A Week Full of Joy and Learning!

1 hour ago

4 min read

Dear Parents,

We’re excited to share our weekly highlights with you! Take a look at our little learners’ fun activities, discoveries, and special moments from this week. Happy New Year to everyone who celebrated! We wish you a joyful and wonderful year ahead!

Happy Birthday Nate!

Large group

During our Large Group session, all the classes came together and made a big circle while holding hands. We began our morning by singing our cheerful Good Morning Song, creating a happy and welcoming atmosphere. After the song, we read “Clifford’s First Day of School.” The students listened calmly and attentively to the story. They stayed focused and enjoyed sharing their ideas, thoughts, and feelings related to the book. We then talked about the days of the week, discussed the weather, and took attendance. Each student placed their picture on the happy face as part of our morning routine. For our Message Board, we discussed the importance of doing personal tasks independently and taking responsibility for things they can do by themselves. Encouraging independence helps the students feel confident, comfortable, and proud of their abilities. Large Group is an important part of our day because it helps us begin our morning together in a calm, positive, and joyful way.

Small group activities

Math

In our Math session, we practiced counting different items from our classroom. We provided a variety of colorful materials, including different colored counting bears, blocks, and pom-poms. Each student chose different amounts of materials and counted them one by one. The teacher visited each child’s area, encouraged them, and counted the items together with them. It was a very active, cooperative, and communicative activity. All the students listened attentively and participated very well. We finished our Math session by singing the “Let’s Count 1 to 10” song together. It was a fun and enjoyable way to end our counting activity!

Gymnastics

In our gymnastics session, we started by warming up our bodies. The children stretched their legs and bodies and practiced walking, jogging, and running around the classroom. After a fun and energetic warm-up, we continued with our planned activities. For our first activity, the children worked in pairs. Each pair was given two balls, and they crawled toward the balls to see who could reach and collect one first. The children enjoyed the challenge and did an amazing job! Next, we played a fun hopping game. The children hopped toward the balls and tried to be the first to reach and collect one. This peer-to-peer activity encouraged the children to interact, take turns, and develop their teamwork and social skills. Finally, we used ten chairs and tied ropes between them to create a fun crawling course. The children crawled underneath the ropes using their tummies and challenged themselves to complete the course. Everyone participated with excitement and great effort. It was a fun, active, and engaging gymnastics session. All the children did an amazing job, and we are very proud of them!

Music

In our Music Session, we played a fun musical game with our students! First, we discussed the rules of the game together inside the classroom. Then, we went outside and arranged chairs for all the students. We played some music through the speakers while the children danced and moved around the chairs. When the music stopped, the students quickly ran to find a chair and sit down. At first, some students needed a little time to understand the rules, but after a few rounds, they got the idea and played very well! Everyone had a wonderful time dancing, moving, and enjoying the music together. It was a fun and exciting session!

Ethiopian center

In our Ethiopian Center session, we gathered with our students and discussed what the Ethiopian Center is and what we can do there. We listened to their ideas and then gave them choices about the activities they wanted to explore. Some students enjoyed dressing up in traditional Ethiopian cultural clothes, while others explored musical instruments or participated in making pretend coffee. The students patiently waited for their turns and enjoyed taking part in each activity. We then gathered in a circle for pretend play, where we talked about traditional Ethiopian foods such as Kitfo and pretended to share a meal together. To finish our session, we played different Ethiopian cultural songs and danced together. It was a fun and meaningful experience! All the students were happy, engaged, and excited to explore Ethiopian culture together. We truly enjoyed seeing their smiles and enthusiasm!

Library

In our library session, we took our students to the library and reminded them of some important library rules before they began exploring the books. One by one, the students chose their favorite books, sat down, and started exploring. They enjoyed turning the pages, looking at the pictures, and reading and sharing books with their friends. After exploring the books, students took turns choosing a book to take home. They were very engaged, happy, and excited throughout the session. It was a wonderful time filled with exploration, sharing, and a love for books!

Art

During our Art Session, our students had a wonderful time creating special New Year cards for their parents. We first talked about the Ethiopian New Year and shared that we will be celebrating 2019. The students then chose their favorite colors, dipped wooden numbers into paint, and stamped them onto their cards. They added glitter to make their cards sparkle and decorated them using different materials. The activity went really well! All the students had a chance to be creative, and they did a wonderful job. They were so excited and proud to show their beautiful New Year cards to their parents.