INSIDE THIS ISSUE... Page 1 “The Second Plane of Development; Ages 6-12” Page 2 Holiday Shows Page 3 Shakespeare Festival Page 4 Student Achievements Page 5 Staff Continuing Education Page 6-7 “A Most Important Gift to Give Your Child” Page 8-17 Classroom Updates Page 18-19 Spanish Page 20 PE Page 21 DEAR Day Page 22 Spotlight Kids Page 23 Showcase Performance Page 24 Calendar
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM MILLHOPPER MONTESSORI SCHOOL
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The Second Plane of Development: Ages 6-12 By MMS Owner & Teacher, Christina Miller By the time children are typically beginning first grade they are entering the second plane of development. The first plane is from birth to age 6 and is noted for the absorbent mind. The second plane is a period when children develop their conscious minds. Learning is different at this age and is marked by a slower and more deliberate pace. The children also become more social by nature and are ever expanding their network socially. Children in the second plane of development are interested in absorbing their family’s culture and developing an awareness of the culture in their community. Morals and values develop at this time as well as an interest in following rules. Often at this age children will claim that something is or is not “fair.” This is also the time when children’s imagination expands exponentially. This draws children into exploration. In the first through third grade Montessori curriculum, for example, the school year begins with the telling of the Great Lessons. These lessons are five imaginative epics that are stories told as if around a campfire. One of these stories tells about the beginning and the development of the universe. This story gives the holistic view that we are all connected and couldn’t live apart from the interconnected whole. The second plane is a time when children reach the age of reason. They can think in higher levels and question things deeply. They are building their consciences. Therefore, this is a perfect time to introduce children to the larger needs of the community and volunteerism. To volunteer is to give for the sake of giving. It has an expanding effect as you widen your circle and personally experience the situations of others.. Important skills can be learned such as leadership, motivation and cooperation. There are many books that can support building a sense of volunteerism in children. One book series for 8 to 12 year olds is called The Super Volunteers Club Mysteries. By Grace Grimm. Another is 50 American Heroes Every Kid should Meet, By Dennis Denenberg. As we savor this time of Thanksgiving what better way to teach thankfulness than volunteering. For children in their second plane of development, it can satisfy a deeper need that stays with them for the rest of their lives.
Winter Shows We are so excited that the Holiday Sing-Alongs and the Winter Show are quickly approaching! This year will be a little different, so please look closely at your child’s schedule. Please note the address for the performance location at the bottom of this page. **Please note: There will be NO After School Program on Friday, December 18 th** *NO SAFETY PATROL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18TH*
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 Ms. Martha Dolan & Ms. Christina Eckstein Holiday Sing-Along Show Time— 11:30 AM-12:00 PM @ MMS Big Room Dismissal: Regularly scheduled day (After School Program available) Ms. Elizabeth Falls & Ms. Renee Brohamer Holiday Sing-Along Show Time—1:00-1:30 PM @ MMS Big Room Dismissal: Regularly scheduled day (After School Program available)
Friday, December 18, 2015 Ms. Crystal Sorrow Little House Craft Party @ 9:15-10:30 AM Dismissal: 10:30 AM Ms. Martha Dolan, Ms. Christina Eckstein, Ms. Elizabeth Falls & Ms. Renee Brohamer Regular School Day Dismissal: 3:00 PM *(No After School Program)* Ms. Erin Sorel, Mr. Richard Aslanian, Ms. Christina Miller & Ms. Sherilyn Farris (You must pick up your child and their belongings @ MMS by 12:30 PM to be at the church by 1:00 PM) Show Time – 1:30-2:30 PM @ Abundant Grace Community Church Dismissal: Conclusion of the performance. *(No After School Program)* There will be refreshments for you to enjoy in the lobby at Abundant Grace Community Church while you wait for your child’s performance.
