August 2014 Newsletter headers
1. Classroom highlights
VOL: 003
2. Birthdays
SEPT 2014
3. Fun facts 4. Mark your calendars 5. Sound of the week 6. Wish list - to parents 7.Announcements 8. Parent resource
**The month that was -July 2014
Celebrating the past and learning for a brighter future. thefreethinkingschool.com
the month that was - august august was a very fulfilling month as we had two major celebrations – independence day and mom’s night the independence day celebration at the freethinking school was a day to remember; we took great pride in unfurling the indian tri-colour and sang the national anthem to pledge our allegiance to mother india. later we spent a few precious moments reflecting on the advice provided by our chief guest, mr. guru bhakta about the necessity of loving, obeying and respecting our country in the same way that we do our parents. mom's night - on august 22nd we celebrated mom’s night at school. thank you, moms for coming and making the mom’s night at the freethinking school a great success. it was a great pleasure to watch both mother and child working together. the children really enjoyed giving lessons to their mothers and in turn all moms were smiling with pride. one of the mom’s said, “nice to see my kid learning so many things in such an innovative way”.
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classroom highlights last month, we started learning about the animal kingdom. the children were amazed to know that humans are also animals, belonging to the sub kingdom known as mammals, along with the giraffes, elephants, horses and blue whales. we also compared and contrasted their movements, feeding habits and habitat to our own. the children enjoyed painting blue whales and giraffes. in september, we will start exploring marine life. we’ll also learn about vertebrates and invertebrates. - meenal goyal hod - montessori
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fun facts how to encourage early reading? learning how to read and write isn’t just for the classroom. parents and caregivers play an important role in supporting beginning readers. reading aloud reading aloud together is great way to build literacy. it provides an intimate, loving, and safe way for your child to practice his or her developing literacy skills. •
answer your child’s questions, even if they interrupt the story.
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talk as you read. ask questions like “what do you think is going to happen next?” “why did that character do that?” and “what would you do?”
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have your child retell the story in his or her own words.
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after finishing the book, talk with your child about what you read, and invite him or her to reread parts of the story with you.
same old stories sometimes parents get frustrated when children want to read the same stories over and over again. however, this is an important step in your child’s literacy journey. hearing a story many times helps children memorize the words and hastens the day when they will be able to read on their own. •
when your child gets stuck on a word, resist the urge to provide the answer immediately. instead, encourage your child to look at the picture to get clues or to read the rest of the sentence and then try to fill in a word that makes sense.
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cheer your child’s attempts to read new words, as each word your child reads is one step further on the journey of literacy.
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choosing the correct book matters a lot! here are some suggestions for selecting good books for your preschooler: •
get books that rhyme and books with clear, attractive illustrations and strong texts.
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pick books on subjects your child is interested in. check online for lists of award-winning books for children. the international reading association website (www.reading.org) features children’s choices, a downloadable annual list of books chosen by young readers.
libraries and beyond •
the best place to journey through the world of words is your local library. take advantage of your library’s reading programs, story hours and resource materials.
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get your child a library card at the earliest opportunity. this gives your child a feeling of ownership and responsibility. help your child find books on subjects of interest.
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in addition to using your library, children love having their own books. give books as gifts for birthdays, holidays, rewards, and special occasions.
mark your calendars 2nd september – sports day 10.15 am to 12.30pm at bethany pre primary school 12th september - dad’s night at tfs dads, please plan to attend our 'dads only' event scheduled on the 12th of september between 6 & 7 pm. this is a special time when dads get to take a peek into the wonder-world of discovery at school along with their child. they will also share a short circle time with the other dads. it is a big event for the children and one they look forward to with great enthusiasm. (no siblings please) holidays in september 24th sept 2014 – mahalayaamavasya 26th sept 2014 – field trip 29th sept 2014 - 8th october - dussehra holidays 9th - oct 2014 - school reopens 5
sound of the week here are the sounds we will focus on in class during the next 4 weeks. sept 1-5 “l” as in lotus, love, lamb sept 8-12 “i” as in iguana, ink, infant sept 15-19 “g” as in grape, goat, glue sept 22-26 “n” as in nest, net, nine
wish list to parents please continue to send objects in association with the sound of the week on thursdays and fridays (sharing days) this will help to expand the child's vocabulary and their realm of understanding. thank you.
announcements *from september 1st onwards there will be a revision in pick up time for the montessori school. parents are requested to pick up their wards at 12.30 and latest by 12.45. a late pick up fee will be applicable after 12.45 pm. *after school program has taken flight. thank you for your participation. *log on to thefreethinkingschool facebook page to view the latest updates of our events and activities.
