ACA Gazette October 2013 Infant Class (Mercury) September was a very learning fulfilled month. We learned about our 5 senses, we glued pictured of food to a picture of a mouth to represent tasting, and learned what we use our eyes, ears, nose, and hands for. October will be full of fun arts & crafts projects for the season of fall and our upcoming Halloween Festival. We will continue learning our ABC’s, 123’s, colors, and shapes through song and play. I also want to congratulate Leo Roquemore, who recently accomplished walking without any assistance! I am looking forward to a new month filled with new accomplishments! Ms. Tonya Toddler Class (Venus) The month of October is kicking off the Fall festivities! The change of season and cooler weather is what Fall is all about. We have welcomed new friends to the class and are continuing to follow rules as well as being respectful of our friends and materials. The children are looking forward to the upcoming Fall Festival and the fun Halloween events. In the classroom Ms. Madison and I are working with the children on various lessons to ensure each child knows how to properly work and care for the materials. Ms. Ebony & Ms. Madison Toddler Class (Pluto) October is here and there are many upcoming school events. We are all excited about this month's theme which will be Halloween and our Fall Festival. We will be doing arts and crafts to decorate our classroom. We will also continue to learn through books and songs. I cannot wait to get started! Ms. Virginia Primary Class (Jupiter) A big thank you to all the families who attended our Meet & Greet and the Grandparents’ Breakfast! It was wonderful to meet and chat with you. We have been busy during September learning to work together so our classroom will reflect, caring, gentleness, enthusiasm, sensitivity, and most importantly calmness, as we strive to have fun while learning. Dr. Montessori said, “The child should love everything he learns for his mental and emotional growth is linked.” During the month of October, we will continue to study the Earth introducing North America, and Native Americans. Your children will continue their own individual learning focusing on the alphabet, phonics, reading and lots of counting. We have been learning the five senses and will continue our study of the body introducing a life-sized skeleton puzzle and learning a song called “Kiss Your Cranium.” Fall is in the air and the splendor of Autumn will usher in lots of fun activities. Ms. Kathy & Ms. Gina Primary Class (Saturn) Happy Fall! October is when we first start feeling the presence of Fall. So, we are going to discuss the characteristics of Fall in general and October in particular. We will also continue talking about other seasons and months of the year. October is the time for one of children's favorite holidays: Halloween! We'll read books, decorate pumpkins and do all things Halloween (party included!) Our main focus will be observing the children for what each of them has to practice in order to discuss it during Fall conferences. Thank you for sharing your children with us. Mrs.Julia & Mrs.Molly Spanish Class Bienvenido el Otono! Welcome Fall! This month for our Spanish class we will be learning about the seasons, including Fall. In Mexico we celebrate Halloween a little different than in the U.S., so we will be discussing the differences and the similarities. As many of you have known I have now taken over Spanish class for Ms. Paola and am very excited to further their knowledge of Spanish and improve the subjects that they have already learned. We will be reviewing our numbers and colors at the beginning of every class as well as our typical greetings in Spanish. I have found that the kids really enjoy singing and dancing so I will definitely be including plenty of that during the review of our Spanish material. I am very excited to be able to teach your children Spanish and hope to make it as enjoyable to them as it is for me!! Ms. Georgina PTA Hello ACA Parents! Do you know that ACA is the only Montessori school with an official nonprofit PTA in Texas? Many of you have already signed up to be members. Thank you and congratulations to our new officers Herschal Trivedi and Ashleigh Bushn. If you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late. Joining the PTA is a great way to get to know other parents, find out how to be a part of school events, and voice concerns or ideas in a democratic forum. The PTA is not just for parents. Teachers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and members of the community are encouraged to join. ACA's first PTA event of the school year is coming up! The PTA Halloween Festival and Fashion Show, to be held on Friday Oct. 25, is guaranteed to thrill children and parents alike. Are you interested in helping out? You don't have to be a member of the PTA to volunteer. We need help with everything from setting up and taking down decorations to sponsoring a bounce house so our kiddos can bounce some wiggles out. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in helping us make this Halloween event a night to remember. We are look forward to a spooky evening of Halloween fun for the whole family. Thank you for all of your interest and support! Sincerely, Emma Mancha PTA President President of ACA PTA Important Dates October 2nd- Austin Children’s Dentistry Visits the Primary Classes 10:00 October 4th- School Spirit Day- Wear Crazy Socks October 8th- Library Day October 14th-17th- Pumpkin Painting ($3 each) October 18th - School Spirit Day- Wear Orange & Black October 22nd- Music Day October 25th- PTA Halloween Festival & Fashion Show 6-8 PM October 31st - Halloween Parade – Wear a Halloween Shirt! Director’s Corner ACA had a really busy month of September. Thanks to all of the grandparents for coming to breakfast with their grandchildren on Grandparents day. Our main attraction of last month was the visit from the Cedar Park Fire Department. The kids were happy to see the fire truck and learn about fire safety. Our Annual Parent’s Meet & Greet Night was a successful evening for the parents who had a chance to get a glimpse of their child’s everyday Montessori classroom. On September 25th ACA introduced a new PTA President Emma Mancha, Treasurer Herschal Trivedi and our PTA Secretary is Ashleigh Bushn. If you want to be a member of the PTA, contact these officers and take advantage of being a part of your child’s education. Thank you to all of the parents for volunteering on Library Day. We will continue Library day once a month. If you would like to volunteer for Library day please email Sudha at [email protected] Now the Fall season is here and we are all excited for our annual Halloween Fashion show and Fall Festival on Friday, October 25th from 6 to 8pm. Dress up in a costume, bring your cameras and join us for this special event! If you would like to volunteer for our upcoming events, please sign up with PTA. We need many volunteers to make these events successful for all the children. We’re planning to buy pumpkins for Fall festival to decorate our classroom. Each class is collecting $3.00 dollars to buy pumpkins for each individual child to decorate, which will be due by October 7th. ACA will be having a special guest visit from Austin Children’s Dentistry on Wednesday, October 2nd at 10 am. They will show our 3-5 yrs old children the importance of taking care of their teeth. Special reminder:-The month of November ACA is having a CAN FOOD DRIVE for the local FOOD BANK. We will have a bin set up for each class, starting November 1st. Please have your child bring non-perishable food items in a brown bag labeled with your child’s class name on it (Ms. Kathy-Jupiter, Ms. Julia-Saturn, Ms. Virginia-Pluto, Ms. Ebony-Venus, and Ms. Tonya-Mercury). This Food Drive will end on November 20th. Also mark your calendars for the Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 20th. Happy Halloween!! Mrs. Gupta Happy Birthday Andres Rishi Clementine Dante Leo