Thursday, June 5, 2008

Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
June 5, 2008


June 12…………………….............Last Day of School
June 13………School Closed………….Staff Work Day
June 16……………………First Day of Summer School

Goodbye!
Staff support person, Crystal Hasey, who was only with us a short time, has moved to North Central Washington State to begin a new educational venture. We wish her all the best.

Thank You!
Ethan Allmain for the book from Hawaii for the Sunflower class
Pearl Mess for the wooden turtle tray from Hawaii
All families who have been bringing in flowers. They add so much to the atmosphere!
All families who’ve brought in extra bags. We use them up.

This Friday, June 6th, is the last hot lunch served for the school year. Hot lunch is not served during summer school.

Congratulations to our 2008 VMS Graduates!
They are:
Garrett Anderson
Anna Sanchez
Emma Villaluz…From the Wisteria Classroom

Ramya Arivazhagan
Rohan Au
Oliver Clauson
Jolie Henderson
Max Recker
Bryce Tautfest…From the Lavender Classroom

Katrina Bilic
Kade Palmer
Nicholas Purcarelu
Tyler Renteria
Quentin Roemer
Jack Veil…From the Sunflower Classroom

Best Wishes for a great summer and an exciting future! We will all miss you!


Another Successful Picnic!
Wow! Can you believe the great weather we had last Friday for the picnic? It was so much fun, in no small part, due to the many families that attended. Several parents mentioned how nice it was to hear the happy sounds of children playing and parents visiting. The food was amazing and it was so nice to see new families meeting and making acquaintances with veteran families. The new play structure continues to be a hit with even the youngest children, while providing fun and challenge for the older ones. Thank You!

Cubbie Clean-out!
The end of this school year is fast approaching! Look for paper bags, labeled with your child’s name, along the hallway and in front of the school. Graduates’ bags will be sent home on Wednesday, the 11th and all others will be sent home on Thursday, the 12th. These will contain all of your child’s cubbie contents. Everything needs to go home. Children enrolled in Summer School will need to bring seasonally appropriate spare clothes and blankets (if resting) on the first day of Summer School.

Last Day of School
The 2007/2008 VMS school year (Children’s House only) ends Thursday, June 12. All children who are not graduating need to be picked up between 11:30 and 12:00 on that day (Except for Honeysuckle Toddlers). All staff will be in the Children’s Park to say goodbye. Only the graduates will remain at school. Graduates are those children who have completed their Kindergarten year at VMS. They will bring lunch from home and enjoy a special lunchtime with their teacher and assistant before the 2:00pm graduation ceremony.

VMS Children’s House is closed on Friday, June 13. Summer School commences on Monday, June 16, for those children enrolled.

Reminder---Car greeting is not offered during Summer School. Main arrival time is still between 8:15-8:30am.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
May 30 2008

May 30……………………All School Picnic
June 12……………………Last Day of School
June 16……………………First Day of Summer School

Thank You!
Quentin Roemer for the catfish for the Sunflower class fish tank
Jack Sparks for the seeds for the garden
Maddox and Carson Karras’ family for the wonderful toys, books, and easel for the Sweet Pea room

Wish List
Paper and plastic grocery bags

Welcome and Goodbye!
Welcome to Avik Shrestha, along with his parents, Salona and Bibek, who has joined the Honeysuckle Toddler Community.
The Lavender classroom welcomes Lauren Gliane. She is transitioning from the Honeysuckle Toddler Community.
We wish a happy farewell to Sophie Wallace from the Sunflower classroom and her family as they move to sunny Arizona.

Next Friday, June 6, will be the last hot lunch served this year for the Children’s House participants. Macaroni & Cheese, rolls, veggies, and fruit are on the menu. Hot lunch is not served during summer school.

Last Day of School
The 2007/2008 VMS school year (Children’s House only) ends Thursday, June 12. All children who are not graduating need to be picked up between 11:30 and 12:00 on that day (Except for Honeysuckle Toddlers). All staff will be in the Children’s Park to say goodbye. Only the graduates will remain at school. Graduates are those children who have completed their Kindergarten year at VMS. They will bring lunch from home and enjoy a special lunchtime with their teacher and assistant before the 2:00pm graduation ceremony.

VMS Children’s House is closed on Friday, June 13. Summer School commences on Monday, June 16, for those children enrolled.


Sunny Weather?
We are told that it is on the way! This is a good time to send a wide-brimmed sunhat, labeled with your child’s name, to school for them to keep in their cubbie basket. However, leave sunglasses at home. They are often a play hazard and are tossed aside shortly after going outside.

Please apply sunscreen to your child at home in the morning to protect them at the earlier outdoor play time. If you would like staff to apply additional sunscreen for the later day play time, please complete a Medication Permission Form and return it to your child’s classroom along with their sunscreen. Make sure it is labeled with their name. Sunscreen may not be shared.

A few more…Things That Parents Can do to Help Their Montessori Child—borrowed from Bayside Montessori

Help your child to have positive connections with people of diverse ethnicities, language, and beliefs.
Allow your child to use his/her whole body and mind for active doing. Save computers for the Elementary years and later when they become a useful tool of the conscious mind.
Expose your child to all sorts of music.
Help them learn to sort: the laundry, silverware, etc.
Provide art materials, paper, appropriate aprons, and mats to define the workspace. Provide tools for cleaning up

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
May 7, 2008

May 14…………5:00-7:00pm………Parent & Child Visit
May 23…………School Closed………Staff Inservice
May 26…………School Closed………Memorial Day
May 30………………………………………All School Picnic
June 12………………………………………Last Day of School


Always treat the child with the best of good manners and offer him the best you have in yourself and at your disposal”---Dr. Maria Montessori

Thank You!
Riley Philbrook and family for the flower seeds and potting soil
Laralye Check and family for the seeds and garlic bulbs
Amann and Rohan Au for the beautiful gifts for classroom and staff from their recent trip to India
Bryce Tautfest and family for the wonderful flowers from their garden
Andrew Okerlund’s mom, Ellen, for sewing new tablecloths for the Sunflower class and his dad, Don, for donating the storage unit
Quentin Roemer and family for the classroom decoration from their recent trip to Mexico.

There are very few spaces left for Summer School. If you do want your child signed up for some or all of it, but have not yet done so, please let the office know promptly.

Annual Spring Picnic
Come one come all…to the VMS Spring Picnic! Children, parents, grandparents and others are welcome to join the VMS staff for a potluck picnic in the Children’s Park on Friday, May 30, weather permitting. We plan to begin eating at 6:30pm, so please plan to arrive by about 6:15pm. Families are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs to picnic on. VMS will supply table settings, cookies, lemonade and ice water. Each family is asked to bring a main dish and a salad to share. If everyone brings enough to serve about eight to ten people, there is more than enough for all to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you there!

Last Day of School
The 2007/2008 VMS school year (Children’s House only) ends Thursday, June 12. All children who are not graduating need to be picked up between 11:30 and 12:00 on that day (Except for Honeysuckle Toddlers). All staff will be in the Children’s Park to say goodbye. Only the graduates will remain at school. They will bring lunch from home and enjoy a special lunchtime with their teacher and assistant before the 2:00pm graduation ceremony.

VMS Children’s House is closed on Friday, June 13. Summer School commences on Monday, June 16, for those children enrolled.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
May 1, 2008


May 14..….......5:00-7:00pm……Parent & Child Visit
May 23………..School Closed…...Staff Inservice
May 26……….School Closed…….Memorial Day
May 30……………All School Picnic


Thank You!
Stacey Robyn, Alison Veil, Jane Jennings, Jane Clauson, Jen Murphine, Kristin & Eric Suttie for lending a helping hand on plant delivery day. We are grateful for your help!

Ava Heflen’s mom, April, and Belen Kingsella’s mom, Lisa, for the spare clothes supply.

Thank you so much for helping morning arrival time, particularly between 8:15-8:30, to flow smoothly. Leaving a drive-thru lane next to the car greet lane has been really helpful. The cars have not been backing up out into the intersection. We appreciate everyone continuing to leave those “parallel parking” spaces empty during this time.

Parent & Child Visit
Please join your child, as their guest, in their classroom anytime between 5:00-7:00pm on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. This is an opportunity for your child to show you around their classroom as well as some of the work that they particularly enjoy. For this to be a positive experience for the both of you, please let your child be your guide, give them your undivided attention and please, please, please refrain from correcting any mistakes they make or leading them to what you want them to do. We look forward to this special one-on-one time for you and your child. This time is intended for children enrolled at VMS. If you’ll need to bring along younger, mobile siblings (or older ones), please keep them in close supervision. The classroom materials are not available for siblings to play with.

Plants and Nature
An atmosphere of love and respect for plants and animals in the home and classroom is the best foundation for a lifetime of comfort and interest in nature. This begins in the home as the child absorbs the family’s attitude toward vegetables, flowers, gardens, houseplants, weeds, and trees. Lessons that make a deep impression come from first hand experiences of plants; nothing can substitute for seeing and smelling flowers in the home and watching the daily growth of a flower or vegetable in the garden.