Abundant Grace Community Church 12505 NW 39th Ave Gainesville, FL 32606
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All the World’s A Stage and all the Men and Women merely players…. (As You Like It) Written by: Ross - 8th grader On January 29, 2016, at 1:00pm at the Thomas Center, Millhopper Montessori Middle School with the collaboration of the Literature and Drama departments will be presenting the ‘Seventh Shakespeare Festival’. The festival will feature student re-written scenes from As You Like It, King Lear, Hamlet, and living biographies set inside the Queen’s palace. Many quotes will be interpreted from various plays and the 8th graders will demonstrate stage fighting. The creative team, Sylvia Aslanian, Elizabeth Bublitz and Susan Hansen, love the process and enjoy the festival as much as the students do. “It broadens and challenges the minds of the middle schoolers in a fun, hands on way - the text comes alive,” says drama teacher, Sylvia Aslanian. The students understand the complicated text by reading the scripts, discussing the scenes, rewriting modernized versions, writing character descriptions, rehearsing and performing their scenes to an audience of Second - Fifth graers. The students put new twists on the various scenes. As You Like is set to a popular musical, King Lear is set in a high school and Hamlet is set in a corporate workplace. "I love how we get to modernize the scenes. It helps us learn by getting to rewrite it in a more engaging way,” stated seventh grader Ethan. The Shakespeare Festival is a fun learning experience and helps students relate to Shakespeare better. We hope you join us on Friday, January 29, 2016, at 1:00pm at the historic Thomas Center.
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MMS Achievements October’s “Pumpkins & Poetry” Contest Winners Ms. Erin’s class: 1st Place - Nikita 2nd Place - Alexander 3rd Place - Kadar Honorable Mention - Miles Mr. Richard’s class: 1st Place– Ketki 2nd Place - Isabelle 3rd Place - Ariel Honorable Mention - Kaitlyn Ms. Tina’s class: 1st Place - Delena 2nd Place - Sienna 3rd Place - Evan Honorable Mention - Ivo
Ms. Erin Sorel’s class Winners!
Spelling Bee Winners 5th Grade:
Middle School:
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1st Place - Bekah 2nd Place - Koharu 3rd Place - Teya 4th Place - Delena 1st Place - Analia 2nd Place - Rissa 3rd Place - Lindsey
Ms. Sherilyn’s class: 1st Place - Eileen 2nd Place- Maxx 3rd Place - Ethan Honorable Mention - Alex
MMS Staff Continuing Education In the beginning of November, Ms. Christina Miller attended two days of the San Diego Conference ASAD (Association for Curriculum and Development). This conference was on Educational Leadership and her focus was on two main topics. The first was Leadership for Differentiating Instruction in the Flipped Classroom. The Flipped instructional model allows teachers to proactively respond to diverse student needs by recording lessons and lectures for students to view at home. This allows for teachers to use class time to facilitate small groups or individual activities. This is very well suited to a Montessori classroom of Upper Elementary and perfect for Middle School and High School. Ms. Christina Miller’s second seminar was about redesigning the school Media Center for Literacy, Technology, and Cultural Change. The presenter explained the process Wesley College, a Pre K-12 school in Australia, went through for replacing its traditional libraries with purpose-built learning zones for 21st century learners. She then went on to attend another conference, the FCIS (Florida Council of Independent Schools) annual conference. FCIS is the organization with which Millhopper Montessori School is accredited. She attended one day of this conference and participated in two sessions. The first pertained to creating a long term strategic plan for the school. Although there was an emphasis on how to do this with a board of directors, there was an abundance of useful information on internal and external analysis, as well as data gathering to support the process. The second session dealt with legal issues pertaining to contractual agreements. The FCIS conference also provided a large exhibit room where curriculum ideas can be sampled, which is valuable information for curriculum growth.
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A Most Important Gift to Give Your Child! By Preschool/Kindergarten Teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Falls "The child's first instinct is to carry out his actions by himself, without anyone helping him, and his first conscientious bid for independence is made when he defends himself against those who try to do the action for him" (Maria Montessori, Absorbent Mind, 1995, pp. 90-91). Independence and autonomy are important traits/gifts we must foster in children. Piaget (1973) reminds us that it is only as we encourage and guide children in the development of these two traits from an early age that oral autonomy in adulthood will be developed. Like many Montessori environments, our school provides the environment necessary for the fulfillment of this inborn drive. To understand that school and home are complementing each other in their approach to your children, it is helpful to look at Maria Montessori's insights about children's development and see how these relate to family life, as well as school life. They, of course, will not be exactly implemented at home in the same way as at school, but the underlying dynamics will be the same - for it will take the combined efforts of both parties (two distinct, yet complementary roles) to create an optimal environment for children's growth and development. Maria Montessori believed that independence and autonomy/self-direction was of prime importance for children to develop. Children will need these characteristics in the world in which they love. As educators, we rely on these characteristics for an optimal environment for the children to grow and develop ("work") in. As we first enter the toddler classroom, we see that it has been designed to meet the needs of very young children: the furniture and shelves are sized appropriately so the child can choose and return work independently. Activities of Practical Life are the child's first introduction to independence: first in the toddler and early childhood classes and continuing throughout the elementary and upper elementary years. With each increasing year of advancement, the children are given more opportunities to work without direct interference from adults. They instinctively choose work which helps them master the skills they need. Whether the community is at school or at home, the child's autonomy and independence must always be within limits for the group as a whole. There are implicit and explicit rules and behaviors - both inside and outside of the classroom. Behavioral expectations also must operate at home. Implicit rules of behavior such as bedtime and meal routines need to be consistent. Children quickly understand the ground rules of home just as they learn the behavior expected at school. Most behavioral ground rules are modeled and learned by repeated practice. It is absolutely necessary for the children to follow the rules for the well being of our "school family" as well as our "home family".
