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#BetterTogether Month in Review | |
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Celebrating Hispanic
Heritage
Month
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Attendance Matters
Together we are aiming for our goal - 98% Attendance!
Being on time for school is the best way for your child to start their day. When you child arrives before 8am there is a domino of positivity. They eat breakfast. Participate in community circle. Limit classroom distractions. And, learn more!
Tardy's have become an issue. On a daily basis 10% of students arrive late. Starting Monday, if you arrive after 8am families will need to park, walk student(s) to the office, and sign them in late.
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Visitors from El Paso ISD
Prestonwood hosted special visitors all the way from El Paso, TX as they prepare to open their second public Montessori School. They were impressed by our positive culture, student leaders, and implementation of Montessori in the public setting.
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The Garden Harvesting & Learning
This season we've enjoyed:
- Watermelon
- Zucchini
- Green Beans
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Peppermint
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Parent Teacher Conferences
Thank you to those who have already signed up for a conference. If you still need to sign up find your child's guide below and click their link.
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On Thursday, October 27 your invited to optional in-person conferences. No sign up needed.
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4:00 - 6:00 pm Specials teachers Conferences. Specials teachers will be in booths in the library and welcome parents for brief 1:1 conferences.
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5:00pm Dyslexia Parent Session: For parents of children in dyslexia and parents who have questions.
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5:30pm Sibling Applications 2023 - 2024. Join Principal Toole to learn more about the sibling application process.
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4:00 - 6:00 pm Lost & Found Retrieval. All items in our lost and found will be displayed for families to reclaim missing items.
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Primary Guide
Parent Teacher Conference Sign Up
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Lower Elementary Guide
Parent Teacher Conference Sign Up
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Next Week: October 24 - 28
Prestonwood Pups are invited to stand against drugs and commit to a healthy lifestyle! Students are encouraged to participate and bring awareness to a drug free life.
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Book Character Day &
Trunk or Treat
October 28th
Book Character Day
We are celebrated our favorite books and the characters we love. Bring a copy of your favorite book to share with the class. Optionally, students are welcome to come to school dressed as their favorite character. Looking forward to a day of reading!
Trunk or Treat
Students and families are invited back to campus for a Trunk or Treat and an outdoor movie.
Event: ED Walker Parking Lot
Parking: PWM Parking Lot
Connect with your class Room Mom if you have questions.
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Do you know families interested applying for the 2023 - 2024 school year?
Share the link to sign up: https://bit.ly/3eb7dgX
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Lost & Found
We want you and your children to enjoy and use the jackets, sweaters and water bottles. Often these items are misplaced or left behind. When there is no label it's nearly impossible to return and instead collects dust in the lost and found.
Please label all jackets, sweaters, hats, gloves, water bottles, and more.
There will be a Lost & Found Retrieval Station Thursday, October 27th at Parent Teacher Conferences.
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Looking for more after school enrichment? It's here! | |
We heard your feedback. Our community desires more after school enrichment and we are so thrilled to continue adding opportunities as we grow. We are balancing the needs of our space and personnel with our desire to expand the types of after school activities offered so stay tuned for more info to come!
All activities at PWM partner with Champions Aftercare, students can be picked up directly from clubs or go to Champions.
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Montessori Material: Bead Cabinet | |
The Bead Cabinet is a Montessori material that spans all grade levels - Primary, Lower Elementary, to Upper Elementary. The Bead Cabinet is a wonderful example of the spiral curriculum that Montessori philosophy centers around.
Watch this video to see how the Bead Cabinet is used your child's classroom and across Prestonwood.
Click Here: https://vimeo.com/761519460
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What is in the Bead Cabinet?
The Bead Cabinet contains square chains and cubing chains for numbers 1-10. The beads, chains, and cubes are color coded to match each number. For example, the square 5 chain is light blue and the color bead bar for 5 is light blue. The cabinet also has the physical representation of a square of each number (ex. 5^2). And, the physical representation of the cube of each number (ex. 5^3).
How is the Bead Cabinet used in class?
Children are introduced to the Bead Cabinet in Primary as a sensorial experience for skip counting, squaring, and cubing.
In Lower Elementary, the children use both the short and long chains. And, the sensorial experience is further reinforced by recording their work in journals. Students use the chains for:
- linear counting practice
- skip counting practice
- discovery of the square and cube of each number
They record the numbers as they go, and record the equations for the square and cube.
As students progress in Lower Elementary and into Upper Elementary, the Bead Cabinet is referenced for algebraic polynomials and geometric areas.
Please enjoy the video to discover more about the Bead Cabinet and see the work in action!
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRIMARY GUIDES | |
The first nine weeks of school are over, can you believe it?! Primary children have normalized in the Montessori classroom. Now that our classrooms have a strong community and routine, students are diving into the Montessori materials. | |
Language Studies
What are we learning?
- Building letter sound knowledge
- Spelling words
- Practicing writing skills
What Materials are used?
- Sandpaper letters
- Metal insets
- Moveable alphabet
Some of our kindergartners are writing stories with the moveable alphabet!
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Math Studies
What are we learning?
