Neptune and Uranus take a looooong time to go around the sun. Ms. Julie taught us about asteroids and we got to experiment by dropping a large rock into a container of materials that represented the Earth’s surface. We saw how it make a big hole! We also learned that asteroids don’t have tails, while comets do!

Ms. Sadie taught us about Mercury and how poor Mercury doesn’t have an atmosphere, so it’s freezing cold on one side of the planet, and scalding how on the other. She also taught us about the layers of the Earth and we found out that we live on the crust of the Earth. Ms. Jessie taught us about Venus and how Venus is the hottest planet, but doesn’t have a single moon!

We are so proud of all of your hard work! We miss you all and look forward to seeing you back at school on Thursday February 4th!

Click the link below to view pictures from the last two weeks:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LOEUl1WWDcvIRQYZ0JcZCQ2NdJpYei-e?usp=sharing

Dates to Remember:

February 4: Back to school!

February 15: NO SCHOOL (President’s Day)

“The child, making use of all that he finds around him, shapes himself for the future”

• Maria Montessori

Love,

The P2 Team