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parent resource how do montessori teachers do that? written by paul clement czaja, ph.d. not only new parents but also experienced visiting educators wonder how our montessori teachers work their magic. they do not see our montessorians doing anything special. they just seem to be there. sometimes it is even hard to find them in the room. there are the children all spread out doing different things in different parts of the room some at little tables, some on little mats on the oor, some standing together in quiet conversation, some simply lost in a reading book - twenty children all busy at doing something within an orderly, calm, very attractive bright and open room - all seemingly "on their own!" oh! there's the teacher – over there in the corner on her knees presenting a lesson to this little girl. her back is to the rest of the class. and that young woman must be the assistant teacher. she is by the worktable busy by herself cutting strips of paper. and yet the class goes on,with children concentrated and attending to many different learning tasks. how do they do it? how can they control a whole class full of children without standing up in front controlling them? what 's the trick? hypnosis? what is the secret? the secret ingredient that creates the wonder of a true montessori learning environment is respect. i am not referring to ordinary, run of the mill respect, but to real, existential respect. so existential it reveals the etymology of the word: re- repeatedly, spect- observing. that's the skill of all skills a montessorian must master. observing each child over and over again with a scientific rigor: constantly taking notes, reflecting about the observations, acting upon what they reveal, making each presentation and each of the learning packages fit the individual child's interest and need and learning aptitude? ďŹ t as well as his or her shoes do! it is from this proper fitting that the magic naturally evolves. just as it happens within a well prepared garden, when the learning prescriptions fit each child's profile they naturally begin to act and grow "on their own." ask a montessori child "who taught you how to read?" and she will answer with joy and pride: "i did! i learned it by myself!" the marvel that is a montessori education is not one that we pull out of a hat or create through the clever use of smoke and mirrors. it is not even something we accomplish by the daily conditioning of behavior through the employment of carrots and sticks. no, montessorians are not magicians. we are merely gardeners left over from the garden of eden. there is a philosophy, however, at the very core of what we are about in this profession of nurturing children to become all that they by the grace of genetics and love are meant to become. what, you ask, has philosophy have to do with gardening? or with the raising up of our children? well, philosophy tells us how to begin worthwhile endeavors. philosophy has to do with the wisdom of personal life, that is, it has to do with how to live life best. its advice is pithy. so here is the montessori pith: "independence precedes freedom." think about that for a while. you cannot give a child freedom first and then expect him to become independent. it has to be the other way around. the child needs to become independent in order to make good use of freedom.
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(parent resource continued...)
freedom is too wild a state without the habit of self-reliance. the personal condition of freedom needs the self-discipline that is fostered by independence. the governance of montessori is precisely found in the philosophic ways the faculty use to develop a learning community of truly independent learners. it is only after a child has his or her own repertoire of meaningful choices which have been presented by the gardeners that freedom to grow with true vigor begins to prevail. a condition of true independence must be established first before a child can make good use of freedom. within the "land of the free" of a montessori learning environment, liberty not license is enjoyed. you do know, there is a big difference between liberty and license. both have to do with being free. however, the freedom of liberty is bound by the golden bonds called the bill of rights, whereas, the freedom of license knows no bounds. it is the wild and woolly west. beginnings are all important. beginnings contain their endings. in montessori we begin with creating the true independence of a vibrant, well prepared garden. within this land of liberty under the caring rule of master gardeners, each child grows freely into the man or woman they are meant to be at their fullest personal potential. that is the marvel of montessori. and ain't that something grand to witness! peace and loving kindness to you all, my brothers and sisters in the world's montessori fields of glory!
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