Teacher Angel's Belugas

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:34:00 +0000

Dear parents:

This week we had 3 brand new students that joined our class. They are Ricky (T. Beryl's child), Ruby (Paige’s younger sister), and Dora L (or Baby Dora).

For phonics class, we started again with the letter “D”, “d” , and the related words that begin with that sound like doll, dog, door, diamond, and dice. The kids had to cross out the words whose beginning sounds were not “d” such as “apple” and “carrot”.

For social studies, we started a new unit “Adjectives”. I introduced them to new adjectives like “deep & shallow”, “long & short”, “strong & weak”, “Dirty & clean”….and so on.

For motor skill class, we worked on worksheets related to even numbers from 2 to 10. The kids had to put on as many whiskers as the number shown on the picture. For Ellie and Chloe, it was very easy so they both finished quickly before everyone else; but for the others, it was a little challenge for them.

For arts and crafts, we made spiral paper snakes. The kids had to decorate their snakes with crayons. Then, they cut around the spiral on their paper.

Individual comments:

Ricky cried the very first time on Tuesday afternoon when we were making arts and crafts. He repeatedly asked for help from me. I had to assist Baby Dora to cut her snake at the same time. So, I asked him to wait. He thought that I wasn't going to help him.

Baby Dora L. is outgoing and friendly towards her new friends, especially the girls. She enjoys singing and dancing during morning circle.

Ruby was hilarious.She cried only the first day of school…. the others times it was just tears here and there. She is a very independent child who has a unique personality. She doesn't like to drink water, but I'm trying to encourage her to have at least a bottle a day.

Ellie bonded with Ruby quickly on the first day of school. She often volunteers to sit next to her. She also showed her where to put her water bottle and passport by the end of the school day.

Daniel tries harder to stay focused during class time, but he gets distracted very easily. I usually separate him away from Alex. He is willing to try new things such as practicing using scissors.

Alex’s new friends are Daniel and Rick. Alex likes to gain attention from the others by doing silly things such as screaming or banging on the table. When I stopped him, he looked at me and smiled, then pretended that nothing happened. Alex also missed morning circles many times this week.

Henry is catching up in Phonics class. He is not yet familiar with all the alphabet letters and sounds. When I ask him about phonics sounds, he just answers anything off the top of his head.

Emelia and Dora pulled out some small plants in the garden the other day during recess time. I gently pulled their hair and told them this is how the plants feel when you destroyed them. Then, they promised not to destroy any plants and trees.

BIG Dora W. purposely wastes so many tissues when she blows her nose. First, she wipes her nose but somehow her snot starts dripping. Then, she gets many tissues to wipe her nose. I keep reminding her to please get tissues first, before blowing her nose. We don’t want to see snot running from anyone’s nose. It’s very yuck and not hygienic.

Madi pointed at Ruby and said, “Why is she crying?” Then, I had a flash back to months ago when she first came. She cried continuously for 3 weeks.

Sherri raised her hand when I asked, “Whose dad is NOT strong?” I looked at her and said, “So, you’re dad is WEAK!” She shook her head and said, “No, my dad is strong!”.

Chloe was annoyed with Mr. B when he asked her, “How many paper towels do you use to wipe your hands?’” She actually took many like five or more. Later on, she apologised to Mr. B saying that she had been rude to the teacher and she should only take one or two paper towels to dry her hands. I also made her say sorry to the trees, because wasting paper is another way to kill trees.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:22:00 +0000

Dear parents:

First, I would like to welcome Daniel back to the Belugas class this week. Daniel was very shy the first week of school. The next day, he enjoyed playing with the other kids at school like a wild animal returning to the jungle. He ran around back and forth, and chased his friends in the front yard. Throughout this week, he tried eating on his own, brushed his teeth, and put his shoes on / off without asking for help. Surprisingly, he didn’t really cry much.

Tuesday, we went to see a lantern parade at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. There were tons of different lanterns on display. The kids really liked a few of the special ones like Sponge Bob and his friends; Robots made of CDs; a pirate ship with a ferris wheel.

For phonics class, we started again with the letter “C”, “c”, and the related words that begin with that sound like cat, carrot, caterpillar, comb, and cup. The kids had to cross out the words whose beginning sounds were not “c” such as “astronaut” and “butterfly”.

In math class, we worked more on the opposites “many” and “a few”. The kids had to circle the happy monkey with many bananas, and draw more bananas for the sad monkey who had a few bananas. We also did more sample activities on the white board with Sponge bob and his friends.

For arts and crafts this week, we made “Glass”. The material we needed for this craft were only 3 items. They are color glassy paper, cardboard paper, and glue. They had to glue color glassy paper, one by one, on the frame of the fish on the cardboard paper. For some kids, those who followed directions and paid attention by watching me, made samples on the tail of the fish... they didn’t have problems finishing their fish properly. For the others whose didn’t pay attention, they ended up gluing the pieces on the wrong side of the cardboard paper.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Dear parents:

The weather has been so weird lately, so the kids never had a chance to go to the park early this week. We finally made it to the park on Wednesday morning. We also planted seeds in the green room this week. They were actually very excited to plant their own seeds and to know the process of how to take care of plants.

For phonics class, we started again with the letter “B”, “b” , and the related words that begin with that sound like bus, book, banana, baby bottle, bed, and basket The kids had to cross out the words whose beginning sounds were not b, such as “alligator” and “sun”.

motor skills class, we worked on tracing heart shapes and “U” as smiley faces. We worked on the smaller heart shapes to the bigger ones. Most of them had fun learning how to draw heart shapes on their own, except Alex. He got a little bored and started playing with his pencil instead.

