dearborn heights montessori center …...goddess: pair a pic-ture of an egyptian deity with the...

News&NotesNOVEMBER 2013

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

For readers seeking a treasure trove of tomes, the display of books in the

DHMC hallways last month was no mirage—it was the “Reading Oasis” Scholastic BookFair! And by all accounts, readers found whatthey were lookingfor: The weeklongParents Associa tionevent raised $2,108,which will help fundmaintenance of ourschool’s outdoor hab -itat and supportDHMC events andactivities such asMovie Night. TheReading Oasis alsogenerated $900 inScholastic Dollars,which will be used topurchase books forthe classrooms.

The Book Fairtook place the weekof October 14 andfeatured an ancientEgyptian theme, giv-ing fairgoers a tasteof the theme for ourschoolwide CulturalFestival next spring.

As a tie-in to the Reading Oasis, the Par ents Association also hosted an ancientEgyptian-themed Family Literacy Night, on Octo ber 15. Stu dents from toddlerthrough Mid dle School and their familieswere invited.

All children received an activity passport,which they could have stamped after com-pleting tasks at any of the 12 stations set uparound the gym. Those who acquired six or

more stamps could enter their passport in a drawing for prizes such as posters, book-marks, and other reading-related items.Con grat u la tions to our grand prize winner, first grader Ava Boccarossa, who won a $25

gift certificate to theBook Fair!

The activity sta-tions offered some-thing for everyone.Children could expe-rience: n The Reading OasisBook Walk: Walklike an Egyp tian forthe chance to win a$5 gift certificate tothe Book Fair.n Who’s Your Mum -my?: View pictures ofDHMC staff mem-bers disguised asmummies and guesswho’s who.n Match the God &Goddess: Pair a pic-ture of an Egyptiandeity with the cor-rect description.n Egyptian FigureTracing: Strike your

favorite Egyptian pose and have a volunteertrace around you.n Guessing Station: Estimate how manyLEGOs were in Pharaoh’s Bag.n Scavenger Hunt: Search through the BookFair to find answers to the clues.n Egyptian Ball Game known as Trilithon:Get the ball through the wooden gate (thetrilithon) without knocking the trilithon

Fit for a pharaoh“Reading Oasis” Book Fair and Literacy Night were just divine!

continued on page 5

First grader Ava Boccarossa won thegrand prize drawing at Family LiteracyNight: a $25 gift certificate to the “Read -ing Oasis” Book Fair. Ava is wearing theEgyp tian paper collar and cuffs that shedecorated at one of the activity stations.

Hurry—our food drive forGleaners ends Nov. 22By the time you receive this newsletter,our food drive for Gleaners CommunityFood Bank will be underway. If youhaven’t already taken part, it’s not toolate. The food drive runs through Friday,November 22—just in time to helpGleaners provide food for those in needduring the Thanksgiving season. Collec -tion boxes are in the school lobby. Thankyou for sharing this giving experiencewith your children!

Tune in to 89.7 FMAll the latest DHMC news is broadcastfrom our student-run radio station,WDHM-FM 89.7. Middle School studentswho take the radio elective handleresearch, write daily broadcasts, and dothe announcing themselves. WDHMkeeps listeners in the know, so tune in asyou drop off and pick up your children!

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Montessori management: Everythingyou need to run an organizationIn his September 12, 2013, blog

(geniusinchildren.org), educatorand author Rick Ackerly com-mented on an article from TheEconomist in which Montessoriand “progressive” education wereused as examples of systems inwhich children are allowed tooperate without restraint. Ithought you would find Mr.Ackerly’s observations interesting.His blog post, edited for length,follows.

Early in September TheEconomist published an article bySchumpeter entitled “Montessorimanagement” (sic), using Mon -tes sori and “progressive” educa-tion as a straw man to bemoan the loss of authority in “child-centered” schools and democraticorganizations. As virtually all thecomments indicated, dichotomiz-ing authority and democracy isshockingly “so last millennium,”and using Montessori as an exam-ple is just plain ignorant. Many ofour school systems are still orga -nized in a 19th century hierarchi-cal factory model. However, greatschools around the world give ussome of our best models of whata great organization and a greatdemocracy can look like. A mereglance at them exposes the coreprinciples of a true democracy.

In a Montessori classroom, forinstance, the teacher’s authority isunquestioned. And yet, when youobserve a Montessori class, yousee all 20 to 30 students increas-ing their own authority in mathematics, literacy, geography,biology, and the disciplines ofbeing a responsible member of acommunity. They are workinghard, but no one is making them!How do they do that? Great

teachers are leaders, not managers.Montessori teachers teach

their curriculum through materi-als that they prepared ahead oftime. When the materials do theteaching, the students maximizetheir learning because their inter-nal motivation and individualdecision making are high. Thestudents take on challenges thatare right for their mental, emo-tional, social, and physical age,because the boss is not “holdingthem accountable,” but creatingthe right conditions.

All great leaders from GeneralEisenhower to our best managers,principals, and teachers knowthat the best measure of qualitymanagement is: when you areabsent, the work continues withno loss of energy and enthusi-asm. If the mice play when youare away, you are doing some-thing wrong.

All great teachers use the aca-demic curriculum as the vehiclefor teaching the real core com -petencies of communicating, collaborating, creating, and con-tributing, and the students prac-tice them all day long every daymostly on their own. This is pos-sible because great teachers knowthat children naturally gravitatetoward these basic inclinations ofthe human species; that humanswere designed to communicate,collaborate, create, and con-tribute; that children reveal theseinclinations by the first 18months of life; and that the mainadult role is to be with them asthey demonstrate their progressin activities of ever-increasingcomplexity.

Leaders know that makingdemocracy work is a matter ofeach person playing his or herposition in partnership with oth-ers. Yes, learning from each other,

differentiated responsibilities,individual responsibility, collec-tive ownership, open discussion,consultation, communication,360 degree evaluation, settinglimits and enforcing boundariesare all required for an organiza-tion to be successful: all of theabove, not pick and choose depend-ing on your inclinations.

It was nice for me to bereminded—especially reading thecomments to Schumpeter’s arti-cle—that in my lifetime we havemade great progress towarddemocracy. My children’s age-peers are so much more sophisti-cated at exercising leadership insuch a way that it brings out theleadership in others.

Today it is obvious to most ofus that good corporate decisionmaking includes some unilateraldecision making along with opendialogue and consensus building.Great schools provide some ofour best examples, and Mon tes -sori classrooms model the disci-plines of exercising authority inways that bring out the authorityof followers.

These are principles that allgreat kindergarten teachers havealways known. When you takeresponsibility for the education of25 squirmy five-year-olds, youcome face to face with the realitythat your control is limited andthat the only way of making itthrough the year is to designthings so that they increasinglyown their own control. Maybewe should have a workshop forall CEOs and world leaders ledby great kindergarten teachers.

Great teachers

know that the main

adult role is to be

with children as they

demonstrate their

progress in activities

of ever-increasing

complexity.

NEWS & NOTES 3

Family portrait by Extended Day student Hamoudy Khanafer, 5

High-ropes course at YMCA Camp Eberhart, by Reema Haimour, Grade 6. See page 32 for details about this year’s upper elementary camp experience.

Picasso cubist work by Hannah Hourani,Grade 2. See page 23 for details about lower

elementary art class.

4 NEWS & NOTES

Clockwise from above: The Memory Pyramid was one of the 12 exciting ancient Egyptian-themed activities at the ParentsAssociation’s “Reading Oasis” Family Literacy Night in October. n Preschooler Katerina Goffas plays “Minute to Win It” Pyramid,a fun game that challenged contestants to build a pyramid of plastic cups in less than 60 seconds. n At the Book Fair, preschooler Oliver Kurtz and dad Eric select a book to purchasefor Oliver’s classroom.

NEWS & NOTES 5

Fit for a pharaoh continued from page 1

down, but do knock down thepieces at the other end.n “Minute to Win It” Pyramid:Build a pyramid out of plasticcups in less than 60 seconds.n Hieroglyph Station: Stampyour name onto the paper car-

touche (a drawing representing ascroll) or scratch your name ontothe scratch pad.n Collars & Cuffs: Decoratepaper Egyptian collars and cuffs,and then wear them for the night.n Memory Pyramid: Crawl

through a tunnel into a pyramid,memorize the pictures inside,crawl out, and then figure outwhich picture was not inside thepyramid. The pictures were ofEgyptian items that can be viewedat the Detroit Institute of Arts.n Photo Station: Choose one oftwo Egyptian-themed images andget your photo taken.

Sharing the love of booksFamily Literacy Night generatedexcitement about reading, andthe Book Fair let students, staff,and families spread the joy ofreading by donating books to the after-school program of theCapuchin Soup Kitchen inDetroit. The Book Fair garnered$164.73 in donations, which the Parents Association used topurchase more than 30 books for the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Pro gram. Familiesand staff either bought ordonated 60 additional books for the program.

Many thanks to KirsteMoline (Aliyah and OwenMoline-Freeman’s mom) andLaura Fransen (Jack’s mom) forco-chairing the Book Fair andFamily Literacy Night. TheParents Association sends thanksto everyone who supported theBook Fair, the Capuchin drive,and Family Literacy Night.

Middle School studentsArianna AfonsoSam CliffordJenna Gondoly Emily JasonEvan KernosekKarl KubicaRory McMasterAliyah Moline-FreemanMichael NunuEmily SpamanAmber Stockinger

Elementary studentsBen CliffordJack FransenReema HaimourOwen Moline-Freeman

Parents and family membersDenise Abdullah (Kassim

and alumnus Adam’s mom)Belize Afonso (Arianna

and Brian’s mom)Sophia Alekov-Pich

(Noah Pich’s mom)Tracey Audi (Grace’s mom)Manal Badreddine

(Ryan, Elaina, and Natalie Saad’s mom)

Paula Burgess-Byrne (Patrick and Molly Byrne’s mom)

Shareia Carter (Peyton Hudson’s mom)

Amy and Geoff Clarke (Elliott’s parents)

Zainab and Wisam Dabaja (Ali, Ava, and Jolie’s parents)

Linda Dzudz (Fransen family friend)

Zahra Fahs (Sasha’s mom)

Linda Fakih (Leem, Adam, and Mahdi’s mom)

Minna Fakih (Hannah's mom)Linda Farhat (Fatima and

Laila’s mom)Laura Fransen (Jack’s mom)Nancy Fransen

(Jack’s grandma)Kelly Gallagher (Evan

and alumni Kyle and KelseaKernosek’s mom)

Kay Haimour (Reema and alumnus Rashed’s mom)

Kalvin Harvell (Lillian’s dad)Christine Juergens (Claire and

William Stephens’s mom)Radha Karanth (Janavi’s mom)Melissa Khalil

(AJ and Ava’s mom) Rebecca Logsdon (John’s mom)Fadwa Makki (Danielle’s mom)Robyn Mazza (Leo’s mom)Mary McMaster (Rory and

alumna Maeve’s mom)Lucia Meehan (Maggie, Marta,

Robbie, and Will’s mom) Kirste Moline and Lee Freeman

(Aliyah and Owen Moline-Freeman’s parents)

Tara Moline (Aliyah and Owen Moline-Freeman’s aunt)

Melissa Perkins (Ethan andIsaac’s mom)

Joan Remski (Ben and SamClifford’s mom)

Sarah Soranno (Penelope’s mom)Lisa Tyra (Estell and

Salina’s mom)Debbie Washington

(Gordon’s mom)Kerri Wright

(Isabella and Dominic’s mom)

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the Book Fair and Family Literacy Night!

6 NEWS & NOTES

TODDLER CLASSROOM NOTES

Just like the toddlers inour Montessori pro-

gram, the program itselfhas experienced amazinggrowth! During the sum-mer, our toddler spacewent through a rebirth.Our interior door wasopened and the roomstransformed into twolarge, inviting spaces towelcome our expandingcurriculum. We’ve growninto a new napping space and a new day careroom as well. The chil-dren are loving all theexciting new opportuni-ties our expanded pro-gram presents!

Banana slicing,step by stepOur time in our rooms is proving to be so energiz-ing! The shelves are filled with activities for the chil-dren to choose throughout our day. In our tilespace, it is all about food preparation! Our focusand concentration are increasing as we journeythrough each step of the banana-slicing activity.Our tiny hands begin by unfolding a napkin. Next,our fingers find the tiny slits in the banana peel,and we begin to pull each small piece down. Weplace each piece of the peel in the middle of thenapkin until we have revealed the banana. Thebanana is placed on a small cutting board. The cor-ners of our napkin are then folded in, and the littlebundle is placed into the garbage can.

Back at the cutting board, we use one hand tocarefully steady the banana, while our other handpicks up a small knife to begin making slices. Afterthe last slice falls onto the cutting board, we take outa fork, poke each tiny slice of banana, and carefullyplace it into a waiting bowl. As the last slice makes itinto the bowl, smiles appear, for now we can eat!

Good clean fun with pumpkinsIn our tile space, we have also begun to experiencewater play. Our first enticing water activity hasbeen pumpkin scrubbing. Our eyes grow wide aswe pull an apron over our head and embark on thevery big task of cleaning the pumpkin. In the watertable a large pumpkin awaits our tiny hands. We

delight in the soapywater that is full ofbubbles. After pickingup the small scrubberperfectly sized for ourhands, we dip it intothe soapy water, whichcreates even more bub-bles! Our eyes seek outthe perfect spot on thedeep orange pumpkinto begin the task ofcleaning it of all itsspots! After muchscrubbing, a carefulassessment is made.Our pumpkin is clean!We then return thescrubber to its tray andpick up a small towel.It is time to dry thepumpkin. The towel isthen returned to the

tray and our apron returned to its place. Ourpumpkin is shiny and beautiful!

