Dates to Remember
Monday, February 8th
Chinese New Year Potluck
-Sign-up Sheet in Class Folder-
Friday, February 12th
Valentine’s Day Snack Party
-Sign-up Sheet in Class Folder-
February 2016 Newsletter
Sunday, February 14th
Valentine’s Day
Monday, February 15th
Presidents’ Day
- SCHOOL CLOSED -
Birthdays
Katelyn - 2 Years Old
Brady - 3 Years Old
Patrick L. - 3 Years Old
Kent - 3 Years Old
Allen - 4 Years Old
Biachen - 4 Years Old
Darian - 4 Years Old
Joi - 4 Years Old
A.J. - 5 Years Old
Chloe H. - 5 Years Old
Layla - 6 Years Old
Lisa - 6 Years Old
Ben - 6 Years Old
Friendly Reminders
 Weekly
tuition is due by
Tuesday 10am.
 Monthly
tuition is due by the
5th of the month.
 Label
ALL children’s
belongings.
 DO
NOT PLACE ANY
MEDICATION IN CHILD’S BAG OR
LUNCH PAILS.
 Sign
in/out in the folder
located at the front.
 Update
all telephone
numbers of yourselves and
additional persons to call in
an emergency.
 All
additional authorized
persons must be prepared to
show their Drivers License or
Identification Card when
picking up.
 Please
always check and
organize your child’s cubby.
Take home any old clothing.
 Make
sure your child’s
fitted sheet is a CRIB size
sheet.
 Please
policy.
follow the NO NUT
Chinese New Year Potluck and Origin
On February 8th, Walnut Montessori will be holding a Chinese New Year
Lunch Potluck Celebration! Chinese New Year is a tradition practiced for thousands of years that celebrates the end mark of the winter season and helps
welcome the beginning the spring. For the Chinese culture, the Lunar New Year
is the major celebration of the year where family and friends come together
for reunions, rich traditions and customs. In western countries, New Year’s Day is Jan. 1st, which is also the first
day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar. But the Chinese New Year varies and could fall at the end of
January or in February. The celebrations begin on New Year's Eve, the big party is on New Year's Day, and
the action continues for the next 15 days., filled with dragon dances, parades, and festivities. It all ends with
the first full moon of the year, fifteen days later with the Lantern Festival, another great carnival and the
perfect ending to this great holiday season. According to Chinese customs, each year is assigned an animal
according to the Chinese Zodiac. 2016 is the year of the Monkey.
Valentine’s Day Snack Party
Reminder
Walnut Montessori’s annual Valentine’s Day Snack Party will
be held on Friday February12th. The sign up sheet is available in your child’s class folder. Valentine’s Day as a day to
express love to those close to us, but the origin of Valentine’s Day
and St. Valentine has a couple of different theories. First, there is a legend that
St. Valentine was a priest who secretly married couples in the third century. It
was thought that soldiers were more effective in battle if they were not
married, so the Emperor outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine
didn’t think this was fair, so that’s why he married the couples in secret. Another
theory is that there was a man who was in jail, and he fell in love with the
daughter of the man who imprisoned him. Before he passed
away, he sent her a letter and signed it, “Your Valentine.” Some
people believed Valentine was the man’s proper name.
Walnut Montessori-Preschool
Academy
will be CLOSED on
Monday, February 15th
in observance of
Presidents’ Day.
February is Black History Month!
Black History Month is an annual event of remembrance in the United States,
Canada, and the United Kingdom to reflect on the history and achievements of
important people and events of the African Diaspora (the movement of peoples
from Africa). The idea of a Black History Month was first introduced in 1926 by a
historian named Carter G. Woodson and over the years gained in popularity. In
1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month. Famous
people who played an important historical role over the years included Sojourner
Truth, Hariett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Nat Turner, Harriet
Beecher Stowe, Levi Coffin, Dred Scott, W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett,
Mary Church Terrell, Benjamin "Pap" Singleton, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and Doris "Dorie"
Miller. The famous people who featured in events during the Civil Rights Movement included Civil Rights
activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Jesse Jackson, Elijah
Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan, Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Meredith, Stokely Carmichael, Huey
Newton, Eldredge Cleaver and Angela Davis.
Fun Facts about February
February is the shortest month of the entire year.
February has 28 days until Julius Caesar gave it 29 and 30 days every four years. This is
because the Roman emperor Augustus took one day from February and added that to August because August was a month that was named
after him. February is a very cold month followed by January in the northern half of the world. However, there are sunny days in February
that indicates that spring is almost here.
Flower: Viola and the Primrose
Zodiac Signs: Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) and Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
Birthstone: Amethyst. The Amethyst is associated with spirituality, wisdom, and security.
Fun Fact: February is the only month of the year that can pass without a single full moon, because it only has 29 days most years!
Fun Fact: People born on a leap year technically celebrate their birthday only once every four years, but most observe it on the 28th.
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Born: February 22, 1732
in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: December 14, 1799
in Mount Vernon, Virginia
George Washington served as the
first president of the United States of
America. Washington is considered to be one of the founding
fathers of the United States. He also presided over the
convention that drafted the current United States Constitution.
He served two terms as president, from 1789 to 1797, and
helped established many roles and traditions of the President
of the United States that still stand today. He helped build
and guide the formation of the actual U.S. Government and
formed the first presidential cabinet. Before becoming President, Washington was appointed as general of the Continental Army where he led a victory over the British during
the American Revolution. Washington’s nickname is “the father of his country” and is one of the top historical figures
due to pioneering the creation of the United States.
Born: February 12, 1809
in Hodgenville, Kentucky
Died: April 15, 1865
in Washington, D.C.
Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th
President of the United States of
America from 1861 to 1865. Lincoln is most famous for
leading the country during the American Civil War and
helped the country to abolish slavery by defeated the South.
Lincoln served on the Illinois State Legislature for several
terms while studying law and working as a lawyer. He also
served as a congressman for one term. Lincoln became President in 1890, despite opposition from southern states. On
January 1st, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an order that freed the slaves in the
Confederate States and paved the way for the 13th Amendment
which would free all slaves in the United States a few years
later. Lincoln is considered one of the most
admired and
celebrated presidents in U.S. history.
Groundhog Day
Each February 2nd, Groundhog Day is celebrated when people look to the groundhog to predict
the weather for the next six weeks. Folklore says that if the sun is shining when the groundhog
comes out of his burrow, then the groundhog will go back into its burrow due to having winter for
six more weeks. However, if it is cloudy, then spring will come early that year. Even though it is not
a serious federal holiday, Groundhog Day is a fun tradition that takes place in Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania where the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has predicted the weather each
year since 1886! Thousands of people gather o see Phil come out of his burrow at around
7:30a.m. The origins of Groundhog Day can be traced to German settlers in Pennsylvania, who
celebrated each February 2nd as “Candlemas Day.” On this day, if the sun came out then there
would be six more weeks of wintry weather. In 1886, the Punxsutawney Newspaper declared
February 2nd as Groundhog Day. Since then, the tradition has spread through the United States.