For arts and crafts this week, we made Love birds and “Valentine’s Day Mice”. The kids had to cut out many heart shapes for its beak, wing, and its tail .Lastly, we glued on some googly eyes.

Individual comments:

Chloe liked riding a roller coaster this week. She got so upset with Alex because he sometimes is not reasonable. He cut in front of Chloe while they were lining up or pushed her while washing their hands…and so on. I reminded Chloe that if she only expresses herself through crying from now on, I will change her name to “Baby” instead.

Alex got frustrated while we were cutting the hearts for the bird. Then, he tore the paper in half. After trying to use the scissors again, he asked me for help. But, when I tried to show him how to use the scissors properly, he swiped them off my hands. I think that it’s a good idea for the kids to experience new things, as long as they are under an adult's supervision. Alex sometimes is bossy toward his peers. If he wants to do something, he just forces it through his ways.

Ellie answered that she will give flowers and candies to Joyce, when I asked her who is she going to give the flowers to? I told them that Valentine's Day is not only for Mom and Dad, but also for friends, grandpa, grandma, aunties, uncles and/or teachers. Ellie didn’t want to eat during lunch and snack. I found that her stomach was bloated with so much gas.

Sherri tried to scoop up her food on her own from Wednesday. We had a deal that I will only help her scoop up her food from her bowl once during meal time. Then, she did it by herself and she was also very proud of herself for being a big girl.

Henry was able to cut many heart shapes by himself easily while we were making “Love birds”. He made it specifically for Mom and Dad for Valentine’s Day. He did a very good job, and we hope Mom and Dad like it.

Dora was actually behaved better after a few days of time out. She promised that she will not push, hit, or bite anyone. She is not a dog; therefore, she can’t bite anyone.

Mia wore angel wings to school on Wednesday and made all the girls envious. She said that she wanted be an angel just like Cupid to bring love to everyone and be friends with everyone.

Tanya keeps on saying that Mom and Dad are too busy, and so won’t spend too much time with her during Chinese New Year. So, she said she'll come to school alone during the vacation. (by herself)

I wish you and your family a good Chinese New Year Vacation.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:25:00 +0000

Dear parents:

We are starting our first week of the semester on Monday. This semester is going to be so awesome. We have new classrooms, gym area, green house, aquarium, snack bar, and many more new facilities. I'm sure the kids are also looking forward to welcoming this new semester as well.

For phonics class, we started again with the letter “A”, “a” , and the related words that begin with that sound like alligator, astronaut, ambulance, and ax. The kids had to cross out the words whose beginning sound were not “a” such as “fish “and “boat”.

For social studies class, our first unit was “Valentine’s Day”. We talked about the origin of Valentine's Day, Valentine's cards, cupid, roses, candies, chocolate, hugs, kisses, love, and much more.

In math class, we worked on the opposites “ high “ & “ low” and “ top “ & “ bottom”. We also did many classroom activities related to this concept.

For arts and crafts this week, we made “Wild Caterpillars”. The materials we needed were styrofoam balls, pipe cleaners, markers, and cardboard papers. We decorated the styrofoam balls with markers. Then , we glued them side by side as a caterpillar's body. Next, we glued the pipe cleaner as their antennas. Lastly, we drew grass and soil as ground.

Individual comments:

Sherri was so cute. She mentioned her grandpa during social studies. Then, she started saying childish things likes: “My house has…..” Later on, I corrected with her “Guess what?” Less than two minutes later, she repeated “T. Angel, guess what? We have ……at home.”

Alex learned a hard lesson this week to share with the others. When he tried to grab tools from Dora, Dora wouldn’t let go either. I took him aside and told him that he has to ask Dora first before he takes it from her. They both got a lesson from it.

Henry was on time almost all week long. I told him that coming to school on time is also part of his responsibility, just like Mom or Dad going to work.

Madi likes to use several colors to color her objects now. I remember she colored her “ambulance” with orange, red, and blue. It actually looked very nice.

Dora hugged Alex when I showed them flashcards for Valentine's Day. I'm guess that Dora sees him as her little brother Arthur. The funniest thing is that Dora is just few months older than him.

Mia kept saying “ I will pee pee out ”, instead of “ I can't wait to go the bathroom” when she is in a hurry to go for number 1.

Chloe was so sweet when gave me a big hug and told me that she missed me so much on Monday.

Hello Beluga Family

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:55:00 +0000

Teacher Jason here, reporting on how the week went for our baby belugas. This week Teacher Angel had to leave school for three days, and so I was lucky enough to take over in her place!

In Phonics this week:We covered the U sound (umbrella, up, upside down)

With concepts: We did opposites (up and down, in and out, and so forth) and talked about tons of different hobbies (making rockets, playing with puppets, baking cookies, and exercise).

The class as a whole was fantastic! They completed all their weeks coursework with ease and were well behaved.

Individual comments:

Mia was a perfect student this week, always followed instruction and always insisted that I sit next to her when we ate lunch.

Chloe loved our morning exercises, she especially liked the imaginary apple picking! She may have the making of being a superstar considering the fact that she is nearly always singing or dancing around!

Ivy was the best behaved this week, I never had to tell her to do something twice! I love her attitude.

Tanya started off a bit rocky for me, but her behavior improved as the week ended. She also insisted that I call her "Tanya-yayayaya" and she became ecstatic the moment I gave in.

Madi did fine up until some of the opposites lessons. During this time, she became a bit emotional because she wasn't getting the answers correct right away. I let her try a few times, and she ended up becoming a bit flustered, but in the end got the right answer and was back to her happy self!

Dora was a bit naughty this week. I had to discipline her for biting and pushing other students on the first day. Today however she was much better behaved, infact she sometimes said "Shhh teacher is talking" when other students were talking out of turn.