Building our vocabularyOur carpeted space also offers our toddlers a varietyof works to choose from: matching activities, a tasteof geography through use of the continent map,and the excitement of language cards. We gather atthe big rug to become versed in the world of birdsas we learn about different types and their names.We love repeating names like “yellow-billed mag-pie” and “scarlet tanager.” From time to time ourkeen ears hear the chirping of birds outside ourwindows. We race to the steps in front of the win-dows! We must look outside and discover whichbird has come to visit us on this day!

We are also thoroughly enjoying food tastingsduring our daily group lessons. Food tastings giveus much to talk about with wonderful vocabularysuch as sweet, bitter, juicy, or crunchy. Our taste budshave recently been tantalized by various citrusfruits. It’s always a fun discovery to see what isgoing to be revealed when the special tray for foodtasting appears!

Our year is off to a magnificent beginning—andwe are very excited for what’s coming next!

—Peggy Simms, Angie Alfonsi, Farah Anani,

Taghrid Beydoun, Samantha Caspers, Angela Herron,

Kristine Ostrosky, Sara Turner, and Erica Wilson

PEGGY & ANGIE

One, two, three, grow!

Two-year-old Leah Betsistas gets a lesson inbanana slicing from teacher Peggy.

We gather

at the big rug to

become versed in

the world of birds

as we learn about

different types and

their names.

NEWS & NOTES 7

TODDLER CLASSROOM NOTES

TODDLER MUSIC

Getting a feel for musicOur toddler classes are enjoying having music

together! Music classes for our youngestMontessorians began in October, and we meet for15 to 20 minutes on Mondays and Fridays in thetoddler classrooms. Later, when the children areready, they’ll make the long walk down the hall tothe music room for class. We open each classperiod by singing “Good Morning” or “GoodAfternoon” and end by singing “Good-bye.”

At the beginning of the school year, the songs Ipresent to our toddlers are tunes they can move to.Sometimes we play the Guitar Game, in which theinstrument tells the children how to move aroundthe room. We might march, or walk, or try trottinglike a horse! When the guitar stops making sound,

our feet have to stop as quickly as possible. Whenthe guitar resumes making sound, it is time tomove to the music again.

Throughout the year, I’ll introduce somerhythm instruments for the children to experienceplaying.

If your toddler comes home singing a song andyou are not sure you understand the words, cometake a look at the “Music and Lyrics” binder in theschool office. The contents are divided by level,and songs are listed in alphabetical order. Newsongs are added weekly.

We’re going to have such fun in toddler musicclass this year!

—Pat Tait

‘Help me to do it by myself’Our Montessori toddler environment is carefully prepared to help the children achieve indepen -dence. Self-care activities such as putting on one’s shoes, as 2½-year-old Dominic Wright does(above left), boost confidence and self-esteem. Being able to choose activities of interest, such asselecting a book in the reading area, as 2-year-old Evelyn Sherding does (above right), not only lets children learn at their own pace but also helps them develop self-control.

8 NEWS & NOTES

PRESCHOOL & EXTENDED DAY CLASSROOM NOTES

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”—Confucius

Every year as we begin a newschool year, we are awed by

the absolute appropriateness ofthe Montessori philosophy forthe 3–6 age group. Every aspectof the children’s developmentand learning needs is addressed.We see from the first day howspecial and unique this environ-ment is for the children.

Two aspects of a Mon tessorienvironment that are especiallyamazing at the beginning of theyear are the experiential nature ofthe lessons, work, and learning,and the sensorial focus. Why?Because hands-on work is invitingto the children. It helps new andreturning students alike getstarted right away, making all thechildren feel that they are part ofour classroom community.

“Please give me a lesson”We begin the year with lessons inhow to operate in the classroom:the ground rules. These includewalking rather than running,using inside voices, and raisingone’s hand during our group-time presentations.

After we teachers present alesson during group time, we askfor volunteers to practice whatwas shown, and every handshoots up in the air. The childrenwant the opportunity to practicewhat they have seen or to cooper-ate with the teacher in complet-ing the work cycle. The beauty,order, and potential of the Mon -tessori materials attract the chil-dren, who seem to know thatthe best part is the doing. Theexperience and the process arewhat’s important. The childrenwill repeat each activity until

they feel the inner satisfaction ofhaving absorbed the lessons.

As the weeks go by and thechildren engage in more andmore independent work, weoften hear “Please give me a lesson. I want to do this work.”The children do not ask to beshown or told the intended out-come of an activity—they wantto experience it for themselves.Many of the Sensorial materialsare self-correcting, which meansthe children can solve problemson their own. The pink tower isa good example. Made of 10wooden cubes painted pink, this material introduces children

to the concepts of three-dimensional size variance,weight differential, and intricatestacking. Preschoolers learnthese concepts by building atower, starting with the largestcube on the bottom. If a piece is stacked out of order or is leftover, the child perceives the errorand tries again. This processenables children to build theirself-confidence and improvetheir analytical thinking skills.Mariana Seblini likes workingwith the pink tower (and theknobbed cylinders), feeling andseeing how they stack and fit just right.

HEIDI & RENU

The best part is the doing

After our class conducted an apple tasting, the children each chose a favorite, and we graphed the results.

The children

do not ask to be

shown or told the

intended outcome

of an activity—they

want to experience

it for themselves.

NEWS & NOTES 9


Peace in practiceMaria Montessori believed thatthrough experience, children canlearn any concept of interest andappropriateness. For our Inter -national Day of Peace celebra-tion in September, we did notlecture the children about peace.Instead, they experienced it forthemselves. They practiced mak-ing peace with their bodiesthrough the Silence Game. Thiswould come in handy when wewent to the gym for our PeaceDay assembly. The children alsoexperienced holding somethingprecious: battery-powered can-dles, which some students wereinvited to carry during the peaceprocession from our classroomto the gym. It was exciting toparticipate in this procession,walking and singing with theother students in the school.

The entire experience waspersonal and important. JackHoran liked holding the pre-cious peace candle and seeingthe older children (including hissister, third grader Sarah) in thegym. Adam Jomaa thought itwas very hard to keep your bodypeaceful when there were somany things going on, and heliked the music.

Using our sensesThe experiential nature of theclassroom involves using thesenses to teach new concepts andto give concrete examples ofabstract concepts. The Sensorialactivities help train the children’ssenses in a number of ways. Therough and smooth boards helpthe children tune in to touch.The sound cylinders train the ear for sound work in language.The visual discrimination activi-ties—the pink tower, brownstair, red rods, and cylinders—train the eye to see variations,

which will help in reading, num-ber work, and advanced mathactivities. The geometric solidslet the children feel the forms,thus developing the kinestheticsto picture a concept in theirheads, which will aid in all areasof advanced study.

Our first graphing experiencebegan with the opportunity tosee, touch, taste, and smell apples.Lamees Ajami thought that theapples could be either sweet orsour. After our apple tasting, thechildren were invited to choosetheir favorite. Michael Davisthought that all the apples weregood and said it was hard todecide which he preferred. Con -versations about apple favoriteswill continue for some time!

In the math area, the childrenare able to hold materials in quan-tities of 1, 10, 100, and 1,000,making it easier to understand theconcepts of large numbers andperform operations with them.The children love to experience

the math activities! Zein Khalifelikes working with the bead barsto see how numbers becomegreater, and with the tabletop rodsand tiles to see and feel the pat-terns of numbers 1 to 10. ReemKaram likes working with themonomial and binomial cubes tosolve the problem of the order,shape, and color that bring themtogether. Dodi Jundi enjoysholding the bead bars and lookingat the beautiful colors as he learnsthe numbers 1 to 10.

Working with the senses helpschildren develop into lifelongkeen observers who are excitedto touch, hear, see, smell, or tastein order to explore the worldaround them.

It promises to be anotheramazing year of adventure, obser-vation, and learning. The childrencannot wait to experience it all!

—From our hands to yours,

Heidi Gauger, Renu Lobo,

and Islam Habhab

HEIDI & RENU EXTENDED DAY EXTRAS

The gift of timeIt’s said that the most important gift to give someone is the gift of

time. Our Extended Day program gives children this gift each day.Extended Day children are inquisitive and are driven to see the com-pletion of a task and experience the process. Because they are at schoolall day, they have the opportunity to tackle longer, more challengingworks, many of which involve multiple steps that require time andconcentration. It is reassuring for the children to know they can beginan activity in the morning and complete it in the afternoon.

One such challenging work is nomenclature in science. The stepsinclude laying down a rug, getting the work out, arranging the cardsin a sequence, matching, labeling, coloring, and finally making abook. The extra time in Extended Day allows the children to com-plete this work successfully and be proud of their achievement.

Many Extended Day activities in mathematics also include multi-ple steps. The children have the time to start and finish works such as:n The decimal system (quantity, sequence, numeral, and placevalue of numbers to 9,999).

continued on next page

The extra time

in Extended Day

allows the children

to complete work

successfully and

be proud of their

achievements.

10 NEWS & NOTES


n Skip counting (counting byunits and the basis for multipli-cation).n The 45 layout (understandingnumbers from 1 to 9,999).

The all-day environment alsois beneficial for the children whenthey are working on languageactivities. They receive a formalintroduction to letter formationand placement, which involvesone-on-one work with the teacherand requires time to practice. TheExtended Day children use themoveable alphabet (letters formedfrom plastic or wood) to writewords, sentences, and eventuallystories. This is time-consumingwork! They begin by fixing all theletters in the box and writing theirnames on top. Then they work onword building or story writing.Once the teacher has checkedtheir work, the children transfer itto their journals. The ExtendedDay program allows the childrento take their time, be thoughtful,

and enjoy the process. When theysuccessfully complete a challeng-ing task, they are building theirself-esteem. This in turn givesthem the confidence to try newactivities.

Cultural study is anotherimportant aspect of our Mon - tessori environment, and theExtended Day program offerstime to do extension works formany of the activities. For exam-ple, when we introduce theworld map to the Extended Daychildren, we extend the learningto a sensorial level. Childrentrace the two hemispheres, cutthem out, and glue them on dif-ferent pieces of paper. They thentrace or pin-punch each conti-nent and glue each onto theappropriate hemisphere. Finallythey label the continents.

Another extension of our cul-tural studies is field trips, whichgive the Extended Day childrenspecial opportunities to expandtheir knowledge outside of the

classroom. In September, afterstudying apples and learninghow important bees are to theprocess of growing fruit,Extended Dayers visited the TroyNature Center and learned allabout bees in Michigan. InOctober, we visited an appleorchard. On November 21, wewill see the play The Firebird atthe Wild Swan Theater in AnnArbor. Field trips give the stu-dents a sense of independence.The children are able to practicegrace and courtesy lessons, andit’s great fun to ride on a bus!

To take advantage of all theseamazing activities, the childrenrequire one key thing: time.Extended Day gives this gift oftime to the children, helpingthem to be successful and enjoytheir achievements. What a won-derful way to learn!

—From our hands to yours,

Renu Lobo, Heidi Gauger,

and Islam Habhab

Family portrait by Extended Day student Theodor Kazanmashev, 5

NEWS & NOTES 11


PRESCHOOL FRENCH

Let’s say ‘Bonjour’ to everyday wordsPreschool–kindergarten French

lessons began the first fullweek of October. Each classmeets twice a week for 25 min-utes. During these first monthsof school, we have been learninghow to greet each other inFrench: “Bonjour. Ça va?” (“Hi.

How are you?”) Children will be able to say they feel great, feelso-so, are sick, have a headache,or have a sore throat.

Our lessons are taken fromfamiliar words and phrases usedin everyday life. For example, we will learn how to talk about

the weather: “Quel temps fait-il?”(“What’s the weather like?”)Soon we will be able to tell each other it is hot, cold, windy,beautiful, snowing, or raining.

The children see colors every-where in their world. We havelearned the following:n Red rougen Blue bleun Yellow jaunen Green vertn Pink rosen Orange orangen Purple pourpren Brown brunn Gray grisn Black noirn White blanc

We use games and activities to enhance and reinforce thevocabulary. Ask your childrenabout the fun we’ve had withbuilding blocks, ice creamscoops, Bravo (like bingo), andmatch/memory games whilelearning colors.

During the holidays, our les-sons will focus on familiar sea-sonal items and words, includingleaf, pumpkin, turkey, Novem -ber, feather, pie, reindeer, gift,ribbon, snow, and snowman.

Our preschool and kinder -garten French lessons are intendedto be an introduction and expo-sure to another language. Myhope is that the children will havefun and have a comfortable, suc-cessful experience. Please feel freeto contact me anytime.

Merci (thank you)! —Becky Wattleworth

(Madame Becky)

PRESCHOOL ART

The wide world of artOur first art lesson in the 3-to-6 classes this year was all about

what gives a painting its special look. The differentiator is themedium we use to add the color! We looked at crayons, pastels, andpencils to see how the same shaped picture looked different when thecolor was added by waxy crayon, soft pastel, or the silvery gray of apencil. Next, we discovered that watercolor paints are always “see-through”; tempera paints make smooth, flat color; and oil paints arethick like toothpaste or frosting. Differ ent brushes are used for eachtype of paint. And sometimes a palette knife is the tool of choice tospread oil paint like frosting or to scrape paint off the canvas. Weeven passed around a small canvas so everyone could feel the texture.

For our next lesson, we used our imaginations to build a timemachine in our favorite shape and color. We pictured what it would look like inside, the shape of its windows, the kind of steer-ing wheel it has, and even the type of snack food we would take for our journeys back in time. Each week we’ll be “flying” ourmachines to different continents and countries.

So far, our time travel has been quite rewarding. We discoveredthat the early humans created drawings on cave walls using berriesor burnt wood called charcoal. The ancient Egyptians made gianttriangle-shaped buildings called pyramids. They painted the wallsinside with the story of the king who is buried beneath the pyra-mid. These paintings, which include picture words called hiero-glyphics, tell about the good things the king did during his lifetime.There was even a girl king (Hatshepsut) who dressed up like a boyand ruled for a long time. The Egyptians also created beautiful goldfurniture covered in jewels.

Our next adventure took us to Greece, where people used whitemarble to make sculptures that were smooth and perfect. In Rome,sculptors wanted to show people’s real wounds, so the sculpturethere was more rugged. In South America, we found pottery andsculpture made of red clay dug from beneath the ground and driedin the hot sun.

We’re warming up our tiny time machines for our next voyage.Ten, nine, eight…blast off!

—Lynn Manwell

12 NEWS & NOTES


As we welcomed the crisp fallair, we felt really happy

looking back at all we haveaccomplished in the first monthsof school.

September was a very excitingmonth, as our returning studentsrekindled friendships after a longsummer break, and our transi-tioning toddlers and new friendswere busy exploring their newcasa (house—that is, our Mon -tessori classroom). By the timewe entered October, we had awonderful routine in place!

Mastering the routineRoutines, like ground rules, areestablished to provide our chil-dren with comfort. They offer a sense of safety and stability in a new environment, and theyserve as an indication of what isto come.

In our room, our routinestarts as soon as the children walkin the door. We politely greetthem and guide them to puttheir backpacks and jackets onthe available hooks. At 8:30 a.m.,we play soft music, a subtle invi-tation to the children to come

join us at the circle for our com-munity meeting. We sing ourmorning song, greet one another,discuss the calendar and weather,and view our group presentation.We then begin our morning oflearning, which in a nutshell canbe described as a good two hoursof classroom exploration along-side individual or small-groupmath or language lessons that areguided by the teacher.

At 11 a.m., the soft music canbe heard around the room onceagain, this time indicating to thechildren to gather at circle withtheir belongings, for our morningtogether is about to conclude. Weline up and go outside to getsome fresh air, and at 11:15 a.m.we come back in for morning andday care friend dismissal. WhileExtended Day students preparefor lunch, the teachers bid thedeparting students farewell with apolite handshake and say, “Seeyou tomor row,” which serves as akind reminder that our routine atschool will always be the same.

At 11:30 a.m., Extended Daystudents wash their hands andenjoy their lunch with their

friends and teachers. We thentransition with a chapter storybook at 12:15 p.m. and headoutside for recess, where thechildren are able to socialize withfriends from other classrooms,including lower elementary.

At 1 p.m. we line up togetherwith Ms. Beth’s Extended Daystudents. We make a quick stopby the lockers to gather ourbelongings, get a drink of water,and use the restroom. We alwaysmake time to meet those funda-mental needs! At 1:15 p.m., weproceed to Ms. Beth’s classroom,where we gather for communitycircle. Here, the head teachersalternate days presenting valuablegroup lessons to the children. Wemake the afternoon sessionsinteresting by enriching the chil-dren’s lives with art history andfun projects such as cooking andscience experiments. During theafternoon work cycle, we have theopportunity to better focus oneach child’s individual needs inlanguage and math.

Our day concludes at 3:10p.m., when a gentle ring of thebell indicates it’s time to clean up

MAYA

Daily routine makes it easier to learn

The Extended Day solar system project is out of this world! At front are Rhiana Ankouny (left) and Hadi Harb. At back are Charlotte Temkow (left) and Luis Rodriguez.

Establishing a

dependable routine

makes it easier for

children to adapt to

changes in the

environment.

NEWS & NOTES 13


and gather at the circle for after-noon dismissal. We graciouslyshake hands farewell and wishthem a wonderful night.

Ready for something newEstablishing a dependable rou-tine makes it easier for children toadapt to changes in the environ-ment. In October, we added “spe-cials”—art, music, and physicaleducation—to our lineup onMondays and Fridays. We alsohave welcomed into our daysbirthday celebrations, ExtendedDay field trips, and even safetydrills. Thanks to their newfoundcomfort with the daily routine,the children adjusted very well tothese changes and have welcomednew activities with enthusiasm.

Specials are not the only pro-found change we experienced inOctober. We introduced a megatransition from group snack toindividual snack in Practical Life!On the days that we have spe-cials, we fall back to the familiarroutine of having group snackafter our community circle. Buton other days, the children areinvited to prepare their ownnutritious snack at the food prepstation, using directions that areeasy for them to follow. Snacktime has really ignited a sense ofindependence and self-fulfillmentin our classroom!

Our art, Practical Life, pre-math, pre-language, and Sen sor ialshelves are now filled with fall-themed activities that are invitingto the eye and that subconsciouslyrefine the children’s fine motorskills. As we move forward, wecan start to narrow our studies ingeography and science as well. Ingeography, we have been busy dis-cussing our solar system and howwe live on the planet Earth. In sci-ence, we have talked about howthe Earth is made of land, air, and

water, and how we are surroundedby living and non-living things. Inthe coming months, we will take acloser look at our planet in geog-raphy by discussing the hemi-spheres, the seven continents, andthe Montessori color-coded sys-tem that will help the childrendistinguish each continent. Wewill focus on North America,South America, and Antarctica bystudying their distinct cultures,people, artifacts, and animals.We’ll combine science and geog-raphy work through our study ofdifferent animal kingdoms, landformations unique to our world,and the amazing world of mag-netic and non-magnetic objects.

As you can see, we have hadquite the learning experiencealready in a very short period oftime. We have seen and learnedmany things, but above all, wehave been able to establish a rou-tine that has brought a sense ofcomfort and stability to the chil-dren as well as facilitated theirlearning process. We will con-tinue down this road for theremainder of the school year, sostay tuned for the abundance ofinformation they will share withyou in the months to come!—Maya Chiarini and Helen Hartline

Please read our “Extended DayExtras” article on page 15.

School should be fun!Parents, I want to extend my gratitude to you, for I feel so very fortunate to have your children in my care and to workalongside some wonderful teachers who feel the same way. We all strive to plant that seed of knowledge in each and everychild and patiently watch it sprout throughout the year. Learningwill come, and for each child it will be different and it will beacquired at a different pace.

One of the most important things for me personally is tomake the children’s learning “process” exciting, because schoolshould be fun! My hope for them is that every day they learnsomething valuable, whether it be a fundamental skill, a life lesson, or even simply how to properly shake my hand. I believethere is nothing too big or too small to be taught to any child, if the process from start to finish is presented in the proper manner. Through practice and repetition, children will masterone process at a time.

It is invaluable for the children to learn the process well andnot focus so much on the end product. We have to rememberthat children learn most effectively with their hands and throughobservation. At the end of the day, it is not about how muchpaper work or “product” your three-, four-, five- or six-year-old isbringing home; it is about the skills he or she is developing andacquiring at school by absorbing the process in its purest form.The process will give your child the tools necessary to become aproductive human being in our society. As Maria Montessori oncesaid, “It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists whowas not made by the child he once was.”

—Maya Chiarini

14 NEWS & NOTES


“The first aim

of the prepared

environment is, as

far as it is possible,

to render the

growing child

independent of

the adult.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

BETH

Montessori: Designed for learningWe were excited to start a

new school year and happyto see so many returning chil-dren—and their families. We havewelcomed the following childrento our class: Aidenne Ahmad,John Dembowski, Laila Farhat,Youssef Farhat, Katerina Goffas,Rayna Harb, Peyton Hudson,Ellie Jenson, Aya Kadaf, EmeryKreft, Beckett Ramseyer, LilySaad, Benjamin Thoms, andHadi Zein.

We have also welcomed teach-ing intern Kelsey Strate to ourroom. She began her Mon tes soriteacher training in the summerand will work as an assistant inour classroom this year. We arehappy to have her with us!

The prepared environmentThe children have spent the firstmonths of school exploring themany new and exciting activitiesin our classroom environment. Inher writings Dr. Maria Mon -tessori said, “The first aim of theprepared environment is, as far asit is possible, to render the grow-ing child independent of theadult.” Each Montessori environ-ment is designed to meet thedevelopmental needs of the children while providing them the freedom to move, explore, and concentrate. Each classroomis equipped with well-chosen materials, many designed by Dr. Montessori herself, that arenecessary for learning. Thesematerials are arranged in anorderly, thoughtful way so thatthe children can find them, usethem, and put them away easily.Furniture is child-sized, and realobjects made of natural materialsare used as much as possible. Eachclassroom is designed to providea quiet, calm, and unclutteredbackground that is not overstimu-lating or distracting and that fos-

ters independence and learning.During the first months of

school the children have beensettling in to this carefully pre-pared environment. We havereviewed and practiced groundrules, such as walking aroundrugs containing another child’swork, rolling up our rug whenwe’re finished with our ownwork, and carrying work withtwo hands. These ground ruleslay the foundation for order andstructure throughout the year.

Children at workWe have presented and practicedmany activities in the PracticalLife area, including spooning,pouring, and using tongs andclips. We have recently addedwater pouring and sponging,which are favorites among thechildren. The Practical Life areais where children learn and refinetheir skills, as well as developconcentration, a sense of order,coordination, and independence.Most recently we introducedindividual snack. After washingtheir hands, the children maychoose a snack that has been setup in the snack area and take iton a tray to the table. They may

eat snack with their friends any-time during the work period.

We have also introducedmany of the Sensorial materials.These materials are intended toaid the children in refining theirsenses and ordering and definingtheir environment. The childrenhave been working with the pinktower, red rods, brown stair (orprism), and knobbed cylinders.We have introduced primary andsecondary colors; basic geometricshapes such as circle, square, andtriangle; and basic geometricsolids such as cube, sphere, andcylinder. As the year progresses,the children are encouraged toexplore these materials in manydifferent ways.

In addition to using thePractical Life and Sensorial mate-rials, the children have beenworking in the language, math,science, and geography areas.New activities are introducedthroughout the year.

It has been a busy and excit-ing start to the year. We are look-ing forward to watching thechildren grow and learn in themonths ahead!

—Beth Newberg, Belize Afonso,

and Kelsey Strate

Artwork by Katerina Goffas, 4Artwork by Audrey Wilson, 4

NEWS & NOTES 15


BETH & MAYA EXTENDED DAY EXTRAS

Extended benefitsWelcome to a new year in

our Extended Day class!We were happy to welcome 10students from Beth’s morningclass and six students fromMaya’s morning class to form ourExtended Day community.

In-depth lessonsThe Extended Day programprovides an excellent opportu-nity for the children to experi-ence additional time in theclassroom. They are able toexplore many areas of the cur-riculum in depth, as well as trytheir hand at special projects andareas of study. For example, inconjunction with our field tripto the Troy Nature Center inSeptember, we learned aboutbees and their habitats and char-acteristics. We completed severalart projects about bees and theirhives, we learned how bees makehoney, and then we made fruitsmoothies using honey. To pre-pare for our trip to the appleorchard in October, we learnedabout the parts and functions of

a tree, as well as about differentkinds of apples and the parts ofan apple. We have done severalart projects with apples andenjoyed cooking with them too.

Field trips are an exciting andeducational part of the ExtendedDay program. We will be goingon a special trip about once amonth. Not only do we get to goto interesting places, but we getto go by bus! These trips provideopportunities to practice graceand courtesy and to develop inde-pendence. The children learnhow to act while on the bus andout in the community. Field tripsare great fun for the children!

Modeling good behavior In the classroom, the Extend edDay students are also learningand practicing lessons in graceand courtesy. They eat lunchwith their teachers and fellowExtend ed Day students, which isa great setting to learn tablemanners, how to eat politely,and appro priate table conversa-tion. The teachers guide the stu-

dents by modeling the correctbehaviors. The children learn toclean up after their lunch bywiping their place mats andsweeping under their chairs.Each month the children make anew place mat, usually with amonthly theme.

Our Extended Day group isdeveloping a sense of community.There are many opportunitiesfor the children to learn to worktogether, including special proj-ects, and geography and scienceactivities. The Extend ed Day artand gym classes give the childrena chance to participate togetherand further develop a sense ofcommunity. The students are alsolearning to become responsiblefor the care of their classroomenvironment through tasks suchas rolling rugs, pushing in chairs,and straightening books in thelibrary at the end of class.

Through these kinds of dailyactivities, Extended Day studentsare becoming role models andhelpers for the younger students.They enjoy being leaders in theclassroom.

Extending knowledgeIn addition to all the specialopportunities, the children aredoing extended lessons in lan-guage, math, science, and geog-raphy. The Extended Day classoffers them a chance to extendlessons they may have started inthe morning or to have new,longer lessons.

We are all enjoying being partof the Extended Day commu-nity and look forward to a greatyear ahead!

—Beth Newberg

and Maya Chiarini

Paper weaving by Yousef Darwich, 5. This work was thenturned into a place mat for use during snack. Extended Dayersmake new place mats every month.

Extended Day

students are able to

explore many areas

of the curriculum

in depth, as well as

try their hand at

special projects and

areas of study.

16 NEWS & NOTES


EXTENDED DAY ART

Art for good measureOne way to measure student

development in the conceptof self is through self-portraits,and that was our first lesson inExtended Day art class. Can thechild draw a complete personwith fingers, arms, legs, and torso?We looked at portraits done byfamous artists to see that there aredifferent ways to draw oneself.

Another useful measurementis to create a family portrait to seeif the child understands conceptssuch as the size of people. Thebackgrounds inside or outside areincluded to complete the portraitof the family doing somethingthey enjoy together. We read thebook How Artists See Families sothat the children could observethat there are many types of fami-lies as well as ways to draw them.

Our Extended Day classesmeet weekly in the art room for a 45-minute lesson. Our lessonsrevolve around the elements ofart: line, shape, color, texture, andpattern. We’ve been introduced tothe different kinds of lines we canmake: straight, zigzag, curved,and dotted. We listened to a storyabout a boy who watched as a lit-tle green hummingbird flew andflew; the boy then designed apainting showing “Little Green’s”flying path. Our work was to traceour hand and use a fine-tip blackmarker to fill the hand shape with all the different types oflines, creating a pattern much likethe henna handprints of India.

