ECOLECLAIRE FONTAINE APRIL 2020
Features: Zoom, zoom, zoom! Regression isNormal Connection & Resilience
2019 / Volume 4/ Issue 8
CO N T EN T S Ecole Claire Fontaine
p2 p3 p4 p6 p8 P10 p11 p12 p14 p16 p18 p19 p20 p21 p22
Contents Calendar Bir thdays This Distance Ear th Day Picnic Essential Oil, For aging & Planting National Poetr y Month Ar ts Alive, We ar e Picasso Super Her oes Regr ession is Nor mal in this Time Teacher Appr eciation Celebr ating & Relaxing The WAVE is postponed Summer Camp by the Sea - Registr ation Adver tise with Ecole Clair e Fontaine The Makings of a Paper Bouquet
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CA L EN D A R May 2020
The Month of May Enjoy Your Online Lessons and our Daily 10:00 am Zoom Monday, May 4 - Fr i, May 8 Teacher Appr eciation Week
Tuesday, May 5 Cinco de Mayo Par ty celebrate during our 10:00 am Zoom Please br ing a palm tr ee mask Thur sday, May 14 Family Day Gather ing Zoom celebrate during our 10:00 am Zoom
Thur sday, May 28 May Bir thdays celebrate during our 10:00 am Zoom
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BI RT H D AYS Apr il & May 2020
May Andrejs Birdie Djuna Hélio Juliet
Alexandre Madeleine Cassius Emilia Émilie
Margot
April
Otis River
Evelyn N
Skylar
Indigo
Sylvie
Liam
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Wilder P
Lucien F Monroe Nova Svea Tessa H Wilder TR Yaz
This month we will celebr ate bir thdays dur ing the May 28th 10:00 am ECF Children's Chat on Zoom. Joyeux anniversaire enfants! 5 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
This Distance While our Gates are Temporarily Closed, the Spirit of Ecole Claire Fontaine remains Open, with Hearts & Minds Blossoming in Springtime
As
our dear, old fr iend Marcel Proust says, "Work while you still have the light." We for one do not find our selves with "extr a" time, the type we keep reading about in online magazines and var ious Times' that ur ge us to tr y new recipes, hone skills we for got that we ever had and discover cr afty ar t techniques.
In the end, when this is all over, and it will be, our children will remember how they felt at home. Did they feel secure, loved and properly attached... this is the business that concer ns us. Connect in ever y way you can. Star t with cuddles, eye contact and play before beginning online lear ning.
Join the 10:00 am Zoom chat so that What we have is different time. We do we can all be together, keeping our not spend a single moment dr iving a community alive. These day- to- day car on a daily basis; you're welcome activities and lessons, the creations planet. But we do spend hour s, ever y and re- creations, mean the world single day, on the computer, which we when we are together. We love you realize has a direct impact on the families, children and parents alike, polar ice caps that melt in the and we know ver y well the str uggles r adiating heat of billions of Google you face. Do not ever wor r y that your docs and emails. With thoughtful child will end up "behind." "Behind what, exactly?" we ask. The entire planning, we can shift this. world is lear ning and living in a new Meanwhile, our time is spent the way way, we are all in this together, and let most of your s is - being busy with the us always keep as our ultimate cr ucial life of children. mission, the happiness of children. 6 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
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Earth Day
For the fir st time, we are spending Ear th Day indoor s, or within the confines of our yards and home gardens. What a world! The good news about our planet is that carbon emissions have dropped r adically and that the oceans can be "restored to their for mer glor y within 30 year s." Our campuses remain Cer tified Wildlife Habitats, the birds are singing and so many animals are out and about. With our Ar t, Language and Nature cur r iculum, Ear th Day was celebr ated with guitar s, instr uments, singing and beautiful picnics. We are so proud of you all!
Art & Archery
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Family Trees All of our families are different, unique just as each child is, with a univer sal cur rent of love buzzing through them all. Keeping the ar t in nature, with this project, Claire Fontaine students created their Ear th Week family trees with recreations of those beautiful sustainer s of life - the trees around us.
