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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER CALENDAR  
 
  • Monday, November 23rd: Soup Cooking Day
  • Tuesday, November 24th 2:30pm: Minimum Day-6:15-8pm: 
  • Tuesday, November 24th 6:15-8pm: Harvest Meal at the Elk's Lodge 
  • Wednesday-Friday, November 25th-27th: NO SCHOOL/NO DAYCARE for Autumn Recess 
  • Tuesday, December 1st: Antarctica Cultural Unit begins
  • Thursday, December 3rd: MESA fieldtrip to SF Symphony
  • Tuesday, December 8th 10am: The NED Show at the Taylor Campus Hall
  • Tuesday, December 15th 6:15pm-8pm: Pacific Winterfest Performance and Bookfair
  • Wednesday, December 16th 6:15pm-8pm: Encinal Winterfest Performance and Bookfair
  • Thursday, December 17th 6:15pm-8pm: Taylor Winterfest Performance and Bookfair
  • Friday, December 18th: SCHOOL CLOSED/NO DAYCARE for Staff Development Day
  • Monday-Wednesday, December 21st-23rd: Winterbreak -
    School Closed/Daycare Available
  • Thursday-Friday, December 24th-25th: Winterbreak -
    SCHOOL CLOSED/NO DAYCARE
  • Monday-Wednesday, December 28th-30th: Winterbreak - 
    School Closed/Daycare Available
  • Thursday-Friday, December 31st-January 1st: Winterbreak - SCHOOL CLOSED/NO DAYCARE
Our Schools
In This Issue
:: Taylor Campus
:: Encinal Campus
:: Music with Mr. Steve
:: MESA
PACIFIC CAMPUS 

Toddler 1 Class
Ms. Rose & Ms. Merle
No Submission
 
Pre-Primary Class
Ms. Mari & Ms. Zoe 
 
Dear Pre-Primary Families,

November Greetings! We had a fun and exciting journey (6 walks and 4 bus rides in total) to Speer Family Farm and the Pumpkin Patch where we enjoyed a petting zoo, a giant slide, bouncy houses, and even a cardboard maze. We all got to choose and take home small pumpkin of our very own, which was very exciting! 

We have continued to learn about the season of Fall and have deepened our study of leaves. We have taken the scientific approach in discovering and exploring why leaves change colors in Fall. We have been reading books, watching videos, and even conducted a science experiment to deepen our understanding on how this happens. Some of us have been learning the about the different parts of the leaf with our new leaf puzzle and control card where we are able to label and identify the different parts. We have also been looking at different parts up close and personal with our magnifying glass. We will be concluding our leaf unit with a leaf walk, where the children will get to take a walk and collect their own leaves. Then we will explore our artistic side with some new and exciting art projects including a leaf collage. 

The children have been learning about the continent of North America including some of its animals like the moose, the bison, and the bear. We talked about the Powhatan Native Americans, and have been using small Powhatan figurines in our habitat work. We have been reading some Native American legends, and folklore stories. 

The children get so excited to play the "What's Missing Game" with the continents. They love the fact that we live on the continent of North America and we are standing on this continent RIGHT NOW! 

Our class had so much fun during National Young Reader's Week. We enjoyed being comfy and cozy as we all sprawled out on the floor and read story after story. The children became authors and illustrators of their very own stories as well. They learned the physical attributes of a book including its front cover, back cover and spine. We learned the difference between a hard cover, paperback, and board book. We also did book tracings of different book covers. We also listened to some audio books. 

We are all very excited and enthusiastic about the Food Drive. During circle time, we had an amazing discussion about the importance of giving to others and making sure that we all have enough. We talked about ways that we can help others in need and are all very eager to do our part in helping! Please help us to fill up our food bin for the Alameda County Food Bank. 

We hope to see you all at the Harvest Meal this Tuesday and wish you a wonderful Autumn Recess! 

We are in need of a parent to help us with colored printing on card stock paper for our class materials. We are also looking for indoor plants for our class. 

Thank You!
Ms. Mari and Ms. Zoe
TAYLOR CAMPUS
  
Toddler 2 Class 
Ms. Porshia & Ms. Sara 
  
Dear Toddler Parents, 

The toddlers just love math and were introduced to the numbers 24-29 and the quantities 0-10 this month. They are working on memorizing the sequence of the numbers.

We reintroduced the continent North America for this month's cultural unit. Most of the children were able to remember that this is the continent they live on. We also discussed the state and city we reside in and talked about popular tourist locations in North America. The children viewed pictures of and made works out of iconic locations like: the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the White House in Washington, DC, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the Statue of Liberty in New York, Fly Geyser in Nevada and Niagara Falls in New York. What world travelers!
 
