Hi Families,  

Attached please find the permission slip for our trip to the Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation. We will need to assemble at The Mayflower II at 11:00am followed by a 12:15 Pilgrim Village tour. All times are firm as we have reserved docents to guide us on our visit.

Please note on your permission slips whether you will be a driver. We will arrange carpools accordingly and give you plenty of notice to coordinate your meeting and/or pickup times. We anticipate this to be an all-day event and the likelihood is that you will want to leave early and knowingly expect to arrive home late. Drivers: You need to check out the website for Plimoth Plantation and get the directions that will best serve you. I can make no promises about travel times or routes so use your GPS and we’ll hope for the best. My rule of thumb is to leave myself loads of time for error and exigencies. Should be a memorable trip!

It was great to see you at our Elementary back-to-school night. I know some of the information may be unclear or overwhelming. To highlight the important dates is my current mission. After Plimoth – our next major event will be the P.E. unit of Martial Arts which will begin on October 6^th and follow for a total of 8 weeks. (Permission slips to follow)

A major unit of study will culminate in our Annual Peacemaker’s Project on October 31^st. This is a biographical study of a hero or heroine, peacemaker, explorer, inventor, author, famous person of note in history, across time, across political boundaries, real (not imagined) that has contributed his or her mark in some way that we know about them today! What makes them relevant? important? noteworthy? Why are we still talking about them today? Famous would be better than infamous.

For this project we would like your involvement in guiding them toward making a choice of person of note to study. For starters; having conversations about people that have influenced your lives in good ways and why would be appropriate. What makes a hero/ine? Then take a trip to your local library to find child level biographies. Check out a book about a person they want to study and have them become familiar with that person. Bring their choice into school and we will help them write and assemble note cards in chronological fashion to “tell the story” of their “peacemaker’s” life.

We have been reading biographical sketches of such people since day one of school. We have shared stories of many people thus far. Included in this illustrious list have been such an eclectic group of people like Walt Disney, Annie Oakley, Mikimoto, Mahatma Gandhi, Black Elk, Maria Montessori, Elizabeth Blackwell and the children have been captivated with their stories.

While preparing cards with chronological facts about their person is one aspect of this event, the capstone will be their presentations which occur on Monday October 31^st.  For their presentation they will have need “artifacts” to go with each card which helps describe the information contained on the card. In addition an appropriate costume or dress-up is allowed and encouraged (after all it is on Halloween) to help tell the story of their “person”.

We encourage and welcome parents to come to school and share the fun of the presentations. Save the date.

If you are still confused about what this is supposed to look like – then please stop in after school on Friday and I’ll be glad to show you a finished project I will be presenting to the students about Maria Montessori. By giving them this biographical presentation I will be modeling what their presentations need to look like in form and content.  I’d be happy to show you too.

That brings us up to homework. It IS beginning slowly. If your child brings a sheet of paper with spelling work home we ask that you read the sheet a few times over the course of the week with them to help with fluency (juniors especially) and perhaps point out what the common aspect of the words happen to be; such as – “they are all contractions, I can see that the apostrophe is in the place of the missing letters of the two words that form the contraction” or “the letter o in all your words make the short vowel sound/o/”. If the spelling rule is not apparent – I will write it on the page. Please forgive me if I insult your intelligence. No offence is intended. Spelling tests are being conducted each Friday. Their work is in their spelling journal. You will be able to view it at conference time.

Elders (3^rd and 4^th yrs.) are compiling VOCABULARY WORD LISTS in addition to weekly spelling words. When their vocabulary words and definitions come home their homework then becomes to construct sentences which show understanding of meaning in their new vocabulary words. The words may be above their spelling levels so they will not be tested on their spelling of the words. Here we are looking for comprehension of new words and the ability to craft a sentence with correct meaning of previously unfamiliar words. Comprehension in reading is our aim here. You should have them check and edit their work for spelling and punctuation! Homework is due on Friday.

As you can see, we have set off with a bang. Everyone is working at finding their comfort level with the workload here at school. There will be math homework added next. First year students do not have homework aside from their spelling lists currently.

Remember, if you would like to meet with me briefly before our first conference later in the year – just e-mail a before or afterschool time and I’ll be happy to see you. I have Friday morning and afternoon available yet this week.

“There is a part of a child’s soul that has always been unknown but which must be known. With a spirit of sacrifice and enthusiasm we must go in search, like those who travel to foreign lands and tear up mountains in their search for hidden gold”
–Maria Montessori, “The Secrets of Childhood”

Dear parents,

We have a school year ahead of us to know each other and grow together. We are ready for this journey with your children, and are eagerly looking forward to having them with us.

As the returning children will rediscover their familiar environment, and will promptly ask about the changes they will be sure to notice, we all will help the newcomers feel welcome and safe in a new place.

Our yearly schedule follows the cycles of nature in science and a round trip around the world in cultures. Music, art projects and physical activities reflects the themes of the months.

Check the newsletter on line at the end of each month for more details about our activities and information about the upcoming events.
An overview of the yearly curriculum and a daily schedule are posted by the bulletin board and also enclosed here. You may want to make a copy for a handy reference.

For a couple of weeks we will focus on developing social skills, to ensure a healthy and pleasant atmosphere for everyone. Grace and courtesy will remain a priority throughout the year.

Some practical issues for a good start this school year:

• Please return the teacher’s questionnaire as soon as the school begins. It will give us some insight in your child’s routines, likes and dislikes.
• Clothing:
• Please dress your children with clothes they can handle themselves.
• Safety first (fashion can wait): Dress shoes or clogs are not the best safety choice for running on the playground. Please have them wear sneakers and a change of footwear for the indoors.
• Layers for cold mornings and warm afternoons.
• Please bring a set of change (underwear, shirt, pants, socks) in a labeled zip-lock bag.
• Each child will have a folder in the classroom to save some of his/her work. The folder will be sent home every Friday, to be returned empty the next Monday. Most of the Montessori work for this age group is done with materials, so the amount of papers going home is not necessarily proportional with one’s progress but is rather depending on age, child’s interest, pencil control and specific projects.
• Snacks will be provided by each family - daily rotations. Please check the snack calendar to see your days. We will try to help you remember by sending the snack basket with your child the day before your turn. Also please check the list with suggested healthy choices. (Don’t forget Friday is International snack)
• Being on time is one of the first lessons on showing respect and consideration for every member of the community. Please notify us about any foreseeable change in your schedule.

Mrs. Carla, Mrs. Parna and I are wishing you and your children a good school year!