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Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Center News
Memorial Day
Just a friendly reminder, Radiant will be closed on Monday May 28th for
Memorial Day. We wish you all a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!
Spring Program
It’s hard to believe our program is already just around the corner! Please remember
that school will close at 2:30pm on Friday May 11th to allow students and staff time
to get ready for the program. The program will take place at Maple Grove Covenant
Church (right across the street from Radiant) starting promptly at 5:30pm. Doors will
open at 5:00pm and all children need to be dropped off with their teacher in the
gym at 5:15pm to allow time to get lined up before the start of the program.
Following the program we will have a short reception. Please bring a treat to share
at the reception. For the program, treats CAN be homemade, but we still ask that
you do not bring any treats containing peanuts.
Muffins with Mom
Our annual Muffins With Mom will take place on Friday May 11th. From 7am –
8:15am mom’s (or any special someone!) are welcome to join us for breakfast in
the usual breakfast room. From 8:15am – 9:00am you may join your child in their
classroom. We will be serving muffins, fruit, yogurt, and juice. This is an “open
house” style event – come at the time you usually drop off and just plan to stay for an extra 10
or 15 minutes to eat breakfast with us
Butter Braid Fundraiser
We had an awesome response to our Butter Braid fundraiser this year! We
raised $2,132.40!!! Thank you so much to all who were able to participate and
donate this year. It looks like we may even be able to add an extra activity or
project to the summer schedule! Also a quick reminder, Butter Braids will be delivered to
Radiant on Tuesday May 8th and will be available for pick up after 3:30pm. Please plan to pick
up your order before school closes at 6pm. They need to stay frozen and
we do not have storage space to keep them at school, so if you are unable
to pick them up on Tuesday, please arrange to have someone else pick
them up for you.
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Enrichment Classes
Spanish
During April we have been working and review the family (la familia) for
example: The dad (el papa), the mom (la mama), the brother (el hermano)
the sister (la hermana) the baby (el bebe) the uncle (el tio) and the aunt (la
tia). Also we are working on and reviewing farm animals (animales de la
granja) fruits (frutas) colors (colores) and vegetables (verduras) their favorite vegetable is
potato (papa)
What children enjoy most is reviewing farm animals, we worked with wooden animal shapes.
The children like to play the game of animal sounds, for example asking what sounds makes a
horse (caballo)? The horse makes neigh-neigh, pig (cerco) said oink-oink, cat (gato) said meow,
meow, cow (vaca) said moo-moo and dog (perro) said woof-woof.
We had been learning a song called small window (ventanita). Where the
small window (ventanita) tells us how is the weather today, if it is cloudy
(nublado) or the sun has come out (ha salido el sol).
Sincerely,
Señora Gracie
Music
Please join us for the Spring Program on Friday, May 11th at 5:30 pm.
We have been working so hard and we are excited to see all of you
there!
I am having so much fun with your sweet kids! Have a wonderful
summer and I will see your kiddos in the fall!
Ms. Jane
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018 Children’s House One
“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies,
but the period from birth to the age of six, for that is the time when
intelligence itself is being formed and carried on throughout a
lifetime.” ~ Maria Montessori
What an exciting month we've had exploring metamorphosis, botany,
weather, Africa, magnetism, sound waves, buoyancy, land formations,
& so much more. Spring is always a wonderful time of year to help
children feel connected with nature and to instill in them an
appreciation for the amazing world in which we live!
This time of year it is so rewarding to see so many of the children choosing their own work and being able to
complete the activities more independently ... their confidence is truly soaring! The younger children continue
to practice their sandpaper letters & numbers and are now very coordinated in making them on the
chalkboard, white board, or in the sand tray. A big “thank you” to everyone who attended the Bunker Horse
Stables with us! In art the children enjoyed creating their Mother’s Day surprise and cards. In practical life the
children have been refining their sweeping, folding, polishing, and pouring skills. It is truly a joy to see how
interdependent and responsible children are in the Montessori environment!
With the end of the school year just around the corner, it is great to see how far the
children have come since the beginning of the year! Several times this week, I took a
step back and just observed how the class was functioning. I couldn't help but smile
as I observed children choosing their own work, solving their own challenges, cleaning
up after themselves, lending a hand to those in need, working on the four operations
of math, creating maps, drawing, painting and so much more! The growth from
September to now is incredible! A child’s insatiable
curiosity, infectious joy of discovery and respect for their
peers and the world around them reminds me that children are capable of so much
more than we give them credit for. We couldn't be more proud of each and every
one of them!
