Hello families,

We had another exciting week of discovery in our classroom as the children continued their exploration of simple machines.

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather on Monday, we brought our learning outdoors. As part of our investigation of wheels and axles, the children participated in a hands-on challenge. First, I asked one of the students if they could carry two classmates across the playground. As expected, it was quite difficult. Then we placed the two children inside a wagon and asked the same student to pull them. This time it was much easier. Through this simple but powerful demonstration, the children experienced firsthand how wheels and axles help move heavy objects more easily.

After observing the wagon in action, the children began noticing how wheels and axles appear in everyday life.

 Back in the classroom, they extended their thinking by designing and building their own examples using cardboard and other materials. Some children created small cars, while others designed tools such as pizza cutters and other rolling objects. Each design reflected the children’s creativity and growing understanding of how this simple machine works.

Our project documentation also continued this week as the children worked on the posters we are creating to represent our simple machines exploration. Each child drew an example of something that uses wheels and axles, helping them reflect on the concept and represent their thinking visually.

The children also recorded their ideas in their journals. Drawing and writing about their discoveries allows them to revisit their learning and deepen their understanding of the concepts we are exploring together.

This week we also participated in a lesson from the Multiplicity Lab, where the children carefully observed an image of a sewer cover and looked for patterns within the design. The children noticed repeating shapes, lines, and symmetrical forms, and each child shared different ideas about what they saw. It was interesting to see how many different patterns the children were able to find in the same image.

To extend the activity, the children were given a printed version of the image and invited to color the patterns that stood out to them. This encouraged them to look even more closely and notice details they might not have seen at first.

Activities like this help children develop careful observation, pattern recognition, and mathematical thinking while also encouraging them to notice patterns in the everyday world around them.

We also explored the inspiring work of artist Tyree Guyton by reading the book “Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art.” Through the story, the children learned how art can bring positive change to a community and how creativity can transform everyday spaces. Inspired by Guyton’s work, the children created their own mixed-media houses using recycled materials such as cardboard, bottle caps, popsicle sticks, and paint. Just like the artist, the children transformed simple materials into colorful and imaginative creations.

As always, storytelling continues to be a special part of our week. The children look forward to sharing their imaginative stories, and each week we are amazed by their creativity and confidence as they bring their ideas to life.

One of the highlights of our week was participating in the school’s celebration of Greek Independence Day on March 25th, which took place on Friday at the Des Plaines Theatre, bringing our entire school community together.

The celebration was truly beautiful, and it was wonderful to see students from all grades come together to honor this special day. Every class did a fantastic job, and the performances filled the theater with pride and excitement.

Our class proudly participated by singing a song and performing a traditional dance. I was incredibly proud of the children for their confidence and enthusiasm on stage. They did a wonderful job and represented our class beautifully.

The entire celebration was a great success, and it was such a joy to see the children share this meaningful experience together as a school community.

Weeks like this remind us how powerful learning can be when children are given the opportunity to explore, experiment, and share their ideas with others.

I look forward to another week of discovery together.

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello families,

We had a truly wonderful and exciting week in our classroom. Several generous gifts and donations helped transform part of our classroom and opened the door to many new creative possibilities for the children.

Our class also continued to have the special honor of leading the morning pledge this week. The children have been incredibly proud and excited to take on this responsibility, and it has been beautiful to see their confidence grow as they stand together and lead the school each morning.

The week began with a fun play date with our friends from Ms. Soraya’s and Mrs. Efi’s class. The children enjoyed reconnecting, playing together, and sharing joyful moments with friends. It was a wonderful way to start the week and set a happy tone that continued throughout the days that followed.

We would also like to say a huge thank you to the Lembesis family for the wonderful games they generously donated from our classroom wish list. The children were so excited to explore the new games and they quickly became favorites in our classroom.

We are also incredibly grateful to Ms. Ela, who donated a cardboard cutting machine that allows the children to safely cut cardboard and bring their ideas to life. In addition, our wonderful principal, Ms. Marianthi, generously surprised our class with another cardboard machine. Thanks to these thoughtful gifts, one area of our classroom has now been transformed into a creative workstation where the children can cut cardboard, experiment with structures, and assemble their designs. It has already become a space full of imagination, collaboration, and problem solving.

Our ramp exploration continued this week and naturally extended into a deeper investigation of levels and simple machines. The children were challenged to design and build their own ramps, seesaws, or any structure that explored levels using cardboard and other materials.

As they tested their ideas, many children adjusted the height and angles of their ramps and observed how these changes affected movement. The results were truly unique and incredibly creative, and I cannot wait to share their work with you during our upcoming conferences. I am so proud of the children and the thoughtful ideas they brought to this challenge.

