Giving Thanks!

We have spent a great deal of time studying the history of our country and the Pilgrims in preparation for the awesome field trip to American Village. The children heard and witnessed the beginnings of the Thanksgiving holidays through our studies and the dramatic presentation on the trip. This week we have discussed reasons WE should feel gratitude. Through our food drive collection, many discussions about being appreciative and grateful have occurred in our classroom. Children were able to enumerate reasons they should be grateful for the lives their parents offer them. We have encouraged our students to express appreciation and gratitude this holiday season to those who love and care for them.

Classroom 2-rrific families have done it again!! You went over the top on the contributions for the food drive. Thank you SO much for encouraging and helping your children collect the food and bring it to school. They have enjoyed watching the collection box filled to overflowing. What a great lesson in generosity!

Artemis Logo
Blastoff! NASA’s Artemis 1 Moon Rocket Launches on Historic First Mission!

Students had such a treat on Wednesday! NASA’s mega Moon rocket launches an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 26-day mission around the Moon and back to Earth and our students were able to watch the recording of this launch that was conducted from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Orion is a result of the hard work of the members of the NASA Artemis l Mission team. The students were amazed at the awesome power and sight of the rocket launch. With a family member’s help, your child can learn more at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Throughout the week, students reviewed Math and Language jobs and reflected on the importance of working with understanding. Students were excited this morning and they all sincerely did a good job on the presentation of their informative creative Book Reports! Thanksgiving learning activities, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie, and of course a treat of hot chocolate and popcorn, (as we were winners of the Jack-o-lantern Pumpkin contest !) were the highlight of the day!!!!

A special mention about Ms.Lynda’s share today :

Ms. Lynda graciously shared her grandmother’s percolator to make hot chocolate this afternoon and we all learned the importance of caring for and maintaining our materials and keeping them long-lasting. We will continue our study on how different machines work! The percolator was in good working condition (hot chocolate tasted yummy!), looked shiny and new, and was in good shape!

Gracias, Ms.Lynda!

We hope you enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday! Children return to school on Monday, November 28th, 2022.

UPCOMING REMINDERS:

The Gratitude Writing Assignment is due by November 30th.

All homework should be returned to school by the due date.

  • The Holiday Program is on Thursday, December 8th,2022 at 6:30.PM The flyer is posted below. 
    • If you know your child will be unable to participate/attend, please let us or Mr. Jonathan know. 
  • Our last day of school before the winter break will be Friday, December 16th. 
    • We have a 1:00 dismissal and no aftercare. 
    • We will have a class holiday celebration on December 16th. More information to come. 
  • Students return to school on Tuesday, January 3rd. 

* Honeybaked Hams FundRaiser

If you have not purchased a Honeybaked Hams gift card yet, please click HERE in support of our school. We receive 20% of whatever you purchase! Yum!

Celebrating Veterans!

November 07 – November 10, 2022

Celebrating Veterans!

Every November 11th, the nation comes together to remember and honor the service and sacrifices of our military veterans. Birmingham is the home to the oldest and largest celebration in the country. During our discussion about Veterans Day today we found out that almost every student in our class knows someone who served in the military! Our Magic City hosted the 75th Annual Veterans Day parade and hope you were able to attend with your child in downtown Birmingham! Use the website below to learn more.

WE THANK OUR VETERANS FOR THEIR SERVICE AND SACRIFICES! WE SALUTE YOU, VETERANS!

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Please note that our class is participating in the schoolwide food drive by our middle school students. An email from Ms. Chris has been sent to all from admin to give more information and history about the organization we are supporting. Our class has voted to collect box Mac&Cheese and cookies! All contributions should be brought to school by Wednesday, November 16th. Thank you so much for your help!

The return of the Annual Holiday Program!

Please plan to attend the holiday program this year on December 8th at 6:30. All of our students have been practicing and are involved in this musical extravaganza. We will be wearing blue tops and black pants or skirts. (think… Hanukkah colors) More information will follow!

Why we do it…

Our students thrive and depend upon our classroom routines. It is amazing how quickly our young students learned our daily schedule. They can tell you when we go to lunch, P.E., German, music, art, free play, and so on. One of our favorite routines of the day is the time that we spend together in Read-Aloud. This shared experience has many benefits! It’s also a great way to end the day at school or home!

Reading Aloud Builds Vocabulary. When we read aloud, students encounter new words. They also learn to pronounce unfamiliar words, which isn’t something they’d necessarily learn while reading silently. We pause at unfamiliar words to ask for definitions or look them up. This shows students that it’s worth seeking out new information. 