In the upcoming month of May we are preparing for May Day, Cinco De Mayo, our
graduation/Spring Program, Mother's Day, the life cycle of a honey bee, rivers &
mountains, rainforest animals, and the continent of Europe. Extended day students are working toward
completing all 16 packets of puzzle words as we are half way there, while exploring phonograms in language.
In math we will introduce subtraction with the stamp game, & Addition up to the ten thousands place value
with the dot game.
We look forward to another busy month ahead before summer. For communications please email me at
[email protected] or leave a message on the notebook in our entry.
Sincerely,
Ms. Wenda, Ms. Regina, Ms. Mathilda
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Children’s House Two
Here we are with only 6 ½ weeks left in the school year as I write this. I am
thinking whether my students are ready for what comes next? If not, where are
they lacking and how can I help them to prepare? I make lists of individual lessons
to present and lists of Grace and Courtesy Lessons to demonstrate. On the other
hand, this may be the last few weeks of precious freedom and autonomy for many
of these kids going into traditional classrooms. There will likely be no table
washing, watering plants and no chance to explore the environment for all of the
cylinders, rectangular prisms and tetrahedrons that can be found. In general, for
most, there will be far fewer hours spent in free choice. It is in the choosing and
the complete dedication to the chosen task that gives Montessori its extraordinary outcomes. They manifest a love of
work that has shattered preconceptions and stereotypical views of childhood since Dr. Montessori first began inviting
observers into her classroom to witness this revolutionary new view of the child. I need to enjoy these wonderful kids
before they depart and I need to allow them to choose activities that may not help them to prepare specifically for
kindergarten or 1st grade, but rather for a lifetime of choosing joy, listening to their own inner guide, collaborating with
others and practicing self-discipline. It is to connect children with work that is meaningful to them, whether it is reading
words or washing dishes so that they can become peaceful and go out into the larger world, sharing that peaceful state
with others.
A big “thank you” to everyone who attended the Bunker Horse Stables with
us! All of the volunteers were just phenomenal!! Though it was cold the
children had a blast learning about horses, parts of a stable and the tools that
they use to maneuver the horses. On a side note, conferences went very well!
75% of our class attended conferences and it was my great pleasure sharing
about your child’s development and to discuss areas where help needed.
In April, we studied about the continents of South America and Africa in
depth. From there we explored parts of a leaf, types of clouds, farming,
insects, life cycle of a butterfly, life cycle of a ladybug, sink & float, magnetic/Non-magnetic and living & Non-living.
Children enjoyed and had fun learning the concepts through a variety of hands on experience/activities.
Learning doesn’t stop there, in May we will be studying about Australia, preparation for spring program, Mother’s Day
activities, solar systems, water cycle, parts of a root, Cinco de Mayo (May 5th), international firefighter’s day (May 4th),
Memorial Day (May 29th), and community helpers. These are few interesting topics that allows us to learn through
having fun. This teaches children to appreciate education but repeat, to work properly but mostly love of learning.
“It is the child who makes the [wo]man, and no [wo]man exists who was not made by
the child [s]he once was.” – Dr. Maria Montessori.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish our graduating students all the best in their
continuing schooling and I wish their families great happiness and success. It has been
an honor to serve in this short period and I look forward to another year with the kids
and families that are remaining. I don’t take any one of you for granted and I appreciate
the sacrifices you make to give your children these three years of guidance and
nurturance tailored to their developmental needs. I am grateful to have the opportunity
to do this work with you. Wishing you all a delightful summer!
Ms. Bawani, Ms. Julie, Mr. Stephen, & Ms. Alissa
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Children’s House Three
April went by so fast and our children got lots of joy with outdoor activities while enjoying warm weather,
after experiencing pretty nasty blizzards this winter. May flowers are ready to
bloom. Likewise, I hear our children’s sweet and innocent giggling and the blossom
of their knowledge in the classroom.
We had Easter egg hunting and had some other activities with Easter as the
theme. Thanks for your contribution and support for the event. It was not merely a
picking egg event, but collecting, outgrowing, and opening of hopes to cast off the
shell of dependence.
We had spring conference on April 2nd. By witnessing your child’s educational
progress, we had the opportunity to see how your child’s knowledge and awareness
are blooming through their works. It was really a cerebration time to witness their
growth and learning.