For follow-up work, we madebooklets in which we drew some-

thing using only straight lines,then a page using only zigzags,and so on. We also created a positive-negative work usingblack and white paper and cut-ting three of the four lines westudied. We glued them ontopaper and saw that sometimesour eyes play tricks on us and wethink the lines are reversed. It’s anoptical illusion! We also madeline sculptures; using various sizesof paper strips to create curved,zigzag, and straight lines, weattached them in vertical patternson a cardboard square. It almost

looked like a city of lines.Our next lesson tied into a

book called When a Line Bends, a Shape Begins. We took chenillestems and bent them to createcaterpillars. We’ll be cuttingshapes that we trace from metalinsets and gluing them down sothey overlap to create a new shapeor pattern. We’ll also be creatingpottery by rolling long snake-likelines of clay and then curlingthem around and around until wecreate a coiled pot. It’s lines bend-ing into shapes!

—Lynn Manwell

PRESCHOOL MUSIC

Music we can move toIt was wonderful to hear such good strong voices from every pre-

school-kindergarten class I met on the first day of music! Pre schoolmusic classes started in early October, and the children come to themusic room for 25 minutes on Mondays and Fridays.

The students started their musical year singing songs with lots ofmovement: “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “Did You Feed MyCow?” and “Put Your Finger in the Air.”

In October, preschool classes were introduced to pieces com-posed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Charles Gounod, Charles CamilleSaint-Saëns, and Paul Dukas. We listened to one selection fromeach composer.

As Halloween neared, our repertoire featured favorite tunes such as “Skin and Bones” and “Jack O’Lantern.” For some students, ourHallo ween songs were new, and for others, a wonderfully fun review.

November finds the children learning songs about turkeys. Weare having great fun keeping the beat of the music with our feetwhile pretending to be turkeys in the barnyard.

In addition to singing songs for each season, we will introduceother standard repertoire to be used throughout the year. If youwould like to know the words to the songs your child is learning,come take a look at the “Music and Lyrics” binder in the schooloffice. The contents are divided by level, and songs are listed inalphabetical order. New songs are added weekly.

We’re off to a great start in music class and look forward to morelearning ahead!

—Pat Tait

NEWS & NOTES 17


Extended Day students in Beth and Maya’s room (from left) Adam Kawar, Rhiana Ankouny, and Salina Tyra have snack together. The children have the

opportunity to prepare their own snack at the food prep station, using directions that are easy for them to follow. It’s a tasty way to foster independence!

Family portrait by Extended Day student Ava Kardali, 5

18 NEWS & NOTES

LOWER ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM NOTES

KAREN MCGRAW

Creating a cohesive community“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

It is hard to believe the first two months of theschool year are behind us. Our students have really

joined together as a class community and have beenbusy learning many new lessons.

One of the primary goals during this period isdeveloping our sense of community and meeting thehigher expectations of a new grade level. Third level,being the oldest group, is expected to demonstrateleadership skills and be appropriate role models. Dr.Maria Montessori knew this was the natural ten-dency of the oldest children in a group. The beautyof our three-year program is that by their “senior”year in lower elementary, our students are comfort-able in the classroom and have developed the confi-dence necessary to be leaders, role models, andhelpers to others. We talk about the fact that anyonecan be a positive role model by demonstrating strongwork habits and a respectful manner.

For first level students, our elementary programprovides an approach to learning that suits theirchanging needs. In her many years of observing chil-dren, Dr. Montessori saw that elementary studentshave a natural tendency to work in groups and tolearn how to coordinate their social ties. During the

first two months of the school year, all of our stu-dents spent a good deal of their time establishingtheir own work habits. As guides in the environ-ment, we teachers provide activities that facilitatetheir getting to know one another. We also helpthem use their natural abilities to define a work cycle:concentration, independence, decision making, andcompletion of work.

Another focus in our personal development hasbeen the concept of peace and how we bring peaceinto our lives. After many stories and discussions, wediscovered it takes courage to make the right choicesthat lead to harmony. All of the children and teach-ers in our room signed a peace pledge.

Plant studies bear fruitBotany is awesome! Our study of flowers led tomany discoveries about the role insects play as pol-linators. As we learned about the function and partsof flowers, we discovered that pollination is thetransfer of pollen from the stamens of one flower tothe stigma of another. When insects, such as bees,suck up nectar from flowers with their proboscises,they collect pollen on their bodies. When they visitthe next flower, a part of this pollen falls off, polli-nating the plant. We also learned that insects areimportant in agriculture, because many of theplants we cultivate for food depend on insects forpollination. These include fruit trees such as pear,apple, and plum, as well as plants such as cucum-ber, watermelon, cranberry, and blueberry. Plantsfor insects and insects for plants—what a wonder-ful partnership!

On our recent field trip to the University ofMichigan–Dearborn Environmental InterpretativeCenter, we were able to see many pollinators atwork in the center’s gardens. We collected samplesof different flowers to study under microscopes in the laboratory. There, the children were able to see the parts of the flower we had been study-ing in the classroom. We enjoyed a nature walkaround the many natural gardens and through the woods, and that led to some wonderful dis -cussions and discoveries.

Chloe Qin learned that the corolla of theflower is what attracts the bees: “The corolla hasthe colorful petals that tell the bees, ‘Come visitme. I have nectar.’”

Michael Lu discovered other pollinators besidesbees. He learned that bats, wasps, butterflies, andhummingbirds are pollinators as well.

Addison Hunter enjoyed a quiet moment byEveryone in our class signed a peace pledge.

We talk about

the fact that

anyone can be a

positive role model

by demonstrating

strong work habits

and a respectful

manner.

NEWS & NOTES 19


the pond. She was searching for the turtle and frogthat some of her classmates were looking at. Shelooked carefully and saw the turtle with his headsticking out of the water and the frog hiding by theedge of the pond.

Along with our study of flowers, we learned aboutfruits and seeds. We learned that seeds are made inthe fertilized ovule of a flower. Once a flower hasbeen pollinated, a seed begins to develop. The part ofthe flower that holds the seeds grows bigger andbecomes the fruit. The fruit then protects the seeds.To learn about the various seeds contained in fruit,we brought in different types of fruit and cut themopen. We looked at the size, shape, and number ofseeds in each fruit and collected the information tocreate a graph.

To bring together all we had been learning, wemade a delicious fruit salad and served it with bis-cuits—and honey from bees!

Weather worksHow do we know what the weather is going to be like? We have been looking at the clouds in the sky to determine whether we will have fair or rainy weather. Meteorologists classify cloudsinto three basic types—stratus, cumulus, and cirrus—according to their shape and the height atwhich they form.

Here are some of the daily reports from our thirdlevel weather reporters:

Dixon Miller, Julia Franco, and Prisha Patel Tuesday, October 159:00 a.m. It is partly cloudy, a little windy, and the

temperature is 46 degrees. There are a lot ofcumulus clouds with some altocumulus cloudsvisible as well. Some high-level cirrus clouds canbe seen.

12:00 p.m. Stratus clouds cover the sky, it is stillwindy. The temperature is 64 degrees.

3:00 p.m. It is still cloudy. Some stratus and nimbo-stratus clouds are covering the sky. It is breezyand a little cooler. The temperature is 62 degrees.The forecast for the rest of the day is cooler air,chilly and darker skies, and maybe rain.

Jolie Dabaja, Hannah Hourani, and Ava HabhabWednesday, October 169:00 a.m. It is mostly cloudy with a teensy bit of

blue skies showing through the clouds in theeast. The clouds are dark cumulus clouds. Theyare changing and moving quickly. The tempera-ture is 60 degrees.

12:00 p.m. Little puffy clouds are in the sky, sur-rounded by blue sky. They look sheep-like.They are made of water droplets. These cloudsare called altostratus clouds. It is breezy with thetemperature at 62 degrees.

3:00 p.m. There are huge clouds in the sky block-

I saw a cloud that looked like a cat next to a hat.I saw a bat hiding under a matScared of the bearFlying in the air.

—Poem and drawings by Julia Younes, Grade 2

We have been

looking at the

clouds in the sky

to determine

whether we will

have fair or rainy

weather.

20 NEWS & NOTES


KAREN YAMIN

Young scientists share their workWe are off to an exciting new school year. We

have already been on our first field trip (seedetails below), and we have begun a new tradition inour classroom. In addition to presenting and sharingwork with classmates, our students are each gettingthe opportunity to be the Scientist of the Week. Eachstudent works on a science project of his or herchoosing and then presents the results to the class.

Third grader Owen Moline-Freeman chose toanswer the question “If a ball is frozen, will it bouncehigher?” “I froze golf balls, tennis balls, and base-balls,” he said. “Then I made a chart marking offinches. Then I took each ball, bounced it off cement,and plotted it on the chart.” The results were differ-ent from what Owen expected. “I thought the frozengolf ball would barely bounce at all, but it alwayswent to the top. The tennis ball bounced really highnormally, but it didn’t bounce when frozen. And thebaseballs didn’t bounce much at all. It was fun to do,but there was a lot of writing! I was excited to shareit with my classmates!”

Third grader Cecilia Lind shared the “Ingre di -

ents of the Atmosphere” experiment: “I thought itwas a cool experiment. I had to get the materials—acandle, glass jar, bowl, food coloring, clay, andmatches. I filled the bowl with water and put in thefood coloring, then I had to stick the candle in theclay so it wouldn’t fall over. Then I lit the candle andput the jar over the top. After a little while, the waterwent up into the jar and the candle went out. Thathappened because there was no more oxygen in thejar. It worked at home, but didn’t work the first timein school because we used a different jar. If I had todo it again, I would use the same jar so that it wouldfit. I was a little nervous to share because I was thefirst Scientist of the Week, but it was fun. I learnedabout oxygen and fire.”

Budding botanistsDuring our study of the insect, we took our firstfield trip of the year to the Environmental Inter -pretive Center at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. We had the chance to use microscopesto look closely at flower parts and learn about pol-

ing the sun. These are bigpuffy white cumulus cloudswith gray centers. In thenorth, there is a cloud shapedlike an alligator. There arecirro stratus clouds in thesouth. One of the clouds isshaped like the boot of Italy.It is now partly cloudy, youcan see more blue sky and thetemperature is 62 degrees. Itis a fair weather day.

Dahlia Abraham, Harry Ducu, and Robbie MeehanThursday, October 1712:00 p.m. The clouds today are

stratus clouds. They are whiteand grey and low in the sky. It is even sprinklinga little bit. We think it will rain today, but wedon’t want it to. The temperature is 48 degrees.

3:00 p.m. Stratocumulus clouds cover the sky. It isnow raining. The clouds are more grey thanwhite. We think the rest of the day will be rainy.The temperature has dropped to 46 degrees.

Clouds may be useful for weather forecasting, butthey are also fun to watch for changing shapes. We

went outside to see what we could see in the cloudsfloating by. We drew some pictures and wrote somepoems about clouds.

Our students have learned so much in just a fewmonths. The sense of community in our classroommakes it a wonderful place to learn and grow. We’llhave many more discoveries to share with you infuture newsletters!

—Karen McGraw and Aurora Utley

Clouds by Julia Franco, Grade 3

Clouds by Alana Nowlan,Grade 1

Our students

are each getting

the opportunity

to be the Scientist

of the Week.

NEWS & NOTES 21


lination. Then the students went on a nature hiketo see different pollinators and types of seeds. Ouryoung scientists made a number of interestingobservations and discoveries.

Second grader Grace Moore said, “One of theflowers we looked at had a pistil. The yellow flowerhad lots of pollen. We looked at those under amicroscope, and it was easier to see the smaller parts.We also saw a school of goldfish swimming in thepond. We learned it was bad that they were therebecause they are eating all the food for the frogs,birds, and turtles.”

Lily Betsistas (first grade) learned that birds cannest in chimneys. “They do that because it is a greatplace to hide from other animals. There are insectsthat I didn’t even know about! They are importantbecause they help flowers grow so you can put themin your house.”

Second grader Juliana Ankouny thought it wascool to see the school of goldfish. “They movedaround in a group in the water. I saw a lot of pol-linators moving from flower to flower. I learnedthat pollinators can only pollinate if they land onthe same type of flower. They can’t pollinate if theyfly from a daisy to a rose.”

Alaysia Zeigler (first grade) liked the walk in thewoods. “I found lots of things like seeds that stick toyour coat. They were prickly and stuck to me so theycould move to a new place.”

Fayez Nabha (first grade) learned that inside abig tree nut is a smaller nut. “When it gets planted,it can grow into another tree. It is the seed of thattree. I learned that flowers have stamens and pistils. Igot to see them with a microscope. They looked likethey had little hairs, like a bee’s leg. The bee is hairyso it can collect pollen and take it back to the hive.”

Third grader Sarah Horan thought that usingthe microscope was very interesting. “We got to pickflowers from the garden and then look at them upclose. I could see things with the microscope that Icouldn’t see with my eyes. On our walk, we watcheda bee with pollen on its legs. A lot of people learnedthat roses have a fruit called a rose hip.”

These are just a few of the exciting hands-onactivities our students have been doing. Over thecourse of the school year, our Montessori curriculumwill offer plenty of other opportunities for studentsto explore, discover, and make connections as theywork to understand the world around them.

—Karen Yamin and Sabrina Borieo

Owen Moline-Freeman prepares to drop a frozen baseball to show how high it will bounce.Lending a hand are Christopher Cadena (left, behind Owen) and Laura Kobel.

“We got to pick

flowers from the

garden and then

look at them up

close. I could see

things with the

microscope that

I couldn’t see

with my eyes.”

—Sarah Horan

22 NEWS & NOTES


KARREN SHARON

Celebrating nature’s giftsWe have been “busy as a bee” in Karren and Pat’s

lower elementary classroom this school year!Along with our daily work of reading and mathemat-ics, and other various lessons in geometry, geography,penmanship, language, and writing, we have focusedour science studies on botany and zoology during the beautiful and warm autumn season. Here are afew of the things we’ve been up to.

We began the school year with our botany studyof the flower and its pollinators. We learned aboutthe flower’s function, parts, and types by studyinglive specimens, Montessori nomenclature cards, andbooks. The students brought in flowers to researchthe names, to observe and identify the parts of theflower, and to make floral arrangements for theirworktables. Students made charts of the parts of theflower and books of the nomenclature part cards.

We learned that the flower’s job is to attract pol-linators with its beautiful corolla and scent so theinsect will transfer its pollen from stigma to pistil asit drinks the nectar. We pressed petals in a flowerpress and in books. We cut lavender from our out-door class garden, tied the stems into bundles, andhung them around the classroom to dry for thewinter. Once the lavender has dried, students will

be free to roll the seed sacs between their fingers torelease the fragrant lavender oil; they can dab it onand enjoy the scent. In the spring, we’ll plant thedry seeds in our garden.

As for the pollinators, we observed various kindsin our class garden. We saw honeybees, bumble-bees, ladybugs, and cabbage butterflies. We alsonoticed grasshoppers and flies crawling on flowers.We did an in-depth study on the honeybee by read-ing various books and viewing a movie about thelife of this amazing arthropod. Students researchedthe parts of the honeybee and created illustratedcharts to accompany their research. We observedvarious products produced by bees and even madeour own hand-rolled beeswax candles.

In October, we took our first field trip of the school year to the University of Michigan–Dearborn Environmental Interpretive Center toobserve field and garden flowers and the pollina-tors they attract. We collected specimens of flowersand seeds and took them into the lab to observetheir parts up close with stereoscopic microscopes.The students loved the hands-on field study andbeing able to walk out in nature.

Back in the classroom, we moved into the study

Eva Ibrahim (left), Vanessa Rugiero, and Fatima Farhat take part in our class tea, which we hosted in conjunction with our study of flowers and pollinators. Students were able to practice table manners such as placing a napkin in their lap, waiting until everyone was seated to begin serving, and passing the table items to each other.

We learned

that the flower’s

job is to attract

pollinators with its

beautiful corolla

and scent.

NEWS & NOTES 23


of fruit and seeds, the parts that can result from theflower being pollinated. Here again we followed theMontessori elementary lessons of the function,types, and parts, while using real specimens,nomenclature cards, and books.

As an adjunct to our botany and arthropodstudies, we had a high tea for our class! We brewedvarious herbal teas in teapots, which the childrenthen drank from their own teacups that theybrought in from home. We also served little sand-wiches made of whole wheat bread, almond butter,and honey. Fresh berries rounded out this tastysnack. We laid tablecloths on a few tables aroundthe room for groups of children to sit and enjoytheir tea. The children dressed up and used their

best table manners, which we had lessons on priorto the tea party. It was smashing!

Another related botany/zoology activity was aread-along to James and the Giant Peach, by RoaldDahl. Each child was invited to bring in his or herown copy of the book to follow along as it was readaloud to the class.

With all that we have learned about flowers, pol-linators, fruit, and seeds, we say thank you to themfor providing us with their wonderful gifts.

Many more gifts of knowledge await your chil-dren this school year. We look forward to all thefascinating discoveries they will make in ourMontessori classroom in the months ahead!

—Karren Sharon and Pat Schmidt

LOWER ELEMENTARY ART

A collage of art projectsLower elementary art students have been study-

ing Romare Bearden, a great African-Americancollage artist. He used magazines, newspapers, colored paper, paint, and even tinfoil to create collages. The themes for his work were places helived, including South Carolina, Pittsburgh, andHarlem in New York.

We created our portfolio covers in Bearden’sstyle. We cut beautiful patterns and colors frommagazines and used them to design the first letter ofour name on a white square of paper. We then tookrubbing plates with interesting patterns, put themunderneath our paper, and rubbed crayon over thetop. The pattern then appeared around our collageletter. Next we painted with watercolors, creating amultimedia letter. The rest of the letters in our namewere made from a font that looks like collage. Wecolored in the areas of those letters usingPrismacolor pencils in dark, bold colors. We chose acomplementary sheet of colored paper, laminatedthe entire sheet, and attached it to the front of ourportfolio. Creative collage!

We are practicing drawing birds on our dry eraseboards as well as re-creating birds by the artistCharley Harper. We have “Color Form” type shapesof one of his bird drawings. The children assemblethe bird from his work and use it to draw their ownbirds in Harper’s style.

In our print shop, the featured work is a monoprint of a Picasso cubist work. The print is beneatha sheet of glass. Students paint all the black lines on

the glass, put their paper on top, and press it so thepaper absorbs the paint. The image is thus “printed”on the paper. Next the students fill in each rectangleand square of the face with various watercolorshades. (See page 3 for a sample of this work.)

We plan to return to Bearden’s collage work,specifically the farm collages that were inspired bythose he saw in his native South Carolina. We’llcreate our own farm scenes using paint, wallpaperscraps, magazines, foil, yarn, and whatever is avail-able. We’ll showcase our work in the gallery out-side of the art room. Please stop by to see it!

—Lynn Manwell and Jamie Carlson

Bird in the style of Charley Harper, by Chloe Qin, Grade 1

We are practicing

drawing birds

on our dry erase

boards as well as

re-creating birds

by the artist

Charley Harper.

24 NEWS & NOTES

CLASSROOM NOTES

The leaves are changing, the airis becoming cooler, and the

weather has been just heavenly. It’sanother new year at DearbornHeights Mon tessori, and “we areexperiencing autumn as much aswe can with all of our senses,” saysMona Filiak from latchkey.

Day care and latchkey havebeen fortunate enough to gooutside every day so far this year.Both groups have taken advan-tage of the gorgeous weather andhope it continues! However, thecolder months are approaching,so be sure to prepare your chil-dren with appropriate clothingfor outside play. Jackets andgloves are a must!

In both day care and latchkey,students are offered a healthysnack that includes two foodgroups. In day care, snack isserved at 2:30 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. In latchkey, snack isgiven after attendance is taken at 3:30 p.m. Offerings include

apple slices, string cheese, yogurt,crackers, and pudding cups.

The children have been prac-ticing the same ground rules they follow in their classrooms.They enter our rooms quietlyupon arrival, put their belong-ings away, clean up after snack,and push in their chairs. The stu-

dents in upper elementary havebeen especially helpful duringlatchkey by cleaning off tablesand stacking chairs. In additionto taking care of their environ-ment, they also care for oneanother: When it comes to snacktime, the students have continu-ously shown allergy awareness

DAY CARE & LATCHKEY

A sense-ational fall

Clockwise from right: Latch key students (from

left) Joshua Liparoto, ZahriaHunter, and Marquis Sagnia

proudly show off their Jengaskyscraper during recess.

n This is one of the Hallo weenbracelets made by latchkey

students. n Day care studentAlina Younes, 4, completed

this acorn pin-punch.

“[My daughter’s]

pin-punches, leaf

rubbings, and other

artworks are help-

ing to develop her

fine motor skills.”

NEWS & NOTES 25

CLASSROOM NOTES

and concern for one another.In October, latchkey projects

included holiday-inspired craftssuch as decorating the giant classpumpkin, making Halloweenbracelets, and coloring ghoulishpictures. Day care moved fromapple works to pumpkins; chil-dren have painted pumpkin por-traits, pounded golf tees intopumpkins, and even created apumpkin patch in the hall. Daycare has also done pin-punch-ings of apples, acorns, andpumpkins.

“I’m so proud to see the fineaccomplishments my daughterhas already made in day care,”says latchkey teacher KerriWright, whose daughter, Isabella,is in our preschool program.“Her pin-punches, leaf rubbings,and other artworks are helping todevelop her fine motor skills.”

Looking ahead to the wintermonths, latchkey and day carewill be doing even more fun craftprojects to reflect the changingseasons. Both groups will start tobake in the coming months.

Even as the weather getsincreasingly colder, we will stillbe enjoying the outdoors for ashort period of time after snack.It’s important that the childrenget a chance to play outsideregardless of the weather, somake sure they come prepared!

—By Angela Grahl, latchkey

assistant and journalism major

at Henry Ford Community College

(Dearborn), for the day care and

latchkey staff: Pam Everson, Jennifer

Craddock, Kristine Dolunt, Flo Farkas,

Mona Filiak, Islam Habhab, Meagen

Hudson, Anne Marie Miruzzi,

Rhonda Myers, Christina Painter,

Erica Wilson, and Kerri Wright

The goal of DHMC’s technology program is to provide students inlower elementary through Middle School with safe and effective

tools that they can use in all areas of their school life. From learningcomputer basics to building and programming robotic models, here’san overview of what our program offers.

For lower elementary students, the school year starts with anintroduction to computer basics. This includes such skills as manipu-lating a keyboard/mouse, saving/opening files, starting programs, andcomputer etiquette. First level students begin their exploration ofcomputers through the use of Kid Pix, a software program that offersa fun environment for students to create pictures and slideshows.Working in the program lets students practice those basic computer

skills. As they advance throughthe program, they develop key-boarding skills, and eventuallythey’ll be introduced to other use-ful programs such as MicrosoftWord. The goal is for students tolearn how to navigate a computersystem and work in a variety ofsoftware applications.

Upper elementary studentsare exploring mobile technology.They have access to the class-room iPads, and they are wel-

come to bring in their personal iPads for school use. Classroom iPadshave a wide variety of apps available for research and creative pur-suits, and students are introduced to these apps over the course ofthe year. In addition, upper el students continue to make use of tra-ditional technologies and websites. They are introduced to Scratch,a software package that teaches young students how to create theirown programs. They can create games, animations, puzzles, andmore, which they can share with their fellow students. While work-ing in Scratch, students use their logic and problem-solving skills toget their program to function how they want. Scratch is a free down-load available at scratch.mit.edu.

Middle School students make use of a variety of technology tools,including iPads, traditional computers, and multimedia tools such ascamcorders and cameras. In addition, a LEGO robotics elective isoffered, which teaches students to build a LEGO robot and programit to complete specific tasks.

All students, especially those at the upper elementary andMiddle School levels, will be guided in how to use the Internetsafely and effectively. They’ll learn how websites such as Cool Math,Google Earth, and the World Factbook can aid in their researchwork for school projects.

—Tony Lombardo

TECHNOLOGY

From basics to robotics

All students

will be guided

in how to use the

Internet safely

and effectively.

Got ink? We recycle!By recycling through the QuillInk & Toner Recycling Program,DHMC receives discounts onfuture ink purchases. You canhelp us by dropping off or having your child bring in anyused cartridges to school.Thank you!

CLASSROOM NOTES

26 NEWS & NOTES

ELEMENTARY MUSIC

Peace songs kick off a musical yearThe world of music got off to a

harmonious start this yearwith our all-school celebration ofthe International Day of Peace onFriday, September 20. In prepara-tion, all elementary music classesreviewed and sang the song “Lighta Candle for Peace,” written byShelley Murley, a musician andMon tes sori teacher in BritishColumbia. Singing the song andcarrying handmade symbols ofpeace, students conducted a PeaceMarch through the school halls.Middle School students led theprocession and picked up theupper elementary, lower elemen-tary, and preschool-kindergartenclasses along the way.

The procession ended in thegym, where Head of School KayNeff and Assistant Head ofSchool Laura Springer led an all-school assembly. Kay spoke aboutDr. Maria Montessori and howshe advocated for peace duringWorld War II.

To close the assembly, the stu-dents sang “We Are the World,”written by Michael Jackson andLionel Richie. What a terrific wayto begin a new school year!

Each lower and upper elemen-tary class meets in the music roomfor 40 minutes twice a week. Allupper elementary students havean additional 25-minute recorderclass devoted to reading musicand playing the instrument (seestory on facing page). At the ele-mentary level, emphasis is placedon learning to identify and readrhythmic notation using quarternotes, eighth notes, half notes,and whole notes. Our musicroom features a giant staff on thefloor, and we’ll use this toolthroughout the year to learn andreinforce the names of the linesand spaces on the music staff.

Elementary classes are learningsongs that span the globe. Danc -

ing and rhythmic activities are animportant and enjoyable part ofthe music curriculum.

Lower elementaryLower elementary students beganthe year working on a circle dancefrom Japan called “Shoes Squeak”and an American game songcalled “Goin’ ’Round the Moun -tain.” We are learning anothersong from Japan called “Kaero noUta,” or the “Frog Song.” In addi-tion to listening, dancing, andsinging, lower elementary classesare reviewing four-beat rhythmpatterns using the quarter note,eighth note, half note, wholenote, and quarter rest. As theclasses read the four-beat patterns,they chant and play the patternson drums or other instruments.

Upper elementaryIn upper elementary music classesthis year, the beat is the thing. Wequickly reviewed reading rhythmsin 4/4 time, and then the classeswere introduced to 6/8 time. In6/8 time there are six beats in ameasure, and the eighth note getsthe beat. Knowledge of fractions

comes in handy here when wehave to be aware that the quarternote gets two beats in 6/8 timeand the half note gets four. We’llput all this together once we startplaying the recorder and readingmusic in 6/8 time as well as 4/4.

Upper elementary classesbegan the year learning (or forsome students, reviewing) therhythmic pattern to “Cups”from the movie Pitch Perfect. It’sbeen challenging to perform thepattern with the cup and notlose the beat! The goal is for thestudents to perform the rhyth-mic patterns with the cup whilesimultaneously singing.

