Heartprints

                                    A heartprint is formed
                               When you do something kind.
                                   Your love touches others,
                               Leaving heartprints behind.
                                                    from Heartprints by P.K.Hallinan

Yesterday in guidance the Lunchers read Heartprints and explored ways to be dependable friends.  Then they made their own heartprints to take home. What kind of heartprints will you make in your family, classroom, and world?

March is Here!

March is here. Can spring be far behind? Are there "Starry Nights" ahead?

The Lunchers are learning about artists.They have tried painting like Jackson Pollock and Piet Mondrian.  They read Drawing With Scissors and made their own Matisse cutouts.  They learned that Alexander Calder always had a pliers in his pocket as they experimented with wire to make their own bead sculptures. They have been sorting art cards and can identify portraits, landscapes, still life, and abstract works. They are very exciting about their approaching visit to The National Gallery of Art!

March Calendar:

* Woods Auction is Saturday, March 2.  See you there!
* Welcome Emily Mendoza from Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School.  Emily will be working as a teacher assistant in all three Montessori classes each Wednesday afternoon.
* Our Art Gallery field trip is Friday, March 8th.  The Lunchers will return in time for a late lunch at school.
* Soccer begins Thursday, March 7 for morning children at 12:15 and Friday, March 8 for Owls and Lunchers. All children need shin guards, water bottle and a ball. Parents: Mrs. Carmody needs some volunteers to help escort the Friday group out to the field at 3:00. Coach will arrange parking for you. All other parents should meet their soccer players on the lower field by 3:15.
* March 15 is our celebration for St. Patrick's Day.  Please wear green!
* Friday, March 22 we will dye eggs and also have a mini-egg hunt on the playground for an early celebration of Easter.
* Spring break is March 23-April 2.
* Stay tuned!  There will be Spring Open Houses TBA for parents of current Woods students.  Plan to peek in on Lower School or Upper School and see all the great teaching and learning that takes place here every day.

What's Cooking?

Montessori could have its own cooking show!  We might not be ready for Rachel or Martha, but each week when the Owls wash their hands, and don their chef hats and green aprons, they are ready to "dive" into food preparation.  From start to finish, they are hands on, whatever the recipe!

                                   The Owls have learned how to grade potatoes and cheese.

                                  They have learned how to chop vegetables and fruit.

                              They have learned to crack an egg--delicately and without shell!

                                                  They have learned to roll dough.

                                                   They can mix and stir without a spill.

                                          They can measure with measuring cups and spoons.

                                       And the best part----eating what you make. Yum!!

When Moms Come to School

It must have been Mother-Child breakfast this morning.  There were moms(and a few dads) in school!

When moms come to Montessori, we have breakfast and then show them our work. They liked learning how to use tools.

When moms come to Montessori, they like to learn how to build the Trinomial Cube.

When moms come to Montessori, they learn how to do the Hundred Board.

When moms come to Montessori, they find out where South America is located.

When moms come to Montessori, they learn how to listen and match the Sound Cylinders.

When moms come to Montessori, they play the "I-Spy" Game.

When moms come to Montessori, they learn how to make designs and patterns with pegboards.

When moms come to Montessori we teach them new songs and poems.

Sharing time in the classrooms with our moms is so much fun! We love Mother-Child Breakfast!

Welcome ELMO

There's a new "creature" in Montessori named ELMO!  It's a document camera--very helpful for writing calendars, learning how to use Everyday Math materials and worksheets, and doing Monart. Thank you technology.  Everyone can see right side up!

                             Learning about Aboriginal art and using the four colors to draw kangaroos.

Brush Your Teeth

Dr. Cuervo, pediatric dentist and mother of Ryan(MIII) and Brandon(4A), visited the Montessori classrooms with her special friend, Alexander Alligator this morning.

February is Dental Health Month so she showed us her dental tools and talked about ways we could have healthy teeth and gums--brushing, flossing, dental visits, and eating healthy foods. Beware of "sugar bugs!" They are hidden in sugary snacks and drinks!

Dr, Cuervo brought us new tooth brushes and timers.  Remember--2 minutes for brushing and flossing twice a day!

February Notes

February finds Montessori engaged in their continent studies. M I is learning about koalas, kangaroos, and other marsupials living in Australia. M II has learned about the geography and flags of South America and is now focusing on the rain forest animals.  M III has explored the properties of water and has discovered that living in the arctic can be difficult. It is very helpful to have blubber!

Meanwhile the Lunchers have been learning about the importance of using standard measurement tools--rulers and tape measures.  They have used their own feet, elephant feet, and other non-standard measures to compare length and weight.  The nickel has been introduced so they are now counting dimes, pennies and nickels.

* The Student Council will be collecting $$ for their "Pennies for Patients" drive during the month of February.  Please send in coins, especially pennies for this worthy cause.  The Montessori children will use ten-frames to count and roll the coins.  We love the math!

* Dr. Cuervo (Ryan Curry's mom) will be helping us learn about health teeth and good nutrition on Monday, February 4th as part of Dental Health Month.

*Mother-Child Breakfast is Thursday, February 7 from 8:00-9:15.  Please join us for coffee, bagels, and time in your child's classroom.  Parking is on campus.  Coach Clubbs and his staff will be in the driveway to help with parking. We will use the Feb. 14 snow date if there is a delayed opening.

*Montessori will be celebrating lots of holidays--Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras/Carneval, Valentine's Day, and as well as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington in February. (See Blog about Valentine's Day for instructions.)

* The Lunchers will attend Ash Wednesday Mass on February 13. They should dress appropriately and can always change clothes/shoes for PE, if needed.

* The 100th Day of school is Tuesday, February 19 (unless we have a snow day).  All Lunchers should bring a collection of 100 of the same item in a baggie (marbles, Cheerios, cars, etc.) for Show and Tell.  They can count by 5's, 10's or 1's to "double check" their amounts.

* PEP is hosting many informative workshops and classes this winter.  Check out their website for dates and times. This is a wonderful way to earn a few new tools for parenting!

* Please note that Montessori children do not attend special classroom events like book parties, Canada celebrations, etc. We recognize that these events are days for our siblings to shine.

* There is no school for Owls and morning children on Friday, March 1. Lunchers will take the readiness test for first grade that morning with regular half day dismissal. Extended Care is open for registered children.

                       Leaning about positive, negative, and background space in art with Mrs. Taverner.