It is important for a child to spend some time in the outdoors experiencing nature every day if possible—in all kinds of weather and during all seasons. Going for a walk with a young child, if one follows the child’s slow speed and unpredictable interests, can open your eyes to the world of nature like never before.---excerpt from “Child of the World”, Michael Olaf’s Essential Montessori 2008-2009.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
April 23, 2008

April 24…………...Plant Delivery Day
May 14……5:00-7:00pm……Parent & Child Visit


“Respect the child who takes rest or watches others working or ponders over what he himself has done or will do. Neither call him, nor force him to other forms of activity.”—point # 7 from “A Decalogue” by Dr. Montessori

Thank You!
Grace Driscoll for the treat for staff
Sophia Murray Ceriello’s mom, Dondee, and Max Recker’s mom, Angie, for the beautiful flowers for the Lavender classroom.
Oliver Clauson’s mom, Jane, for the new towels.

Goodbye!
Phoenix and Maya Lynch, along with their parents, J.J. and Patrick, have moved back down to California. We will miss them!

Wish List
The girls “extra clothing” supply could use:
Pants-especially sizes 4 or 5
Underwear
Shorts
The boys could use:
Pants-also larger sizes
Shorts
Hats/gloves

Any outgrown or spares you may have at home would be much appreciated—Thank You!

Parent & Child Visit
Please join your child, as their guest, in their classroom anytime between 5:00-7:00pm on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. This is an opportunity for your child to show you around their classroom as well as some of the work that they particularly enjoy. For this to be a positive experience for the both of you, please let your child be your guide, give them your undivided attention and please, please, please refrain from correcting any mistakes they make or leading them to what you want them to do. We look forward to this special one-on-one time for you and your child. This time is intended for children enrolled at VMS. If you’ll need to bring along younger, mobile siblings (or older ones), please keep them in close supervision. The classroom materials are not available for siblings to play with.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Dear Parents,

Happy Earth Day!  What a perfect week for plants to be arriving!  Thursday morning the truck will arrive-rain or shine.  Plants will be ready for pick-up by the noon dismissal time.  Happy planting!  

Also, the PUD Home & Garden Idea Fair, organized by Ethan & Jillian's mom, Heather Allmain, will be going on this Friday through Sunday at the Clark County Fairgrounds.  They offer an amazing plant sale, inspiring displays, and lots of great activities for children to participate in.  It's a great family event.

I neglected to mention in last week's newsletter that this week is National TV Turn-off Week.  Can your family do it?  What an opportunity to look at alternative activities and passtimes to do individually and as a family.  We encourage all to give it a try!  You'll find it refreshing.

Thank You,
Leslie

Friday, April 18, 2008

Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
April 16, 2008


April 24…………...Plant Delivery Day

Thank You!
Max Recker, and family, for the butter and baking powder for the Lavender class.

Eddie Park’s parents, Angela and Jonathan, for providing lunch for the staff inservice at their restaurant, The Mongolian Grill.

Belen Kingsella, and family, for the watercolor paints and paper, construction paper, play doh, and butter for baking for the Sunflower class.

Graham Moody for the calendar of Hawaii.

Jack Veil for the calendar of bears.

Emma Sanchez, and family, for the painted vase, flute, and pictures from their recent trip to Peru.

A Big Concern
A problem exists that has been getting increasingly worse, causing frustration to VMS parents and neighbors and creating safety hazards. It was addressed in the newsletter from November 28, 2007 under “Morning Car Greeting”. Cars are backing up during car greeting, blocking the intersection, and neglecting to use turn signals especially when coming from the West and turning left into the parking lot. Tuesday morning a very angry couple came in to express to Kendra that they drop off their children at Marion Elementary every day and are mad at being cut off by cars pulling out of our lot, cars not using turn signals as they wait to turn into our lot, and cars blocking the intersection. This morning (Wednesday) one of our families was yelled at and another angrily honked at, we believe, by this same couple.

The last thing anyone here wants is a confrontation with these people, so please do everything within your control to use good driving and parking etiquette. Remember also that it is illegal to block an intersection at any time.

Sooooo…beginning on Monday, April 21st, all staff will park only at the West end of the parking lot. We request that parents park at the East end of the lot, including the gravel/grassy area at the far end and on the street and use the sidewalks/walk paths to enter the building. The five parallel parking spaces alongside the swale will only be used as a drive-though lane between 8:15-8:45am. They will not be available for parking. This will create a lane for parents who have parked at the east end to drive straight out and not wait in the “car greeting” lane. Hopefully, this will shorten the line out into the street. For the first while, one office staff person will stand at the parking lot entrance to help direct cars and keep things moving.
Also, if you do choose to use “car greeting”, make sure that your children are ready and willing to depart in a timely manner at the gate. We will unbuckle them, but, if they are refusing to get out of the car you will need to pull around and park to walk them in.