Upper elementary students arealso working on a hand-clappingsong from the Virgin Islandscalled “Four White Horses.” It isperformed with groups of fourstudents singing and clapping the pattern without losing thebeat. In addition to the peacesongs we reviewed at the begin-ning of the school year, the upperel classes also reviewed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “The Pledge ofAlle giance,” “Wakko’s America”(which lists all 50 states and their

Students sang “Light a Candle for Peace” during our PeaceDay procession, which was led by Middle School students.

Lyrics are availableThe lyrics to songs being

taught at each level of musicclass are available in the school

office. The binder is labeled“Music and Lyrics” and is

divided by level. The songs arein alphabetical order. So if your

child comes home singing asong, and you are not sure you

understand the words, cometake a look in the binder. New

songs are added weekly.

NEWS & NOTES 27

CLASSROOM NOTES

capitals), and “Fifty Nifty UnitedStates” (which lists all of the statesin alphabetical order).

Spook-tacular songsHalloween repertoire was theorder of the day for music classesin October. Lower el studentssang “There Once Was a Witch,”“Goblins, Alley Cats,” and “TheGhost of Tom.” Upper el stu-dents sang “The Boogie WoogieGhost” and worked on the song“Ya Gotta Watch Out,” whichwas sung as a partner song with“Goblins, Alley Cats” learned inearlier grades, and the all-timefavorite “When Witches WereWaltzing.” All classes sang two ofeveryone’s favorite Halloweensongs,” Skin and Bones” and“Jack O’Lantern.”

Students used their imagina-tions to come up with parodies tofamiliar tunes using Halloween asthe subject. The lower el workedon the parodies as a class, andupper el students worked individ-ually or with a partner. We sharedeveryone’s work when we fin-

ished. Upper el students got verycreative with a dramatic Hallo -ween reading in which each char-acter in the story had its ownspecial instrumental or vocalsound to introduce it.

Musicians of the monthThe music room has a specialsmall bulletin board to showcaseour musician of the month.Classes discuss when each musi-cian lived, what the world was likeduring that time period, what themusician’s family life may havebeen like as a child or an adult,what instrument he or she played,and what music, if any, he or shewrote. Students will have theopportunity to listen to CDs ofmusic that was either composedor performed by each musician.When possible, a short video isshown of the music being per-formed, or sometimes the music ispresented through PowerPoint.

Our September musician ofthe month was the German com-poser and pianist Ludwig vanBeethoven (1770–1827). He

earned a reputation as a virtuosopianist and was one of the firstmusicians able to make a livingfrom his music without the sup-port of the aristocracy. In his latetwenties, he began to have hearingloss, and by the time he wrote hisNinth Symphony, he was com-pletely deaf. All of the elementaryclasses listened to Beethoven’s FürElise and Symphony no. 5.

In October, our theme was“Music for Halloween,” and thespotlight shone on a number ofcomposers. During the first week,we listened to the German com-poser Johann Sebastian Bach(1685–1750) and his Toccata andFugue in D Minor played on thepipe organ. What a grand open-ing for the month of Hallo ween!The following week, we listenedto Funeral March of a Marionette,composed by the FrenchmanCharles Gounod (1818–1893).The third week had the classes lis-tening to the merry graveyarddance Danse Macabre, by theFrench man Charles CamilleSaint-Saëns (1835–1921). Our

Recorder classes are underway for thefourth, fifth, and sixth level students. Thereis always music to be played between ourlessons in class, so you should be hearingyour student practicing the recorder athome. You can find each week’s assignmentin the front of your child’s recorder folder.Assignments are listed by the date givenand are initialed by the teacher to be surethe student wrote down the assignment.

In recorder class, note reading isemphasized, and the skills the studentslearn are then transferred to the generalmusic class and applied to the barredinstruments, just as the rhythmic readingand instruction from the general musicclass transfers to the recorder. We havethree levels of instruction for recorder.

Recorder Level 1 students, who meeton Tuesday mornings, began the year learn-ing to finger low D on their recorders withas few squeaks as possible. We read familiarrhythmic patterns and played only D. Thenwe took that information and put the noteD on the musical staff and read it. The sec-ond note to be introduced was B. By theend of December, Level 1 students will havebeen introduced to A, G, and E as well.

Recorder Level 2, which meets onWednesday mornings, started the year byreviewing the notes learned last year. Keysignatures of D and G were introduced,and students have been learning to watchfor the differences in the key signatures toknow what sharps to play on their instru-ments. The music in Book 2 is a little more

complex than in Book 1, and the piecesare a bit longer.

Recorder Level 3, which meets onThursday mornings, began with a quickreview of all the notes learned in Levels 1and 2. The pieces of music in Book 3 arequite lengthy compared with those fromthe first two years of study, and most aretaken from the folk music genre. Themusic can be very complex and use theentire range of the instrument. Some ofthe pieces are written for more than onerecorder voice, and so some skill in scorereading will be applied.

If you do not hear your child practicingthe recorder at home, ask your child togive you a mini concert on what he or shehas been learning during the week.

Practice is key for recorder students

28 NEWS & NOTES

CLASSROOM NOTES

last composer for the month wasPaul Dukas (1865–1935), alsofrom France. We listened to hiswork The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Our musician for November isStephen Foster (1826–1864). Askyour student to share with youwhat we’re learning about the“father of American music.”

The students and I look for-ward to this exciting musical year.

—Pat Tait

Get to know your school songYour children will become familiar with the DHMC song during the school year. Written by our music teacher, Pat Tait, in 1988, it was updated in recent years to reflect the addition of our toddler program.

Dearborn Heights Montessori, we will long remember you. From toddler through eighth grade, we have made our

friendships true. We have learned from one another, shared our thoughts and

all that’s new. Dearborn Heights Montessori, we will long remember you.

ELEMENTARY SPANISH

Spanish lessons come to lifeThe elementary Spanish classes

meet twice at week for 40minutes. Our Spanish programnot only teaches students a for-eign language, it also aids in thedevelopment of valuable socialskills that the children will carrywith them their whole lives.

Student achievement is devel-oped in four areas: listening,speaking, reading, and writing.

We also seek to increaseknowledge of the culture of thecountries where the language is spoken, and support ourschool’s multicultural curricu-lum. Stu dents learn through various media, including music,dance, literature, art, video, theater, and games. The incor -poration of these activities fos-ters a strong working vocabularyas well as understanding andpronunciation of Spanish. Alow-stress learning environmentis supported through extensiveuse of positive reinforcementand emphasis on meaningfulcommunication. The activitiesare respectful of each child’slearning style and incorporate

visual, auditory, and kinestheticcomponents.

Using the popular seriesFamilies of the World, all of theelementary classes learned aboutthe culture and children ofGuatemala. Each level has beenbusy with different projects andactivities.

First grade students arelearning the Spanish alphabet andare making a book about Spanishwords. They are also studyingnumbers.

Second grade students arelearning about the family.Students are making a family treeto present to the class. They alsolearned numbers and had funplaying games with them.

Third grade students arelearning about food and money.We talked about the euro (Euro -pean currency) and saw some ofthem. To bring these lessons tolife, students are setting up aEuro pean market in the class-room, where they will sell andbuy food.

Fourth grade studentslearned about classroom objectsand commands. We use a lot ofSpanish in the classroom. Cur -

rently students are studying aboutclothes. At the end of the unit,students will be taking an imagi-nary trip and will have to packdifferent outfits according to theactivities they will be doing.

Fifth grade students studiedcountries and nationalities, andare currently working on profes-sions. At the end of the unit, stu-dents will be playing charades.Students also started with thereader series Enrique and Maria.

Sixth grade students learnedabout the house, and made floorplans of their homes. In class,they had to explain to everyonewhere everything was placed intheir houses and what each objectis called in Spanish. Currentlystudents are learning abouthousehold chores, the parts of theday, and days of the week.Students are working on individ-ual charts where they write thechores and activities that they doeach day of the week. They willbe doing a short presentation atthe end of the unit.

¡Hasta pronto! (See you soon!) —Eva Miciura

Stu dents

learn through

various media,

including music,

dance, literature,

art, video, theater,

and games.

NEWS & NOTES 29

CLASSROOM NOTES

Hot Lunch is on! Second grader Faudel Nazal(left) and third grader LamontSolomon took advantage ofour Hot Lunch programrecently and picked up somemanaeesh, a flatbread usuallytopped with cheese, zaatar(spices), or meat. Run by theMiddle School, Hot Lunch isavailable to students inExtended Day through MiddleSchool on Tues days, Wed nes -days, and Thursdays on a pre-order basis. Offerings includepizza, chicken strips, subs,spaghetti, salad, and more!Order forms are sent homeabout every other month.

ELEMENTARY FRENCH

Welcome to our French worldBonjour! Hello! C’est l’automne

et il fait frais! It’s fall and it’schilly!

Welcome to our Frenchworld! Each elementary studentstudies French and Spanish,spending half of the school year with each language. I meetwith the French students twice a week for 40 minutes. I am inthe building on Tuesdays, Wed -nes days, and Thursdays, so if you need to reach me, please stopin on those days, or leave a mes-sage anytime.

The students each have aFrench folder that is kept in theirclassrooms or lockers. It is avail-able to go home at any time sothat they can share with youwhat they are doing in Frenchclass. In fact, the more they prac-tice the language, the more profi-cient they will become.

The lower elementary hasbeen working with classroomobject words. A variety of activi-ties, including listening, seeing,speaking, writing, and touching,

helps the students learn this newvocabulary. We have had a cou-ple of computer challenges aswell. Their vocabulary words are in their folders so that theymay practice with you or anotherpartner at home. The studentshave begun building sentences by using Je vois (I see) and Voici(Here is). Words for greetingsand to express how we feel arealso regular conversation items.Caramel the French guinea pig,the star of a series of books that the students love, has madehis first appearance in a series offall stories.

The upper elementary hasbeen using the book ExploringFrench. We use this resource forall three years. Fourth level stu-dents have looked at greetingsand language names, have writ-ten and performed skits, andhave been studying classroomobjects, directions, and numbers.Fifth level students have reviewedthe weather chapter and countryanimals, have also performed

skits, and are now learning partsof the body. Sixth level studentshave studied animals as well, andare now working on family rela-tionship names. Look for themto be asking you to help themwith their family tree in French.(They will do the French part!)

For all elementary Frenchstudents, our fall French movieexperience began the second weekin November. French and Spanishstudents come together for thistwo-week study every autumn(we focus on a Spanish movie inthe spring). Ask your student totell you about the movie and allthe related activities.

As you know, our school cele-brated Halloween with a literarytheme. Since October 31 was ona class day for French, we lookedat French authors and stories thatthe students might know, andthe students then chose a personto research. Très amusant! (Veryentertaining!)

Bienvenue! Welcome!—Joy Coyle (Madame Joy)

French folders

are available to

go home so that

students can share

with you what

they are doing in

French class.

30 NEWS & NOTES

CLASSROOM NOTES

“Ability is what you are capableof doing. Motivation determineswhat you do. Attitude determineshow well you do it.” —Lou Holtz, retired NFL coach

We were thrilled to be able tobe outdoors for afternoon

physical education classes formuch of the first two months ofthe school year.

From Extended Day throughMiddle School, PE class goals are to demonstrate selected personal-social behaviors andvalues such as good sportsman-ship, compassion for others, and self-responsibility, while par -ticipating in lifelong physicalactivities. Our PE program isfocused on small-group gamesthat give each student the oppor-

tunity to be involved. Studentsalso are able to build new rela-tionships with classmates in ateam environment.

During our soccer unit inSeptember, students at all levelswere introduced to rules and

strategies to help them under-stand the concepts of the game,along with skills to practice inclass and at home. In October,elementary classes played modi-fied games of kickball, and Mid -

dle School classes played touchfootball. In the weeks leading upto winter break, we’ll turn ourattention to team handball. We’llalso continue to work towardour individual fitness goals.

To get our lower elementary

students excited about startingPE classes, we set up a series ofinteractive activity stationsaround the gym. Students wereable to work individually or inteams, depending on the activ-

Juggling scarves is quite a challenge! Elementary students (from left) Sydnie Kelly, Ava Habhab,Dahlia Abraham, Jolie Dabaja, and Sarah Horan give their hand-eye coordination a workout.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Exercise for body and brain

Activity stations helped students

build motor skills, hand-eye coordination,

team spirit—and interest in PE class!

NEWS & NOTES 31

CLASSROOM NOTES

ity: assembling a foam skeleton,juggling scarves, launching abeanbag from a board, twirling

Hula-Hoops, throwing a ball at a target, jumping rope using a traditional jump rope, and

using Skip-it jump ropes (whichhave ankle loops that let youspin the rope while skippingover it). These activities helpedstudents build motor skills,hand-eye coordination, teamspirit—and interest in PE class!

Extended Day students cometo the gym on Fridays for PEclass. They are learning to showcompassion, be respectful andresponsible, and put forth theirbest effort—all cornerstones ofour PE program. Class activitiesare based on team participationand showing kindness towardothers while incorporating loco-motor skills that will help thechildren as they grow physically.

We are looking forward to afun and healthy school year!

—Brett Rosbury

10 benefits of physical education

1. Helps you live longer and can prevent many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancers.

2. Improves cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. 3. Raises your metabolism and helps you lose weight

more easily (or eat more without gaining weight). 4. Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression and improves

your mood. 5. Helps maintain brain function in older adults.6. Helps with digestion.7. Increases bone density.8. Helps you age more gracefully by maintaining

your looks and your agility. 9. Improves sleep quality.

10. Improves your overall quality of life.

By assembling a foam skeleton, elementary students (from left)Harry Ducu, Joshua Cross, Julia Franco, and Robbie Meehansee how the bones in the human body are connected.

32 NEWS & NOTES

UPPER ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM NOTES

Who…Upper elementary students, staff, and parent chaper-ones go to an outdoor education camp every fall. Wespend three days and two nights learning more aboutthe world around us as well as ourselves.