We were so delighted to have some new community members last month. Holly and
Ben, and Ms. Alyssa joined us. We greeted them with self-introductions and giant
hugs.
The class had an appreciation week - think about “gifts” that were given to us gracefully.
The children found that parents, siblings, foods, and works were presented to them as
gifts. And they found what kinds of gift they already had and how to use, keep, and
share them thankfully with neighbors through discussions and agreement.
The children have learned about wild animals, world
monuments, pond creatures, see animals, the garden,
Alphabets, several of “care for the environment” works such
as dusting shelves, sweeping the floor, how to use a mop, and arranging materials.
Many thanks to the volunteers who chaperoned in the cold weather to Bunker
Park Stables. Due to your dedication, the children had a lot of excitement and fun
through live activities. In May, we will celebrate the Mother’s Day with special
activities. And, greeting the Memorial Day, we will commemorate those who gave
their lives in the U.S. Military. And Spring Program will be on May 11 th .
Please save the day after 5 PM. In May, we will also learn about pets, home
appliances, outdoor activities, and birds.
Mr. CS, Ms. Charmaine, and Ms. Alyssa
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Toddler Room
Hello Toddler Families,
April was such a great month for learning! The toddlers learned a lot
about the season of spring, as well as how plants and flowers grow and
the importance of caring for our planet. I think one of their favorite
activities was making bird feeders. The toddlers were so excited to see
the birds that came to eat the seed! They also loved our sensory
activities, including the garden sensory
bin, duck pond sensory bin, and gooey
worms sensory tray. May is going to be
another great month for learning as we
focus on the ever-changing weather.
Now that the snow is behind us, hopefully, we will learn about other types of
weather, such as rainy days, sunny days, cloudy days, windy days, and
rainbows. We have at least one experiment planned for each week, which the
toddlers will love! Our focus this month will also be on the letter sounds for q
and e, the numbers 9 and 10, the color yellow, and diamonds.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to
contact me by email at [email protected]. I can also be reached by phone or in person here at
Radiant.
Thank you,
Ms. Amanda and Ms. Isabelle
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Transition Room
Hello parents!
Happy May! Hopefully the good weather continues and we do not get another
blizzard like we did a few weeks ago!
This past month of April has been all about spring! The
children have learned about flowers, the Earth, bugs and
the season spring this month. Some of the fun activities
that the children did includes planting flowers and
vegetables, around the world activity, feeding a hungry
caterpillar and many more! We also did some fun art
projects such as painting with cotton balls and clothes pins, using tissue paper to
make flowers and paint planet earths!
Some of the fine motor skills that the children have been working on have been
using a spoon properly. This is a hard skill to learn with being able to balance food
on the spoon while we bringing it up to their mouths. During
meal times the children have been practicing extra hard with the help of their teachers
and they have all improved greatly over the past month!
The next month of May will be about weather! We will be talking about rainbows, clouds,
the sun, and a few other weather phenomenons. Some of the fun activities that I have
planned are having a cloud experiment, creating our own thunderstorms and to see what
is affected by wind!
A few quick things for this month is with the
weather getting warmer we will be spending more time outside.
Radiant will supply sunscreen but if you wish to bring your child
their own special sunscreen please bring it in with their name on
it. Also, please make sure that your child has suitable coats or
sweatshirts. We typically go on nature walks in the morning when
it is usually a bit cooler so please make sure to have your child
properly dressed in the mornings or
leave a sweatshirt/jacket in their cubbies. Also, if still haven't send me your family
picture please do so as soon as you can!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call or
email me at [email protected]. Thanks so much and I hope you have a
good rest of your day!
From,
Miss Abby, Miss Bekah, Miss Amanda, Miss Shelbie, Miss Tosha
Radiant Montessori Newsletter May 2018
Infant Room
Hi families.
In April we had a lot of fun learning about opposites. This
month we will be using language, practical life and cognitive
activities to learn All About Me! Our lessons will include
Naming Parts of the Face, Naming Parts of the Body and Nose
Wiping. We will read Where is Baby's Belly Button, Baby Day,
and My First Book About Me. If you haven't already, please
send a family picture for our door. We will be using them for an
activity. You can bring one in or email me Dawn@radiant-
montessori.com.
Greta, Milo and Leo will move to the transition room. We loved having
them grow with us and are sad they are leaving! Good luck!
Welcome to the infant room Miles, Alice and Elliot.
Happy first birthday to Dylan on May 26!
Dawn, Tahnee, Charise and Lily
