December 2021 - Newsletter & Songs

December Curriculum
For December’s Curriculum, will be focusing on Holidays around the World, featuring the Christmas Tree, the Nativity, the Menorah, Santa Claus, the North Pole, and the Winter Solstice. Our outdoor classroom will resume in the Spring. We will also have new songs to sing, books to read, and curriculum related art for December. 

December Information Update
We received a Safety Recommendations for the Upcoming Holiday document from the Dept. of Social Services State licensing, and for a second year we will be canceling our visit with Santa Claus event. We will still plan to take individual portraits of the children, and hope to create a class composite portrait that we can give to all of you. Last year we were also able to create some very cute Santa picture frames, and will be creating those to send to you also.
The Dept. of Social Services has also posted a November 2021 updated requirements and guidance for Covid-19. We have been asked to share this document with you: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CCLD/PINs/2021/CCP/PIN-21-29-CCP.pdf       We will continue to remain focused on having all children remain healthy as we move through the cold/flu season. Reminder- all children with fever, runny nose, chest congestion, cough, sore throat, vomiting and/or diarrhea cannot attend school and must remain home until they are symptom-free for a period of at least 72 hours, and 10 days if they test positive for covid. We must know immediately if a child tests positive for Covid-19 so we can alert the other families so they too can safeguard their loved ones.

School Calendar for 2022
​We have created our tentative school calendar for 2021. Listed are all Special Events, Holidays, and School Closure Days. The closure dates have been chosen based on Federal Government, State Government, and local School District calendars, so we can keep our school aligned with them. Our monthly tuition has the school closure days subtracted from the prices and averaged over a 12 month school year, so your payment amount can remain predictable each month, and so you can budget for back-up care when we are closed.
1/17 - Martin Luther King Day, CLOSED.   
2/7 - 2/14  - Valentine Card Exchange.              
2/21 - President’s Day, CLOSED.
3/18 - Teacher Vacation Day, CLOSED.
4/11 - 4/15 - Spring Break, CLOSED.                   
5/30 - Memorial Day, CLOSED.
7/4 & 7/5 - Independence Weekend, CLOSED.
8/12 - Teacher Vacation Day, CLOSED.
9/5-  Labor Day, CLOSED.
10/10 - Indigenous People’s Day, CLOSED.
10/31 - Halloween Dress-up Day.
11/11 - Veteran’s Day, CLOSED.
11/17 - Thanksgiving Feast.
11/21 -11/25, Thanksgiving Week, CLOSED.
12/16, Minimum School Day, 8:30am-12pm
12/19 thru 12/30, Winter Break, CLOSED.
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December Curriculum Songs ~ Woodcreek Montessori School

Here Is The Chimney
Here is the chimney.
(Make fist, enclose thumb)
Here is the top.
(Palm of hand on top of fist)
Open the lid.
(Remove hand quickly)
And out Santa will pop.
(Pop up thumb)

I’m a Little Pine Tree
Sing to: “I’m a Little Teapot”
I’m a little pine tree, as you can see.
All the other pine trees are bigger than me.
Maybe when I grow up, then I’ll be.
A great big Merry Christmas tree!

Reindeer Pokey
Sing to: “The Hokey Pokey”
You put your antlers in, you put your antlers out.
You put your antlers in, and you shake them all about.
You do the reindeer pokey and you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about.
Next verses;
You put your hooves in.....
You put your red nose in.....
You put your fluffy tail in.....
You put your reindeer body in.....

Where is Santa
Sing to: “Where is Thumbkin”
Where is Santa? Where is Santa?
Here I am, Here I am.
Merry, Merry Christmas.
Merry, Merry Christmas.
Ho Ho Ho! Ho Ho Ho!

Christmas Bells
Sing to: “The Muffin Man”
Oh, do you hear the Christmas bells,
The Christmas bells, the Christmas bells?
Oh, do you hear the Christmas bells?
That ring out loud and clear.
Oh can you see our Christmas tree,
Our Christmas Tree, our Christmas Tree?
Oh can you see our Christmas tree?
It fills the room with cheer.
Oh do you smell the Gingerbread,
The Gingerbread, the Gingerbread?
Oh do you smell the Gingerbread?
I’m glad Christmas is here.

Old Saint Nicholas
Sing to: “Old McDonald had a Farm”
Old Saint Nicholas had a tree (form tree with arms)
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!
And on that tree he had some horns (blow horns)
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!
With a toot-toot here, and a toot-toot there.
Here a toot, there a toot, everywhere a toot-toot.
Old Saint Nicholas had a tree (form tree with arms)
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!
continue.....
lights.....flash flash
candy canes.....yum-yum
drums.....boom-boom
bells.....ring-ring
birds.....peep-peep
stars.....twinkle-twinkle
snowflakes.....flutter-flutter

The Lights on the Tree
Sing to: “The Wheels on the Bus”
The lights on the tree go blink, blink, blink.
Blink, blink, blink.....blink, blink, blink.
The lights on the tree go blink, blink, blink.
All Christmas Day.
continue.....
The presents at the house go rattle, rattle, rattle.
The mom at the house goes bake, bake, bake.
The dad at the house goes snore, snore, snore.
The grandma at the house goes hug, hug, hug.
The grandpa at the house goes kiss, kiss, kiss.

Hanukkah Candles
Eight little candles all in a row.
Waiting to join the holiday glow.
The first night we light candle number one,
Hanukkah time has now begun.
The second night we light candles one and two,
Hanukkah’s here, there is lots to do.
The third night we light all up to three.
Hanukkah’s here, there is lots to see.
The fourth night we light all up to four,
Each now a part of the Hanukkah lore.
The fifth night we light all up to five,
Helping our Hanukkah come alive.
The sixth night we light all up to six,
Hanukkah’s here, there is food to fix.
The seventh night we light all up to seven,
The glow of each candle reaches to Heaven.
The eighth night we light all up to eight,
Hanukkah’s here, let’s celebrate.