Ball room dancing is all the rage in upper-elementary. Thanks to Brian and Amy O'Day for bringing their craft into our classroom. The students have been learning Waltz and Swing steps during our Wednesday gym time.

February was also our big science month. The science fair on the 8th was a huge success. The students are quite proud of their respective projects and eagerly shared them with family, friends, and TMA faculty and staff. We are continuing our study of the atom and the periodic table of elements.

Submitted by: Helen Muffoletto- Upper Elementary Teacher at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes 

The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes Values and Missions

The children from upper elementary discuss, problem solve, and act upon values and goals constantly in order to be able to take charge of their learning and become self-aware of who they are and who they want to become. Some of the values being taught are respect, integrity, tolerance, and gracious community.  Discussions of what these values look like and don’t look like in our daily lives, along with activities to bring more meaning to the concepts, create wonderful daily actions by the children, as well as meaningful conflict resolutions when needed.  Some of the works that are done include writing about what actions in the classroom show these values and what actions have not shown them.  Discussions and individual writings from each child interpreting the meaning of these values and how they feel about the way they portray themselves on a daily or weekly basis, including areas where an individual may feel there is need for improvement, give the children continued valuable time to internalize life-long values that will instill confidence and a sense of purpose to their lives.

A Student’s Personal Interpretation:

When I think of respect, I see people being quiet and being courteous to other classmates and helping them if they need it. You can be respectful by listening and being honest.

When I see integrity, I see people not giving up on their work until they give the work a fair shot. I also see people having faith in their answers and not going with a classmate’s answer if your answer is different.

When I see tolerance, I see a person not yelling at a classmate if they are being unkind. Instead, they should quietly ask them to stop. If they do not stop, try to ignore them. Try not to take drastic measures.

When I see a gracious community, I see a quiet classroom of people helping others. I try to create respect by showing a gracious community.

When teaching values, it is important for each child to realize that they have the power within themselves to become whom they wish to be and overcome any obstacles that may seem to be in their way. Difficult situations and academic studies that children sometimes call ‘hard works’ are simply challenges to overcome. The students discussed the purpose of The Montessori Academy’s mission statement and its importance. The children then created their own mission statements to show what they each thought was needed as guidelines for their personal growth.

Students’ Personal Mission Statements:

• The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes is where the children work in a community, helping each other with their problems. They also manage their time throughout the week so they can get all of their work done. The Montessori Academy uses different teaching methods and the children respect everybody around them.

• The Montessori Academy is dedicated to teaching children and our future leaders the importance of communication, support, and the importance of working at your own pace.

• The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes helps children learn by letting them work at their own pace and by teaching respect and responsibility.

• This year I want to learn a lot and be nice.  I also want to be respected because of the way I act.

• My mission is to finish my work and excel, along with helping other students.

• The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes creates a gracious community for your child to work and learn. We teach children to be respectful of others and to care for the community.  We will help all children work and learn to the fullest of their abilities.  Here, children will learn to be independent and learn how to be a leader.

• The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes will help me in my career because I will stay organized.

• The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes teaches children to have open minds.  We believe that every child should be able to move at their own pace. We teach children to take on challenges so they will be prepared for later life.

• The Montessori Academy teaches us about responsibility. It teaches us in an independent cycle.  We believe everyone is academically unique and different. When you leave this school, you will become a new and responsible person who is capable of great things.

• The Montessori Academy teaches the students to be respectful and independent. The people at The Montessori Academy cultivate time management, respect, and intellect. They advise us on good choices as well as building a gracious community through the students.

Submitted by: Becky Dennis- Upper Elementary Teacher at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

The True Meaning of Sports

Many would be believe that the only thing that matters in sports is winning. Actually, winning is the least important thing. Do not get upset, there is more to the story.

Let us consider this small example of a sporting event I love. I love March Madness! Let's say that 64 teams are invited to the tournamet. Well, if winning was the only thing that was important then we could say that only one team is a winner and 63 teams are losers. This is far from the case. First of all, if the other teams did not show up to the tournament, who would play?  Secondly, we must also applaud all the hard work each team displayed throughout the season to be invited to the tournament. (Plus, all the hard work all the other teams demonstrated who were not invited to the tournament.)  And lastly, we can not afford to overlook the personal satisfaction that each of the men and women achieve by improving each game, learning to work together as a team and learning life lessons. They learn about committment, displine, dedication, perserverance and desire just to mentiontion a few. These lessons are far more important than the game itself.

So, is it the winning that matters? I would say no. Winning is only the decoration on the cake. Preparing the cake is what is important. (Although, we do love the icing!)

Submitted by: Michael Poole- Junior High Teacher and Athletic Director at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

A Year in Review- Books!

January is traditionally a month when we review the previous year, remembering highlights and favorite things. In many fields, awards are given to the “best of the best.” The field of children’s literature is no exception: two of the most famous awards in children’s literature are announced in January. The Caldecott Medal is given to the illustrator of the “most distinguished” picture book, and the Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the book with the “most distinguished” writing. Both of these medals are awarded by the American Library Association. Both medals have a first-place award, as well as a second-place honor award. Most years, several books share the honor award; with the wealth of children’s literature available today, it’s not hard to imagine how difficult it would be to narrow the list of award winners! Requirements for both awards include that the author or illustrator be a U.S. citizen or resident. Also, the book must have been published during the year previous to the award.

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 The Caldecott Medal was first awarded to an illustrator in 1938. The award is named for 19^th-century English children’s book illustrator Randolph Caldecott, a beloved illustrator and early advocate of children’s literature. Caldecott Award winners from the past include such favorites as Make Way for Ducklings (1942), Madeline’s Rescue (1954), Where the Wild Things Are (1964), and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (1976). More recent winners include Snowflake Bentley (1999), The Hello, Goodbye Window (2006), The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2008), and The House in the Night (2009). All of these titles are a treat for the eyes, and provide an easy way to introduce young children to fabulous art. The stories in these books also happen to be ones you don’t want your child to miss. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (recently made into a movie) is a rare exception—it’s a book for older readers, but the art work is integral to the story.

