Thursday, November 25, 2010

December Newsletter

Dear Parents,

As we begin the short month of December we will be talking about the two things on every student's mind: cold winter weather and the Christmas holidays. Last year saw quite a lot of snow in Pohang so we'll all remember some of the fun we had and discuss some of the changes we see in the world around us during this season. Of course we'll also have to mention what those changes mean for us -- winter clothes, winter food and drinks, winter sports and of course our winter holiday.

We will decorate, bake some cookies and learn some songs for our Christmas celebration on the last school day of the year, Friday, December 24. Then we'll all enjoy a nice relaxing vacation and return to school next year on Monday, January 3.

In addition to these winter festivities, this month sees us beginning preparations for our end-of-the-year program and graduation ceremony to be held next year. Students will begin working on their singing, dancing and dramatic performances in December, and hopefully can practice all vacation long.

Enjoy your Child!

--The Teachers at Stephanie's English Montessori

Monday, November 1, 2010

November Newsletter

Dear Parents,

This month we will be studying American history and culture, focusing on one of the country's most important holidays – Thanksgiving. Every November, American families gather together to celebrate and give thanks for all that they have. They also eat a lot of turkey and ham and fall asleep on the sofa. Here at SEM we will probably skip the turkey and the nap, but we will certainly not miss the chance to talk about what we're grateful for, and to try some of Mr. Brian's, Ms. Rebecca's and Ms. Stephanie's favorite recipes.

Our other topic for the month is U.S. history and culture. There's surely a lot to learn about this large and diverse nation, so we will focus on a general overview of the country's history, with some extra details added to the fun parts. We'll also learn about some of the states, cities, people and customs.

At home, take out a world map or atlas (or open Google Maps) and see how many places your child can identify, not just in America but all over the world. If you or anyone in your family has visited the USA, your child will be very interested to hear about those experiences. In fact, if you'd like to come by the school and share with everybody, we'd be happy to have you. Bring pictures or souvenirs!

Enjoy your child!

--The Teachers at Stephanie's English Montessori

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Taking Apart A Computer

We are learning about computers, so we took one apart and looked inside.

Some things we found inside the computer: fan, battery, cd player, plastic, metal, wires.

Some things we DIDN'T find inside the computer: fish, people's brains, paper, pictures, animals, numbers, letters, movies, music, pencils, erasers.






Monday, October 4, 2010

Friday is Quiz Day

Every Friday we take a quiz to review what we learned during the week. This was a really hard one.




Friday, October 1, 2010

October Newsletter

Dear Parents,

This month in Hope class we are going to continue with much of what we've been studying in September, as well as adding some lessons specific to the season. Summer is over and fall is here, so we'll be talking about the changes going on in the world around us. When we go outside we can observe the shifting colors of the leaves on the trees, and from inside the classroom we can see the reason for the season explained in terms of the Earth's orbit. Did you know that right now it's Spring in Australia? Well, it is, and we'll learn why.



October also brings one of everyone's favorite holidays, Halloween. As upperclassmen, the Hope kids will take a more active role in planning and preparing our Halloween celebrations, and of course their costumes will be the scariest and funniest of all.


Beyond that, we are continuing with our study of Math, English, Computer Science and The World. In Math class we have been practicing telling time and counting by 5's, two skills which we hope to refine and expand in October. More advanced students will also learn counting by 2's, 3's and other number patterns. Our use and study of English, as always, will proceed at each student's individual level. In Computer Science class we will learn how computers store pictures, letters and words using only numbers. And as we study The World we'll learn to identify all seven continents before turning our attention more closely to Asia, our home continent.

At home, please allow your child to teach you what he or she knows about what goes on inside your laptop or home PC. You can also ask questions like "What time is it now? What time will it be in one hour?" You might even let your little one help plan your day and keep you on schedule.

Enjoy your child!

--The Teachers at Stephanie's English Montessori

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Meet Hope Class!


Name: Tony
Favorite food: mango
Favorite animal: cobra



Name: Janice
Favorite food: watermelon
Favorite animal: cat



Name: Peter
Favorite food: ice cream
Favorite animal: dinosaur



Name: Juliet
Favorite food: oranges
Favorite animal: dinosaur



Name: Kathy
Favorite food: vegetables
Favorite animal: fox



Name: Julia
Favorite food: banana
Favorite animal: puppies and dogs



Name: Sophie
Favorite food: meat
Favorite animal: fox



Name: Jenn
Favorite food: broccoli
Favorite animal: fox




Name: Danny
Favorite food: chicken
Favorite animal: fox




Name: Lori
Favorite food: kimchi
Favorite animal: puppy



Name: Mike
Favorite food: carrots
Favorite animal: unicorn



Name: Frank
Favorite food: apples
Favorite animal: lion

Monday, September 6, 2010

Welcome!


Thanks for visiting. We just started yesterday so there's not a lot to report, but please check back as we plan to stay very busy!