Week 1 and 2

Dear Parents,
We are delighted to welcome you to our first official Montessori post!
It is wonderful to see that our returning students have been stepping into their roles as positive role models, while our new students are gradually settling in. Occasional morning tears are becoming rare, and we sincerely thank you for your support in helping your children adjust.

As you may know, when the children enter the classroom, they are free to choose any work from the shelves. In this post, we will not be highlighting individual learning experiences but will instead share some general insights into what we do in the classroom.

New students are receiving presentations primarily in Practical Life and Sensorial activities, while returning students are building on their foundation and refining skills in other areas. The children have been enjoying singing, listening to stories, and participating in Grace and Courtesy lessons. Grace and Courtesy is a vital and ongoing part of our Montessori environment, with many presentations given regularly.

A few of these include:
Stopping when they hear the chime or bell
Tucking in their chair when leaving the table
Learning how to carry a chair
Remembering that running is for the playground, while in the classroom we walk with “quiet feet”
Rolling a mat and walking around it
Asking for help using an indoor voice
Learning how to line up

In celebration of Indonesian Independence Day, our full day students were introduced to the traditional games ‘Cublak-Cublak Suweng’ and the all time favourite ‘Makan Krupuk.’ They also joined Primary and Secondary students in fun games on the soccer field.

We have also embarked on a new unit of inquiry: All About Me. Through this, the children are beginning to understand that everyone is different and that those differences are what make each of us special. The cooking activity involved the full day students making their own ‘pancake face’ which they all got to enjoy eating of course!

Finally, the children participated in an important fire drill. They walked calmly to the designated assembly point, joining the rest of the school in practicing this essential safety procedure.

Year 1 learning covered – Week 1 and 2

What is special about you
We had a special time getting to know each other and to familiarise ourselves with the Year 1 learning environment.
Each child got to share something special about themselves. We read the book ‘I’m special, I’m Me’.

Phonics – Learning Objectives: -To know the name of each letter in the English alphabet and the most common sound (phoneme) associated with it.
-To identify sounds represented by more than one letter /sh/, /ch/
-To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading CVC words and adjacent vowel / consonant words using sounds covered.

Language / Literacy – Reading.
Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words.

Language / Literacy – Rhyming.
We explored the end sound in words through various games: Matching cards to a word, to pair rhyming word cards and Rhyming bingo cards. We also had fun listening to Nursery rhymes that have words which rhyme.

Language / Literacy- Holiday news
The children have used their phonic knowledge to write words and / or simple sentences. They all shared a special event they did during their holiday break.

Maths
2D shapes
The children have learned and revised the names of 2D shapes. We explored the particular properties or characteristics of these shapes: number of sides, curved or straight.  We made patterns and created fun pictures.

Numbers
As we reviewed our knowledge of numbers, we also learned about the concept of ‘estimating’ a quantity. The children took turns to share their estimation as we counted the objects to check who had the closest estimation.

Kind regards,
Montessori Team