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In some settings where time and routine are not in place, children are often unsure what to expect or how to act. Well defined rules provide security for the child and it is within the safety of routine that the child can learn to make appropriate choices – have independence and be responsible. From their early childhood years, the children will automatically apply the skills they have learned from the Practical Life activities - leaving their minds free to concentrate on more complex social/emotional and academic issues. As Maria Montessori pointed out “the child becomes less dependent on the persons about him, till the time comes when he wants also to be mentally independent. Then he shows a liking to develop his mind by his own experiences and not by the experiences of others. He begins to seek the reasons for things" (pp. 89). We can simulate this environment at home by learning much from Maria's prepared environment used in the classroom. Maria Montessori found that children need to have order, consistency such as in where things can be found and clear expectations of how to care for things, how to put them away when finished working with them, how to have respect for other's privacy and how to appreciate their own and other's work without receiving external rewards. It is important that parents respect their children's efforts - even if done imperfectly in the adult's eyes! Young children do not yet have the judgment to be independent in some areas, but we need to find those areas in which they can make successful decisions and begin to allow them to practice. For example, one way we can foster independence is to allow the children to pick/choose their clothes each day. What difference does it really make if the child chooses to wear colors/patterns that do not match! As educators and parents, we help children through this journey into dependence, explaining situations as well as being there with the love and nurturing they need! Even during the sometimes rough communication times of adolescence, it is important that students are guided in their development of their own sense of responsibility. As Maria wrote, "independence is not a static condition; it is a continuous conquest, and in order to reach not only freedom, but also strength, and the perfecting of one's powers" fostering independence and beginning autonomy we must guide our children towards responsibility and independence. Children will begin to assume responsibility for their own thinking and for their own actions - they will then be able to move along the path to becoming more mature and responsible adults. As a parent of three young adults, the continuous effort to allow independence as well as provide guidance will be (and has already been) rewarding for themselves and for us as parents!
Happy Holidays! Ms. Elizabeth Falls
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Preschool: Ages 3 to 5 Ms. Christina Eckstein ~ Ms. Lily Tajalli During the month of November, our lessons were centered around Thanksgiving. The students enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving as a class with a bountiful feast. In preparation for the feast, Indian corn was tweezed from many cobs. The kernels were used to create a border around the placemats to be used during the feast. In the center of the child’s placemat was their handprint turkey. The children also made Pilgrim hat napkin rings and Indian headbands. In addition to all of the wonderful art projects, the children also helped to prepare food for the feast. Everyone had an opportunity to help by measuring, pouring and stirring ingredients for the corn bread casserole, snapping green beans and rolling up slices of turkey for our turkey roll-ups. Having the students share what they were thankful for was the best part of our Thanksgiving.
Above: Rolling turkey and snapping green beans
Left: Enjoying the Thanksgiving Feast
We are thankful for … Amara – teachers Michael – money Elise – cooking Brady – turkey Brinson – doing lots of work Bindu – pets Adler – pretzels Avinash – computers Charlie – getting myself dressed in the morning Aisha – doctors, face painting, Arabic teachers Damari – flying, reading books, smelling Noah – birthday Sebastian – music Brenden – mom and dad Audrey – Aly Dhiya – princess dresses Ryan – doctors Akshay – race cars Dahlia – family
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Fall counting
Pilgrim hat napkin rings
Turkey push pinning
Handprint turkeys Making placemats
Corn tweezing
The December holiday season is such a magical time in the preschool classroom! Selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite� fill the air as the children come to circle, and is used during listening and movement activities. Hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are being honed while the children create ornaments, push-pinning and cutting works. Other holiday inspired works, including sequencing, matching, sorting and counting are also classroom favorites. The students are also having fun preparing holiday songs with our music teacher, Ms. Liz Bublitz, to be sung at the Family Holiday Sing-along on Wednesday, December 16th. Our class holiday party and gift exchange held on Thursday, December 17th, is a time for students to work on grace and courtesy lessons as they give and receive presents to their classmates. Present wrapping
Acorn counting
Wreath making
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Preschool/Kindergarten Ms. Elizabeth Falls ~ Ms. Alex Caputo We would like to thank everyone for attending our first Parent Night of this school year. The children are proud of the work they can do and enjoyed being able to show their work to you! We are looking forward to our next Parent Night, Tuesday, February 2nd (and final parent night for this school year).