Henry was "Mr. Man" this week, due to the fact that he was always assisting some of the shorter or younger girls in the class. He made sure that he picked up Sherri's chair before his and always made sure the other girls had snacks before he started to eat.

At first, I was worried about Alex since I know that Tree House Academy is still new to him. However, those qualms were quickly washed away with his really happy attitude. Don't let his crying in the morning fool you, once he walks into the classroom as if it was his to teach!

Sherri has an exceptionally quick memory, she picked up all the hobbies and won the memory game that corresponded with that lesson!

Hope everyone has a great weekend,

Teacher Jason.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:55:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class, I introduced the letter “S”, “s”, and the related words such as snake, six, sun, suitcase, sandwich, and star.

For social studies class, we started a new unit on “Hobbies”. We learned many different hobbies that people do when they have free time such as playing cards, jogging, playing with trains, talking o

n the phone, doing exercise…and so on.

For motor skills class, we

learned

a new rhyme called “Humpty Dumpy”.

“Humpty Dumpy sat on a wall.”

“Humpty Dumpy had a great fall.”

"All the kings’ horses and all the king's men couldn’t put

him together again!” Later on, they did a scissor cutting worksheet.The kids had to figure out on their own how to put “Humpty Dumpy” “together again!”

Individual comments:

Alex was able to stay in his seat for a longer period of time. He tries to put down/up his pants while he goes to the bathroom. If he is in a hurry to the bathroom then he might cry. He was so excited to have his first try to use scissors this week.

Chloe said she likes to talk to her grandparents on the phone when she has free time. Chloe was happy to see Dora and Ivy on Monday. She even told them

that they are her best friends.

Madi was eager to learn the new sound of the letter “S” this week. She loves snakes and squirrels.

Dora was very kind. We went to the park on Wednesday. Alex was chasing a squirrel he saw in a tree. He accidentally fell; Dora picked him up and took care of him.

Mia finally returned to school after a stomach flu. She was so happy to come back and see her friends again.

Sherri grasped on some math logic so quickly. This week we worked on sequencing patterns and on shapes, instead of colors.

Ellie wore her new shiny dressy shoes on Wednesday but she cut herself.She peed in her sleeping bag and also on her tights.

Ivy was very emotional this week. She refused to go to Mr. B’s class for phonics on Monday. I gave her a little break because I don’t like to force her, especially since she was physical still ill. Wednesday, I told her that she must to go Mr. B’s, because she is already grown up and has to become a big girl. She cried and told me that she doesn’t want to go. I brought her into the classroom and calmed her down.

Henry enjoyed our field trip so much, especially the chance he had to see Taiwanese domestic frogs at a close distance. During lunch time, he opened his bag and shared all his food with his friends.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:36:00 +0000

Dear parents:

First, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Belugas; his name is Guancheng. He’s as small as Sherri and he is only 2.5 years old. He did so well in his first week of school. The first couple of days he observed the kids when they were singing, working, and playing.

For phonics class, I introduced the letter “R”, “r”, and the related words such as rail, rabbit, ring, roof, and rocket.

For math class, we continued working on exercises with more color patterns such as blue fish, red fish, blue fish …What comes next, blue fish or red fish?

For arts and crafts class, we made mosaic penguins. Every kid got a picture with an outline of a penguin. They had to fill in

the gaps with pieces of color tissue paper. Then, they added funny eyes and cotton as a tummy.

Individual comments:

Ellie is the new student's older sister. He follows her where ever she sits. He wants to be next to Ellie during lunch. He obviously likes being next to Ellie.

Mia had to stay in the office on Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday for a time out. She always likes to cry at home and purposely disobeys her mom’s words.

Sherri seemed very interested about our new friend when she first met him. There were times when I caught her checking out the new boy during class time.

Chloe was very slow and wandering around for lunch one day. I said to her, “ Chloe, you are too slow, you are even slower than the new baby boy.” She nodded her head, then starting chewing food fast.

Henry felt a little embarrassed after I read them a story about being punctual. I reminded him that it's not a good idea to be late; then he will miss out the fun we have at school.

Madi's small muscles are developing and have gradually improved in the past few weeks. I looked at the coloring that she made lately, and I said to her, “ Madi, your drawing is so pretty. I'm so proud of you.”

Reno went to the South of Taiwan with his family for a vacation this week. He will be returning to school on Monday.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:23:00 +0000

Dear parents: For phonics class, I introduced the letter “Q” ,“q”, and the related words such as queen, quite, quarter, question, and quilt. We started a new unit for social studies on “feelings and emotions”.

We talked about different feelings and emotions like, tiredness, happiness, sadness, madness, and thirst.

For math class, we worked on finding the middle and last objects and color patterns. Most of them caught on to the idea quickly.

Individual comments:

Madi was able to find the middle objects in the group. She was so happy to receive a butterfly as a reward.

Ivy got a little emotional when I asked her to go to Mr. B’s class this week. She took off for one day, then came back the next day.

Sherri told everyone that she wants be a racing car driver when she grows up. She also said it's fun to drive fast.

Tanya was very clingy all week long. She followed me wherever I went like my shadow. She even said she wants to come home with me.

Mia pointed at a “happy” flash card and said “This is Mia, right?” Mia was distracted when we were practicing color patterns with blocks. Chloe was upset and cried when her dad made a quick turn, and so spilled her milk on her stockings. She is excellent in color patterns.

Henry had nightmares two times this week during nap time. He sat up and cried for a while.

Ellie told me the other day, “Teacher Angel, I like to always sit by you.” I replied, “I’m sorry, Ellie. I can’t always sit by you all the time. I also need to give the other kids chances, too.”

