K1 Monkey Class

Dear Monkey Class Families, This week has been a whirlwind of activity! We had individual and class photos on Tuesday, whole school photos on Wednesday, and the Lion and Dragon performance on Thursday. These changes to our usual routine naturally led to many "why" questions from the children. Why no snack? Why no circle time? While they had lots of questions, they all adapted remarkably well, and I am incredibly proud of their flexibility. Let's be honest, it was quite a week for me too! Amidst the busy schedule, we had a lot of fun exploring Chinese New Year. The children were particularly captivated by the Story of the Great Race and learning about the zodiac signs. We incorporated role-playing into our class with zodiac headbands, and many children enthusiastically shared their own zodiac signs and those of their family members. In Monkey Class, we have been focusing on collaboration and teamwork over the past few weeks and had a blast creating long dragons together. I...

Dear Families, Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our classroom activities. Over the past few weeks, we have been exploring the themes of winter and Lunar New Year celebrations. The children have enjoyed observing the changes in our environment during winter, particularly through outdoor discussions and play.  We even "saw" the wind by watching crepe paper strips dance in the air!  Additionally, we learned about staying warm in winter and discovered the Chinese names for various winter clothes through the story "外面真冷啊“ (It's Cold Outside!). As we celebrated the Lunar New Year, we focused on traditional customs and cultural activities. The children learned key phrases, such as "新年好“ (Happy New Year), ”红包“ (Red Packet), and "巡游“ (Parade) through stories like ”春节“ (Spring Festival) and ”新年大巡游“ (Lunar New Year Parade).  They created beautiful tangerine artwork to enhance the festive atmosphere and learned the song ”恭喜恭喜“ (Kung Hei Kung Hei)...

Dear Monkey Class Families, I hope you have all had a lovely week! Monkey Class has been very busy this week, and many of the children have helped to paint, stick, cut, and co-create our Monkey Class space and environment. You will be able to see more photos in the Google albums, but I have included a visual below of the creations we have made. These include: Our 'Frozen Land' creation has sparked incredible imaginations! With all the necessary characters, the children have delighted in role-playing, transforming themselves into Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and more. It's been wonderful to observe their lively conversations and creative ideas as they share the roles and practice taking turns, ensuring everyone gets a chance to shine. Our vibrant city, complete with dazzling fireworks (as requested by the children!), was a true collaborative effort. The children actively participated in its creation, deciding on the essential modes of transport, and carefully planning the placement of...

Dear Monkey Class Families, Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you all good health and happiness. It was wonderful to see all the children back in the Monkey Class this past Monday, and it warmed my heart to watch them seamlessly transition back into their school routines, now a little taller and wiser. Thank you to the parents who have shared their holiday photos with me; it’s such a joy to see those special moments! If you’d like to contribute, please upload your holiday photos to the class albums: Monkey AM - Winter Holiday Photos     |     Monkey AM - Winter Holiday Photos  Who We Are Unit of Inquiry As we embark on Term 2, our focus for the next few week will revolve around our year-long unit, "Who We Are." In the coming weeks, we will explore each other's unique interests, building a sense of community as we collaborate to shape our classroom space. Before the break, we gathered the children’s ideas for our classroom, and it was delightful to dis...