Parent Night
Within our classroom, the children have a natural curiosity which leads them to explore, manipulate, compare and discover the world around them; our first Continent Study explored South America; the children were fascinated to learn about this Continent. After the holidays, we will begin our next Continent Unit Study of Europe. We studied nocturnal animals and we will begin to study animals that hibernate in January. Cultural Diversity: The children enjoyed Thanksgiving with their classroom family. To preface this celebration, we had a mini-unit study of Native Americans and Colonial America. We read many books about life during this time and we talked about what Thanksgiving means to us today. We talked about the history and significance of Thanksgiving and we emphasized the importance of family and friends; how thankful we are not only on Thanksgiving Day but all throughout the year. The children made macaroni/bead necklaces, Native American headbands and Pilgrim hats and even designed their own tablecloth!
Our Feast!
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this day so special and to Megan’s and Katelyn’s moms for helping the children during our feast! The children were so delighted to be able to visit the Book Fair. It was wonderful to look at their faces – filled with wonder and excitement as they explored all the new books! We would like to thank the many parents who purchased books for our classroom! The children and I absolutely love books and we can never have too many!
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Yummy!
The Math area in the Montessori environment is another “key” to a child’s potential for learning and permits him/her to evolve an understanding of the world around them. The child is prepared for the acquisition of math through activities first presented to him/her in the Montessori environment. These foundations are found in the Practical Life activities as well as throughout the classroom in other subject areas which foster concentration, independence, order and self-confidence. Temporal relations and spatial relations are experienced during line time movement activities. These help the child to understand the concept of beginning, middle, and end, used in gradation; beginning place value and the four operations: addition, multiplication, subtraction and division. Linear counting examples include: Bead Star, Snake game for the Research of 10 and the Hundred Board. The Squaring and Cubing, Bead Chains, Place Value is then introduced.
Bead Chain Hundred Board
45 Card Layout
Division Board
Bead Star Overview of Base Ten/Decimal System is where the four operations are introduced. In this area our PreK children have been presented with lessons on Static Addition (one digit) with the Golden Beads and counters. Some of the Kindergarten children have been introduced to and are working in all four operations. Some of the students are working on two- and three-digit Static Addition. By the end of the year, some will be working on four-digit Static and Dynamic (concept of exchange) Addition using the Golden Beads and the Stamp Game –leading to Abstraction. Lessons on Fractions, telling time, money values and word-problem solving will also be presented. Through repeated practice with these activities, learning occurs. This repetition is necessary for the child to refine his/ her senses, perfect their skills and build up their competency and knowledge. We have had a wonderful year so far and we are looking forward to the New Year! We would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday! Love, Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Alex PAGE
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Lower Elementary: 1st & 2nd Grade Ms. Erin Sorel ~ Ms. Susie Long With the second quarter well underway, students in the 1st and 2nd grade have been hard at work! Students are eager to explore work in all areas of the classroom, and to pursue their interests through independent investigations. We aim to foster their love of learning by encouraging them to pursue topics of their particular interest. In our language studies, students have been introduced to the basics of grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. By practicing alphabetical order, the children
Presenting independent research
are preparing for later work with reference books such as dictionaries and encyclopedias. This fall we experienced an “explosion” into story writing. Many of the children have written several books with some working on an entire series! The children love to read their hand-written and illustrated books to their classmates. Presenting our own stories
Many of them also choose to place them in our “reading corner” so that their classmates can enjoy them.