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class, I introduced the letter “P” and the sound “p” and the related word such as pig, pumpkin, puppy, and puzzle. It was easy for them to do this letter, because its strokes are so easy; they look like the number 1 with a circle.

We are continuing the same social studies unit on “clothing”. We talked about some accessory items such as gloves, mittens, high heels, sandals, hats, dress shoes, scarves….and so on.

For arts and crafts, we made firework pictures with sparkly glitter and glue on the black of construction paper.

Welcome to the year 2010, and we wish you a Happy New Year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Dear parents:

This week has been a really busy week. The teachers have moved everything from the old classrooms to new ones. We are going to have a brand new classroom in 10 days. The kids and I are all looking forward to seeing the brand new look of our classroom.

I introduced a new social studies unit on “clothing”. We talked about the clothes what we wear from different seasons starting from winter. They learned clothes items like scarf, gloves, jacket, sweatshirt, coats, overalls, and boots.

We also practiced more scissor skills on “Dressing up the Snowman”. They had to cut out frosty the snowman. Then, they chose one of their favorite hats and scarves for it. Lastly, they had to draw hands and other Christmas related objects.

We read another Christmas story book named “Happy Bear, the star of Christmas”. Happy is a bear; his class is going to do a skit for Christmas. At the beginning, Happy didn’t want to take it seriously. His friend, Squeak, the squirrel, was teasing him that he can’t remember his lines. As the story carries on, he keeps rehearing his lines to many people. The day finally arrived. He woke and he lost his voice. He had a sore throat; he frowned. Then, he had a quick idea. Why can’t he be the snowman with a sore throat. He smiled at the audience and said all of his lines. He was the star of the whole Christmas show. The moral of this story is if anyone hurts you or teases you, you don’t always need to be angry. You can maybe take the advice and make yourself a better person.

We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, and please enjoy your three day weekend.

Individual comments:

Madi was sitting in the cafeteria for over ten minutes, hoping that I will feed her a few day ago. First, I scooped up food for her; she had a few bites. Then, she just stared at the other kids. I told her that I will not wait for her if she just sits there and doesn't eat when she's supposed to.

Ivy didn’t like the green beans soup with sticky rice balls as a snack on Wednesday. She rubbed her eyes and said, “I don’t like it!”

Sherri got upset after Tanya hit her many times. Then, she attacked back. This was the first time that I noticed Sherri hitting anyone.

Tanya got a little scared when we were watching a short movie at the Discovery Center. She kept asking me if the movie is finishing soon.

Mia answered “You wear a scarf on your neck.”, instead of saying “You wear a scarf on your neck.” When I asked them where should I wear my scarf?

Dora was sick for a couple of days this week. She was so energetic on Wednesday that she skipped her nap again.

Chloe saw the flashcards of “a tie and shirt”. She raised her hand and told everyone that her dad wears a tie and a shirt to work.

Reno erased my snowman on the whiteboard. When I asked him if he erased my snowman, he replied “That’s O.K.” I reminded him that it is not O.K. if he erased my snowman without asking me. That’s rude and very impolite.

Henry held my hand and said, “Teacher, Diamond right?” I asked him if his mom wears one. He nodded his head.

Ellie forgot where she put her water bottle after taking medicine. She looked everywhere; she found it at Teacher Beryl’s desk.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Dear parents:

Thank you for attending our Christmas show on Wednesday night. I hope that all of you enjoyed the performances. I think that my Santa “girls and boys” were the cutest after all. This week, we spent the first three days to rehearse our Christmas show. Later on in the week, we made Santa crafts with paper, and read more Christmas stories.

Comments:

Tanya was so adorable last night. She did all the cute movements that she was supposed to do. But, she forgot to come to the front when we sang her name.
Dora often likes to go to the bathroom during lunch time. Sometimes, she even likes to play with water in the bathroom.

Chloe got a little too emotional when she saw her parents at the library. At the end, she didn’t want to hug Santa.

Sherri was so happy to sing last night in front all the audience. She didn’t have any stage fright. I’m so proud of her!

Reno brought his gift from Santa to school today. He said that Santa gave him a dinosaur book and many cards.

Madi sang both songs loudly and did her cute movements. She was so excited to see Santa onstage. Madi is probably the only one that didn't recognize T. Jason as Santa.

Henry cried the last couple of days after nap time. He whined and said he wanted to sleep more. I guess he doesn’t get enough sleep during night time.

Ellie told me that she likes the angel ornament I got for her. She said she already hung it up on her Christmas tree at home.

Ivy is always enthusiastic about singing . She is also capable of singing the songs all the way through, and remembers all the moves.

Mia told everyone that she tore the wrapper from her gift. She got play dough for Christmas. She kept on laughing and laughing for a long time.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:14:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For math class, we continued working on sizes and directions. The kids had to find 2 out of 3 objects that were the same, then color them. This concept was very challenging for my kids. They can’t fully understand some concepts yet. We will be working on this activity more in the future.

Wednesday, we made our own ornaments. They had to chose from angels, snowmen, candy canes, Christmas bells, and ginger bread men. After they finished decorating their ornaments, we went out to put them onto the Christmas tree.

We‘ve continued practicing our play this week. We also read more Christmas stories and watched a short Christmas cartoon.

Just a friendly reminder; our Christmas party is on Wednesday, December 16^th.

starts at 6:30 so please try to be on time. We are looking forward to seeing you and your family on Wednesday.

Comments:

Dora was hilarious. The other day, when someone was talking about their costume for Halloween, she said, my mommy was Hallo (as Harry) and Potter (in Chinese).

Sherri was so happy to wear the same purple dress as Jae yesterday. She said Jae and her are both Cinderella.

Reno said “I like to eat ox meat”, when we were reviewing all the relate words for “O” sounds. I made him repeat,: “I like to eat beef” instead.

