MONTESSORI EDUCARE ACADEMY
Newsletter January 2007
NEWS FROM THE OFFICE
MEA 4th Annual Silent Auction: Our 4th Annual Silent Auction was a huge success. Thank you for your amazing contributions! The auction raised $1641.00. The funds will be used for our end of the year party and spring picnic. We will have a staff meeting next week to solicit suggestions from teachers as to guest speakers that would supplement the current academic modules. If you have any suggestions we would love them!
Music to our Ears – Our students had the unique and amazing opportunity to listen and sing along with Nancy Buck and her twin sister in December. Mrs. Buck, AKA Jordan and Gracelyn’s mom, is a music professor at ASU and a violist. The children were enamored by the music and extremely attentive throughout the interactive session. We can’t thank them enough for taking time out of their schedules to share their amazing talents with us!
Karate Classes - We will be a new host site for Arizona Wado Karate. Sensai Anna Lichtenberger (also an assistant teacher in our toddler program) will lead the class(es). We will offer two introductory/trial classes in January and settle in on a day/time depending on the interest level. The free trial classes will be held at MEA on January 23rd at 1:30pm & January 25th @ 1:00pm. We will group the children according to age and can open additional classes. We believe this program matches well with the Montessori principles of respect, self control, and independence. It will also develop self confidence, self esteem and character.
· Weekly classes (4/month) cost $25 (payable to Ms Anna)
· Trial classes are FREE
· Uniform Fee $30
· Belt only $10
(Uniforms are optional but encouraged, belts are required J)
Please RSVP at the front office so we can get an accurate headcount.
Contact Information – please update any telephone, address or contact information with the front office.
Lost and Found – We have several items in the office that are missing owners. Please come look through and see if any of the contents look familiar.
Weather Change – It has gotten cold outside! Please send a warm coat or jacket with your child and make sure the tag is labeled with his/her first and last name. Also please make sure your child has a weather appropriate change of clothing.
Cold and Flu Season – As we enter the cold and flu season we ask that parents are cautious and considerate of the other members of the MEA community. Please keep children home if they exhibit any of the following symptoms:
· Fever
· Vomiting
· Excessive nasal discharge
· Persistent Cough
Also, the Department of Health requires that any child sent home from school must be SYMPTOM FREE with NO Medication for 24 hours prior to returning to school.
Pizza Lunch
Every Friday is pizza day for those students who stay for lunch. A $3.00 fee provides your child with pizza, fruit, vegetable, and drink. Sign up for pizza occurs every Friday and can be done during curbside drop-off.
Mark Your Calendar
January 15 CLOSED
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 19 Parent’s Night Out
(Ms. Gina & Elaine)
January 23 Trial Karate Class at MEA 1:30pm
January 25 Trial Karate Class at MEA 1:00pm
Class Birthday Celebrations – We enjoy sharing in your child’s special day. If you would like to provide a special snack, we would appreciate a healthy choice such as mini muffins. The primary classes sing a special birthday song. Parents are welcome to attend these celebrations and tell the class about different milestones of each birthday.
Happy Birthday
Ms. Kim 1/02
Faith Ogrodowski 1/08
Luke Judd 1/14
Ms. Kathy 1/20
Ally Nash 1/22
Ms. Anna 1/24
Parent's Night Out is an evening that you may leave your child/children in the care of MEA staff. The children play outside, participate in an activity or craft, and then settle down for popcorn and a movie. The charge is $25.00 for the first child and $15.00 for each additional family member. Siblings NOT enrolled at MEA are welcome to attend. This money is payable directly to the host teachers. Please note that we have adjusted the time frame to 6 - 11pm.
TODDLERS
Class 1/2 Class 3 Class 4
Ms Vikki Ms Denise Ms Kazumi
& & &
Ms Elaine Ms Padma Ms Vicki
&
Ms. Anna
The toddler classes are all running smoothly. We would like to thank all the families that attended our Cookie Exchange and a special thanks to Justin Volmering for serenading us on his French Horn. We really enjoyed spending the evening with all the families. Thank you to everyone for your participation in our Silent Auction.
We would like to welcome Luz Portilla and Declan Anderson-Sharp. They are both transitioning well into our environment. We also said farewell, “see you soon” to the following friends that transitioned up to the primary class: Caden Penrose, Stephanie Yoon, Sydney Woods, and Noel Lucente. This month we will be studying winter/cold and we will be working with the water tables and ice. We will discuss hibernation and animals that live in cold climates. Thank you to all the parents that bring snack and other wish list items. Please feel free to stop by and watch us working through the window.