We are currently working on the letter sounds of the month of I, b, f and o. Students are continuing to work on picture-to-object matching jobs, association and name tracing. During the National Young Readers Week children enjoyed wearing their pajamas to school and reading new and old books like 
"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister.

We had a group discussion about the meaning of the words "author" and "illustrator" which was a wonderful segue into an art lesson where the children created their very own bookmarks! They also created individual books of using tracing of their names with shapes, glitter and stickers.

The children created a funny story together and here it is word for word: "The calendar my mommy. The pirate book up there. My mommy and my boots, my slippers and my shirt at my house. My mommy shirts to my mommy face. How to read. The glue-glue! Butterflies were flying around the classroom they crashed. And my mommy got the butterflies out of the classroom. They were still hurt and they bumped into works and then they got hurt. And mommy was taking care of them and they drank water." Isn't this group just wonderfully imaginative?

The students have been working on mastering the Bionomial Cube as we introduced them to Geometric Solids. They are continually improving their fine motor skills using tongs to transfer large pom-pom balls and pouring water from pitcher to pitcher.

We would like to express a big "Thank you!" to all the parents who were about to donate books to our classroom: the Guzman's, Harrison's, Johnston's, Eloi's and Margitay-Becht's. Also, thank you to the Jameson's for donating puzzles.

Please don't forget to sign up for soup ingredients and a potluck dish for the Harvest Meal on this Tuesday!
   
Thank you,  
Ms. Porshia & Ms. Sara  
 
Primary 3 Class 
Ms. Nina & Ms. Nicole
 
 
Greetings Primary 3 Families,

We have an exciting month. The students have been working on Practical Life works using small tweezers and how to put on a jacket by themselves, blow their nose and roll and put away their mats by themselves.

The children made a gluten-free pizza from scratch using pre-made dough. Everyone enjoyed it! The children are continuing to make their own designs with the Sensorial pink cubes and brown prisms. We also introduced some new works like the pressure cylinder and  geometric solids. The children are actually making their own geometric solids using colored papers by tracing and cutting them.

Most of the children are working on their teens and tens. And they love doing addition using the addition strip board. Some children are doing simple addition and 2-digit addition with the use of counters.

Everyone enjoyed National Young Readers Week while wearing their pajamas and reading different kinds of books. The children also traced the book cover of their favorite books. We put out a new work called The Story Basket with the story "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. We also talked about the parts of the book. Some children are starting to do the word building activity using the movable alphabet and starting to read the set 1 of the Bob Book sets.

The class is talking about the continent of North America. We watched and talked about the things to do and see in Greenland (which is geographically part of North America although politically is a part of Europe) like dog sledding, and riding a snow mobile, as well as the animals in Greenland and the Northern Lights. The children are also making their own Mexican flag and counting 1-10 in Spanish.

Arts is the most popular area with the children. They have made all forms of art with cutting, pasting, using colored pencils, markers and crayons. The children created beautiful book marks during National Young Readers Week. 
 
We are practicing Grace and Courtesy everyday. Especially, whenever we notice an issue that needs addressing with role playing (which the children love). We have been practicing the songs "Light a Candle for Peace" and "This Land is Your Land" for the Winterfest concert. Please check your parents folder for a copy of the song lyrics.

Please sign up for the Harvest Meal this Tuesday night and please remember to bring all the soup ingredients by Monday, November 23rd.

Thank you for observing your children during Parent Observation Week. Also, thank you for coming to Parent Conferences. The next optional Parent Conferences are in January. However, feel free to connect with us if you have any questions and concerns earlier than January.

Thank you and stay warm,
Ms. Nina and Ms. Nicole
ENCINAL CAMPUS 
  
Primary 1 Class
Ms. Alondra & Ms. Kwang  
  
Dear Primary 1 Parents, 
 
The students have been gearing up for the Harvest Meal this Tuesday night.  Ms. Kwang and I are constantly changing out the works in our classroom to stimulate curiosity and spurn students on in continuing to develop their fine motor skills. Their hard work in the Practical Life area will aid them in the preparation of our classroom Harvest Meal soup. Ms.Kwang will assist the class in making a traditional Thai soup from her homeland.
 
Students are also continuing to develop their visual discrimination skills though the use of the red rods, knobbed cylinders and colored cylinder boxes. The recently added extension cards and knob basket have breathed new life into both activities. We just introduced the short and long bead stair for math activities.  Children are already memorizing the number that corresponds to each color bead bar. The colored bead work sheet is very popular. 

We thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Steve's music presentation about percussion instruments.  Per his suggestion, our class will make their own shakers to take home.
 