The Newbery Medal was first awarded to a children’s writer in 1922. This award is named for 19th-century English children’s publisher and bookseller John Newbery. Like Randolph Caldecott, John Newbery was one of the earliest supporters of children’s literature. Still-popular Newbery award favorites from earlier days include The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1923), Rabbit Hill (1945), King of the Wind (1949), and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1968). More recent Newbery winners include Shiloh (1992), Holes (1999), The Tale of Despereaux (2004), and When You Reach Me (2010). These are stories that bring inspiration and enjoyment to generation after generation of young readers. These are stories by writers who are passionate about the art of literature and passionate about having a positive influence on the lives of their young readers.

 

Watch for official announcements of the 2012 Caldecott and Newbery Award winners on Monday, January 23, 2012.

Submitted by: Lin Brooks- Librarian at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

Connecting Crafts with Great Picture Books

The students in Room 106 have spent some very enjoyable time this week listening to a couple of favorite picture books and then working on a craft to accompany the book.

I chose several books by Jan Brett, an author that both my students and I enjoy. Her books are well written and lavishly illustrated.  The students always like to look at the small pictures in the border area of each page.  These small illustrations often tell what is coming next in the story and the students find it fun to make predictions and then see if they were correct.

For this week’s book and craft time I chose Ms. Brett’s book, The Hat.  This story takes place at the beginning of winter in Denmark. When Lisa takes her warm woolen clothes out of the chest and hangs then on the line to air out, the fun begins. A hedgehog finds a stocking that the wind has blown off of the line.  His spines become stuck in the stockings which he decides to wear as a hat.  The animals he encounters all make fun of his hat but decide to join him and soon the clothesline empties as the animals choose “hats”.  After reading the story we went back through the book and more closely examined the beautiful and detailed illustrations including the patterns shown in the stocking and other knitted woolens. 

Later that day the students used small wooden sticks dipped into white tempera paint to make their own patterns on hat shaped felt pieces. The projects were finished with the addition of a pompom at the top of each hat. A magnet strip attached to the back of each hat turned their works of art into magnets that some of the students plan to present to their parents as holiday gifts.

The second book that I read to the class was The Gingerbread Baby, Jan Brett’s version of the classic story of a gingerbread boy who runs away from the person who bakes him. After listening to this story, each student had the opportunity to decorate a craft foam shape of a gingerbread person. They used construction paper to create decorations and clothing for the gingerbread people and used markers to add details.   A wide variety of gingerbread personalities were created from sports figures to princesses and even Santa Claus.

A great story to listen to and beautiful illustrations to look can lead into creative and fun craft projects!

Submitted by: Rhonda Reynolds- Lower Elementary Teacher at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

ABC's of the Farm

Last Thursday, December 15, the lower elementary students hosted our first assembly of the school year.  Each of the children in both classrooms came up with an alphabetical list of things that they have seen and done on our trips to the farm.  Our presentation was entitled, “The ABC’s of the Bel-Aire Farm”. 

The children did a great job and the assembly was a hit!  Of course, we did get a little off track.  There were two lines of children.  They alternated speaking into the microphone.  One of the children was ill and could not attend – we ended up a little out of order.  So, it was not really the ABC’s of the Bel-Aire Farm, but the ABDC’s!  Of course, this made the presentation that much more endearing.  We all enjoyed the assembly and are looking forward to the next time we can share about our learning experiences at the farm and in the classroom! 

We also had some special guests attend the assembly – O.D., Jake (horses), Wazzy and Louie (goats) and two of the bunnies!  Bel-Aire Farm brought in their animals so that everyone would have the opportunity to meet them.  It was a huge success!  We cannot thank the Ludwick family enough for their generosity.  The experiences that the children are having at the Bel-Aire Farm are incredible.  We hope that every parent can, at one point this year, experience one of the trips to the farm.  It is well worth it! 

We hope that everyone enjoys the slideshow that accompanies this narrative.  It is extremely difficult to describe how special these trips have been.  We hope that the pictures give you all an idea of how truly magnificent these trips have been!  Before signing off, we must mention that this wonderful assembly would not have been such a hit without the vital contributions of Lin Brooks, Paige Como-Howard, Mr. Dennis Wood and the lower elementary team! 

Have a wonderful and safe holiday!  See you all in 2012!

Submitted by: Kathy Kolata- Lower Elementary Teacher at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

"One for Books"

Once again the Book Fair Blizzard blew into TMA’s Library for a three-day stay. It turned out to be a blizzard of books and activity. Students and parents alike stocked up on reading materials and gifts for the holidays. The profits from this fair and the spring fair are used to keep our library supplied with a fine selection of books from picture books to fiction, and nonfiction to biographies.

During the run of our December and May Book Fairs, a program by Scholastic Books is also in progress. It is called "One for Books." Students, parents, faculty and staff can donate loose change, or any amount they wish, into a well-marked jar on the circulation desk. All proceeds collected are used to buy books for the Montessori Preschool Classroom at the South Bend Center for the Homeless. TMA’s Library gets credit for selling these books which adds to its profits. Scholastic Books, through a matching donation, gives books to national non-profit organizations dedicated to helping families in need. These organizations have included the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. and the National Center for Family Literacy. This is a win, win, win situation for everyone!

Shown below are just some of the books that have been given to the TMA Preschool Classroom at SBCH over the years. Your support of our book fairs and this program are greatly appreciated.

Submitted by: Linda Meyer- Librarian at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes