Hello families,

This week, our classroom continued to be filled with creativity, excitement, joyful discoveries, and meaningful conversations as the children explored ideas through building, art, science, and nature.

Our building exploration continued this week with a large-scale building provocation inspired by the children’s growing interest in tall buildings and skyscrapers. What began as an invitation to build “big buildings” quickly turned into an exciting collaborative experience full of laughter, problem-solving, and teamwork. The children challenged themselves to build towers taller than themselves, taller than their teacher, and eventually wondered if their buildings could reach all the way to the ceiling.

The excitement during this exploration filled the entire classroom. Every time the children successfully added another box and watched their building grow taller, cheers and excited voices could be heard all around the room. When the towers came crashing down, the children burst into laughter and immediately began building again. It was wonderful to watch them work together, test their ideas, and keep trying again and again.

We were also very excited to welcome families into our classroom to admire the cardboard city the children created during last week’s exploration. The children proudly shared their work and were so happy to see others enjoying the city they worked so hard to create together.

As part of our ongoing exploration of famous artists, the children were introduced to the work of Claude Monet and his beautiful water lily paintings. A sensory invitation inspired by Monet’s lily ponds remained open in the classroom throughout the week. The sensory bin was filled with blue paper, large blue glass beads, lily flowers, and small goldfish, creating a peaceful and imaginative space for exploration and play. As the children explored the materials, we talked about water lilies, ponds, and what Monet may have been thinking about while creating his paintings.

The children also explored flowers through art and experimentation. Using real flowers, they created beautiful flower prints while carefully observing the shapes, textures, and details they noticed.

 In another hands-on science experiment, the children colored paper flowers, folded the petals closed, and gently placed them into water. With great excitement and curiosity, the children watched as the flowers slowly unfolded. Together, we shared predictions and ideas about why the petals opened once they touched the water.

Later in the week, the children revisited the Water Lilies canvas displayed in our classroom and asked if they could create their own versions. Some children carefully recreated details they noticed in the artwork, while others created their own water lily ponds inspired by the paintings. Using watercolors, the children painted soft blue backgrounds to represent water, then added lily pads and tissue-paper flowers to create their own beautiful water-lily ponds.

We also had the opportunity to closely observe one of the flowers we used during our art explorations. Using magnifying glasses, the children carefully examined the petals, pollen, textures, and tiny details they discovered inside the flower. The children were fascinated by all the small details they could see up close and asked many thoughtful questions during the observation.

This week, we also had the joy of spending time with the baby chicks from Ms. Ela’s classroom for the day. The children were filled with excitement as they helped “babysit” the chicks, carefully observing them and enjoying the opportunity to have them in our classroom. It was a very special experience that brought so much happiness and curiosity into our day.

During our math exploration, the children continued engaging with favorite math games.

We also participated in another thoughtful observation experience from Multiplicity Lab. Together, we carefully studied an image filled with different buildings and discussed ways we might organize or group them. The children shared ideas about what made certain buildings similar or different and practiced comparing, categorizing, and observing details together.

One of the most exciting moments of our week was completing our butterfly life cycle study. Over the past several weeks, the children carefully observed the transformation from caterpillar, to chrysalis, and finally to butterfly. The children eagerly checked on them each day and loved sharing their observations and theories throughout the process.

On Friday, we celebrated the final stage of the journey by releasing the butterflies outside together. The children were filled with joy and excitement as they watched the butterflies fly away.

To reflect on our learning, the children also created butterfly life cycle artwork, helping us revisit and celebrate this special exploration.

We were also very happy to welcome the librarian back to our school for another special visit. The children enjoyed listening to stories, singing songs together, and participating in interactive activities that brought so much joy and excitement to our day.

With the beautiful weather this week, we spent extra time outdoors enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. The children especially loved having snack together outside in the school yard.

Throughout the week, our classroom continued to be filled with kindness, creativity, collaboration, and joyful learning experiences. Whether building tall structures, observing butterflies, exploring flowers, or creating artwork inspired by famous artists, the children continued to amaze me with their excitement for learning and their wonderful imaginations.

I look forward to another wonderful week together!

Love,

Ms. Yana

Hello families,

This week, our classroom was overflowing with love, creativity, and meaningful conversations as we spent much of our time preparing special surprises for Mother’s Day. The children were beyond excited to create thoughtful gifts for their moms, and throughout the week, it was beautiful to witness the care and love they poured into every detail.

We began the week with a special process art experience. The children used watercolors to paint pages from newspapers, exploring how the colors spread, blended, and transformed the paper.

.After allowing the pages to dry, the children returned to their work the following day, tearing the colorful paper into small pieces and carefully creating collages with them. As they worked, the classroom was filled with sweet conversations about their mothers. The children talked about their moms’ favorite colors, the things they love to do together, and how excited they were to bring their creations home. It was such a joyful experience to listen to the love and admiration they shared so naturally with one another.

As we continued creating Mother’s Day cards and gifts throughout the week, these loving conversations continued as well. The children proudly shared, “My mom is the best!” over and over again, each one eager to tell stories and special memories about their families. Our classroom truly overflowed with warmth and appreciation for the wonderful mothers in our lives.

This week, we also celebrated Cinco de Mayo with music, movement, and art. We began our celebration with dancing and joyful energy, and later connected our learning to our artist study. This week, the children were introduced to Frida Kahlo and explored her unique style of portraiture and self-expression. Inspired by her artwork, the children created their own beautiful portraits, carefully observing details and expressing themselves through color and creativity.

Our exploration of buildings continued this week as we shifted our focus to bridges. Through discussions, books, and photographs, the children discovered that bridges come in many different forms and serve important purposes in our communities. We explored how bridges connect places, help people travel, and are designed in unique ways depending on their structure and environment.

The children were then invited into a hands-on bridge-building experience, where they worked collaboratively to design and create their own bridges using a variety of materials. It was wonderful to watch their creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork come to life throughout the experience.

Another exciting experience this week was our visit to Miss Beth’s classroom. The children had the opportunity to learn about the National Parks project being explored by the older students. The older children proudly shared their ideas, knowledge, and discoveries, and our students listened with so much curiosity and excitement. These moments are such a special part of our school community. There is something truly meaningful about children learning from one another, building connections across classrooms, and feeling inspired by the work of older peers. Experiences like these remind us how powerful collaborative learning can be.

We also explored a fun and collaborative city-building art experience this week. Large butcher paper was rolled out across the floor, and the children were invited to create their own skyscraper city using LEGO blocks as stamps. Dipping the blocks into paint, the children pressed colorful shapes and patterns onto the paper, slowly building a vibrant city filled with tall buildings and unique designs. The project combined art, architecture, and imaginative thinking, while also encouraging teamwork and creative exploration.

Throughout the week, our classroom was filled with kindness, collaboration, creativity, and meaningful conversations. Whether building bridges, creating art, or speaking lovingly about their families, the children continued to inspire me with their imagination and their big hearts.

I look forward to another wonderful week together.

Love,

Ms. Yana

Hello families,

This week, our exploration of buildings continued as we focused on a new question: What is the purpose of a building?

Through conversations and images, the children explored how buildings can serve different roles in our community. We looked at homes, hospitals, churches, and stores, and talked about how each building is designed with a purpose.

The children were then invited to build their own structure with a purpose in mind. What started as an individual idea quickly turned into something even more meaningful, as we decided to create our own city together.

Using cardboard boxes as their main material, the children worked as builders and designers, creating unique structures and thinking carefully about their features. Some even extended their ideas to include the inside of their buildings. The results were truly amazing, and it has been so exciting to see how this project continues to grow each day.

This week also connected beautifully with our Multiplicity Lab experience. The children explored an image related to buildings and shared their own perspectives, noticing patterns and making predictions. It was a great opportunity to see how each child thinks differently and how we can find math in the world around us through patterns, shapes, and design.

We also brought this thinking into hands-on math experiences. The children built structures and explored how to measure them using connecting cubes and links, comparing height and width in a meaningful way.

 In another playful activity, they rolled, matched, and collected items, then counted and combined them, building early number understanding through play.

In our literacy centers, the children practiced building simple three-letter words, clapping syllables, and matching uppercase and lowercase letters. These activities continue to support their growing confidence with language in a fun and engaging way.

We also continued learning about famous artists, focusing this week on Claude Monet. The children explored his water lilies and talked about how he used color and nature in his work.

The children were then invited to create their own special “Monet paint” using shaving cream and food coloring. Using the back of their brushes, they carefully mixed the colors into the shaving cream, noticing how the colors blended while still leaving some white areas visible. This process was exciting and engaging, as they experimented with how much to mix and how the colors would change.

Once their paint was ready, the children used their brushes to transfer their textured paint onto paper. As they worked, they strengthened their fine motor skills while exploring a new way of painting and expressing their ideas through color and texture.

With great joy and excitement, we were surprised to hear during our morning announcements that it was Storytelling Day. We couldn’t let this special moment pass, especially because storytelling is something we truly love and explore often in our classroom.

Instead of having just one storyteller, we decided to celebrate by creating a story all together. One child began the story, and then, one by one, each child added their own part, building on each other’s ideas. It was beautiful to see how every child contributed, listening carefully, thinking creatively, and adding their own unique voice to the story.

The story grew into something imaginative and full of surprises, with many twists along the way. It included everything from wild and gentle animals to parties and even weddings. The children were so engaged and proud of what they created together, and then excitedly acted it out together, bringing their shared story to life.

We ended our week with a fun and sensory art experience, painting with our hands. The children explored color mixing, created handprints, and even used their fingers to draw and write in the paint. It was a beautiful way to end a week full of creativity and exploration.

Throughout the week, the classroom was filled with collaboration, creativity, and excitement for learning.

I look forward to another week together.

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello families,

This week, our exploration of buildings continued to grow in exciting and meaningful ways as the children deepened their understanding of what makes each building unique.

We began the week by stepping outside for a walk around our school community. As we observed the buildings around us, the children were invited to look closely and notice their features. We talked about how, just like people have characteristics that make them special and recognizable, buildings also have features that help them stand out. The children were excited to point out doors, windows, shapes, and different styles, comparing our school building to others nearby and sharing what made each one different.

Back in the classroom, the children were invited to extend this thinking through a hands-on project. Using a variety of materials such as paper, fabric, buttons, and other collage items, they worked on representing the exterior of a building, thoughtfully adding features to bring their ideas to life. It was wonderful to see how each child made choices and thought about the details they wanted to include.

Our exploration continued as we shifted our focus from the outside of buildings to what we might find inside. We took a walk through our school, observing the interior spaces and noticing the many features within. The children identified classrooms, hallways, stairs, doors, windows, the kitchen, and the bathroom, building new vocabulary and making connections to their everyday experiences. Following this experience, the children were invited to draw the interior of a building, focusing on the details they observed such as rooms, stairs, and different spaces.

The children also continued working in their journals, where they drew and wrote about their buildings, describing the features they included and sharing their ideas.

In our literacy work, the children enjoyed playing a board game that invited them to practice early reading skills. As they rolled the dice and moved along the board, they named the beginning sounds of different images, practicing their listening and sound recognition in a fun and engaging way.

We also continued exploring the work of Henri Matisse, looking more closely at one of his well-known paintings, The Goldfish. The children observed the colors and shapes in the artwork and shared what they noticed. We talked about how Matisse used strong colors and simple shapes in his work. Inspired by his style, the children created their own artwork, exploring color, shape, and different ways to express their ideas.