Henry just returned on Thursday. He went to Shanghai to visit his dad for almost a week.

Ellie was a little sad when she saw Joyce leaving to go to the doctor on Thursday. She was moody all day especially during meal time.

Ivy was the only person to put the numbers on the Christmas tree in order. When it was time to clean up the classroom, she stopped me and said “Teacher Angel, I’m not done!”

Mia chose an angel ornament over the others. She said she likes pretty angels and pretty Teacher Angel.

Tanya pealed her grapes with a spoon during lunch time. She pealed them into little pieces and left them on the table. I asked her to clean up and told her it was not necessary to use a spoon to peal.

Chloe slid down backwards from the slide the other day. She had a cut on her lower lip. After this incident, we had a talk in front of all the kids again to remind them not to slide down the wrong way, and also some other safety issues.

Madi was very excited when we went to the library for rehearsal the other day. She was so hyper and kept turning to look at the opposite side, or to look at the others.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:26:00 +0000

Dear parents:

Time flies; it’s the Christmas season again this year. Starting this week, we have been busy practicing our play and correlating our songs with the other kids at school. We can’t wait to show you our beautiful costumes and sing Christmas carols for you.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “O” & “o”, and the related words such as orange, octopus, ox, and otter.

For arts and crafts, we made “Santa Bell Lacing” and “Stockings” with paper crafts. They had to color their stockings with colors as they wished. Then, they decorated them with pretty stars and ribbons.

This Friday, the kids will bring home their monthly reports and their letters to Santa. Please help Santa to prepare what is on their lists for your lovely children.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Dear parents:

This event was very special as it was Thanksgivings week this week. The kids got to know more about what these social workers do for us. During this special week, they were thankful to the people who help us.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “N” & “n”, and the related words such as noodles, nails, nose, and net.

For math class, we worked on same and different objects. The kids were supposed to find the same objects in the same row and color them. The following page was the opposite; they had to find the different one and color it.

For arts and crafts, we made paper cornucopias and turkey thumb print pictures.

Comments:

Chloe tried to cut her hair when we were doing our Thanksgiving cutting exercise; “Cornucopia”. She got a little scared when T. Beryl tried to stop her from doing it.

Madi is very active and more outgoing these days. She likes her friend Ivy so much. She always wants to look for Ivy or sit next to her. I feel that she is very friendly.

Sherri didn’t want to try on any gear when we were at the fire station or the police station. I thought she would have been happy to try out new things.

Dora didn’t sleep for many days during nap and disturbed the others. I had to ask for help from Mickey, to drive us around the police station to threaten her.

Ivy came late the other day and told everyone that she had gotten a vaccine shot for the swine flu. She looked a little tired, but she did not have any fever.

Henry had a good week. He seemed to have enjoyed our field trips. He also seemed to enjoy our Thanksgiving lunch. Henry is doing well.

Mia raised her hand when I asked them who said thank you to their moms or dads yesterday. She answered that she did. She also mentioned about her mommy dressing her up every day.

Tanya likes how we change the lyrics on our Christmas songs. We changed one of the lines to “I made Tanya eat a bug” instead of “I made Tommy eat a bug”.

Reno felt embarrassed when I mentioned that someone threw a fit at 7-11, and the same person didn’t clear up his toys after he played at home. I usually don’t like to mention names in my stories when I share them with the others. I talked to him privately after class.

Ellie did not like the mashed potatoes we had while we were having Thanksgiving lunch on Thursday. I guess she didn’t like mushy stuff or soft things.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:12:00 +0000

Dear parents:

Tuesday, we went on a class trip with Mr. B to the pet shops in our neighborhood. We saw many different pets like kittens, puppies, mice, and bunnies. The kids were so curious about these pets. Mr. B and I were thinking to get a class pet for them. After going through brain storming, we decided not to get anything.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “M” & “m”, and the related words such as mittens, mouse, moon, map, and monkey.

For math class, we worked on matching items for many pages. It was very easy for all of them. We even worked on more advanced ones on the white board, such as finding the same pattern on a pair of shoes.

For arts and crafts, we made paper turkeys for the upcoming holiday. First, they had to cut out the body parts of the turkey. Next, they glued them onto the paper bowls. Then, they glued googly eyes on them. Lastly, they stuck on popsicle sticks as feathers.

Comments:

Sherri had an easy time spotting the matching items on her own, without any help. She did the shoe patterns on her own as well.

Ivy came late the other day and told everyone that she had a vaccine for swine flu. She looked a little tired, but she did not have any fever.

Henry likes to do almost every thing on his own. He insisted on poking the popsicle sticks on the turkey. I reminded him not to do that, because I didn’t want him to get hurt. He stopped whining after he saw that I had a cut on my finger.

Mia enjoys listening to the Christmas songs that I play in class. She shows more enthusiasm than the other kids, especially with her cute smile behind her mask.

Chloe refused to change after she peed in her sleeping bag after nap time. She replied, “But, I want to wear my pretty dress!”

Madi noticed that Ivy was missing for morning snack on Wednesday. She asked, “Where is Ivy? No Ivy, Teacher Angel!”

Dora was pointing at the kids and telling them what to do in the pet shop when we went on our outing. She event repeated my words to the others. She said, “If you touch anything, you will have to buy it. Do you have any money?” I couldn’t help but laugh.

Tanya was the first one that finished cutting the body parts of the turkey, but for some reason she couldn't find her “body” of her turkey. She looked everywhere; she couldn’t find it anywhere. She decided to use a smaller (replacement) one on the paper.

Reno felt a little upset when I mentioned Santa’s list. I said, “If Reno likes to get angry at his mom too much, Santa will make a note on his list. When Christmas comes, he will get tissue paper instead of gifts for Christmas.”