For many children, this may be the first timethey have stayed away from home overnight. It canbe a challenging experience for students and par-ents alike. Rest assured that when we return fromcamp, the students are changed people. They aremore independent; they have broadened the scopeof their education by moving beyond the walls oftheir classroom.

When…We go to camp in early October. The timing of thistrip is intentional. By late September, families newto our program have familiarized themselves withthe upper elementary community, and the studentshave established a routine in the classroom.

Where…Situated on 200 wooded acres with over a mile ofshoreline on Corey Lake, YMCA Camp Eberhart isfive miles west of Three Rivers in southwesternMichigan. The beautiful and majestic grounds arethe perfect place for our students to experiencenature and all it has to offer.

What…The camp’s exceptional Outdoor Education programis a true extension of our Montessori curriculum.Plant and pond studies offered hands-on lessons thatenabled students to investigate the happenings of thefirst one inch above our Earth’s surface. Studentsused magnifying glasses and 30x microscopes toexamine their discoveries. Students also learnedabout basic needs for survival—lessons that wereparticularly relevant to the fourth levels for theirclassroom study of early man, but to which all of thestudents were able to make connections. Groupsworked together as a team to figure out the best wayto build fires and shelters.

An important facet of the camp experience ischaracter education. Our students take part in thecamp’s Outdoor Education program, which empha-sizes teamwork and group dynamics. The studentsrepresent different ages, abilities, and levels of experi-ence. New campers are able to learn from the moreexperienced students, and those who have been tocamp before gain new strategies and a fresh perspec-tive from the newcomers.

Students worked together on building leader-ship skills, teamwork, and cooperation, and theypracticed encouraging one another to problem-solve and overcome obstacles. For our sixth levelstudents, one of the most special experiences in

UPPER ELEMENTARY

The W’s of upper elementary camp

Molly Byrne (left) and Alyssa Harajli take a turn at archery at YMCA Camp Eberhart.

The beautiful

and majestic

grounds of YMCA

Camp Eberhart are

the perfect place

for our students to

experience nature

and all it has

to offer.

NEWS & NOTES 33


Clockwise from top: As Chayse Carlson (left), Grant Gutowski, and Frank Ducu discover, balance and teamwork are the keys to successfully traversing a tightrope. n Michelle Stubbs (front) and MichaelAlzaroui go canoeing. n Grace Audi scales the rock-climbing wall.

34 NEWS & NOTES


Camp Eberhart was our first bigtrip of the school year. Everyoneanticipated it with eager excite-ment. “I looked forward tocanoeing and archery becauseI’ve never done them before,”said Sara Isgro, fourth grader.She wasn’t the only one excitedfor camp. The fifth and sixthgraders were really excited toget back to camp. “I was reallyexcited to experience camp formy second year,” said LanaFadlallah, fifth grade. Therewasn’t a single student whodidn’t enjoy camp.

—Madeleine Hermann, Grade 6

At Camp Eberhart, the sixthgrade has a tradition calledhigh ropes. High ropes is anobstacle course 15 feet off theground. They had teachersthere with you at some postsand instructors at the rest.When you first get there, theinstructor gets you a harnessand a clip which you wouldattach to a cable. My personalopinion was, “Oh my gosh Iam going to fall and break myleg.” Once you get to the firstpost and get clipped in, youfeel really safe and it’s reallyexciting. I asked around a bitand sixth grader Molly Byrnesays that “the high ropes werevery fun but really challeng-ing.” New student sixth graderEthan Peet says, “The highropes were awesome and I wasn’t the tiniest bit scared.”Lydia Mills thinks that “thehigh ropes are challenging andwas a great way to start theyear.” Overall I think all of thesixth graders loved the highropes and will miss CampEberhart.

—Chloe Rochefort, Grade 6

There are many things atCamp Eberhart. One of theactivities we do is somethingcalled the rock wall. The rockwall was entertaining and chal-lenging. I thought it was funand would do it again. “Therock wall was not my kind ofthing,” says Grant Gutowski,sixth grade. “I thought it wasreally fun and it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” saysSuha Qashou, sixth grade. “I thought it was hard, butfun, and a bit different. I’ll missgoing to camp,” says ChloeRochefort, sixth grade. Thosewere some of the many sixthgraders and their opinion onthe rock wall.

—Lydia Mills, Grade 6

One of our nighttime activitiesat camp was the egg drop. “Ithink the egg drop was reallyfun and challenging,” saysHannah Fakih, fourth grader.What is the egg drop? Well,the egg drop is when we getsome tools like cotton balls,toothpicks, a balloon, etc. Wemake a contraption so that theegg won’t break. Then, wedrop the egg from a highplace. Campfire is anothernighttime activity. “It was awe-some and cool,” says NayaKheirbeck, fourth grader. Wesing songs, eat s’mores, andtell stories. “Campfire wasreally fun and the s’mores weregood,” says Chloe Rochefort,sixth grade. “I loved it,” saysJacob Liparoto, fifth grade.

—Diala Kawar, Grade 4

Archery is a very fun experi-ence. At the archery range, wewere able to shoot at targets. “Ithought archery was challeng-ing, but interesting and fun,”says Madeleine Hermann,sixth grade. While at camp, we

had an appointed time to doarchery, but during free time,we were allowed to do it again.I learned a new skill fromarchery. I learned how to putthe arrow in place, and how toshoot it. I had a lot of fun.

—Sara Isgro, Grade 4

My personal opinion on canoeing is that it was veryrelaxing. The last time I wentcanoeing at camp was withSara Isgro, her mom, andAdeline Gutowski. We had thewhole lake to ourselves. Thenwe started splashing eachother. What I learned fromcanoeing is teamwork. Hereare some other people’s opin-ions. “I think it was a greatexperience for people to learnand it was very fun,” says Lana Fadlallah, fifth grade. “I thought it was a great learn-ing source and a great sourceof fun,” says MadeleineHermann, sixth grade.

—Hannah Fakih, Grade 4

In conclusion, camp was agreat experience. We learned,laughed, and made newfriends. “I tried to make themost of camp when I went.Even though I won’t get to gowith my class again, the mem-ory will still be there,” saidSuha Qashou, sixth grade. Forthe sixth graders, it was theirlast year. But, like Suha said, weall tried to make the most of it,and succeeded. The fourth andfifth graders are looking for-ward to their next year, and thesixth graders are looking backon how much fun we had, andwhat we learned. And that,after all, is what camp is allabout. Having a good time.

—Madeleine Hermann, Grade 6

Campers’ perspectives compiled by Madeleine Hermann, Grade 6

NEWS & NOTES 35


character education comes through completing the high ropes course, a challenging undertaking in which students use a series of ropes to climb 15 feet in height. This is an activity that takescourage, trust, and support, and is reserved exclu-sively for the sixth levels, most of whom have spentyears getting to know their classmates and friends.They understand that there is a level of fearinvolved, and they support and encourage oneanother through this rite of passage. Each studentmakes a personal leap by facing this challenge, and each grows by demonstrating the strength todo something he or she may not have thought pos-sible. Some students exhibit bravery by revealingtheir vulnerability to their peers when they startthe journey. And all students grow when they showempathy, support, and encouragement for theirfellow sixth levels for whatever they accomplish on the high ropes.

Nighttime activities included a campfire, ahike, and a terrific and fun activity known as theegg drop. The students (and even the chaperones!)were divided into groups, and each group wasgiven the same set of materials, such as plasticcups, deflated balloons, a paper bag, yarn, andtape. The object was to drop a protected egg—without breaking it, of course—from the secondfloor of the main hall to the first floor. Again, this

Above left: GrantGutowski negotiatesthe high-ropescourse, a challengereserved exclusivelyfor sixth graders. n Left: Campers prepare for a canoeouting. Front row,from left: FrankDucu, Kyse Zeidieh,Chayse Carlson, andGrant Gutowski.Middle row, fromleft: Reema Haimour,Suha Qashou, SerenaSaad, and ChloeRochefort. Back row,from left: Lydia Mills,Madeleine Hermann,Mila Nowlan, MollyByrne, Grace Audi,Sarah Davidson,Jenna Dabaja, andAlyssa Harajli.

Upper elementary

students are ready

to explore. It is

important that they

move out of their

classroom for what

Maria Montessori

called the “going

out” experience.

36 NEWS & NOTES


activity required communication, leader-ship, compromise, and cooperation.Personality strengths and challenges cameinto play, and students learned how towork with one another to accomplishtheir goals and have a good time.

Why…Upper elementary students are ready toexplore. It is important that they moveout of their classroom for what MariaMontessori called the “going out” experi-ence. Although the resources in the class-room are appropriate for meeting theintellectual and social needs of the chil-dren, students must have experiencesbeyond the classroom. While the studentsare at camp, away from school and awayfrom their homes, they are allowed toexercise a certain level of indepen dencethat they may not have known up to thispoint. They are responsible for gettingplaces on time, getting themselves readyfor their day, and solving problems bothsocially and academically on their own orwith the assistance of their peers. Howcan they not be changed after they havehad this experience?

When they return to our school envi-ronment, students are more empowered,and they have additional tools to buildpersonal successes throughout the schoolyear. They continue the friendships thatthey formed at camp. Some have devel-oped unexpected relationships thanks tothe different group combinations that were neces-sary to function at camp.

The upper elementary camp experience prepareseach student to succeed in the classroom and at

home. We have so much to look forward to!—Mary Beth Haliburda and Artur Chmura;

Margherita Rodriguez and Shereen Lind;

Regina Dunn and Kathy Ward

Jenna Dabaja learns how to build a campfire withhelp from a camp counselor.

Upper elementary students manage our school’s recycling program, which is an importantcommunity service component of the curriculum. Every classroom is equipped with recyclingcontainers for paper, plastic, and cardboard. Once a week, upper el students collect the con-tainers and deposit the items in the recycling bin outside the school. A rotating scheduleensures that everyone has a chance to contribute.

Upper el helps keep our school green

The upper

elementary

camp experience

prepares each

student to succeed

in the classroom

and at home.

NEWS & NOTES 37


Upper elementary art students are focusing onRomare Bearden, a wonderful African-

American collage artist. We watched a video abouthis life in South Carolina and with his family inHarlem in New York City. He began his drawingcareer while visiting his grandparents in Pittsburgh.His collage work contained mixed media—paper,foil, paint, and magazine and newspaper cuttings.

We created self-portraits in Bearden’s style usingmagazines, paper, foil, and specialty papers. Wefound collage colors for skin as well as various eyes,noses, and mouths. We assembled them, changedsome, and finally glued them. The only require-ment was that some part of the collage had to be apersonal reflection of the student, such as hair coloror favorite things. It’s a time-consuming, thought-ful process. The portrait was then cut out, trimmed,and glued to a complementary sheet of paper. Weused a collage font for our name and decorated itwith colored pencils. This laminated sheet then

became the cover of our individual portfolios. We also created collage cityscapes à la Bearden

using newspapers for the buildings along withcutouts from magazines and construction paper.

We carried the collage work even further withanother artist, Charley Harper. He is famous forbird paintings, so we are creating his birds—wood-pecker, cardinal, blue jay—entirely out of coloredpaper. The students created an environment for thebird, again using collage materials.

Other works available include “op art” handprints. We trace our hand and fill it in with thinlines that are slightly curved across the hand butchange as the outline ends and the backgroundbegins. It’s an optical illusion.

Another skill builder that is always available is astill life. This time it’s a combination of a vase of fallflowers, an interestingly shaped orange vase, and apear. Students must remember that small objects goin front of the others and to keep the proportions

correct. Prismacolor pencils arethe medium used.

Look for their works in the hall-way gallery.


UPPER ELEMENTARY ART

Self-expression through collage

Upper elementary art stu-dents created personalizedportfolio covers in the styleof collage artist RomareBearden. Clockwise fromabove: fourth grader ClaireStephens, fourth graderAdeline Gutowski, and fifthgrader Jack Fransen

38 NEWS & NOTES

We began the 2013–2014academic year with 42

excited and eager Middle Schoolstudents! We welcomed back 23 eighth graders and extended a warm welcome to 19 seventhgraders and their families.Teachers met with each studentand his or her family duringAugust conferences. These meet-ings offered students the oppor -tunity to outline their goals forthe year ahead. In addition, theydefined their strengths and areasin which they would like toimprove.

Students learned the normsand expectations of the MiddleSchool during the first two weeksof school, known as OrientationDays. Individual Work, PersonalWork, Community Meeting, andGroup Work were introduced, aswere other parts of the curricu-lum. Work began in earnest, set-ting the tone for a successful

academic year. We concludedOrientation Days with a canoeingexcursion on the Huron River inProud Lake State Park nearMilford. Families joined us in theafternoon for a cookout.

The following week, studentsbegan Cycle One with a focus on Forces. In science, studentscompleted individual projects in atomic structure and groupprojects tackling Maxwell’s Lawsof Electromagnetism, Newton’sThree Laws, and Rube Goldbergdesigns. Humanities found usstudying the important individu-als, significant events, and out-comes of the French, American,Chinese Cultural, and RussianRevolutions. Students worked ingroups of four or five to gatherinformation and perform experi-ments related to these topics.They presented their research tothe rest of the group during weekfour of the cycle.

We also began our “HeroicJourney” during Cycle One. Aspart of the Personal Work cur-riculum, the Heroic Journeystudy aims to help studentsdefine their inner selves. Theytook part in the “Walking inAnother’s Shoes” exercise, whichhad each student shadowinganother for a day in order toreflect on how other adolescentswork. In addition, studentslearned key ways to identify“allies” and “ogres” in their lives.The cycle concluded with stu-dents presenting, either individ-ually or in pairs, what they hadlearned about allies and ogres.

