The Artist of the Month will be Pablo Picasso. Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and stage designer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. Picasso is credited, along with Georges Braque, with the creation of Cubism. We will be taking a look at his work titled Dove of Peace and Three Musicians.
January Newsletter
January 10, 2024
Recap of December
The month of December was filled with all things bright and warm. With chilly mornings and cozy evenings, Gaowa Montessori School was busy as ever with all of the festivities. The classrooms discussed the winter season and celebrated one another. We had our spirit week, Winter Show, and our Winter Wonderland Workshops. The school was full of fun Christmas decorations!
Gaowa Winter Show 2023
Inside the Classroom
Inside Ms. Esme's & Ms. Kait's Classroom
The Mercury children continued to build their fine motor skills by using the pincer grasp to move one festive pom pom from one bowl to the other.
Inside Ms. Suzzaine's & Ms. Keila's Classroom
Our friend shared his holiday tradition with his class. We got to learn all about how he opens stockings last after dinner, eating tamales, and baking and decorating cookies.
Inside Ms. Maneet's & Ms. Citlali's Classroom
The kiddos decorated the bulletin board by hand painting their own Christmas trees!
Inside Ms. Nancy's & Ms. Nijma's Classroom
A friend was focused on stringing beautiful beads and strengthening his finger muscles.
Inside Ms. Tatiana's & Ms. Cassidy's
The Mars classroom was concentrating so hard when working with the screwdriver set.
Inside Ms. Ashley's & Ms. Chamalee's Classroom
Our friend shared his gold coins with everyone to celebrate The Feast of Saint Nicholas. As Ms. Ashley has explained, "St. Nicholas Day has remained a time when children are given special cookies, candies, and gifts. In many places, children leave letters for St. Nicolas and carrots or grass for his donkey or horse."
Inside Ms. Marjorie's Classroom
Mini presents were used as fillers for the kiddos to pick up with tongs and transfer them from bowl to bowl. This practical life activity helps with their fine motor skills and learn how to work from left to right. Excellent work being done in Ms. Marjorie's classroom!
December Birthdays
This Month
Time has flown by so fast now that we're in the year of 2024! The school is so excited to welcome everyone back after having a wonderful winter break. We hope that everyone has started the new year right by setting their new year's resolution. Looking back on 2023, we've had many changes happen and we are so grateful for all of your support. We hope that this year we can continue to live up to your expectations of keeping a safe, clean, fun, and productive school for your precious children.
For this month, we will be traveling to Europe for our Artist of the Month, celebrating National Thank You Month, also celebrating Read Your World Day on the 25th, and taking a day off on January 15th for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
Artist of the Month: Pablo Picasso
Dove of Peace
Picasso's first Dove of Peace, chosen as the emblem for the First International Peace Conference in Paris in 1949, was a traditional, realistic picture of a pigeon which had been given to him by his great friend and rival, the French artist Henri Matisse.
Picasso later developed this image into a simple, graphic line drawing that is one of the world's most recognizable symbols of peace. He also named his fourth child 'Paloma', the Spanish word for 'dove'.
Three Musicians
Picasso paints three musicians made of flat, brightly colored, abstract shapes in a shallow, boxlike room. On the left is a clarinet player, in the middle a guitar player, and on the right a singer holding sheets of music. They are dressed as familiar figures: Pierrot, wearing a blue and white suit; Harlequinn, in an orange and yellow diamond-patterned costume; and, at right, a friar in a black robe.
National Thank You Month
National Thank You Month is celebrated every year in January. It is one of the most iconic and significant celebrations of the year as from the very start of a new year, it teaches us to be kind to others and acknowledge someone’s effort to help us.
Here at Gaowa Montessori, we practice gratitude and mindfulness everyday through the Montessori philosophy. This month, we will be placing more emphasis on being grateful and thankful to celebrate National Thank You Month. You will see the children working on arts and crafts expressing their gratefulness for things and people.
School Events & Closures
Back to School
We hope everyone had a fun and amazing winter break. Welcome back to school!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is a holiday in the United States honouring the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance against racial segregation.
Read Your World Day
Please bring in a book showcasing your child's culture, if possible!
Yelp!
If you don't know already, the school is on Yelp! We would greatly appreciate it if you can leave us a review. The school is very grateful for all that you do and for all of the support you give to us. Please share your thoughts, comments and give us a rating on our Yelp page: Gaowa Montessori School!
Family Fun Events
Hug & Groom
Date & Time: January 7th | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center | 6956 Ellis Avenue Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Price: $25
Information: Join us for a fun-filled day at the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center! The Free Rein Foundation is hosting it's 2024 Monthly "Hug & Groom" event, where you can get up close and personal with our amazing rescued horses that assist us with our therapy programs. Spend quality time with these gentle and therapeutic creatures as you learn how to groom and care for them.
Little Kitchen Academy Winter Cooking Sessions
Date & Time: Whole month of January | 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM (Choose a session)
Location: LKA Westfield Century City | 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Unit 2907, Los Angeles, 90067
Price: Free for Toddlers (2 - 3 years)
Information: Little Kitchen Academy is the leading Montessori-inspired cooking academy in Los Angeles for kids ages 3-18 providing an empowering environment to learn practical life skills, confidence, independence, and healthy eating habits. During each 3-hour class your child will collect fresh ingredients from our pantry and use them to create their own meal that will be enjoyed with other students at the community table. Each child has their own fully-equipped work station and will learn how to use tools safely and correctly while making a new recipe each class. Your children will leave our kitchen excited about the ingredients, recipes and foods they have tried, and may even feel empowered to prepare them at home for the family!
Mini Mermaid Parent & Me Swim School
Date & Time: January 2nd - 31st | 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Location: Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa | 21500 Pacific Coast Highway Huntington Beach, 92648
Price: $75
Information: Children 5 and Under can splash in our Mini Mermaid Swim School! This is the perfect choice for children who need a floatation device and/or need assistance swimming. Parents are encouraged to get in the water and participate.
Children can pick out a Mermaid Tail from our Treasure Chest to wear for photos and swimming! Get your cameras ready for Mer-Dorable Memories! Your guided mermaid swim experience taught by our pro-fishional mermaid RedCross swim-fin instructor!
What to bring:
Goggles, your own life vest or puddle jumper, and be sure to apply sunscreen before class!
FitFirst Winter Programs
Date & Time: January (Depends on class)
Location: Woodbury Community Center | 130 Sanctuary Dr, Irvine 92603 (Various OC locations)
Price: Varies (Depends on class)
Information: We host kids' sports & fitness & toddler movement classes and summer camps in several outdoor and indoor locations in Irvine, California! Check our schedule & booking page to see where each class is offered.
Join us for toddler music, kids yoga, social & physical education, tennis, baseball, and other sports clinics designed for preschool, elementary, pre-teen, and teenage kids.
Toddlers (1 - 5 years):
Music & Wiggles, Story Time Comes Alive, Music & Wiggles: Around the World, Toddler Yoga, Princess Power Movement
Youth (6 - 17 years)
Hip Hop Dancing & Choreography, Move & Groove Hip Hop Beginner, Ninja Parkour
February Recap
January Recap
December Recap
November Recap
October Recap
September Recap
August Recap
July Recap
June Recap
May Recap