Ellie did well and I tried to encourage her to share her things or toys with her friends. I noticed that she brings toys on Friday, but she hardly shares them with anyone expect Joyce.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:52:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “L” & “l”, and the related words such as lion, lamp, lamb, and little.

For math class, we did more review pages of shapes in the book. These pages were more challenging, therefore it took the kids more time to complete.

For motor skills class, we did a cut and paste teddy bear worksheet. The kids first had to color their own teddy bears. Then, they had to put the body parts together on their own.

For story time, we read a book called, “Who is Afraid of Dark?” We read this story in the dark in our classroom. The story ended up being really funny for them. I tried to use this opportunity to help some of the kids who are afraid of the dark. I told them that they don’t need to be afraid of dark areas, because their moms and dads are always there to protect them, or their teddy bears, or stuffed animals that they hug to sleep.

Comments:

Tanya picked out her green beans from her fried rice on Monday, and tried to put them into the garbage can. I tried to persuade her that these beans will make her prettier. So, she ended up finishing lunch, slowly.

Madi's eating manners are gradually improving. She also shares her stories of what she did on the weekend. She said that “Mommy, Nancy, and Madi went to the zoo.”

Mia was sad on Wednesday. She was spacing out in the 2^nd hour in the afternoon. Everyone was trying to finish up their teddy bears. She was the only one not doing anything. When the class was over, I gave each kid a sticker, so they can vote for their favorite teddy bears on the white board. She freaked out and started crying. She said. “But, I don’t have one!” I replied “Mia, I have reminded you many times.” “If you want, we can finish it after class.” She finished her teddy bear in less than 30 minutes, including cutting and pasting...

Sherri concurs that parents will always protect us when we are home. We should not be afraid of the dark anymore.

Ivy cares about her stamps on her passport. She likes to ask me if she is getting 3 stamps every day.

Reno likes to be first one to line up after washing his hands. There were many times where I caught him washing his hands without soap. Later on, I asked him to show everyone how to wash their hands properly.

Dora was very well-behaved for the first two days of the week. Then, she got naughty again. She seems to find it hard to fall asleep, and she is always so energetic during nap time.

Henry took off his pants during nap time on Thursday. I asked him why he did that. He said because Mia did the same thing. Too funny!

Ellie was the first one to finish the scissors practice sheet this week. However, she didn’t decorate her teddy bear with nice colors. She was able to put the body parts together on her own.

Chloe was really excited about our outing to the Public TV Station. So she wore her new uniform on Tuesday. She put up her hand many times when the tour lady asked questions.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:17:00 +0000

Dear parents:

We had our PTA meetings through out this week. I’m glad that we had a chance to show you how your children are progressing at school. We also discussed how they behave at home. If you have any further questions or feedback, please feel free to inform us.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “K” & “k”, and the related words such as king, key, kitten, kite, and ketchup.

For math class, we did many review pages of shapes. For example,they had to find out all the circles and color them, or color the same shapes in the row.

For arts and crafts, we made tambourines. First, we decorated the paper plates with crayons and stickers. Then, we put rice, red beans, and paper clips in between the plates. Lastly, I helped them to staples the plates together.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Dear parents:

Thank you all for coming to join us last night. We had a fireman, an angel, a witch, a few princesses, and pumpkins in the Beluga class. I hope that you also liked our scary maze this year.

This week, we were busy with many Halloween activities. We played Halloween games, bobbed for apples, baked pumpkin seeds, and read a few Halloween stories.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “J” & “j”, and the related words such as jam, jungle gym, jar, and jeep.

For math class, I introduced the shapes square and rectangle. We worked on some pages to find only squares and rectangles. Then, we crossed out the other shapes.

For arts and crafts, we made trick or treat bags for trick-or-treating on Friday. The kids had to paint the brown paper bags into either red or black. Then, they had to cut and paste their favorite patterns such as spiders, ghosts, or bats.

We have scheduled a PTA meeting with parents for next week, from Monday through Friday. Please arrange your time slot with Teacher Beryl. Thank you.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “I” & “i”, and t

he related words such as inchworm, itch, igloo, iguana, and ice.

For math class, I introduced the shapes square and rectangle. We worked on pages to find out only squares and rectangles. Then, we crossed out the other shapes.

For arts and crafts, we made ghosts paintings’ with their hands and feet. We put white paint over their hands and feet as ghosts’ bodies’. Then, we put eyes, noses and mouths for them.

For motor skills class, we worke

d on scissor

skills. Each one of them had a pumpkin face and facial parts. They had to cut the facial

parts on their own and paste them on to its face. Then, they became

jack-o-lanterns.

Individual comments:

Dora is eager to get three stamps every day, but she also likes to

act against teachers.

She is so forgetful went you ask her not to

do something.( She does it in next 3 seconds.)

Reno tries hard not to

speak Chinese in class, but when he gets too excited (like when he is playing out door with the others.) he resorts to Chinese. He spits out Chinese here and there.

Ellie likes to be my little assistant.

She tells me who is misbehaving or shouting or doesn’t sit down with their bottle.

Mia spoke Chinese more frequently

than she used to. I reminded

her that if she speaks Chinese, she will possibly lose her stars. I don’t think it’s a good idea to speak Chinese.

Sherri picked up her work speed a lot

after I showed her a girly toy I got

from MacDonald’s. I told her that if she wants it, she has to earn it by working harder in class.

Ivy learned so much

about Halloween

. She is able to retain the harder Halloween vocabulary words like Frankenstein and many more.

Madi can now eat on her own during meals. She is working on her table manners because she often eats messily.

