Garden Montessori School January 2013 Volume 3, Issue 2
GMS News Inside this issue:
Happenings
2
Classroom News
2-7
Montessori At Home
8
Volunteer Corner
9
Employee Corner
10
Classroom Wish Lists
10
Free workshop
11
Calendar of Events
12
Dear GMS Families, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great Winter Break. Amazing what two weeks of vacation can do for the mind and body! Though the holidays can become hectic, spending time with family, making and sharing memories, and sleeping in a day or two is food for the soul. Oddly enough, the same things can be said about returning to our old routines after having too much time away. While we enjoy the gathering of family, food frenzies, mall madness, and late night bedtimes, we appre-
A Message from the Director ciate returning to the familiar routines and rhythms of our “normal” lives. This is even truer for the children. Since returning a couple of weeks ago, the children have retreated to their classroom sanctuaries. As always after each long period away, they’ve seemed to have “grown up”, both in maturity and physically. They buzz along working ever so diligently as I would imagine a professional would in their office. Amazing! In this GMS issue, the Montessori article included touches on the difference between helping and doing for our little ones. I must admit to you that as I read the article, some of the scenarios hit home with me. Yes, while I have been immersed in Montessori for many years, I am also a parent. I sometimes get caught up in convenience, time restraints, and not wanting my child to fail. Thankfully, I have learned to see the signs and lovingly pulled back. I have the advantage and pleasure of seeing your children working and socializing with confidence on a daily basis. I also see them sometimes strug-
gle to master bow tying, make friends, read and write, and other important milestones. Yes, they get frustrated, feel saddened, and even give up. However, with a little encouragement, and “help” such as placing their hands in yours to tie their shoes, facilitating conversations by giving words when needed, and allowing them time to try again, the amount of joy and selfsatisfaction they feel is invaluable. We must come to understand that we are giving them a gift by allowing them to make mistakes. Empower them with the confidence and self-esteem it takes to try again. It is okay to let them know when we, too, make mistakes. We must role model courage and independence if they are to succeed in their endeavors. In the next couple of weeks, I will be scheduling a Redirecting Children’s Behavior workshop for parents and teachers. The title is a bit deceiving in that yes, we are redirecting some of the children’s negative behaviors towards positive ones, but it embraces more than that. It is about parenting, supporting each other, thoughtful conversations,
choosing battles and being proactive. The instructor, Ms. Jean, has been presenting this paradigm shifting workshop for many years, helping many families. The course truly should just be called Redirecting Behaviors as it helps with all relationships. I want to thank you for the opportunity to enjoy your children all day, every day. It is because of them that we must all make the effort to educate ourselves in how we can truly “help” them. Warmly, Darlene
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Happenings Dear GMS Families, We are excited to announce the organizing of our very own library this month! A library system has been put into place and volunteers have begun scanning our stock, adding books, audio and video material into the inventory. It is indeed an exciting step forward as we continue to build our GMS program! In our efforts to meet the requirements of both AMS and the FKC accreditation, and to support the needs of the children and staff, we
will be purchasing and using various publishing credits such as, Scholastic order credits, for additional inventory the next coming months. Currently, our focus is on hardcover books, as we are required to maintain 100 per student.
nizing the donor! Please feel free to contact me for any additional information regarding content, etc.
Finally, please refer to the Volunteer Corner of the newsletter to see how you can help with building inventory or assist in maintaining We ask for your support in consid- our library needs! ering donating any new or gently Thank you for your continuous used age-appropriate hardcover interest and support of your child’s books your child may have outschool, GMS. grown or have duplicated. All books donated will receive a label Darlene placed on the inside cover, recog-
Classroom News Kindergarten Program The kindergarteners are excited to be back with their friends. They look forward with anticipation to Science Friday, getting new school jobs and special events that tie into the curriculum. Last month we went to Busch Gardens to learn more about African animals during our focus on Africa. This month, we explore “Down Under” in Australia and are learning about the history of the
Aborigines, exotic and unique animals, Aborigine Dot Art, and welcome an in-house visit from musician Dan Liebman, famous didgeridoo player. In Science Friday, Ms. Deepali is leading the children in experimenting with how sound travels, what alters sounds and making our own instruments to communicate.
our upcoming American Montessori Society Annual Conference in March, and the other being submitted to Google Doodle’s annual contest. For our third project, we will pen our own stories as young authors and learn what it takes to become published! An exciting month to say the least!