In the mathematics area, we have reviewed the four operations. Our older students are working on dynamic addition, subtraction, and multiplication, using the various materials in the classroom to support them as they transition into abstract calculations. We have also begun work with word problems involving addition and subtraction. Students have been working on comparing fractions using our fraction materials. Older students have been introduced to writing equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting with fractions. Our students typically show a great enthusiasm for their Science lessons. We started the year by learning about scientists’ theories of the formation of the universe and the earth. We then started to look at the types of particles that everything in the universe is composed of, and learned about the Periodic Table of Elements. We conducted several experiments to learn how molecules behave under different conditions, such as variances of temperature. Early in the second quarter, we started discussing different forces at work on earth, such as gravity and magnetism. We learned how people have created machines to help them work, and identified types of simple machines. Students had the opportunity to build and experiment with various types of simple machines in the classroom. We are now continuing with our “story of the universe” by working with the Montessori timeline of early life on earth.
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Practicing using a lever to remove a nail
Ms. Erin Sorel presenting the beginning of the universe Montessori lesson
We created our own magnet to demonstrate the earth’s magnetic poles.
Other activities at the beginning of this year included learning about communities and our rights and responsibilities within our classroom community. Students brainstormed the needs of people in a community, and created a model community based on those needs. As part of our introduction to Geography, students then created their own maps of this model. Practical Life experiences are an important part of our curriculum. Our students enjoy taking on weekly jobs in order to care for our classroom environment. They have also been working on activities
Students built and mapped a community model
designed to develop their fine motor skills while instilling concepts such as following directions, and pattern recognition. These include knitting, sewing and embroidery, and weaving. The children are looking forward to our upcoming field trip to see the Nutcracker, and their performance in the winter show. Happy Holidays!
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Upper Elementary: 4th & 5th Grade Ms. Christina Miller ~ Ms. Susan Salvatore ~ Ms. Joanne McFarland ~ Mr. Carter Johnson
S C I E N C E
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In our Fourth and Fifth grade science classes, we conduct experiments and labs that enhance the concepts in the lesson presented. The students really enjoy learning the concepts reinforced by labs, and it helps them to understand the theory behind the premise. Some of the topics we have covered so far: questions scientists ask; technology, design, and function; classifying organisms; growth and survival; the nature of science; plants and animals. We will be moving into ecosystems, Earth’s resources, weather, Earth and Space, and the physical sciences.
In both grades, we started the first part of the year studying how to learn about science - using observation, hypothesis, and data to infer, or make a statement based on what we see and record. The 4th grade dissected owl pellets, and 5th will be dissecting rats in January. We have learned how plants reproduce, how to classify both plants and animals, and have even had a science project that each student worked on independently! Upcoming chapters will include learning about minerals and soil, the solar system, different types of matter, energy and heat, and the human body. Our curriculum has online access so students can study at home. There are fun games, videos, and mini -quizzes for each lesson. After each chapter is a test, as well as after each Unit. And there is also a science project after each unit, too! 14
Literature and Composition: 4th & 5th Grades Ms. Jennifer Kuntz Fall is all about words in Fourth and Fifth grade Literature and Composition. This time of year is my favorite time to play with language. Much as we put on costumes to try on different identities, we can try out different ways to say things to get meaning across. In Fourth grade, we have been learning different ways to say exactly what we mean: why say “happy” when you mean “ecstatic” or “amused”? One of the ways we have been exploring language is through poetry. In October, the Fourth graders presented Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven” in conjunction with Speech class. They did a fantastic job interpreting the poem! The other teachers and I were so proud of the work they put in – their effort really showed. We are now moving into fables and animal stories to explore the ways in which authors represent human characteristics through their animal heroes. In Fifth grade, we finished up our mystery unit and are now studying short stories. In addition to continuing to explore the elements of plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting, we’re learning more nuanced aspects of writing such as setting the mood, foreshadowing, voice, and other techniques authors use to add meaning for their readers. We’ll be reading and discussing a variety of short stories, and the students will be writing their own original short stories. I am truly looking forward to seeing what each comes up with! Regards, Ms. Jennifer 4th and 5th Grade Team Teacher Media Specialist
Fourth grade presenting “The Raven”
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Middle School: 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Ms. Sherilyn Farris ~ Ms. Susan Hansen
