Vancouver Montessori School Newsletter
March 16, 2009
March 24……….............…Plant Orders Due
March 27…...Children’s House Closed…....Staff Inservice
March 30-April 3……Children’s House Closed……Spring Break
April 10………..……………Re-commitment Deadline
April 23……………………Plant Delivery Day
Goodbye
To Leiya Ohms of the Wisteria classroom. We wish her and her family all the best in the future.
Thank You!
To Anton Check, Rex Hawkins, Randy Arends, Gary Jackson, and Joshua Jessup for braving the wind and rain on Saturday to load up and haul away lots of wood, cement and yard debris. The back area looks 100% better!
Re-commitment for 2009-2010 School Year
To secure your child’s place for the 2009-2010 school year please return the green Registration and Fee Payment Agreement along with the $200.00 (per child) re-commitment fee no later than Friday, April 10, 2009. The re-commitment fee is then applicable to your first tuition payment for the u pcoming school year. Your child’s place cannot be guaranteed and the commitment fee is not applicable if not paid by the April 10 deadline. No exceptions will be made.
Plants, Flowers, Herbs!
While it is hard to imagine spring is just around the corner (especially with snow falling recently), it is. The daffodils and crocus are already blooming. Don’t miss out on our wonderful plant sale. More order forms are available in the office to pass on to friends, family and neighbors. These plants are sturdy and vibrant. The herbs and vegetables are organically grown and nothing is better than fresh-from-the-vine garden vegetables! The deadline for turning orders in with payment is Tuesday, March 24. The webs ite at http://www.newleafgreenhouse.com/ has lots of pictures and updated plant descriptions to take a look at.
Wish List
Kitchen sponges
Bath towels (used ones for clean up purposes)
Metal forks and spoons (used ones are fine)
Crayons and washable markers for after-care
Dangerous Plastics
At a recent workshop that Kendra and Leslie attended, the risks associated with certain toxic plastics and plastic toys were discussed. Baby bottles, sippy cups, teething rings and flexible plastic toys are often made with phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) and Bisphenol-A (BPA). These two toxins are of particular concern because, as research increasingly shows, they mimic hormones and disrupt normal growth and development. Young children are at greater risk than adults due to a more sensitive immune system, organs that are still developing, and simply more going into their mouths.
Therefore, when shopping, look for items labeled “BPA free” or for plastics with recycling codes #1, #2, or #5. Do not buy and/or throw away any with the codes #3 (PVC), #6 (Polystyrene), or #7 (other-usually polycarbonate). For the full article and more resource information, see Leslie or Kendra for a copy. Go to http://www.thegreenguide.com/ for everyday living information and product alternatives.
The Three Hour Work Period
In the Children’s House environment, the opportunity to work does not carry the same significance as what most of the adult world is familiar with. “Going to work” or “doing yard/housework” often means what HAS to be done for practical or financial reasons; not what one WANTS to do, or even enjoys. This is not the case with the 3 to 6 year-old child.
Dr. Montessori believed that it was only through purposeful work that a child would return to their natural state of tranquility, and that “A child’s desire to work represents a vital instinct, since s/he cannot organize his/her personality without working,” (The Secret of Childhood, p186). The 3 to 6 year-old is in the process of doing their unconscious work of sel f-construction; and considering physiological and psychological development are directly related to physical movement, this is why a child’s first exposure to work in the classroom environment is through Practical Life exercises.
The three hour morning work period is vital to providing the children with the liberty to move toward normalization and functional independence. A substantial breakfast in the morning, punctuality at arrival time and a comfortable goodbye to parents all help facilitate a smooth transition to their busy day at work.
Each child moves forward at their own pace, regardless of age or experience, and it is one of the arts of the trained Montessori guide to know when to present new lessons. Through careful observations during the morning three hour work cycle, the teach er also watches for evidence of challenging independent work choices and social graces used with peers and adults. Independence with self-care, stamina and repetition with one’s own work, the conscious learning that appears after the loss of the child’s inner guide, and emotional readiness for elevated expectations are also considered. It is these specific signs of self-construction that the teacher looks for when offering individual invitations to children to join the extended day classroom environment.
March 16, 2009
March 24……….............…Plant Orders Due
March 27…...Children’s House Closed…....Staff Inservice
March 30-April 3……Children’s House Closed……Spring Break
April 10………..……………Re-commitment Deadline
April 23……………………Plant Delivery Day
Goodbye
To Leiya Ohms of the Wisteria classroom. We wish her and her family all the best in the future.