This is the time of year when sweets are abundant.  Primary 1 children are literally brushing up on their dental hygiene skills and knowledge. Check out our teeth brushing work. One pea size blob of toothpaste is all you need for a clean smile. Brushing should last 3 minutes. I suggest using a timer at home it makes it fun and helps children develop a real sense of time.
 
We will be talking a lot in the coming weeks about what we are thankful for and being generous to others. Our upcoming Food Drive and Harvest Meal are perfect opportunities to discuss and instill the qualities of gratitude, generosity and compassion in your child.  Please help us fill up our Food Drive Bin and spend some time with your child discussing the reasons for having such drives.
 
Thank you to all of our parents who were able to come in and observe during Parent Observation Week and/or for Parent Conferences. Let's keep the lines of communication open. Please feel free to come to us with suggestions or any concerns you may have. Little bits of information like my child was cranky this morning or my child didn't eat much for breakfast are useful.  
 
Thank you,
Ms. Alondra & Ms. Kwang 
 
Primary 2 Class
Mr. Joseph & Ms. Verise &
Ms. Isabella 
No Submission
Music with Mr. Steve
    
With the Winterfest Concert just around the corner, the students are working hard to memorize the lyrics for "Peace In My Fingers". Hopefully you hear them singing around the house??? They have selected whether or not they'll be playing the chords or the bass line, and everyone gets to sing. 

For reading and writing music they should know all the white keys on the piano, and all the notes in the treble clef. They may not be memorized, but there are tricks to figuring out where each note is on the staff, using these tricks they should all be able to identify and write the notes.  

This month's music demo was a blast at all the campuses. My friend Nick Matthesien came over to play percussion instruments for the students. Showing cowbell, tambourine, triangle, woodblock, gongs, brake drum... and more exotic or fun things like a duck call, and slide whistle. We played a percussion duet, a Latin jam, and one of my songs from The Dilly Dallies. I think the students really enjoyed it. 

Thanks,
Steve
www.stevesdrum.com 
MESA (Montessori Elementary School of Alameda)

Ms. Fatma
 
Dear MESA Parents,

Children will get to cook a classroom lentil soup for the Harvest Meal this Tuesday night so we are writing down the recipe as well as learning the procedures for making it.
 
Older students are working on multiplication and division. Also they are working on addition and subtraction word/logic problems. Younger children are working on addition and subtraction and we will be introducing word problems to them soon.
 
Children will be working on researching the reasons for the drought in California and which places and people are feeling the effects the most. They will be researching what's going to happen when after many years it begins to rain in abundance. Children had fun researching the meaning of Veteran's Day, what places are closed that day and when and why it began.
 
Children are going to look up the names of  newspapers in 20 states and start writing letters to the editors of those newspapers, asking them who their readers are and requesting a post card from their area. I can't wait to see the results of this group work.
 
Working on cursive and alphabetizing continues. Some children started to read in cursive and that made them really happy and positive towards learning cursive. Older children are going to be working their spelling words and writing stories and that's when we are going to introduce the concept of editing their work with our great story teller Mrs. Judy Maynes.
 
We're reading two wonderful books of poetry: "I Like Being Me" for the young children and "Paint Me Like I Am" for the older students. Children love the two books and take turns memorizing and sharing the poems with their classmates during circle time.
 
We are so happy to be able to finally introduce stitching into the classroom. I can't express how the children (especially the boys) are so interested in learning and participating in this activity. 
 
Special thanks to Sheri Smith, Xiaoli Chen, Oge Enyinwa and Michelle and Paul Liotsakis for all of their help.
 
Classroom Needs: We still need help connecting our printer to the computer in the classroom and donations of different colors of thin wool for stitching and books about various simple stitches for children. They would be a great addition to our class library. See you this Tuesday night! 

Thank you,
Ms. Fatma
Introducing Jonathan Wolff

Dear TCU and MESA Parents,
 
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, as I have not had an opportunity to meet many of the parents of the children in our schools. My name is Jonathan Wolff and I am working with Cindy and the teachers (at all three campuses) this year to ensure that your children have the highest quality Montessori learning experience.
 
With regard to my professional background and experience, I was a Montessori Primary Teacher (3-6 year olds) for 12 years, then moved into Montessori school administration, serving private and public schools. Over the past 15 years I have provided consulting and coaching services for Montessori schools around the globe. I am currently working one day a week at one or more of the campuses of The Child Unique Montessori School.
 
I spend most of my time observing classrooms, providing teachers with ideas on how to improve their learning environment, and conducting in-service workshops for the staff.
 