*Science* Neil Degrasse Tyson (astrophysicist) said, "Science literacy is the artery through which the solutions of tomorrow's problems flow." Science is such an exciting subject and an excellent jumping off point for inquiry and curiosity. Sixth grade students have been studying geology starting with the characteristics of minerals and rocks, to land formation and deconstruction forces of volcanoes and earthquakes. Currently, they are studying the soil, erosion, and deposition. We completed a variety of hands-on projects including identifying mineral and rocks, a soil sample investigation lab, and using Archimedes Principle of water displacement to find the volume of irregular solids. While studying about minerals and igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, students were encouraged to bring in their own rock collections which helped them to understand the concepts of rock-forming minerals, extrusive and intrusive rocks, and the rock cycle. A cool “online exploration” we took was to the crystal cave in Nacia, Mexico. The Sixth grade also completed a unit on plate tectonics. We’ve discussed the processes occurring at mid-ocean ridges and deep-sea trenches. We’ve also compared and contrasted rift valleys and fault lines. Our culminating activity was watching the National Geographic documentary Colliding Continents. The Seventh and Eighth grade students are studying life science this year and began the year exploring the parts of cells, then continued on with cell processes and energy, genetics, DNA and viruses, bacteria and protists. We ran a month-long experiment on the growth on bread mold in a variety of conditions with an emphasis on the importance of “controls” while setting up and implementing scientific experiments. We also completed a hands-on seed classification activity with a focus on identifying physical characteristics that can be used to classify bean seeds. The culmination of our cells and cell processes units was an in-depth study of cell structures as viewed under a microscope. We started with learning about the parts of a compound light microscope, how to create a wet slide, and then how to properly view a specimen under various magnifications. Most recently, the class completed a fun study of genetics, heredity and the use of Punnett squares to help determine the probability of genetic traits in offspring. We always enjoy this unit and activity, especially when talking about dominate and recessive traits and seeing who has a widow’s peak, has dimples, can fold their tongue, or has attached earlobes. The first two traits are dominate and the last two are a recessive trait. PAGE
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ROPES During the month of November, the students of Millhopper Montessori Middle School spend three exciting days at Camp McConnell taking part in ROPES training. ROPES training presents students with situations that requires them to share their knowledge and experiences creatively with each other while trying to solve and overcome a variety of problems and obstacles. The ROPES course is divided in to two groups of activities- low elements and high elements. The goal of these first elements is for the entire group to participate and succeed. To accomplish this, they must cultivate a sense of trust and respect for each other. The high elements are individual challenges that are made much easier by the feeling of solidarity that is developed by completing the low elements. The low elements start with simple activities such as cooperative games, that require all the members of the group to participate if they are to succeed. And, it climaxes with the Team Wall. Elements such as the Trust Fall help nurture the sense of unity that will be essential in completing the more difficult tasks ahead of them. Facing these challenges, a student is asked to make decisions as to what will not only best serve themselves, but what will also help the whole group succeed. The motto of the high elements is “challenge by choice”. When students are asked whether they want to climb the thirty foot Cargo Net or to leap off the twenty-five foot Pamper Pole, they are expected to appraise the risk. The intention is to move the students out of there "comfort zone" in a manner that is healthy and safe. The group support system that had its beginning with the low elements is now strong enough to support not only those who are willing to attempt the climbs, but also those that decide they do not want to participate. Although ROPES training is a lot of fun, it isn’t just playing games. It’s learning that one can do what one previously couldn’t and learning that problems are there to be met and solved. Not necessarily by oneself, but often with the help and cooperation of others. It’s also finding strength in others as well as in oneself and learning to assess and understand risks, both physical and emotional, and being able to make decisions with the support, but not the pressure, of the group.
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Spanish: Beginners through 5th Grade Sra. Maria Valladares Students are motivated to participate in class when the context through which the language is presented and practiced is meaningful, serves a purpose, and relies on the student to bring it to life. To this end, the Beginners to Fifth grade Spanish classes will be encouraged to learn and enjoy the targeted language. In this year’s Spanish classes, Beginners to Third grade correlated the curriculum with some of the other subject areas introduced in their classrooms. So far, we have covered farm animals, seasons, ocean animals, and occupations or professions. The introduction of each lesson will commence with a salutation song and drills; the hand motion or sign for some of the words enhances the students’ interaction and participation. Signing the Spanish vocabulary words enables the students to avoid thinking from an English to Spanish progression. Instead, students are expected to visualize the words as they develop their Spanish annunciations.