Henry has a tendency to work super fast when he sees the others about to finish their worksheet. He chooses to work fast so he can go out to play.

Tanya is processing

her learning attitude. She is willing to spend more time on her tasks. She is so in love with her jacket that wherever she goes she always likes to carry it with her.

Chloe can count up to 10 and write up to 7 on her own. I sometimes see her as an adult; she imitates what I say to the other kids.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:21:00 +0000

Dear parents:

Halloween season is coming around again. This week we began our new unit “Transportation” and the theme of “Halloween”. The kids are learning new vocabulary words and songs about Halloween.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “H” & “h”, and the related words such as hand, hose, horse, hammer, and Henry.

For math class, I introduced the shape square and objects that are square such as windows, Sponge bob, and a calendar in the class room…and many more. The kids also did a few worksheets about shapes.

For arts and

crafts, wemade whacky spiders. First, we colored the Styrofoam balls black. Then, we poked in plumper pipes as

their legs. They don’t really look creepy at all. Their legs looked so colorful next to their bodies.

Individual comments:

Madi can now eat on her own during meals. She is working on her table manners because she often eats messily.

Sherri finally picked up on her work speed. Although she is still a little slow, she is better off than last week.

Henry almost got a perfect attendance in the mornings all this week. He enjoys learning new

songs and rhymes about Halloween.

Dora always volunteers to help the others. Sometimes, she is over friendly and gets the other kids upset. She remembers different Halloween symbols that we learned in class.

Reno has a greater appetite since the beginning of the month. He always asks for a 2^nd bowl of food, after he finishes the first one.

Mia coughed so much and had a blocked nose all week long. She is proud of herself when she does a good job on her tasks.

Ivy was absent for two days due to her asthma. She was so happy to return on Thursday.

Tanya was so much better this week during nap time. But, she crie

d too much. She has triggers that easily get her upset

with little things.

Chloe told me that for this Halloween, she wants to be a crocodile.

She enjoys learning new songs for Halloween.

Ellie was able to spot 4 squares quickly on our worksheet. She kept looking for the fifth one for a while.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:26:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “G” & “g”, and the related words such as goat, gate, game, goose, and girl.

For math class, I introduced the color white and the shape circle. We also went through objects that are white such as a snowman, snow flakes, clouds, and rabbits. We crossed out the object that was not white, which was a carrot.

For motor skills class, we worked on tracing flower parts from pedals and stems, to leaves. For most of them it was easy, and so they quickly finished tracing and moved on to colorings.

For arts and crafts, we made flower pictures, with paper coffee filters. First, we folded the paper filters in 3 folds. Then, we dipped them in colored water paint. The kids were allowed to pick their own colors for their pedals. Last, we glued pipe cleaners as stems. I also attached the final projects on our wall as decorations.

Individual comments:

Mia mixed water with toothpaste the other day and showed it off. She said “Teacher Angel, I made milk.” I know that kids at this age, they have a wild imagination and are very curious about new things. I reminded her that toothpaste is for you to brush/ clean your teeth. You cannot make milk with it.

Reno is very kind and sweet. He sometimes gets water bottles for his friends after recess time. And then he places them in front of their seats.

Ivy and Reno are singing partners. Every day after we wake up from our nap, Ivy would wake up Reno to sing and dance.

Tanya is in love with her jackets. She hugs them no matter how many times I talk to her. She finally fell asleep on her own on Wednesday.

Dora manners have been up and down. She can be an angel if she tries; if not she can be a naughty girl. I separated her from the others for meal time, because she likes to get up and run around while she is eating.

Henry was late for school many times and looked tired when he came in. Getting enough sleep for kids his age is very important.

Ellie and Henry are so much alike. They both look so tame when I first met them. They can be so wild during play time, while being so attentive during class time.

Madi is picking up so much. She sometimes even tattle tells on the other kids. She doesn’t eat so fast compared with a while ago. She only asks for “Nancy” when we line up to put away our water bottle at 4 p.m.

Sherri is always well behaved at school. I read comments that Mom made for this Monday and Tuesday, and I wasn’t surprised. Young kids have a tendency to pick up negative behaviors from their peers. I reminded them not to do the same things through stories.

Chloe is learning to use a combination of colors while she is coloring nowadays. She used to use one color across a whole page. Now, she slows down and picks different colors.

Happy Moon Festival Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:28:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “F” & “f”, and the related words such as fish, fan, fire, feet, and farm.

For math class, I introduced the color gray. We also went through objects that are gray such as an elephant, nails, squirrels, and mice. We crossed out the object that was not gray, which was an apple.

For social studies, we covered “In my Neighborhood”. We talked about different homes. Some kids live in high buildings with an elevator. However, others live in lower buildings.
We also talked about businesses in our neighborhood such as schools, hair salons, pharmacies, supermarkets, shoe repair shops, and post offices.

For motor skills class, we worked on shoe lacing on the boards. Each animal board has many holes. The kids had to try on theirs, and do the lacing on their own. This exercise helped them enhance their small muscles development.

I’m sorry about mixing up the date last week; I thought last weekend was the Moon Festival weekend... I wish that you and your family members have a great Moon Festival Day.

Individual comments:

Reno improved wonderfully on his emotions in the morning. He bragged in front of the others, by telling them that he didn’t cry this morning.

Tanya purposely disobeyed the teachers during nap time on Wednesday. She disturbed the others by making noises and playing.

Dora was actually well behaved this week. I was surprised that she got 3 stamps two days in a row this week, since we started the “passports” on Monday.

Chloe felt odd when I asked her to pretend to buy bandages from my pharmacy in our community.

Henry thought it was funny when I asked him to be my customer in my hair salon. He liked the hair drying and the massage from me.