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Of Poets & Plants Plants, Poetry, Flowers& Foliage
Seeds,
seeds, ever ywhere! It is spr ingtime and tiny, fuzzy fur s are flying in the wind, car r ying baby flower s from one garden to the next. Since the children know it is spr ing planting season, it is time to star t if you have not already, wherever you may be: Beans, Cor n, Cucumber s, Melons, Summer Squash, Sweet Potatoes and Tomatoes. Remember all you need is a container with dr ainage or some garden space, seeds, soil, sunshine and water. As always, this is a joyous per iod for for aging. If you have access to a wild field or garden, Citr us, Fennel, Miner 's Using beans, moss and Lettuce, Nastur tiums, Pur slane and shells a spectacular Wild Mustard sea scene comesabound to life. and are 10 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
delicious sources miner als.
of
vitamins
&
If you can find Roses, tr y this: take sever al fresh petals and cr ush them with a little oil, like olive or sunflower, in a jar. Put the jar in a pan of gently heating water. Let war m for 20 minutes and then remove. Leave the jar in the windowsill for a day, remove the petals and squeeze out the excess oil to retain as much of the flor al essence as possible. And there you have it, homemade Essential Rose Oil. In honor of the season, we hope for you to be outside as much as possible. If indoor s, tr y stor y time with Har vard Museums of Science & Culture.
National Poetry Month In
Apr il we celebr ate National Poetr y Month - the link takes you to an Atlantic piece. We are missing in- per son classes with our Poetr y Professor Molly. Instead, we humbly offer this sweet delight:
From the Baby Plant and Its Friends In the hear t of a seed, Bur ied deep, so deep, A dear little plant, lay fast asleep.
'Wake,' said the sunshine 'And creep to the light.' 'Wake,' said the voice Of the r ain- drops br ight.
The little bird heard, And it rose to see What the wonder ful Outside world might be." Kate L. Brown
Tr y wr iting your own poem with each word beginning with the letter s of your name. 11 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
So
Arts Alive
much Ar t, so much time. The children are creating with food, flower s, leaves, paper s, paints and play dough. Br avo ever yone! To recreate the mosaic of LA's histor ic Watts Tower, click here for ideas. For a stor y time that will take you on a tour of the ar t throughout Los Angeles, visit the LA Conser vancy. For some spice, take a look at this LitHub about "ser ious" wr iter s, wr iting children's books. Shakespeare is on at the Globe for the delight of your living room. Romeo & Juliet is up now! Find the nightly Met Oper a here. The children are fountains of creativity. We love to see and share what they come up with. Please send to Media@LAClairefontaine.or g 12 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
We are Picasso!
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Super Heroes Well,
we are still at home. Gr atefully, there is so much to do. Ar t, Astronomy with Tomaso, Cr afts and mask- making with Qin, Garden projects, Mandar in with Yan, Mar ionettes with Marla, Mathematics and broad studies with Mar ina, Music with Sandr a & Freder ic, Painting with Svetlana, Rainy Discover y with Pier rette, Singing with Solange, Stor y time with Mar ilyn, Sustainability with Charlotte and Yoga with Chr istiane. At home, many of you are taking advantage of a few extr a moments with your children to expand on all that you already do for your community.
Dur ing this time, ECF's cr ack team of architects continues to design and over see the remodeling of our third campus on Venice Boulevard, the Fountain Campus, for which registr ation is open via Bonjour @LAClairefontaine.or g
This remarkable expansion is possible due to the commitment of our families, fr iends and teacher s. The elder students will be ser ved at Fountain, with more indoor and outdoor space and facilities to accommodate the incredible young people into whom these children are blossoming. Please register for the Seeing your mask and messaging 2020- 2021 academic year , and join us handiwork reminds us that Apr il 28 is for Summer Camp. We miss you National Superhero Day. Ecole Claire ter r ibly. Fontaine students, our own How are you spending your time? Be superheros, don masks and share sure to send your photos to them with their fr iends and neighbor s. Media@LAClairefontaine.or g
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Regression in the Hour of Chaos We Recommend Laughter & Relaxation for All of You
Dur ing times of stress, str uggle and uncer tainty, it is quite cer tain that regression is nor mal. In their best, most loving, moments, children are confident, kind and secure. But these circumstances that the world has been plunged into ensure at least some tur moil. It is also spr ingtime. Dur ing a "nor mal" year in the garden, at this per iod the children mor ph with the chaos of the weather, often in the same day - br ight, cold, foggy, gr ay, hot, sunny, and so it goes. It is also a per iod annually of tremendous growth, both in the nature around them and within the children themselves. Ever ything they have been lear ning throughout the year begins to coalesce and this amount of 16 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
change causes additional upheaval. As you see the buds, flower s, gr asses and leaves around you in their own growth spur ts, so are the children. If you find your darlings refusing to br ush their teeth, eat at the table, pick up their clothes or even be polite, tr y to decide which things you deeply care about. Since all of the r ules have changed globally, including in your child's life and that of your family, this is a time to reassess. The old adage "pick your battles" takes on new impor tance. We like this Montessor i parenting video. You may decide that teeth br ushing and politeness are too cr itical to give up on, but the clothes can sur vive on the floor for a night. After a tantr um, the connection needs to be reset. The world's r ules have changed, so can our s.