Season Poetry and Art Alphabet Illustrations These classes are aimed at constructing stories that reflect the student’s interest in foundational materials. This use of the student’s imagination will substantially reinforce lasting impressions. Other activities will be centered on developing songs that deal with themes such as basic shapes and colors, interrogatives, imperatives, and seasons. The classes become very interactive with students deciding on how the vocabulary in that lesson applies to the situation that is initially described. In the lesson on the characteristics of a bird, I brought ten yellow toy ducks and students took turns coming to the front of the class and naming the Spanish words for beak, tail, wings, feathers, legs, feet and that birds come from eggs. Holding the ducks and then handing them to another student with the ‘please,’ ‘thank-you,’ and Learning vocabulary and ‘you’re welcome’ reinforce conversations in Spanish. Students gain manners through touch confidence as each one gets the opportunity to lead their classmates in their favorite song at the end of each lesson.
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Building on the exercises mentioned earlier, the First to the Third grade classes have designed their own Spanish alphabet with its corresponding vocabulary word. In this unit, I give the Beginners, Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten classes words that later are found in a song, a personal story or a book that I have read. As I read a book to the class, I stop and ask questions relating to the story and to their surprise and my pleasure, the students give me a correct Spanish answer. Or I have them describe the illustration of a book with the prepositions they have previously learned. We then count the many things they know in Spanish from that particular page. Since they know their interrogative words, the students are careful to give the right answer to what the question is asking. The answer is very different if the question is asking how, or what, or how many, or why, or where, or when. A complementary unit introduced a story, with an accompanying song, about a little boat marooned in a big ocean. The third grade class was very excited when they were given the opportunity to taste canned octopus on a cracker. Their reactions ranged from not even getting served a piece of ‘pulpo’ on a cracker, to just looking at it, to having seconds! During our first few weeks of school, the Fourth and Fifth grade classes explored the unit of El Mundo Hispano. Although these Spanish countries share a common language, the various Hispanic countries are far from similar. Their people are different and so are their traditions, their customs, their forms of government, their economic systems and their currencies. For this project, the Fifth grade students chose a Spanish speaking country and then presented five points of interest with an illustration on a poster. Both grades were responsible to identify the Spanish countries on a map as well as know their capitals. The first recitation was the “La Arana Pequeñita” with a cute drawing of both the little and the fat spider. These exercises promote individualized critical thinking as well as cooperative learning communities where students are able to pair off and memorize the poem or to become involved in each other’s research.
Taste-testing octopus
Due to the rigor and creative aspects of the given assignments, a transition to even greater emphasis on reading and writing in Spanish is developed. Facilitating such curriculum provides greater structure to the Spanish class; students are using the Bienvenidos textbook and worksheets for the sequential grammatical mechanics of the language. They will also have reading assignments from such magazines as “¿Qué tal?”, and also from small reading books. My goal is that every student maximizes their own communicative competence in Spanish and will succeed as well as enjoy this skill. Con gusto, Sra. Maria Valladares
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Physical Education: Kindergarten through 8th Grade Coach Cam Parker We have been blessed with wonderful ‘fall’ weather so far, enabling our PE classes to stay outside. Recently students were introduced to a few new pieces of equipment Coach Cam discovered at a continuing education conference in St. Pete Beach (It’s a hard knock life!). Among these are fitness cards and Kendamas, ball catching training devices for individuals. The students teamed up to play with them and were enjoyed by the students. Going into winter break we will have a short basketball unit focusing on dribbling and passing. Coach Cam’s emphasis is always on skill fundamentals as opposed to sports rules and nuanced sport specific skills, hoping for students to find something they enjoy and pursue it outside of PE. Thanks to all those that supported the PE fundraiser. This will enable us to get additional equipment to be used in class! Not to mention giving Coach Cam less shoes to tie. Stay tuned for the Five Points of Life Kid’s Marathon registration. Our school has won the prize for highest percentage of student participation for quite a few years in a row, and we want to keep the streak going!
Fitness Card Extravaganza! PAGE
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DEAR Day Monday, November 16th was DEAR Day (Drop Everything And Read), and MMS students were excited to participate in the many cross-curriculum events. The theme this year was Africa. The entire school celebrated reading with a variety of activities. David Low and Teresa Bruckner, librarians from the Millhopper branch, read themed books and sang themed songs with the Beginner and Pre-K students. There was an African story teller, Turbado Marabou (James Miller), who entertained the older students. Following those events all the classes came together on the field for shared reading time, with older students reading to younger students. School-wide events are always very special as students of all ages share valuable experiences with each other and connections are made. What a fabulous DEAR day!