In February, we put our creativity into full speed as we unleash our inner artists! We have three projects planned, one of which will be displayed at
Be sure to follow up on our adventures in emails in the weeks to come! Ms. Darlene
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Classroom News Butterfly & Hummingbird Room Happy New Year! We want to welcome back all of our existing friends as well as many new ones. Reflecting back on 2012, we ended the year with our Winter Program. The children enjoyed singing the Hanukah song and Five Little Elves to all of the families. The Toddler Teachers would like to give a big thank you to the parents for such a wonderful turnout at the program. We hope everyone enjoyed their winter break and spending time with their loved ones. Now that we are back at school, the month of January will be a busy one. To help the students get back into the swing of things, the beginning of the month will be a review of classroom procedures. We will be covering the colors; white and gray. Throughout our classroom, you will find many
new lessons that incorporate these two colors. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., we will be discussing the topics of: peace, emotions and unity. As the month continues we will be introducing the continent of Antarctica and the country of Canada, as those locations have cold climates. The children will receive lessons on the places, plants and animals of this continent and country. For fun, the children will also get to have a sensory experience making, creating and playing with snow as well as getting to try on winter clothing items As we move into the month of February, the children will expand on the colors pink and purple. These colors will be implemented into many lessons, activities and art projects for the month. Being that Valentine’s Day is during the month, we will be showing the children different kinds of poems and rhymes and even how to create one. Some books you may find in the class-
room are ones such as: “How Do I Love You” by Marion Dane Bauer and “I Love You Through and Through” by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak. These books will show the children how to express love and affection. The month of February is also Dental Health month. We will be having a speaker come in and talk to the children about our teeth and how to care for them. The next two months are filled with many lessons and activities that will expand the children’s knowledge. We encourage you to ask your children what they learned everyday so that you may continue the learning at home. We hope everyone has a great 2013, Sincerely, The Toddler Team
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Classroom News The Robin, Macaw and Bumblebee Rooms Happy New Year! We look forward to exciting things for the second half of the school year. The children seemed to have matured over the winter break. Everyone came back refreshed and ready to work! In December, we learned about the continent of Africa. For the month of January we are studying the
Thanksgiving
people, culture, landmarks and animals of Australia. We will also be learning about and creating Australian Aborigine dot art. We will discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream for all children to be able to play and go to school together. We will celebrate his life by doing a peace activity. In February, we will celebrate friendship, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and Black History. We will also have a special morning for Dads.
Please save the date: Friday Feb.15th. The children will plan a special day for Dad’s to come to school and spend the morning with their child. If Dad isn’t able to come, another important person such as a grandfather, uncle, etc. is welcome to attend. Please let us know if someone isn’t able to attend.
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Classroom News
Kindergarten Science Friday
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Classroom News Caterpillar Room Hello Wonderful Caterpillar Families! Hope that everyone had a fabulous winter vacation! The Caterpillar classroom has been very busy since coming back from Winter break. We started the New Year off with a bang! We welcomed back our returning students, and we getting to know new friends with great excitement! During this month we will introduce two new colors, Grey and White, and we will continue with GRACE
and COURTESY lessons with the children practicing " Please” and “Thank You". In Language we will focus on basic counting (1-5) as well as looking at number booklets. In Social Activities we will work on taking turns, sharing materials, imitating body movements, naming objects and reviewing colors and shapes will also be our focus. For the month of February we will be introducing a new shape “Heart” as well as the color Pink and Purple. In Social Activities we will talk about recognizing and de-
scribing emotions. In Practical Life we will introduce sorting and matching utensils as well as setting the places for meals. We are looking forward to continue working on more advance lessons and introducing new, fun and exciting activities for our children to experience. Respectfully, The Caterpillar Team. Ms. Luisa and Ms. Sara
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Classroom News
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Montessori at Home Asking For Assistance Can you help me, please? These five words seem to be hard for many people to say. In airport check-in lines, at fast food restaurants, or in grocery stores, dissatisfied customers react negatively when someone has neglected to ask, “May I help you, please?” At those times when we feel that no one is trying to help us, we need to ask ourselves, “Did I ask for assistance?” Teaching our children how to ask for help can help them avoid frustration and dissatisfaction. This is different from asking permission to do something. It is also different from children asking for help and in the process learning helplessness, for example the six-year-old who asks you to tie his shoes instead of trying to do it himself. Asking for assistance in many ways follow the adage, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” When our children ask for our help, they are asking us to “help me help myself”. Our assistance whenever possible should be in the form of teaching self sufficiency. Human beings have an internal drive to become independent and have a built it reticence about asking for help or permission. How many of us climbed the kitchen cabinets to get to the cookie jar on top of the refrigerator? Yes, we wanted the cookie, but more so, we wanted to get the cookie by ourselves, without asking for permission or assistance. We were driven
more by a desire to be independent than by our desire to satisfy our sweet tooth. Our actions communicated that we weren’t asking for a cookie. We were asking for help in trying to feed ourselves. We were asserting our independence.
Learning to ask for assistance is part of the path to independence.
In this odd way, by learning to ask for assistance, we actually become more independent. A request for help in reality is requesting, “Help me do it myself”. As the adult we stand at the next level of independence for the child. As mentors, we help other adults get to the next level of accomplishment in their lives. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but one of strength and confidence in new or challenging situations. Seeking assistance helps child an adult connect to people who can help us past our limitations. Let’s teach our children a tenet of successful people: Connect to others through asking for assistance in a way that reinforces independent thought and action. When our child says, ‘Draw a circle for me.” We can rephrase the request to “Would you like me to show you how to draw a circle? To get help, all you need to do is ask.” When we see tears and frustration on our child trying to button her coat, we can ask, “May I show you how to button? If you would like some help all you need to do is ask.” Show or do. One is help; the other is a hindrance. Help me do it myself.
