Issue #4: March 2026
Read the Chinese version here.
Upcoming Events:
April is Honesty Month. The school hosts events and activities to help students grasp the importance of honesty.
April 8, 2026: Parent Meeting
LLA, 3rd Floor Multipurpose Room at 7 pm.
April 10, 2026: Make up instructional day instead of the Spring Long Weekend
School Open.
April 20-24, 2026: Iowa Tests for grades 3-5
April 30, 2026: Spring Parent-Teacher Conference
Early dismissal at 1:30 pm.
Virtue of the Month: Self-control
We began our March virtue classes by watching a video about a boy’s first trip abroad. During his journey, he learned the importance of being patient. This story helped introduce our month's focus: self-control. We discussed why self-control is important and explored three key areas—impulse control, emotional control, and physical control.
Students completed a worksheet with different scenarios that encouraged them to think before speaking and acting. Everyone also enjoyed watching the “Marshmallow Test,” which showed how patience can lead to greater reward.
To make learning fun and interactive, we played the game “Red Light, Green Light.” Students practiced stopping and waiting at red lights, reinforcing the idea of controlling their actions.
Finally, we discussed strategies to build self-control, such as using problem-solving skills and strengthening executive functioning. They were fun and meaningful lessons, and students did a wonderful job participating!
—Charlene Xu, Gr. 2 & 3, Homeroom Teacher
Word Wizards Competition
On the last day of school before Spring break, Little Lotus held its annual Vocabulary Competition. This year was particularly exciting, as the ESL class joined the contest for the first time. After winter break, students began studying a list of vocabulary words. For the competition, the second grade and third grade classes participated during their English class periods, while the fourth and fifth grade classes competed in front of the other students. By preparing for this friendly competition, all students have improved their English skills.
Congratulations to all our award winners!
5th & 4th Grade
Britney Xiao, 1st Place
Aaron Wang, 2nd Place
Lauren Hedges, 3rd Place
Louie Zeng, Hector Lyu, Nathan Ding, Angel Tang, David Liu, Tianqi Lu, Adam Yu, Honorable Mention
3rd Grade
Amber Hedges, 1st Place
Jason Dong, 2nd Place
Lingxi Nie, 3rd Place
2nd Grade
Andy Shen, 1st Place
George Tao, 2nd Place
William Tao, 3rd Place
ESL
Yizhao Chen, 1st Place, Tie
Yihan Chen, 1st Place, Tie
Egbert Han, 2nd Place
Amber Yang, 3rd Place
William Wang, Honorable Mention
—Braz Chau, ESL Coordinator
Busy at Billy Beez
With spring in full bloom, our kindergarten and preschool students stepped out for a delightful spring excursion to Billy Beez. It was truly a wonderful day! Playing in the vibrant and exciting indoor amusement park was an activity the children had eagerly anticipated for a long time. Cheering with joy, they ran and skipped tirelessly, giving their bodies a fantastic opportunity to relax and get some great exercise.
—Ling Wu, Pre-K Teacher
Day at the Museum
On the last Friday of the month, Little Lotus students boarded the bus to visit the American Museum of Natural History. We started the trip by listening to the Fa lectures. Once we crossed the George Washington Bridge and were in the city, the excited children began singing. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the grand facade of the east entrance, facing Central Park West. While waiting for entrance tickets, the students explored the Hall of the Universe. They marveled at the 15.5-ton meteorite, viewed up-to-date images, and read about the cosmos.
Our first activity was the Big Bang Theater. While we waited for the doors to open, the children answered the space questions on the screens. Our clever students knew all the answers! Sitting in the circular auditorium, we gazed up as we embarked on a galactic journey. We witnessed stars, planets, comets, and interstellar debris. The screen created the illusion of astronomical flight, delighting our space travelers.
While waiting for lunchtime, we visited the Biodiversity and Ocean Life halls. We walked through a diorama of an African rainforest. The favored displays were the taxidermic panda and the pair of tigers. We stood under the iconic Blue Whale, the biggest animal to ever live on Earth. We also saw trilobite fossils, which are mentioned in “Zhuan Falun.”
After a quick and tasty lunch, delicious croissant sandwiches made by our teachers, we split into small groups and went exploring. We had almost three hours to scour the remaining four floors. My group picked up where we left off and continued with the North American Forests hall. The kindergarten and first grade classes have been learning about the continents and oceans in geography, which ties in very well with this museum trip. In this hall, we saw the cross-section of a Giant Sequoia, a 1,300-year-old tree.
Next was the New York State Environment hall. We viewed beautiful highlights of our state’s seasonal and natural cycles. We even came across a terrain map with Middletown on it. Students could see how far we drove, crossing the Hudson River and into Manhattan to reach the museum.
A well-liked favorite was the Gems and Minerals hall. The giant geodes greeted us with their sparkling shades of purple. Students had fun playing the Minerals are Elementary interactive screen. They especially liked combining the elements to create a diamond.
By popular demand, we ventured to the top floor to see the dinosaurs. First, we saw the Apex Stegosaurus Fossil, the largest and one of the most complete Stegosaurus specimens ever uncovered. We learned that the familiar Triceratops is found in the United States and Canada. We also gaped up at the 11,000-year-old mammoth and the tremendous Titanosaur fiberglass cast.
The next request was the Asian Mammals hall. So we went to the second floor. There, we also viewed the displays about Asian Peoples, African Peoples and Mammals, Mexico and Central America, and South American Peoples. The students found particular interest in the extensive exhibits of ancient China.
With still time to spare, a group even went to Central Park to play. Those who stayed continued on the quest to learn. Our group went to the third floor to see the Pacific Peoples hall. There we saw a large conch trumpet, dioramas of coastal villages, and even a village that was almost completely on the sea. Other groups particularly enjoyed the humongous honeycomb display in the Insectarium hall.
Finally, after all that walking, we made our way to the Discovery Room. It was a perfect spot to end the visit with some quiet activity time for children. Some searched a big baobab tree to collect different specimens, while others just did some simple coloring. It was the perfect ending to a long, but educational day at the museum.
—Braz Chau, ESL Coordinator
Correcting Meditation Movements
After noticing that some students couldn’t do the exercises correctly, our classes began reviewing The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection. We revisited how Master Li explained and illustrated the exercise movements, as well as the mechanics and principles behind them. This helped the students better understand why it’s important to perform each movement properly. We then watched the instructional video on FalunDafa.org, in which Master Li demonstrates each movement. Afterward, every student practiced the movements, and I helped correct them individually. I also communicated with parents to encourage at-home practice and ensure students consistently perform the movements correctly.
—Charlene Xu, Gr. 2 & 3 Homeroom Teacher
This newsletter was put together by the teachers of LLA.
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