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On Saturday, November 21, 2015 - The Spotlight Kids Thespians Troupe 88928 traveled to the District One: International Junior Thespian Competition at Keystone Heights Junior High School. The troupe entered twelve events and earned a SUPERIOR for all twelve events! Four Events earned Best in Shows: Pantomime, Duet Acting, Costume Design and Improv. One Event earned a Critic’s Choice to represent District One at the State Level, which will be held on FEBRUARY, 4 - 6, 2016 at Lyman High School in Longwood, Florida. Troupe 88928 Members: Maxx, Aidan, Nicole, Jasmine, Analia, Ross, Lacey, Lindsey, Ethan, Nikolai, Robyn, Rissa, Ginger, Anna, Venumadhava, Anu, Sofia, Sarah Events as follows: Solo Musical: Ross (8th grade), singing Big Love from the Broadway musical MEMPHIS. Anu (7th grade), singing Knowing When to Leave from the Broadway musical PROMISES, PROMISES Lacey (8th grade), singing Another World, from the Broadway musical A LITTLE PRINCESS Duet Musical: Sarah (7th grade) and Nicole (6th grade), singing Marry the Man Today from the Broadway musical GUYS AND DOLLS Large Group Musical: Maxx (8th grade) Aidan (8th grade), Nicole (6th grade), Analia (6th grade), Ethan (7th grade), Lacey (8th grade), Robyn (7th grade), Rissa (7th grade), Ginger (7th grade), Anna (7th grade), Venumadava (6th grade), Sara (7th grade), Anu (7th grade), Sofia (6th grade), performing One Sort Day from the Broadway musical WICKED Small Group Musical: Maxx (8th grade) Aidan (8th grade), Ross (8th grade), Nikolai (6th grade), Ethan (7th grade), performing Brooklyn’s Here from the Broadway musical NEWSIES Duet Acting Aidan (8th grade), Sarah (7th grade), scene from the Importance of Being Earnest Pantomime (The Veteran) Maxx (8th grade), Nicole (6th grade), Lindsey (7th grade) Robyn (7th grade), Rissa (7th grade), Ginger (7th grade), Anna (7th grade), Sofia (6th grade) Monologue Lindsey (8th grade), from the musical Homeroom the Musical Costume Design Rissa (7th grade), Lady Macbeth from Macbeth Improv Analia (6th grade), Nikolai (6th grade) Ross (8th grade), Anu (7th grade) (Best in Show winner, and also won last year) Troupe 88928 has won Best in Show in Improv four years in a row! Visit our website: www.thespotlightkidsperformingarts.com PAGE
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Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 4:30 PM for The Spotlight Kids Performing Arts Showcase. The Thespians will present award winning scenes, musical numbers, improv and pantomime from various cities. The Juniors will present Fairy Tale Courtroom, written by Dana Proulx, featuring the Spotlight Kids Thespians. See you at the show! PAGE
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January 2016
C A L E N D A R PAGE
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Monday, January 4
Classes resume
Tuesday, January 5
5th Grade Shadow M3S Day
Thursday, January 14
PTO Meeting
Monday, January 18
No School – ML King Day
Wednesday, January 20
Alachua County Spelling Bee
Saturday, January 23
Spotlight Kids Showcase @ EHS Theater 4:30-6:00 PM
Monday, January 25 Day
No School – Student Holiday/Teacher Work
Monday, January 25
MMS Open House 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Friday, January 29
Shakespeare Festival @ The Thomas Center 1:00-2:30 PM
February 2016 Tuesday, February 2
Ms. Elizabeth Falls’ Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM
Tuesday, February 2
Ms. Martha Dolan’s Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM
Thursday, February 4
Ms. Christina Eckstein’s Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM
Thursday, February 4 PM
Ms. Renee Brohamer’s Parent Night 4:30-6:00
Thursday, February 4 Home
Elementary/Middle School Report Cards Sent
Friday, February 5Sunday, February 7
Spotlight Kids Thespians State Competition
Tuesday, February 9
Teacher Work Afternoon 3:30-5:30 PM NO Studios – After School Program available
Tuesday, February 9
Ms. Crystal Sorrow’s Parent Night 4:00-5:30 PM
Monday, February 15
No School – Presidents’ Day Holiday
Friday, February 19Sunday, February 21
Spotlight Kids Thespians National Performing Arts Festival
Wednesday, February 24
4th-8th Grade Field Trip @ MOSH and Jacksonville Zoo