In class we have continued to refine our fine-motor skills through the making of ornaments for our class tree. Skills such as cutting on lines and curves, gluing mosaics, sprinkling glitter, folding paper, tying knots, and even stitching with a needle all prepare the hand for the task of controlling a pencil. Those who are already writing are also refining their skills through practice with the movable alphabet as well as pencil and lined paper.

Thank you to those who have been a part of this season’s festivities, whether it is your attendance at the concert, providing treats to the class, or displaying your child’s work at home. We hope you all have a very happy holiday, and look forward to a new season of learning in the new year!

Many students are making huge strides in their use of a pencil, as there is widespread enthusiasm for writing, tracing, and copying words and sentences. Some are understanding the fundamentals of the decimal system for the first time, as we practice “fetching” unit beads, ten bars, hundred squares and thousand cubes in various quantities.

This month in Culture we are learning about mammals. Ms. Andrea brought in her guinea pigs for observation. The students are learning that mammals are distinct from other animals because they are “warm blooded,” have hair or fur, and feed their babies milk. In the words of an attentive first-year student after a group lesson: “Did you know WE are mammals?”

Our continent focus for this month is Africa, which means that we are practicing locating the continent on a globe, and talking about what makes that continent unique. Some students are practicing identifying plants and animals from Africa. Soon we will also be introducing places and flags of Africa.

Remember to bring mammal or Africa related things to Show-and Tell if you have them!

Together we have grown as a classroom family, and have learned a great deal about how to work and learn together successfully. From “Walking Around a Rug” to “Inviting Someone For a Conversation,” our Grace and Courtesy lessons have taken us a long way toward a great year of focused learning.

The children are getting used to their daily and Specialty routines with the help of a visual timeline, and lunchtime is becoming an enjoyable time to relax and chat together while practicing our very best manners.

Every child has found an exciting challenge in the work available on the shelves, and lessons are happening throughout the day that open new avenues to discovery.

Thank you to all Casa1 families for your support and communication throughout this month. We’re looking forward to a beautiful October!

After a relaxing Spring Break we are all happy to be back in the classroom and enjoying our final couple of months of learning in Casa 1.

This month we have been learning all about Physical Development and Fitness; – names of parts of our bodies, our body systems and how they work, health and fitness and how we grow and change. Life cycles are a great way of learning how we all come into this world and the Casa 1 teachers are looking forward to growing old and looking like raisins (thanks for that, Brady)!

We have had a Doctor come in and discuss our bodies with us – thanks Dr. Pickering (Lyndon’s dad) for taking time out from your busy practice to show us how many germs we have on our hands! We all know the importance of washing our hands after seeing the bacteria grow in the petri dish for ourselves!

Our continent of focus is Australasia and we have had fun making boomerangs and learning about Australian animals. We have moved on to New Zealand and are painting Maori art.

This month our Kindergarteners have begun their transition visits into the Lower Elementary classes. All of them will get a chance to visit either LED or LEU, meeting new friends and teachers, and exploring the new environment in preparation for their big move in September! The Casa teachers are trying to hold back the tears!

Our Kindergarteners also had a field trip to the Movie Theatre at Camana Bay for a book reading of “Little Chicken’s Big Day”! We got to meet the authors and illustrator, too. Everyone was on their best behaviour: listening attentively and raising their hands to ask questions. “I hear you cluckin, Big Chicken! ”

We are looking forward to the final weeks in school and are all pumped up to get some challenging work under our belts before everyone heads off for the long summer! 

 We hope your basil plants are receiving lots of love and water!

The children are happy to be back at school, and very interested in our current theme of study: LIFE – under the microscope.

We have discussed the 3 basic states of matter (solid, liquid and gas) and found examples of these in our classroom and out on the playground.

Now, we are learning about plant and animal cells and the important jobs they do inside living things.

Germs make us sick! Next week, we’ll learn all about bacteria and viruses and how they can cause illness. Even better, we will learn how good hygiene and a strong immune system can help us to fight illness and stay healthy.

At the end of January, we will investigate beneficial bacteria and see how we rely on these to help our bodies function properly.

We are also focusing on the continent of Europe this month. If you have any books, photographs, kid-friendly recipes, or other cultural artifacts from a country in this region please bring them in to share with us. Thanks!

The children made a wonderful Mangrove tree to remind them of the wonders of a tree that can sustain itself in salt water and preserve the soil around the island.

Our beans sprouts grew in the sunlight at a speed that surprised everyone.

We walked along the beach admiring all the plants and trees along the way.

We have discussed the forces that shape our world and affect the living things that inhabit it: wind, water, earthquakes and tsunamis. They had a blast erupting their very own volcano.

Later this month, we will do a brief overview of the seven continents, and focus on our own home here in Cayman.

It’s finally Autumn, and we’ve been talking about the changing seasons and the harvest. We baked a delicious apple pie (with seven different varieties of apples) to celebrate.

The kids are really looking forward to the costume and pajama party we are planning for the last day of school before the break, Friday October 22. Watch your e-mail for details…

This month, our Theme is “Me and My Family”. The children have created adorable self-portraits, and are working on a group “Families Tree” masterpiece.  Don’t forget to send in some photos. 

The kids have had lots of fun sharing special items at Show & Tell, celebrating September birthdays, baking (and eating!) chocolate chip banana bread, and digging for buried treasure in the sandbox.  We are looking forward to a guest chef who will help the children to bake “rock cakes”.  Sounds interesting!

What a great start to the year!