Ellie’s appetite has increased recently. She asks for a 2nd bowl quite often. Sometimes, she even asks for a 3 rd bowl!

Ivy is hilarious. One day during lunch, she told me that “Ivy isn’t a grandma.” I looked at her and said, “Good job, Ivy!”

Madi is able to say a few new sentences this week such as “Teacher, put my water bottle away’, “Teacher, look”, and “Teacher, I’m done!”

Mia wanted to eat big bowl of food since Monday this week. She is able to finish her lunch on time, if she doesn’t pay attention to the others or plays with her things.

Sherri tried harder to finish her tasks on time this week. Sometimes she gets distracted easily when she sees the others go out to have play time. I think she is as capable as the others.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:17:00 +0000

Dear parents:

Thanks for all of you made the effort to come to Open House & Pot Luck today. I hope that I have covered what you need to know about curriculum, myself, and my goals to accomplish this semester. If you have any feedbacks please let us know or make a not talk to me again during PTA in next month.

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “E” & “e” and the related words such as elephant, egg, elbow, and elevator.

For math class, I introduced the color black and pink. We also went through objects that are black or pink such as a grapefruit, flamingoes, erasers, pigs, and ballet shoes. We crossed out the object that was not pink, which was a pretzel.

For motor skills class, we worked on a worksheet on how to follow directions. The kids were supposed to look at the color pictures on the top corner. Then, they had to look at the picture and color the balloons with the right color. It was easy for most of the older kids, but a little challenge for the young ones.

I wish that you and your families have a great Moon Festival Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Dear parents:

For phonics class this week, I introduced the sound of “D” “d” and the related words such as dog, dance, door, dinosaur, desk, doll and Dora.

For math class, I introduced the color brown. We also went through objects that are brown such as a football, mud, pretzels, potatoes, and kangaroos. We crossed out the object that was not brown, which was a strawberry.

We had a class trip on Tuesday afternoon. We went around our neighborhood to check out the post office and the supermarket (Wellcome). The kids were excited, because this was not something we do every day at school. They were curious about many items inside the supermarket, so some kids went around checking out things without lining up. We spent most of our time in the grocery section to buy items for our soup. Lastly, we had puddings for a snack.

The next day, we made our soup for the whole school. We bought carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and potatoes. The kids loved helping out with washing the vegetables and prepping the ingredients.

Individual comments:

Sherri didn’t respond to my questions, even after I asked her the same question over ten times. I sat her on the side and told her that when she is ready to answer my question, then come to me. I realized that she probably thought that she was in trouble, so she didn’t want to respond.

Dora is in the process of quitting her pacifier and diaper during nap time. She is getting there. Being able to help out with cutting the tomatoes during preparation, made Dora so happy.

Ivy improved so much during lunch time. There were 3 days this week where she finished her lunch on time with the other kids.

Tanya was whining about Madi sitting on her seat the other day. She insisted that she sat down first.

Reno is slowly understanding the concept of being in a group. Before, he only cared about himself, or I should say “I”. Sometimes, he might say “share please” to the other kids while he is playing.

Chloe sometimes acts and talks like adults. She likes to remind the others about their sitting postures (sitting properly with their feet down). She is also very generous about sharing snacks with her peers.

Madi is sweet. After nap time, she gets her shoes for the others including my shoes. She is able to sleep longer than 30 minutes now, but not the full hour yet.

Henry likes the exercises we did on Thursday morning, like hop scotch, log rolls, and wheel barrels.

Mia asked me if the kids would get “piggy-back-rides” after we do exercises on the mats. I guess she associates mats with fun “piggy-back-rides”.

noreply@blogger.com (Tree House Academy) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:01:00 +0000

Dear parents:

This week we had 3 more members that joined the “Belugas Class”. They are Reno, Ivy, and Madella (long for Madi). Our schedule was a little off, but we managed to have a science experiment: “Amazing Taste Buds!” (On Wednesday.)

Materials we needed: Things that taste sour or sweet ( coffee, black vinegar, coke, soy sauce, lemon, white vinegar, sugar that dissolves in water, and so on…) 1. Introduce the tastes of sweet and sour. 2. Have each kid come up and try different tastes. 3. Separate the cups into two sides… (Sweet and sour) 4. Have the kids to vote on their favorite liquid.

For phonics class this week. I introduced the sound of “b” and the related words such as banana, bus, book, bib, butterfly, and baby bottle.

For math class, I introduced the color orange. We also went through objects that are orange like oranges, pumpkins, and carrots… We crossed out the object that was not orange, which was a mouse.

For motor skills class this week, we did a few exercises on tracing straight, wavy, and zigzagging lines. Everyone did well on these 3 exercises.

Individual comments:

Reno is very vocal in Chinese. He loves to play “tag” during recess with the other boys.

Ivy is very gentle and sweet. I’m sure that she likes to learn new things. I enjoy having her in my class this year.

Madi is slowing adjusting to this new environment. She eats well and naps a lot.

Daniel catches on to new vocabulary words quickly. I was surprised that he caught on to Reno’s name 2 times, when we were playing a name game.

Henry was absent for the last 3 days. We all missed him so much and we were glad that he returned.

Mia tasted many liquids in the cups. She voted for her favorite liquid: Coca-cola!

Dora does things on purpose to disobey the teachers. She tries to gain attention from the teachers and her classmates.

Ellie was funny. She didn’t make any kind of face about whether or not she liked or disliked the liquids in the cups.

Sherri likes to tell me that “my mommy is driving” when the other kids cry.

Chloe was sweet. She wanted to wipe Madi’s tears when she was crying. She also told her: “Don’t cry! Your mommy will come to pick you up soon.”

Tanya shocked me on Wednesday. She was able to string pieces of macaroni on her own, without any assistance.