Following each academiccycle, Immersion Week givesstudents an opportunity toengage in work outside of theclassroom. The studies com-pleted in class are assimilatedand applied to field trips outsideof school. Cycle One Immersion

ANNE, JOHN, & KIM

Navigating adolescence—together

MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSROOM NOTES

Middle Schoolers teamed up to travel the Huron River near Milford during Orienta tion Daysin September. In the canoe at left are Adrianna Rugiero (front) and Lauren Davidson; at rightare Hadi Allos (front), Evan Kernosek, and Michael Nunu.

As part

of the Personal

Work curriculum,

the Heroic Journey

study aims to help

students define

their inner selves.

NEWS & NOTES 39


Week in October helped stu-dents make a bridge to the next phase of their educationaljourney: high school. Rep re -senta tives from several area high schools visited DHMC and made presentations to thestudents outlining academicchallenges and extracurricularopportunities. We also visitedfive high school campuses, giv-ing students the opportunity toevaluate the schools during aregular academic day.

Immersion Week also gave usthe opportunity to engage in off-campus service projects. Wevisited the Westland location ofthe DTE Energy Farm Project, a program operated throughGleaners Community FoodBank. One hundred percent ofthe produce grown is donated tolocal food pantries, homelessshelters, and soup kitchens sup-plied by Gleaners. The garden,situated in the heart of suburbanWestland, relies on volunteerhelp to prepare the soil, harvest,and weed. Students spent themorning composting and turn-ing the soil in preparation fornext spring’s planting.

Students also visited the Dean

Wilson Farm in Camden for ourongoing Farm Project, in whichthey are studying topsoil preser-vation and sustainable farming.

Elective offerings Electives are important to ado-lescents because the courses givestudents the opportunity toimmerse themselves deeper inthe study of interesting topics.Students choose two electivecourses during the course of theyear. Upon completion of each10-week course, they share whatthey have learned by making a30-minute presentation to therest of the class.

This year’s elective offeringsinclude speech communication,radio broadcast production, artstudio (see story on page 41),knitting, robotics, yearbook,sew ing (see story below), andmedia equipment and training,all taught by DHMC staff members. In addition, four par-ents have volunteered their time and talents to present the follow-ing courses:n Environmental studies, taught

by Kelly Gallagher (Evanand alumni Kelsea and KyleKernosek’s mom)

n Cooking, taught by PaulaBurgess-Byrne (Patrick andMolly’s mom)

n Stock market/personal finance,taught by Lee Freeman(Aliyah and Owen Moline-Freeman’s dad), beginning inJanuary

n Web design, taught by KirsteMoline (Aliyah and OwenMoline-Freeman’s mom),beginning in January

The entire Middle Schoolstaff is thankful for these parentvolunteers and the creativity andopportunities they provide forthe students.

Peace, service, and economicsIn Middle School, we focus onthe concepts of peace, service,and economics by laying thefoundations for a life thatincludes recognizing the needfor community involvement.Throughout the course of ourstudies, students have myriadopportunities to engage in ser -vice to others. The simple act ofholding the doors open foryounger students at the school inthe morning or at noon allows

Spotlight on sewing“Right sides together.” On Wednesday afternoons, three students can be found behind their

sewing machines, learning the time-honored tradition of sewing. The elective is taught byMiddle School staff member Anne Parks.

After learning the basics of a sewing machineand some terminology, Mayseen Meroueh,Luma Qashou (pictured), and Amber Stockingerdecided that their project would be making a pair of pajama pants! They went to Jo-Ann Fabric to purchase the materials and then got to work.

“It’s a different, exciting, and unique experience,” says Luma.

Adds Amber, “I enjoy learning a new skill. It’s a great change from the academic work.”

Throughout

the course of our

studies, students

have myriad

opportunities to

engage in service

for others.

40 NEWS & NOTES


Clockwise from above: Alumnae Keauna Lenton(left) and Martissa Williams returned to the MiddleSchool for our Immersion Week in October as repre -sentatives of their high school, Academy of the SacredHeart in Bloomfield Hills. Our Middle Schoolers appre -ciate learning about potential high schools firsthandfrom students. Keauna is a sophomore, and Martissa, a senior. n To cook up some funds for our class trip, our teachers were guest grillers at bd’s Mongolian Grillin Dearborn on October 16. From left are John Bagley,Kim Davidson, and Anne Parks. Proceeds will supportour whitewater rafting adventure in West Virginia in June.n Eighth grader Reem Rizk (left) and seventh graderGrace Johns canoe the Huron River during OrientationDays in September. n Eighth grader Ryan Kobel displaysthe “allies” and “ogres” cutouts he made as part of ourHeroic Journey project, which aims to help studentsdefine their inner selves.

NEWS & NOTES 41


adolescents to fill a communityneed while internalizing their actas something for the “greatergood.” This, along with manyother service projects, helps ado-lescents build a view of the worldin which they play an integralrole in defining peace.

Students promote peacethrough their study of economicsand service. Through economicsprograms such as Hot Lunch,Middle Mart, and Cycle Sales,students have hands-on opportu-nities to work with others, totroubleshoot and problem-solve,and to engage in customer service.This work helps adolescents buildtheir sense of self and realize theircapabilities.

Peace and Service, Media, andMarketing projects also let stu-dents make connections beyondour classroom walls and helptransform our adolescents intoyoung adults. Whether makingpresentations to other classes,providing production assistancefor school functions, or promot-ing the Mid dle School program,students are building a sense ofcommunity and their role inmaking it a peaceful one.

Looking aheadCycle Two~Structures began inlate October. During the courseof this five-week cycle, studentsare engaging in a number ofinteresting topics, including the structure of the periodictable in science and the impactof Native American societies inhumanities.

We are planning an overnightat the Dean Wilson Farm. Thislets the students engage in theirFarm Project work for longerperiods of time while immersingthemselves in the farm setting.Students organize, prepare meals,and clean, thus practicing theMon tes sori tenets of preparingand restoring the environment.

Another highlight is our family gathering on Tuesday,

Novem ber 26. Students andtheir families are invited to joinus in our customary celebrationof giving thanks. We ask thateach family bring a dish fromtheir cultural heritage to share,and come enjoy one another’scompany.

The school year certainlystarted on a positive note, andwe look forward to continuingour exciting journey in theMiddle School!

—John Bagley, Kim

Davidson, Anne Parks, and

Anne Marie Miruzzi

Our theme for this cycle of the Middle School art studio elective islandscapes. The students begin by researching various landscape

artists. They need to be familiar with the style and technique of theirchosen artist, and what forces affected how the artist worked. In somecases the form of government either helped or hindered the artist’swork. The students present their findings in a research paper.

All of the students have chosen to paint, so we are using acrylicpaint. Its properties make it ideal for work done in the technique

of oil paint, and it can bethinned to opaque watercolor.We watched a DVD on tech-niques with acrylics as explainedby a working landscape artist.

After the students finishtheir research papers on theirchosen artists, they beginsketching their paintings.

Aliyah Moline-Freemantook a photograph of an out-door landscape and will workfrom there in the style of ChristyBrown. He was an Irish artistand poet who painted with hisleft foot because his cerebralpalsy made it impossible to usehis hands. He wrote a bookabout his struggles, called My

Left Foot, which was later made into a film.James Utley chose Gustave Courbet, a 19th century landscape

artist. Courbet’s style was called realism, and he painted land-scapes in a spontaneous style just as he saw them. James has chosento re-create a Courbet work in a natural setting, with a waterfall ina canyon and a family of deer enjoying the scene.

Elaina Saad has selected Salva dor Dali, a surrealist painter fromthe 20th century. Dali’s paintings have a dreamlike quality, andElaina has chosen a seascape with a ship made of butterflies.

Once the students have completed their paintings, they’ll makepresentations to their peers. They’ll share their work as well as theirexperience as a landscape artist.

Their finished pieces will be displayed in our gallery showcasenext to the art room. Stop by to see them!


MIDDLE SCHOOL ART STUDIO

Lessons in landscapes

Students need

to be familiar

with the style and

technique of their

chosen artist, and

what forces affected

how the artist

worked.

42 NEWS & NOTES


MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH

Putting Spanish into practiceThis year in Middle School

Spanish we are using theGente Joven series. It’s a task-based method that allows stu-dents to practice the languagethey learn by doing meaningfulprojects. It also gives studentsthe confidence to express them-selves in Spanish.

Middle School students haveregular reading assignments thatbuild comprehension and writ-ten communication. With everyreading, the students are given acorresponding strategy to helpthem approach the assignmentconfidently, as well as pre- andpost reading activities that helpthem master the task.

Students also have Taller delEscritor (writing workshop), inwhich they gradually build theirwriting skills in Spanish.

The National Standards ofWorld Language Educationstress the importance of culturalknowledge as an integral part oflearning a language. During eachcycle of study, students learnabout a new Spanish-speakingcountry, its people, and its tradi-tions. This helps students makeconnections with geography, art,architecture, food, and celebra-tions. These interdisciplinaryactivities increase cultural aware-ness and relate Spanish to othersubject areas.

At the end of each cycle, stu-dents take a test to assess theirproficiency in the areas of listen-ing skills, reading comprehen-sion, writing skills, and culturalknowledge. The test provides acomplete evaluation of each stu-dent’s performance in Spanish.To help prepare the students forthe test, a study guide is given on

week four of each cycle, provid-ing ample opportunities for stu-dents to ask questions and clarifyproblems areas.

Tips to aid learningSpanishn Listen: Students should lis-ten carefully in class and askquestions if they don’t under-stand. They are not expected tounderstand everything they hearat first, but they are actuallyabsorbing even when they don’trealize it. This is when they aregiven a lot of strategies to under-stand the language. n Visualize: It may help stu-dents to visualize the words theyare learning by associating eachword, sentence, or phrase with amental picture. For example, ifthey are learning words for food, they can picture the foodin their minds and think aboutthe color, smell, and taste associ-ated with it. If they are learningabout weather, they can picturethemselves standing in the rain,or fighting a strong wind. n Practice: Short, daily practicesessions are more effective than

long sessions. Students can prac-tice with friends, relatives, orclassmates. After all, language iscommunication, and it takes twoto communicate!n Speak: Students should prac-tice speaking Spanish everyweek. Encourage them to exper-iment. Their mistakes will helpthem to identify problems, andwill show them important differ-ences in the way English andSpanish work as a language. n Explore: Students shouldincrease their contact with Span ish outside the classroom as much as possible. Maybesomeone living near them speaksSpanish. Today it’s easy to findSpanish-language programs onTV, on the radio, or simply bychanging the language track onfavorite DVDs. Many maga-zines, books, and news papers in Spanish are published or sold in the United States, and are also available on the Inter -net. Students shouldn’t be afraid to read, watch, or listen,even if they don’t understandevery word. n Connect: Making connec-tions between what they learn inother subject areas and whatthey are learning in Spanish classwill increase students’ under-standing of the new material,help them retain it longer, andenrich their overall learningexperience. n Have fun: Above all, studentsshould remember to have fun!The more they learn, the easier itwill be for them to relax; themore relaxed they are, the easierand more effective it is to learn.

¡Buena Suerte! (Good luck!)—Eva Miciura

It may help

students to

visualize the words

they are learning

by associating each

word, sentence,

or phrase with a

mental picture.

NEWS & NOTES 43


Community service? It’s in the bag!Ten Middle School students volunteered at Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit on Sep -tember 9. Gleaners invited area schools to help bag produce for needy families, and our studentsloaded up more than 100 bags of fresh produce! The students had a great time, and many haveasked if we could go back to help again. From left are Mahmoud Hage, Hadi Allos, Michael Nunu,Evan Kernosek, Kassim Abdullah, Emily Spaman, Lauren Davidson, Aliyah Moline-Freeman,Arianna Afonso, and Rory McMaster.

DHMC is working with Gleaners again this year for our schoolwide service effort. Our fall fooddrive runs through Friday, November 22 (collection boxes are in the front lobby). Watch for detailsabout how students and families can participate in other efforts for Gleaners during the school year.

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves

and forget about progress and prosperity for

our community… Our ambitions must be broad

enough to include the aspirations and needs

of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

—Cesar Chavez

DATES TO REMEMBERNovember11 Monday through 22 Friday Food Drive for Gleaners Community Food Bank. Collection

boxes are in the school lobby.

21 Thursdayn Parent Perks Meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

n Extended Day Field Trip. Students visit the Wild Swan Theater in Ann Arbor to view the play The Firebird. Depart at 10 a.m.

22 Friday Drama Program Performance. 7 p.m. Elementary and Middle School studentspresent Welcome to Wonderland.

26 Tuesday Thanksgiving Celebrations. During school hours.

27 Wednesday Staff Professional Development. NO SCHOOL. Day care and latchkey available.

28–29 Thursday–Friday Thanksgiving Holiday. NO SCHOOL. NO DAY CARE. NO LATCHKEY.

December5 Thursdayn Parent Perks Meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

n Family Activity Night: Preschool–Kindergarten and Extended Day. 6 p.m.

12 Thursday Upper Elementary Theater Performance. 6 p.m.

19 Thursday Parent Perks Meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

20 Friday Holiday Sing.~ 10:30 a.m.: Toddler/preschool–kindergarten morning session and lower elementary.~ 2:30 p.m.: Toddler/preschool–kindergarten afternoon session, upper elementary,

and Middle School.

23 Monday Holiday Vacation Through Sunday, January 5. NO SCHOOL. NO DAY CARE. NO LATCHKEY.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

466 N. John DalyDearborn Heights, MI 48127-3703

313-359-3000www.dhmontessori.org

“All other factors sink

into insignificance beside

the importance of feeding

the hungry intelligence

and opening vast fields

of knowledge to eager

exploration.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Family portrait by Extended Day student Christina Fehme, 5

dearborn heights montessori center …...goddess: pair a pic-ture of an egyptian deity with the...

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