MONTESSORI EDUCATIONAL CENTER
SEPTEMBER 2007 Newsletter
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to a new school year.
The entire staff and faculty would
like to thank you for your efforts in making the beginning of this school year
so successful. To date, we have had very
few tardies and unexcused absences.
Teachers and students also benefit from the Escort at the Door arrival
procedure. Traffic flow is smoother, students
are calmer and teachers are able to start classroom activities without
spontaneous interruptions.
Our back-to-school professional
growth activity featured Mr. Jonathon Wolff.
He shared some best practices and common sense techniques for maintaining
good school-community relations. He
provided insight on the role of each stakeholder (teachers, staff, parents and
board) in maintaining and perpetuating the Montessori Tradition. The feedback from all participants has been
overwhelmingly positive.
A major goal we have this year is to
maintain consistent communication with you regarding your child’s academic and
social progress. Whenever you have a
need to speak with a teacher or staff members, do not hesitate to call. If we cannot answer your inquiry by phone, we
will gladly schedule an appointment for a school visit. To further facilitate this effort, a suggestion/feedback box and forms will
be placed on the front hall desk beginning September 10, 2007. Please use this tool to communicate ideas, observations
or suggestions which you would like to have addressed.
Helping children succeed is the #1
priority for our entire instructional
family.
Sincerely,
Bessie Bannister
Head of School
Montessori
Educational Center Web Site
We would like to thank Lisa Rozas
for our new and improved web site! Our
address is www.cenlamontessori.org.
We are pleased to announce many changes and additions including an interactive
calendar, classroom schedules, lunch forms, teacher pages, and more. Mrs. Rozas plans to continually update the
web site and add pictures, videos and information. Submission for consideration may by sent in
the form of an .mpeg or .jpeg to webmaster@cenlamontessori.org.
New Staff Members
We
would like to welcome our new staff members for the 2007 – 2008 school
year: Bertha Parker, Assistant in Mrs.
Gaiennie’s class and Dawn Amos, Intern in Mrs. Carlin’s class. Our new after school staff is Suzen Lenard,
Brittney Robinson and Bertha Parker. Victoria
Covarrubias, our former Administrative Assistant, has been relocated to Mrs.
Clair’s classroom as an Assistant, and Dawn Parker, our Administrative
Assistant, is back after being off a year.
Parent Orientation
Our Parent Orientation was a
great success. I am proud to
report that 80% of our families attended orientation. We
would like to thank Teresa Spruill and the Montessori Parents’ Association for
providing the refreshments for the evening.
Volunteers
Please remember to
sign in using the red ‘Volunteer’ book at the front door. If your name is not included in the thank you
list below, we apologize for the oversight.
Special thanks to the following people who assisted during the past few
weeks:
·
Breakfast
and lunch for the Teacher’s Workshop:
Teresa Spruill.
·
Opening
Day Pails for each Staff Member: Julie
Morris.
·
Montessori
Mom and/or listening to readers: Maria Graves, Florence Obey and Donna
Whittington.
·
For
working so tirelessly on the Maintenance around the school during the summer: Joe Caraveo, Ralph Funk, Janie May and Dallas
Morace.
There is a list of minor building and
maintenance needs posted by the front entrance.
Please review them and see where you as a volunteer might fit in
accomplishing these needs.
Fragrance-Free Environment
This
is just a reminder to all parents that due to allergies, asthma and upper
respiratory conditions of our students and staff members, the school maintains
a fragrance-free environment. Parents,
please check your child’s hairspray, lotions, etc. for any strong scents. Thank you.
Chuck E. Cheese
We
had 37 families who attended our Chuck E. Cheese get-together/Fundraiser in
August. A good time was had by all. We raised $131.00.
Adams/Sharkey/Lenard
The first few weeks of the new
school year have gone very well. Our
returning fives and fours settled in well and this week have welcomed nine new
three year-olds. We have spent some time
getting them used to the routine-circle time, playtime, lunch and rest time,
and have also shown lots of practical life jobs. Our older children have continued to work
well on language and math jobs. We look
forward to a great school year!
Carlin/Amos/Snipes
August
began with our returning 5’s punching out a map of the World while our new 5’s
were being introduced to the World Hemisphere puzzle map and control chart.
The
4’s are busy doing growing jobs which include reviewing their sounds and
numbers.
3’s
are being introduced to the classroom setting and the job cycle.
Clair/Covarrubias
Our
year began with just the five year-olds and oh…it was so quiet. They got back into the swing of things and
accomplished a lot.
The
second week brought back the four year-olds, who have made friends quickly and
are learning our routines and many new jobs.
We
have welcomed the three year-olds this week.
All the older children are enjoying showing the new children the ropes.