One of the most rewarding parts of project-based learning is seeing children extend their discoveries during their free choice time. Throughout the week, many children continued experimenting with ramps and levels in their own playful ways, testing materials, balancing objects, and exploring movement. Moments like these show how deeply their thinking continues even beyond our planned activities.

In math, we worked with ten frames and measurement while continuing to strengthen our understanding of numbers. The children practiced recognizing numbers in different forms: writing the numeral, representing it with tally marks, showing it on a ten frame, and locating it on the number line. These experiences help children understand that numbers can be represented in many meaningful ways.

Our art explorations this week focused on lines. In one project, the children used pieces of cardboard dipped in paint to create long painted lines across the paper. This opened conversations about horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines, connecting art with mathematical thinking.

In another project, the children arranged colorful cardstock strips in any way they wished, again exploring vertical and horizontal lines, and then filled the white spaces with color to create vibrant and unique compositions.

We also feel very grateful that our school encourages collaboration between classrooms. These shared experiences bring so much joy to the children. This week, we visited Ms. Dimitra’s class, where the students shared the project they are currently working on.

On Friday, students from Mr. Joe’s class hosted a fun PE activity as part of their service work this year. These moments help strengthen the sense of community within our school.

Friday was also a very special day for our entire school as we participated in Plato 4 Kids 2026, our schools annual service event supporting childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. We are incredibly proud of all the students who chose to shave their heads in support of this important cause. We are especially proud of our classmate Darius, who bravely participated and helped raise $400 for the cause. It was a powerful moment of kindness, courage, and community.

As always, storytelling continues to be a special part of our week. The children look forward to sharing their imaginative stories, and each week we are amazed by their creativity and confidence as they bring their ideas to life.

Weeks like this remind us how powerful children’s ideas can be when they are given time, materials, and the freedom to explore.

I look forward to another week of discovery together.

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello families,

This week was a very special and joyful one in our classroom. What began as a simple conversation about the Lunar New Year quickly grew into something much bigger. The children’s curiosity and questions led us to dedicate the entire week to learning more about this beautiful celebration.

Through books and discussions, we explored Lunar New Year traditions and learned about how it is celebrated in countries such as China, Vietnam, and South Korea. We located these countries on the map and noticed how far they are from us.

The children were especially interested in the architecture of homes and buildings. We compared the shapes of roofs, colors, and styles with the homes we see in our own community. These conversations helped the children understand how culture and place influence the way people live.

We also talked about traditions and noticed many similarities with how we celebrate our own New Year. Families gather together, special foods are prepared, fireworks are used, and homes are decorated. We discussed how the New Year represents a fresh beginning for everyone, even if the traditions look different.

In our journals, the children wrote about the Year of the Horse and illustrated their ideas. This connected our cultural exploration with literacy.

We also continued working on sight words and practiced adding missing beginning sounds to complete simple words. The children are becoming more confident blending sounds and reading familiar words.

One of the most exciting discoveries this week was learning about Chinese calligraphy. The children were fascinated to see how characters are written with black ink and brushes, and how traditional writing can be arranged vertically.

As part of this exploration, we created a calligraphy-inspired framed artwork as a process art experience. Using black paint and brushes, the children carefully formed the character, focusing on their brush strokes and control. After the paint dried, they colored the background and turned their work into a framed piece. Through this project, the children experienced how writing can be both language and art.

We also learned to write the Chinese numbers from one to six. The children were amazed to see how differently numbers can look in another language.

As part of our creative work, we created a horse-shaped sun catcher. Under each horse, the children attached the Chinese character for blessing, connecting art with culture and meaning.

Mathematical thinking continued throughout the week during small group games and number activities. We practiced counting, number recognition, and combining quantities in playful ways.

Ramp Exploration

Our ongoing ramp exploration continues in the classroom, with the children making new discoveries as they build, test, and adjust their ramps. They explored height, balance, and movement, noticing how small changes in angle can change how objects travel.

Storytelling remains an important part of our week. Two classmates shared especially imaginative and detailed stories, and we are so proud of their confidence and creativity.

This week, our class led the morning pledge. Our first students did an amazing job and showed so much confidence. The most wonderful part was what happened after they finished, many of their classmates came forward to cheer for them and tell them how proud they were. It was a beautiful moment that showed how supportive and connected our classroom community truly is.

On Thursday, we participated in Jumpstart for Young Children’s Read for the Record, the world’s largest shared reading experience. This national initiative brings millions of children and adults together to read the same book on the same day and raises awareness about the importance of early literacy.

We read See Marcus Grow by Marcus Bridgewater. After reading, each child created an individual drawing inspired by the story, and we also completed two collaborative paintings together as a class.

Throughout the week, the children showed curiosity, respect, and excitement as they explored a culture beyond their own. It was a meaningful week of learning, comparison, creativity, and connection.

I look forward to another week of discovery together.

Love,

Ms. Yana