- Number recognition
- Counting
What materials are used?
Older children who mastered number recognition and counting are now working on more challenging works. They are using the bead cabinet to practice static and dynamic addition/subtraction.
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Cultural Studies
What are we learning?
- Parts of plants and animals such as: tree, root, fish, and frog.
What materials are used?
- PWM's School Garden
- Puzzles
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Along with learning in the classroom, kindergarteners met Ms. Jessi, our school counselor. The children spent time with her and learned how she can help during the school day for brain breaks or calming moments. | | |
Last week, Ms. Raga, a primary guide, returned from family leave. She was welcomed back into the classroom with open arms and big smiles! We are so glad to have her back at Prestonwood! | | |
You can help propel your child's learning with conversations at home!
Encourage them to come to school excited and seek a new lesson or experience. Talk with your child at home about their work using questions such as:
- Tell me about this work?
- What was a challenging work, what was challenging about it?
- What works did you enjoy the most, why did you like doing it?
- What are you thinking of working on next?
Need help getting the conversation started? Check out ClassDojo, your child's guide posts weekly about work happening in the classroom. Having these conversations at home will help solidify learning happening and school. And, foster an enjoyable learning experience at home and school!
As always, thank you for your continued support in the primary hallway! Please reach out to your child’s primary guide with any questions or concerns.
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MESSAGE FROM THE LOWER ELEMENTARY GUIDES | |
In Lower Elementary, we finished the first quarter strong. Students completed many lessons, challenging follow ups, and creative displays of knowledge. All students have completed work in:
- Reading comprehension using SRAs
- Continent map studies
- Botany and zoology
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In the first quarter, First Levels focused on reviewing the literacy skills needed to begin more complex works. They will continue practicing manipulating sounds and letters to increase reading fluency.
In math, students used golden beads, stamp game, and snake game to add and subtract multi-digit numerals. They will continue to become fluent in addition and subtraction facts and solve more complex equations in the quarter 2.
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Second Levels reviewed the lessons taught last year. This year students engaged with the lessons at a higher level of thinking. In their work Second Levels move beyond remembering to applying, analyzing, and evaluating their knowledge.
Lesson and work included:
- writing phrases and sentences with nouns, articles, adjectives, and verbs
- Identifying different types of nouns
- describing when to use indefinite and definite articles
- interchanging adjectives to change the meaning
- addition and subtraction using golden beads, stamp game, snake game
In the second quarter, students will continue to become more fluent in addition and subtraction facts. They will also work on multiplication with the golden beads and stamp game.
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Third levels reviewed the fundamentals of grammar - nouns, articles, adjectives, and verbs. Now, we are building on a strong foundation. Students are practicing writing more complex for different purposes.
In math, third graders are continuing to work on addition and subtraction fluency. They were introduced to multiplication with the checkerboard, stamp game, and bead board. By the end of quarter 2, third graders will be solving complex multiplication equations with various materials and be introduced to division.
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The Montessori Work Cycle
The Montessori Work Cycle is a 3-hour time period of intense, independent immersion in work. The work time begins at 8am. To limit learning lost lost, please make sure your child is present before 8am if they plan to eat breakfast.
During the first 9 weeks, all children normalized to the Montessori classroom. Students received many lessons. They experienced the materials. And, engaged in the work cycle with daily guidance.
As the school year progresses, rigor is increasing and expectations are rising. As we enter the second 9 weeks we expect students to be self-directed in the work cycle. Students should be following their work plan, working with care, and finishing work to completion. To meet grade level expectations and propel their learning children must engage in multiple works each day. Please reinforce these conversations at home and discuss the importance of completing work.
The work cycle is a key component of Montessori curriculum -- click here if you're interested in learning more about the 3-hour work cycle.
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Montessori Parent Education & PTO Meeting
Date: November 1st
Location: PWM/EDW Library
6:30 - 7:00 pm
Becoming a Montessori Observer
Are you interested in visiting a Montessori Classroom? Join us and learn how to observe with curiosity. Hosted by the Montessori Stewardship Committee.
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Our next PTO meeting to continue to shape what the year becomes.
Need child care? Sign up here by October 27th.
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Give Backs
One way that the PTO attempts to fundraise without asking parents to donate directly to the PTO is by restaurant givebacks. These are win, win because people get good food and the restaurant gives back a portion of the proceeds to the PTO.
Save the date for these upcoming give backs!
- Krispy Kreme Online, 10/14-11/14
- Chick fil A, 10/18 5-7p, 14897 Preston Road
- Panda Express, 11/8 all day, online and all locations
- Kendra Scott, Preston Center Mom’s Night Out, 11/9 5-8
- Fajita Pete’s, Preston Forest, 12/13 12-8p
- Boston Market, Forest and 75, 12/15 12-8
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Missing Newsletters?
Check out the PTO website if you're missing any newsletters. You'll find all newsletters as well as useful information about merchandise, our teachers and more!
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PRESTONWOOD MONTESSORI & WALKER CALENDAR | |
Prestonwood Montessori at E.D. Walker
dallasisd.org/walkermontessori
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