SES Blog

Dear Parents,

Time has certainly moved quickly this semester, yet here we are at the end of the term. We have seen wonderful progress from the children, and we are very proud of them.

First, we would like to once again congratulate the children on their outstanding Peace Performance. Their dedication and consistent practice truly paid off, and they performed exceptionally well.

We also had the pleasure of attending the dress rehearsal of Disney Frozen Junior, where several of our Montessori children had the exciting opportunity to watch their siblings shine on stage.

This semester, our cultural focus was the continent of Antarctica. We continued our engaging exploration of the remarkable animals that inhabit this region. The children particularly enjoyed the science experiments, art and craft projects, and baking activities that enriched their understanding of Antarctic wildlife.

Our class party took on a new format this year. The children enjoyed a variety of food that all parents shared. Thank you for the contributions. 

We concluded the semester with a variety of joyful Christmas activities, including a festive class party filled with delicious food, games, fun stories and shared laughter that the children thoroughly enjoyed.

We sincerely thank you for your continued support. Please remember that Semester 2 will begin on January 6th, 2026. We wish you a wonderful holiday and look forward to welcoming you back.

Drop off and Pick up

We have successfully carried out classroom drop off and pick up this semester, and we are pleased with how well it has worked. In Semester 2, starting Tuesday, January 6th, parents are warmly invited to drop off and pick up their children directly from the classroom on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Drop off and pick up procedures on Mondays and Thursdays remain unchanged. Kindly ensure that you arrive on time, between 7:45 – 8:00 am as this will help our routines run smoothly and support the children’s learning.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week 15,16,17

Phonics   

To identify sounds represented by more than one letter, for example /ch/, /th/, /qu/, /ng/, /ay/

Some children are beginning to learn about alternative sounds such as /ee/ can also be written with ‘ea’. 

To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading and writing CVC words,words with adjacent vowel / consonants using sounds covered, words with double consonants such as bell, mess, mitt, back. 

Language / Literacy – Reading. Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words and sentences.  Reading comprehension, to be able to answer direct questions about the book.

Language / Literacy– Writing

The children learned how to write a simple non-fiction text using relevant information learned and some key words. Our topic for this piece of writing was ‘Antarctica and penguins’.

Language / Literacy– Reading, spelling and comprehension

Using the school IPads , the children reviewed their spelling of words, CVC, CVCC, CVCC and to select answers to questions on ‘Antarctica’. 

Maths –

Days of the week and months of the year

We reviewed these concepts through games and fun activities

Number names

We reviewed the recognition of number names from zero to ten and eleven to twenty. We also practised writing the names using the correct spelling. 

Place value

We described how a number from 11 to 20 and beyond is made up of tens and units (ones). 

Kind regards, 

Montessori Team