Tr ansfor ming Challenging Behavior (follow the link for infor mation on their upcoming conference) has offered an interesting technique within this difficult scenar io: "When children are hitting, biting, spitting, and even swearing and throwing chairs it can feel truly impossible, like nothing will work... a good str ategy for tantr ums is to quietly extend a hand, showing the child that you expect them to get up and come with you (without saying a word)." Yes, this has been known to actually work. Sometimes a small tweak can yield dr amatic results. Regression will ebb and flow, as growth does, but parents can soothe the stor m with compassion. To foster the closeness we are all after in our families, we go back to the basics of being gentle, feeling kindness and creating war mth. We like this ar ticle
from Tinker gar ten on regression and physical touch and this from the NY Times. Our own adult regression may need to be soothed as well. Are you snappier with answer s or tr ying to be more str ict in order to create some semblance of control in this disar r ay? Now is an excellent time to be flexible with your self as well. What do you really value as a parent? What do you want your child to remember ? Since your children are always watching you (check this Washington Post piece), setting a good example in dealing with emotional disquietude is significant, as is continuing to exercise, laugh and smile. We are not expecting children to be per fect, now or ever, so we cer tainly do not need to put that pressure on our selves. Your own per sonal development, and your child's, could benefit from a strong dose of gr ace. 17 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Sunshine & Flowersfor our Teachers
Teacher Appreciation What
wonder ful mor nings we spend with the children and families of Ecole Claire Fontaine on Zoom. Thank you for the Teacher Appreciation Celebr ation! Creating new memor ies while making ar t, "plasticine frogs and singing 'Cucú Cucú Cantaba la Rana,'" says Ivonne, among the teacher s connecting with students from home, is a "joyous time to scroll the screen, shar ing play dough and projects. Thank you parents for encour aging children to par ticipate and lear n a new tune to br ing joy and hope to our community." Thank you, Gwendoline, Mme Dumas, Mair a & all Teacher s! "You are what keep us going," Connie tells the children dur ing daily Mindfulness Zoom classes. 18 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
"Ever ything we do comes from our love of the children," muses Mar ina. Children's happiness is our raison d'être. We appreciate all of you, love you, and miss you ever yday. Thank you for being you!
Ecole Claire Fontaine's Mindfulness Teacher, Connie, and her colleagues from Wor thy Beyond Pur pose give half hour sessions in mindfulness & meditation Monday through Fr iday at 11 and 1:30. The new Zoom links are cur rent as of May 4th. While your child may attend either session, they are geared toward these age groups May link for Preschool - 1st gr ade May link for 2nd - 5th gr ades
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Our fr iend and Neighbor Sue Choi is offer ing free online meditation for adults throughout May, Fr idays at 11:00 am with CoherentBody.com
Cinco de Mayo Upcoming Tuesday, 5 May at 10:00 am: Dancing, singing and snacks on Cinco de Mayo with your teacher s and classmates. Remember to br ing a Fallen Palm Tree "Mask" for Mask- Making The live playlist with Sandr a Sandia includes: All en El Valle, El Casamiento, Chocolate, La Cucaracha/ La Bamba Haremos Quesadillas & Vamos a Comer 19 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Each
year in May, the Education Committee of the Venice Chamber of Commerce gather s in honor of teacher s for an Oscar- like ceremony that elevates the status of education. This year, we have made the decision to postpone the event for the safety of us all - VeniceWAVEAwards.weebly.com 20 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Registr ation is Open! LAClairefontaine.or g/ Summer- by- the- Sea
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