Willowbrook Campus

K1 Students Celebrate Diwali at Willowbrook

Willowbrook students in Ms. Sam’s K1 class recently celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights and a holiday celebrated in India. “Our class learned about Diwali from one of our students, Riya, and her mother, Nidhee,” Ms. Sam shares. “Diwali is an important way Riya and her family celebrate their Indian heritage. We enjoyed seeing photos of Riya and her family celebrating at home by cleaning their house, hanging up and turning on many lights, and even lighting sparklers! Riya

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4th Grade Classes Work Collaboratively in Groups to Research & Solve Problems

The 4th grade classes have been working on multiple group projects this semester, lending to creative collaboration, research, and problem-solving skills. Mr. Mike shares, “The 4th grade divided into 5 groups to make an environment mural: The Maldives; Borneo Rainforest; Australian Outback; Botswana Grasslands and Antarctica. They had to research animals, plants, birds and ‘water creatures’ that were endangered to draw and put on their mural. They researched adaptations and behaviors of endangered species and produced slides for the outside

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Photos from Anneliese Schools Oktoberfest 2023

We had an amazing turnout for this year’s Oktoberfest at Anneliese Schools! This special tradition is a big fundraising event for our school, but it’s also a time when we look forward to building community and celebrating with our families and staff. Thank you for attending and making this year even better than the last. Photos ©️ Mark James

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Willowbrook Campus Welcomes Alex Parsons as Animal Care Specialist

We are thrilled to welcome Alex Parsons as our new Animal Care Specialist at our Willowbrook Campus. Alex will be carrying on in the footsteps of Janet O’Faolain, implementing the robust programming that Janet created for the school over the last several years. Here’s a little about Alex, in her own words: “Animals have always been a passion of mine since I was a young child. I first learned to ride at 6 years old, and went on to

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Manzanita 1st and 2nd Graders Set Goals Through Art

Recently, students at the Manzanita campus used art to reflect on their aspirations for the school year. Ms. Lisa shares, “The first grade students painted a tree and wrote their strengths on the roots and goals on the branches. The second grade students painted roses and added a ‘rose, bud, and thorn’ to their artwork to show their progression through their goals and strengths.” These beautiful paintings serve as a reminder to the students how far they have come, and

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KS and 2nd Grade Students Enjoy Animal Care Fun at Willowbrook

Our Willowbrook campus saw lots of animal care fun this week, from hens to mini horses. Ms. Janet, the school’s Animal Care Coordinator, enlisted Ms. Joanna’s 2nd grade class to give our hen, Galaxy, a spa day. Ms. Janet says, “Sometimes dust baths just don’t do the trick!” Additionally, Ms. Nasrin’s KS students enjoyed their animal fun class this week as they visited the mini horses.

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Nursery Students Combine Nature Walk and Color Exploration

Students in KKS at Willowbrook combined a nature walk and color exploration this week with Ms. Megan and Gardening Teacher Ms. Sami. The lesson started by reading a story about colors in the garden after looking at a color wheel and identifying all the colors the students saw on the wheel. Ms. Sami shares, “Then we set out on our hike looking for things on the trail that matched the colors on our color wheel, and if we were

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Fourth Grade Classes Visit Big Bear on Overnight Field Trip

The fourth grade classes of Mr. Mike and Mr. Martyn traveled to Big Bear, California last week for the school’s annual fourth grade overnight field trip. This excursion to YMCA’s Camp Whittle is a great experience for the fourth graders to develop some independence and strengthen friendships. Their action-packed two-day trip involved team-building exercises, archery, hockey, animal experiences, camp fires, nature walks, rock-wall climbing, an exciting night hike, and much more, all surrounded by nature.

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K1 Students Enjoy Fine Motor Activities & Number & Letter Recognition

Students in Ms. Rocio’s K1 class at our Aliso Campus focused on fine motor activities and number and letter recognition last week. Activities involving small objects – like sorting and organizing – help children in this grade level to hone their fine motor skills. Ms. Rocio’s class also worked on fun projects that encourage critical thinking. She says, “One of the students used the board to analyze how things work when they are linked together.” In Eiko Sensei’s K1 class at

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French Intensive World Language Students Share French Breakfast Together

Students in our Willowbrook campus French Intensive World Language program gathered last week to share a French breakfast together – or petit-déjeuner – and use their French-speaking skills. The French Level 1 class of Madame Georgia and French Level 2/3 class of Madame Odile enjoyed spending the morning together while using their French language knowledge to communicate. Madame Odile shares, “The students asked politely for bread with butter and jam, and for a croissant: “Je voudrais une tartine et un

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