This week, we also took time to celebrate Earth Day through meaningful conversations and creative expression. We read stories and talked about how we can take care of our Earth. The children explored this idea by comparing a “happy Earth” and a “sad Earth.” They added different types of everyday waste to the “sad Earth,” helping them understand how pollution affects our planet.

We also went outside and worked together to clean up around our school. The children helped pick up litter and were proud to take care of their environment. This experience gave them a meaningful way to connect their learning to real life and showed how even small actions can make a difference.

As part of this exploration, the children also created their own Earth artwork. They painted paper plates using blue and green, then placed them onto a dark background. Using brushes, they splattered paint to create stars, turning the background into a night sky. The children really enjoyed this process, and it became one of the highlights of our week.

To celebrate Arbor Day, and building on our ongoing study of trees, we revisited our special classroom tree. Since the beginning of the school year, we have been observing this tree to notice how it changes throughout the seasons. This time, the children were excited and surprised to see small new leaves growing on the branches. They carefully observed these changes and then drew what they saw.

As part of our weekly routine, we also continued bringing stories to life through act-out experiences, something the children always enjoy. These moments allow them to express themselves, work together, and connect more deeply with stories.

The children enjoyed participating in the service project organized by the 103 and 106 classrooms, “Save the Bees,” and were excited to create their own craft. Thank you to all the families for your generous donations and support.

Throughout the week, the classroom continued to be a space full of curiosity, creativity, and meaningful learning.

I look forward to another week of learning together.

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello families,

This week, our classroom was filled with new ideas, questions, and creativity as we began our exploration of buildings.

We started by sharing our thoughts and wondering together. What makes a building strong? What helps it stand tall? The children were introduced to new vocabulary, and we discussed materials and how buildings are built.

As part of our exploration, we introduced a new word, blueprints. The children were invited to create their own blueprints using blue paper and white crayons. They carefully drew their ideas, thinking about the buildings they would like to create. We will continue this work next week as the children begin to bring their plans to life.

The children then worked in small groups and were invited to predict which materials could build the tallest structure. They had so much fun building, testing, and trying again. It was wonderful to see their excitement as they worked together, problem-solved, and kept adjusting their structures.

Our exploration continued as the children used different shapes and sizes to create their own towns. They cut shapes and arranged them to represent buildings and spaces. Through this experience, they connected math and art, exploring size, shape, and how things fit together in space.

We also continued learning about famous artists, and this week we focused on Henri Matisse. The children observed his work and noticed his unique style. We talked about how, later in his life, when he was not feeling well and had to stay in bed, he found a new way to create art by cutting shapes instead of painting. The children found this very interesting and inspiring.

Inspired by this idea of “drawing with scissors,” they created their own artwork by cutting shapes freely and placing them on a black background.

The children also spent time painting, freely expressing their ideas using brushes and color. This open-ended experience allows them to explore, create, and share their thinking in their own way.

This week we also looked at an image from the Multiplicity Lab and spent time carefully observing it together. We talked about what we see. The children noticed a circle with lines coming from the center and going outward.

We observed how these lines divide the circle into equal parts, like cutting a pizza. We also noticed how the same shapes repeat around the circle, creating a pattern.

We asked simple questions: What do you notice? What is the same? This helped the children begin to notice patterns and think more carefully about shapes and space.

The children also worked in their journals, where they drew and wrote about what kinds of buildings they would like to learn more about.

We also celebrated Ivana’s birthday. We had a wonderful time dancing together and celebrating as a class. Ivana shared her story, and the children joyfully participated as we brought it to life together.

Even in the small moments, the classroom was full of curiosity, creativity, and meaningful learning.

I look forward to another week together

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello families,

This week was a very special and exciting one for our class. Even though it was a shorter week, we had two wonderful field trips that filled our days with joy, new experiences, and meaningful learning.