Thank You!
To Anton Check, Rex Hawkins, Randy Arends, Gary Jackson, and Joshua Jessup for braving the wind and rain on Saturday to load up and haul away lots of wood, cement and yard debris. The back area looks 100% better!
Re-commitment for 2009-2010 School Year
To secure your child’s place for the 2009-2010 school year please return the green Registration and Fee Payment Agreement along with the $200.00 (per child) re-commitment fee no later than Friday, April 10, 2009. The re-commitment fee is then applicable to your first tuition payment for the u pcoming school year. Your child’s place cannot be guaranteed and the commitment fee is not applicable if not paid by the April 10 deadline. No exceptions will be made.
Plants, Flowers, Herbs!
While it is hard to imagine spring is just around the corner (especially with snow falling recently), it is. The daffodils and crocus are already blooming. Don’t miss out on our wonderful plant sale. More order forms are available in the office to pass on to friends, family and neighbors. These plants are sturdy and vibrant. The herbs and vegetables are organically grown and nothing is better than fresh-from-the-vine garden vegetables! The deadline for turning orders in with payment is Tuesday, March 24. The webs ite at http://www.newleafgreenhouse.com/ has lots of pictures and updated plant descriptions to take a look at.
Wish List
Kitchen sponges
Bath towels (used ones for clean up purposes)
Metal forks and spoons (used ones are fine)
Crayons and washable markers for after-care
Dangerous Plastics
At a recent workshop that Kendra and Leslie attended, the risks associated with certain toxic plastics and plastic toys were discussed. Baby bottles, sippy cups, teething rings and flexible plastic toys are often made with phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) and Bisphenol-A (BPA). These two toxins are of particular concern because, as research increasingly shows, they mimic hormones and disrupt normal growth and development. Young children are at greater risk than adults due to a more sensitive immune system, organs that are still developing, and simply more going into their mouths.
Therefore, when shopping, look for items labeled “BPA free” or for plastics with recycling codes #1, #2, or #5. Do not buy and/or throw away any with the codes #3 (PVC), #6 (Polystyrene), or #7 (other-usually polycarbonate). For the full article and more resource information, see Leslie or Kendra for a copy. Go to http://www.thegreenguide.com/ for everyday living information and product alternatives.
The Three Hour Work Period
In the Children’s House environment, the opportunity to work does not carry the same significance as what most of the adult world is familiar with. “Going to work” or “doing yard/housework” often means what HAS to be done for practical or financial reasons; not what one WANTS to do, or even enjoys. This is not the case with the 3 to 6 year-old child.
Dr. Montessori believed that it was only through purposeful work that a child would return to their natural state of tranquility, and that “A child’s desire to work represents a vital instinct, since s/he cannot organize his/her personality without working,” (The Secret of Childhood, p186). The 3 to 6 year-old is in the process of doing their unconscious work of sel f-construction; and considering physiological and psychological development are directly related to physical movement, this is why a child’s first exposure to work in the classroom environment is through Practical Life exercises.
The three hour morning work period is vital to providing the children with the liberty to move toward normalization and functional independence. A substantial breakfast in the morning, punctuality at arrival time and a comfortable goodbye to parents all help facilitate a smooth transition to their busy day at work.
Each child moves forward at their own pace, regardless of age or experience, and it is one of the arts of the trained Montessori guide to know when to present new lessons. Through careful observations during the morning three hour work cycle, the teach er also watches for evidence of challenging independent work choices and social graces used with peers and adults. Independence with self-care, stamina and repetition with one’s own work, the conscious learning that appears after the loss of the child’s inner guide, and emotional readiness for elevated expectations are also considered. It is these specific signs of self-construction that the teacher looks for when offering individual invitations to children to join the extended day classroom environment.
Considering all that the child is developing during this vital morning work cycle, it is imperative that they arrive to school on time. When a child habitually arrives late to school (particularly after 9:00am) they not only miss out on a relaxed morning greeting from their teacher, assistant and peers; they miss out on the time to actually work as discussed above. A child who arrives at 10:00am only gets one hour a nd fifteen minutes to participate in the three hour work cycle. Late arrivals not only affect the arriving child, but the entire group, as working children are distracted from their activities to attend to their friend now coming into the classroom. Please carefully consider your own child’s morning (perhaps even the evening before) routine, looking for ways to ensure a consistently timely arrival to school.