Until
Mrs. Covarrubias becomes more familiar with the routines of the classroom, Mrs.
Clair will continue performing at second circle. The children really enjoy singing,
“Baby Bumblebee”, “Upright/Downright”, and “Bee-i-ee”.
Gaiennie/Parker
We are off to a great start
this year. Our 6’s are settling in and
adjusting to the elementary environment.
Their biggest challenge seems to be “no nap”. At this time, they are busy re-establishing
their math, reading and writing skills.
The 7’s and 8’s that
participated in the simple summer math program have been able to move forward
with no math review. This is great news!
Hayes/Rodgers
The
7’s and 8’s have been welcoming and orienting the 12 new sixes to the
environment. We had a fire drill, two
Great Lessons and Spelling. We are
reading about George Washington.
Gordon/Voorhies
The
year is off to a great start in the 9-12 class and the students are settling
into a nice routine. We will enjoy
several special events this month including a visit from classical guitarist
John DeChiaro and a visit to Ken House for Archeology Day. All parents are invited to join us at 8:00 a.m. on September 14 to take part in
our book discussion groups. We hope you
are enjoying reading along with your children.
Looking ahead, we will be hosting a book fair by Waldenbooks, October 2nd
and 3rd. Books for all ages
will be offered.
One
activity that is a favorite among the 9-12 students is soccer at recess. Because our field is short, and our goal is
close to the fence, we often lose balls.
Any old soccer balls that you are willing to donate to the class would
be appreciated.
Lisa Rozas - Music
We
are beginning our year with the six year-old students studying the different
instruments by being able to recognize the sight and sounds of each instrument.
The
7-12 year-old students are beginning to work in their Theory Workbooks. They will learn to read music on the staff
and clap to the rhythm.
There are still several openings in the 3-5 year old
Kindermusik class held on Tuesdays from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Also, you may
still register your 4 1/2 – 7 year old for Young
Child. Students begin to read music
and rhythms during this two year class.
Group lesson registration priority is given to those who have completed Young Child. (Monthly payment arrangements are
available.) Group piano and voice
lessons are currently full, but you may contact 487-6518 to be placed on the
waiting list. You may view www.bmaweb.com/kwl for more
information. All music classes and
lessons will begin September 4, 2007.
Lisa Rozas – Computer Class (9-12 year olds)
We
are excited to announce that the 9-12 year old students and Mrs. Rozas will be
responsible for designing a new color
yearbook. They will prepare pages on a
monthly basis. Student portraits will be
taken in the spring. Also, the students
will create another annual video for our May musical presentation. Submission for consideration may be sent in
the form of an .mpeg or .jpeg to webmaster@cenlamontessori.org.
Mary Caraveo - Science
Using a parachute, the 5’s have
learned that air has weight and takes up space.
They will continue to learn about matter throughout September. The 6’s are beginning the year with an
extensive discovery of the 5 Senses. The
7 year-old students are beginning their Study of Water which will be followed
by the Study of Air. Our 8’s are
reviewing the Solar System before concentrating on the sun and Movements of the
Earth. The 9’s are “digging deep” into
the Structure of the Earth. After an
extensive activity on laboratory measurement, the 10’s are beginning to look at
variety in the Plant World. The 11
year-old students have been looking at Plant and Animal Responses to the
Environment. By the end of the month,
they should be starting an overview of Radiant Energy.
Mary
Caraveo – Health and Wellness
The 6-12 year-old students are
starting the first year of the new Health and Wellness curriculum. We will be concentrating on the importance of
physical, mental and emotional health, with particular emphasis on nutrition
and safety. The 11 year-old students are
taking the lead in their class, by planning and preparing healthy morning
snacks.
Parent Montessori Tips
From P.E.N. to Paper, Volume 3, Issue 8:
Montessori
Planes for Development:
Maria
Montessori compared the child to the life of a butterfly. The changing traits are not as clear in the
child as they are with the insect. Each
stage is like that of a “rebirth” of the child.
A new stage, a different child who presents characteristics different
from those he exhibited during the preceding years.
The
stages are as follows:
v
Birth
to six
The first plane of development applies to
the small child from birth to age six.
The child of this period is like an absorbent sponge and learns from the
surroundings. Many physical developments
occur during this time. The child likes
a sense of order, everything has a place and is returned to that place. The child is gaining independence over his
environment through practical life activities.
During this stage the child wants facts and reality. During this stage the environment should
provide materials for the child.
v
Six to
twelve
Education at this age is not a direct continuation of what has previously been taught, although it may build on that foundation. This age child becomes more socially conscious and wants to know the reason for things. This is the stage of the reasoning mind. The child wants to know why things work the way they do and how things function. This is also the period of physical strength; the child has yet to reach puberty and adolescence. In the second plane of development the child is venturesome and daring.