We began the week with our field trip to the farm. The children were thrilled to explore the space and see the animals up close. They had the opportunity to pet chicks and bunnies, and they were especially excited to be inside the barn where the animals were freely moving around them. Being so close to the animals made the experience truly unique. The children gently touched them, observed their movements, and shared many joyful moments together. It was a very special day, and the children returned to school happy and full of stories to share.

Back in the classroom, we continued with some fun Easter-themed art activities. In one project, the children created their own Easter baskets. Using two paper plates, we formed a basket shape that the children painted and decorated. They then colored paper eggs, carefully creating patterns on each one, and placed them inside their baskets. The children carefully decorated their baskets and filled them with patterned eggs, creating a sweet Easter-themed project.

We also created another cute Easter craft. The children used a fork-painting technique to create fluffy chicks. For the background, we stamped circles using cups, adding texture and color. Then we added crumpled paper pieces to look like cracked eggshells, gluing them on the top, so the chicks appeared to be hatching from inside the eggs. The children really enjoyed this process, and the project turned out very cute!

Another highlight of our week was our second field trip to the theater, where we watched the play Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. The children were fully engaged and laughed throughout the performance. Live theater always creates such meaningful shared experiences, and it was wonderful to see their excitement and reactions during the show.

As always, storytelling continues to bring special moments to our classroom. The children enjoy listening, imagining, and acting out ideas together, and these shared experiences continue to strengthen their creativity and collaboration.

Even in a short week, we shared many joyful moments, explored new experiences, and created lasting memories together.

I look forward to another week of discovery together.

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello families,

We had a short but joyful week back in our classroom, and it felt so nice to be together again after Spring Break.

We began the week by sharing our Spring Break experiences. The children were excited to talk about their time away.Some traveled, others spent relaxing days at home with their families, and many enjoyed the beautiful weather here in Chicago. It was wonderful to hear their stories and reconnect as a classroom community.

Our exploration of simple machines continued this week as we focused on wedges. The children looked for examples of wedges in their everyday environment and began to understand how this simple machine helps us cut and separate materials. Through a hands-on activity, the children used playdough to create small “loaves of bread” and explored how a wedge works by cutting them. This simple experience helped them clearly see how a wedge can make a task easier.

We also had a very fun and playful moment this week as part of April Fools’ Day. After gym, the children returned to the classroom to find that all the chairs had mysteriously disappeared! As they looked around, wondering where to sit, I encouraged them to “sit on the chairs,” which made the moment even more amusing. Their reactions were so sweet, and we shared lots of laughter together.

In math, the children engaged in games such as board games and card games, strengthening their number sense, turn-taking, and problem-solving skills through play.

We were also very happy to welcome Ms. Georgia DeClark back to our classroom. She shared thoughtful and engaging experiences that encouraged the children to explore, think more deeply, and approach learning in different ways. Through her work, the children were invited to learn through play, creativity, and hands-on exploration.

This week we also began a new exploration of famous artists, which we will continue throughout the rest of the school year. We started by learning about Georgia O’Keeffe, observing her work and discussing her unique way of seeing and representing the world.

In one of our projects, the children created large-scale flowers, filling their entire paper with bold shapes inspired by her style. We talked about shades and how colors can change and blend. Through these projects, the children explored new techniques and experimented with color, scale, and detail.

We also created a special Easter art project. The children made a bunny using a bubble wrap printing technique, stamping paint to create texture. They then added details such as the nose and whiskers, bringing their creations to life.

The children also reflected on their Spring Break experiences in their journals, drawing and writing about what they did.

Storytelling brought a particularly special moment this week. We explored a story with only one main character, and I was curious to see how the children would respond during our act-out time. As always, they surprised me. One child suggested, “I can be the tree,” while others added, “We can be the house.” What began as a story with a single character quickly transformed into a full classroom experience, with every child contributing in their own way. It was a beautiful moment of creativity, collaboration, and imagination.

Even in a shorter week, the children filled our classroom with curiosity, laughter, and meaningful learning experiences.

I look forward to another week of discovery together!

Love,

Ms. Yana

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