Maren Schmidt, an AMI trained elementary teacher, is author of Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents, and writes the weekly syndicated column, Kids Talk. Visit KidsTalkNews.com and MarenSchmidt.com.
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Volunteer Corner Happy New Year from the Core Volunteer group! We are excited to share with you upcoming events and volunteer opportunities at GMS. The school's library is nearly complete. Beginning in February, each Early Childhood classroom with be visiting the library weekly and the Toddlers bi-weekly. We are seeking volunteers on an ongoing basis for 1-2 hour sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays to return books, reshelf them and keep the library organized. You may pick one session or many sessions to help out. If you are interested, please contact Erin Meredith at emeredithx5@gmail.com. Our annual Father's Day Celebration will take place on Thursday, February 14th for the Toddler Classrooms and on Friday, February 15th for the Early Childhood Classrooms. You will be hearing from your classroom parent about volunteer opportunities prior to the event and volunteer opportunities for mothers the day of the event. The Spring Party will be held
Friday, March 22nd. Similar to the Fall Festival, we need volunteers to help with setup the day of the event and clean up afterwards. If you are available to volunteer for this event, please email Nadine Sessa with your availability (set-up, clean up or both) at Moongoddess3913@gmail.com. Also for the Spring Party, the food station is comprised of potluck dishes. Each family is asked to provide a dish based on the classroom assignments below. Caterpillar- Desserts (muffins, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, etc.) Hummingbird- Sides (potato salad, pasta dishes, salad, hummus, etc.) Butterfly- Fruit and Veggies (raw veggie sticks, fruit salad, bananas, grapes, etc.) Bumblebee- Snack Items (chips, pretzels, trail mix, cheese and crackers, etc.) Robin- Main dishes (sandwiches, casseroles, vegetarian and vegan options, etc.)
Macaw- Drinks (individual Gatorades, juice boxes, teas, lemonades, etc.) There are two additional volunteer opportunities in the kindergarten program- biweekly science projects for the month of May and weekly IT courses (about 1 ½ hrs) by a degreed IT/Computer Sciences major using newly purchased tablets. If you are interested in either of these or would like additional information, please contact Erin Meredith at emeredithx5@gmail.com. Lastly, our Core Volunteer group is seeking a member, particularly from the Caterpillar classroom. We meet monthly to plan and assist in organizing upcoming school events. If you are interested in joining this fantastic group, please email Nadine Sessa at Moongoddess3913@gmail.com That is all for now. We appreciate all your help and support! Core Volunteer Group
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Employee Corner This edition, we feature GMS newcomer, Amy Selover, Amy is the Early Childhood 3-6 teacher in the Macaw Room. She writes: “Hi, I am from Cooperstown New York and have B.A in sociology with a minor in Educa-
tional Psychology. I have children ages 12, 8, and twins that are 2. Outside of school I am also very busy, as a family we love going to the beach, zoo and spending time outdoors. I love working with children and watching them learn and grow.
I could not see myself in any other career that I would find as rewarding”! We are thrilled to have Ms. Amy join us as a GMS member!
Classroom Wish Lists Any donation is always greatly appreciated!
Caterpillar/Butterfly/Hummingbird:
Bumblebee:
(2) ipods (used)
Pastel colored buttons
(2) ipod docking stations (used)
Pastel colored ribbon (thin)
Tricycles (used)
Spring/Easter material (1 yard per print)
Push or Pull toys Balls Indoor plants Plant stands
Robin: Books about feelings (preferably hardcover)
St. Patrick’s Day material (1 yard)
Macaw: Oranges Small potted plants
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Calendar of Events February- Crossing the Bridge to 1st Grade Meeting- TBA Tuesday, Feb. 12th- Library Field Trip for Kindergarteners Thursday, Feb. 14th- Toddler’s Father’s Day Friday, Feb. 15th- Early Childhood’s Father’s Day Monday, Feb. 18th- President’s Day NO SCHOOL Tuesday, Feb. 19th- Parent/Teacher Conference Day- NO SCHOOL Friday, Feb. 22nd- Core Group Volunteer Meeting Tuesday, Mar. 12th- Library Field Trip for Kindergarteners Friday, Mar. 15th- Teacher Planning Day- ALL DAY PROGRAM ONLY Monday, Mar. 25th – Friday, Mar. 29th- SPRING BREAK; NO SCHOOL Monday, Apr. 1st- Teacher Planning Day- NO SCHOOL
Garden Montessori School 6845 Boyette Road Wesley Chapel, FL 33545 Phone: 813-991-6335 Email: director@gardenmontessorischool.org Website: www.gardenmontessorischool.org
Planting the Seeds for the Future