Toddler Agenda
Theme: Winter Highlights
Montessori Behaviors:
· Grace and courtesy
· Carrying a chair
· Returning our work after each use
· Watching a classmate work without interrupting
· Walking around a work mat
· Asking for help
Line Time Topics
· Recognition of: Name, Days of the Week, Months of the Year
· Review Basic shapes
· Review Geometric shapes
· Continue concept of large, medium,& small
· Exploring Ice & Snow
· Hot & Cold
· Hibernation: What animals do it? Why? How?
· Season: Winter
· Martin Luther King, Jr.-Who, what & why
· Groundhog Day
Other Activities
· Arts and Crafts
v Making Groundhogs
v Coloring our Presidents
v Valentines to Parent’s and friends
· Songs and Stories
· Music, Rhythm, and Dance
· Discovering ICE using the water tables
MEA PRIMARY CLASSES
Spanish
Feliz nuevo ano! Last month we learned about transportation and some opposites. In January we will continue with opposites and our new topic-FEELINGS.
Primary (Classroom 5)
Ms June & Ms Kathy & Ms Pam
We would like to wish you all the best in the New Year-love, happiness and good health!
We are excited to welcome Hisano Sumida back from Japan as well as welcome our new students- Noel Lucente and Sydney Woods who have transitioned from our toddler class.
We are proud of the progress the students have made in both academic and social aspects of the classroom. We will continue to build their knowledge by concentrating on their work and completing it successfully. It is this process that transforms their egos into independent, confident and competent individuals.
Our theme for the next few months will be focused on learning what food our bodies need to keep them strong and healthy. The food pyramid will be our learning tool.
For our book of the month, we have chosen, Something Special Within by Bells Richler and illustrated by Alice Jacobsen, and also The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Phister. These books teach us about feelings, our inner love, and how special each individual is even though we are different. We will discuss solving disagreements in a peaceful and kind manner. We will role play and ask the children to demonstrate what they’ve learned. If you have any special books on this theme, please have your child bring it to share.
We will also read and talk about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and their efforts to make our country a better place to live.
Thank you to all the parents who helped with the Silent Auction and attended the Holiday celebration/ sing along. We all enjoyed it.
Primary (Classroom 7)
Ms Kim & Ms Anny & Ms. Tina
Happy New Year!
First of all we want to thank all the parents who contributed to the Silent Auction. And thank you also for the wonderful gifts!
We welcome five new classmates –Brandon Green, Young Jim Lee, Nico Portilla and Stephanie Yoon and Caden Penrose from our toddler program.
We also welcome our new student teacher Ms. Tina. She will be in our classroom through May. Ms Tina has been working in a Montessori environment since 2001 and will complete her AMS certification at MEA. She has taught at both Desert Canyon Montessori and Awahtukee Foothills Montessori.
This month we will be learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and will review the grace and courtesy module. We will also continue our study of the human body with the food pyramid
Reminders:
v Please label jackets, backpacks, lunch boxes.
v Please bring an extra set of winter weight clothing and also a change of underwear and socks.
v Please sign up to bring snack outside the classroom
Reminder- “Show and Tell” time is every FRIDAY. Educational items only- no toys.
Primary (Classroom 8)
Ms Carla & Ms Rhonda
Happy New Year! We would like to express our gratitude for all the wonderful gifts and cards we received. We were also thrilled to have such a great turnout for the winter party and sing along!
Thank you to all the parents who read holiday books to the boys and girls. We enjoyed your visits.
A HUGE thank you to George’s mom, Carrie Waldron, for making glass icicle ornaments for each
child in our class as well as the BEAUTIFUL Kokopelli
Wind chime for the Silent Auction.
A warm thank you to our room mom, Monica Cress, for putting together our silent Auction items- a LOVELY hand painted tea pot and cups and also a hand painted Santa cookie plate.
Thank you to all the parents who donated auction items. The Silent Auction was a HUGE success!
Last but not least, thank you for donating canned goods for the food drive. This teaches your child a valuable lesson about caring and helping others in need
During the month of January, we will be learning about American Heroes, specifically Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. We will also be learning about the winter season. We will be brainstorming words to describe winter and will be using these words to make sentences. We will conduct an experiment to “grow” a crystal garden and look through a magnifying glass to examine the crystals to see if they look like snowflakes. In Math, we will be practicing oral counting by adding a mitten to our counting line each day of the season.
We are also planning on taking advantage of this good weather and starting our garden project. We will be planting vegetable seeds in the outdoor raised beds. Your child may bring in a packet of vegetable seed to share with the class. This is a very fun and rewarding experience for the boys and girls.
Welcome to our new student, Young Woo Lee.
PTO Corner
Officers:
President – Bill & Annelle Richardson Secretary – Dawn Johnson Treasurer – Kim & Steve Horn
Happy 2007!!!! The children had a wonderful time decorating gingerbread houses with the help of the Safeway Baking Team. We will post pictures outside the front office.