Let me assure you that your children are very privileged to have the quality of teachers they have at The Child Unique Montessori School and the Montessori Elementary School of Alameda. These are professional educators who love to work with children; who know how children best learn and develop; and who know how to utilize the Montessori method and materials to unlock each child's personal and academic potential.
 
If you see me wandering around your child's campus, please introduce yourself and don't hesitate to ask me questions that might help you help your child at home.
 
I thank you for choosing this wonderful school for your child. It is a joy to watch your children blossom into inquisitive and intelligent scholars and compassionate and caring members of The Child Unique Montessori Schools learning community.
 
All the best,
 
Jonathan Wolff 
The Harvest Meal is this Tuesday 

When: Tuesday, November 26th: 6:15pm-8pm
Where: Alameda Elks Lodge in the Lodge Meeting Room (3rd floor), 2255 Santa Clara Avenue. Link to information and map location:
There are two parking options:
1. Park in lot behind Alameda Elks Lodge.
2. Park in City Hall parking lot. City Hall is next to Elks Lodge, and their parking lot entrance is on Oak Street. Take the path from City Hall parking lot which leads directly to the back of Alameda Elks Lodge.

Entering the Lodge: Enter through the back of the building (the front door will be locked, and no one will be able to hear the doorbell). Climb the short flight of stairs to enter through the back door (on the left side of the back of the building). There will be kid-made signs directing you to the proper entrance. There is a handicap elevator available at the back of the building.

Important Things to Remember: Please LABEL your dish!! We are returning all dishes and crock pots to the respective family at the end of the evening! Please be responsible for your children throughout the evening. Teachers and staff will be busy serving your family, and ensuring you have a pleasurable experience. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parent Council Outreach:
We need a Tech Committee Chair!  
Is that you? We are still searching for someone to serve as the Chair of our Tech Committee.  The Chair could be an individual already on the Tech committee, or someone previously assigned to a different committee.  The Tech Committee Chair is responsible for the technology needs at our campuses, including general computer assistance, maintaining the school's website, technical assistance with the in-class cameras, and assistance with the online payment system.  Please let us know if you can fill this roll. There is a $50 per month discount on tuition too!

Barefoot Books Sales at Winterfest:
Barefoot Books will be offering a book sale at the upcoming December Winterfest performances at each campus. Barefoot Books offers so many books that are aligned with The Child Unique and Montessori Elementary School of Alameda's multicultural philosophy.  So complete you holiday shopping while supporting independent publishing, independent mom-based businesses and our school! Don't forget to ask your child's teacher what books they need or are featuring in their classroom, so that your child will be extra excited with your purchase. 
Holiday Giving has a Button:
iGive.com & iSearchiGive.com are easy ways to support TCU and MESA, just by searching or shopping online. iGive.com is a website that provides a percentage of profits to The Child Unique, just by shopping online, through their site. The site has over 700 stores to choose from, and the percentage depends on the individual store. 

iSearchiGive.com (a search engine powered by iGive), raises a penny or more for The Child Unique, with each search you do using this website.

HOW IT WORKS:
1. Join iGive.com to support The Child Unique Montessori School
It's free, safe, and easy to join.
Don't feel like registering?
Take iSearchiGive.com out for a spin and raise a penny (or more) per search. Just visit and type "The Child Unique Montessori School" in the "Select Your Cause" area

2. Shop through iGive.com's online mall OR Raise a penny for searching at iSearchiGive.com. The iGive Mall features over 700 trusted online retailers like Lands' End, Staples, NORDSTROM, JCPenney, eBay, Expedia.com, Barnes & Noble, QVC, & PETsMART to name just a few! You'll NEVER pay more when you reach these stores through iGive.com. And if you take advantage of the coupons and free shipping deals posted at iGive, you might even save a few bucks! And with iSearchiGive.com, each qualified search earns a penny (or more) for your cause.

3. Check out the amount for your cause as it grows. Up to 26% of EACH purchase through iGive benefits your cause, along with a penny (or more) per qualified search at iSearchiGive.com. Make that first purchase within 45 days and get a bonus $5 donation, too.

Do you belong to ESCRIP or would you like to join? So many Alameda and nationwide stores provide an opportunity to support your school while shopping. Just click the link below and create a log in and search for The Child Unique Montessori. Find out more by reading the following pdf attachment:

Thank you!!
The Child Unique Montessori School & The Montessori Elementary School of Alameda (MESA)

Main Office:
2226 Encinal St./Alameda/CA 94501
(510) 521- 9227 /
(510) 521-9246 fax

Taylor Office:
1400 6th St./Alameda/CA 94501
(510)521-0595

thechildunique@yahoo.com