Reading Aloud Strengthens Fluency.  Reading fluency means reading effortlessly, at the proper rate, accurately, and with appropriate rhythm and expression. Fluency is often considered the bridge between decoding (understanding the relationship between letters and sounds) and comprehension. When we read aloud to our children, we provide a model for fluent reading they can emulate. 

Reading Aloud Can Improve Working Memory. Working memory significantly impacts how we learn to read, and reading aloud has been shown to improve memory in multiple studies. 

Reading Aloud Improves Comprehension and Active Listening. When reading aloud or listening to others, the mind concentrates on both the sounds words make and their meanings, and this is a hefty cognitive workout that strengthens comprehension. 

And Finally, Reading Aloud Reduces Stress and Makes Us Happy!   Reading aloud reduces stress and generally makes us feel more appreciative and relaxed. One way it does this is through narrative transport. This is when we become so absorbed in a story that we forget our surroundings and engage in visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and emotional time travel.  Not only are we more receptive to deeper learning when in this state, but we’re also practicing empathy and building emotional resilience.  Jim Trelease, the author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, writes that “every time we read aloud to a child we’re sending a “pleasure message’ to their brain.” This reaction is partially sparked by feelings of happiness and self-worth caused by someone else investing time in our enjoyment. This reason alone is enough for me to spend time each day with our children in read-aloud.

🍖 Honeybaked Hams Fundraiser

If you have not purchased a Honeybaked Hams gift card yet, please click HERE in support of our school. We receive 20% of whatever you purchase! Yum!

NOVEMBER REMINDERS:

The Book Report is due by November 18th.

The Gratitude Writing Assignment is due by November 30th.

All homework should be returned to school by the due date.

The Mystics of Bruno’s Halloween Parade!

October 31 – November 04, 2022

The Mystics of Bruno Halloween Parade 

     What a great way to get into the holiday spirit with our annual JBMA Halloween Parade! We appreciate parents’ support in both getting our students ready and then attending the fabulous parade! The children were so happy to look out into the crowd and see you there! Our students did a good job with their character costumes and presentations in the classroom! We met a NASA scientist and astronaut, Johnny Appleseed, Hermione Granger, Jackie Robinson, and a host of other amazing characters! 

We LOVED our Halloween party!!! The students moved through different stations manned by (super patient) parents in both the classroom and the gym to make awesome crafts, participate in games, and work together on projects! Some of the activities available included scary word search and crossword puzzles, estimating seeds removed from a jack-o-lantern and candy corn in a jar, making our Halloween decorative chain, mummy wrapping, relay races, and a STEM project. The day ended back in our classroom with SO many delicious and fun Halloween-themed treats! Many, many thanks go to our Homeroom Mothers, Elizabeth and Christy! We also thank all of those who answered the call to help with set-up, breakdown, and all things in between!

On Tuesday, our students were treated to another exciting event! We went on our first field trip of the year to the beautiful American Village in Montevallo, Alabama. American Village has begun its annual “Thanksgiving” program for students. In preparation for this trip, our children have participated in an in-depth study of the Pilgrims This included their unhappy life in England and why they chose to leave;  the voyage of the Mayflower and the many hardships Pilgrims were forced to endure along the way; the wisdom and foresight of the Pilgrims’ leaders to create rules for the new land called the Mayflower Compact; and finally, we discussed life in the new land with the Native Americans as friends.

At the American Village, our students had an opportunity to act out the voyage of the Mayflower and meet Chief Massasoit as he made a treaty with the Pilgrims. Through these experiences, they saw that differences could be overcome to find friendship. Students were also present during the original Thanksgiving Feast between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Children witnessed how working together and sharing can build friendship and peace.

Along with our Special Classes, Students continued to work at their individual level in each curriculum area such as Handwriting, Word Study, Spelling tests, Math Operation, Numeration, Read-Aoud, Vocabulary, and Scholastic news. Our friendly letter lesson was another highlight of this week!

We look forward to another exciting week of learning! We hope our students have a restful weekend!

NOVEMBER REMINDERS:

November Homework is assigned on Google Classroom and a hard copy is sent home as well today in the student’s folder. All homework should be returned to school by the due date.

The Science Collection Report is due by November 10th.

The Book Report is due by November 18th.

The Gratitude Writing Assignment is due by November 30th.

No school for all levels on Friday, November 11th, in observance of Veteran’s Day. 

No school November 21st-25th for Thanksgiving break

Joseph Bruno Montessori Academy Class of 2022 -2023