ECOLECLAIRE FONTAINE JANUARY 2019
Features
EQUALITY FAIRNESS RAIN
2019/ Volume 3/ Issue 5
CO N T EN T S Januar y 2019 To design Welcome 2019 signs, the children used color s & mater ials from the plants around them. The white for the 9 is shredded garlic peel, the red 2 is from a July walk along Abbot Kinney Blvd, while the green 0 comes from leaves collected on our way to Oakwood Park!
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Contents Calendar Bir thdays Justice & Peace Be Her e Now Rain! Galette de Rois Madelaines & Yogis
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Magical Math & Science
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Out & About
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The Oceanar ium
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Ar t & Ads
CA L EN D A R Ecole Claire Fontaine
Campusesclose at 5pm on Fridays Fr i, 1 Feb
Sat, 2 Feb Tues. 5 Feb Fr i, 6 Feb Thu, 14 Feb Mon, 18 Feb
Cr êpe de Chandeleur (Candlemas) Celebr ation & Gr oundhog Day, childr en only ECF Tour for Pr ospective Par ents Chinese New Year Celebr ation National "No One Eats Alone Day" Febr uar y Bir thday Celebr ations - children only Pr esident's Day Obser ved - SCHOOL CLOSED 3 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
BI RT H D AYS WINTER Season
December Alice Cosette
January
Eleni
Eitan
Fennel George
Emil Keaton
Kitty
Marton
Pablo
Niara
Bir thdays are honored each month with a school- made treat, singing and excitement - Mr. Steve' br ings his magic machines to awe the children & their teacher s. Winter Season bir thdays deser ve double mention! 4 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
February Eliel Ella Golda Luca Mila Oliver Pippa Vishaan
Febr uar y bir thdays will be celebr ated before the annual Valentine's Day par ade, Thur sday, Febr uar y 14th! 5 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
JUSTICE & PEACE In Journalism We Explore Fairness
I ntelligence plus char acter -
that is the goal of tr ue education, as said Dr. Mar tin Luther King, Jr. In Jour nalism Class the children began lear ning about social justice - the action to stand up for what is r ight. It seems that children ever ywhere under stand the notion of, "That's not fair !" Are you being treated equally if ever yone gets to dance but you? No, you say? We take it from there... A study of MLK was parlayed into a discussion of the issues of justice and peace through words such as Civil Rights, Equality and Freedom. I feel free when I'm playing all day! With acceptance of other s being a 6 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
requirement for all who enter the school gates, we look to the diver sity of our own families, the languages we speak at school and cultures we come from to fur ther the children's under standing of equality. Dur ing the LAUSD teacher s' str ike, recent alumni retur ned to the Abbot Kinney Campus and deepened the conver sation around the r ight to take action for what you believe in. Civil r ights, equality and freedom are built into the ECF cur r iculum. Students are encour aged to honor their inner wisdom and treat one another and themselves with respect. Elevating the status of children begins with this.
FROM YOUR SCHOOL DIRECTOR For the Sake of Our Students, Be Here Now
With
Each child must be allowed to the onset of the spr ing semester, children are developing a complete their circle of life at Ecole sense of community. Their growth is Claire Fontaine and prepare for a beautiful gr aduation ceremony. fr agile dur ing this per iod. Children live moment to moment, With the passing weeks and months, we have come to know them not in the future. If talk is of what is to on a deeper level. We are obser ving come, they are unable to remain that, in a gener al manner, children rooted in the present. This year is not lear n by repetition and consistency. complete until it comes to an end. For this we respectfully request that Please remember that the br ains of you please refr ain from engaging in children are not developed in the way talk of September 2019 regarding the that your s are, and therefore cannot ar r ival of major changes, including process infor mation in the same their new schools. Such talk manner. under mines the for ming of their For the sake of the children, let us all sense of belonging if conver sation be here now. leans heavily on their leaving. 7 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
SPINNING LEAVES In Gardening We Study Weather
L eaves fall from the trees over the little garden where the youngest students discover a world of color s and patter ns in the veins that line each leaf. Where did these leaves come from? Can you find any clues? "The wind... The plants... I think they came from this tree above us because it matches!" The gardener s look up and watch as a strong breeze blows, the trees sway, their br anches bend and the the leaves twirl on down. Picking up each leaf, rolling the stems between their finger s, the children find var iations in color ; some light, some br ight. We see dark brown, deep red, green, or ange and shades of yellow. 8 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
The stems act as handles for spinning or stalks to plant in the ground as a decor ation for the soil. Using their "hole- poking finger s," the children push through the damp ground, popping in the stem of a leaf. Cover ing it gently a young gardener whispered to the other children, "Shhh, our sprouts are sleeping." The class spent many a r ainy mor ning this month r insing seeds and shovels in water they have collected in cister ns around the garden. With lessons mor phing as do the seasons, we discover a per fect moment to deepen our discussion of what it means to water our gardens while for aging for winter herbs.
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Celebrating French Culture
The
Galette des Rois, Kings' Cake, is baked throughout Januar y in Fr ance. The children make and wear crowns of gold, while a little tr inket refer red to as a fève, is baked into puff pastr y sandwiching fr angipan filling - a cake fit for the Kings & Queens of Ecole Claire Fontaine. For Le Chandeleur on Febr uar y fir st, Chef Chr istophe, Mur iel and Solange are making crêpes with the children.
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Preventative Medicine An Addition to the ECF 's Meditative Curriculum of Qigong & Yoga
"I
wish I had had these tools growing up," ECF's newest Studio Teacher, Connie, says of awareness, breathing techniques, communication and mindful listening.
though their noses. This tool, she explains, "sends a message to the br ain that says your emotions don't have control, you do."
In class students were asked whether they have ever cr ied so hard that they lost their breath. "
founded, "Wor thy Beyond Pur pose," Connie volunteer s her classes at the Boys & Girls Club, A Place Called Home, the YMCA and a summer camp in Jamaica.
Beginning the pr actice of meditation As a cer tified meditation teacher she for her own piece of mind, Connie has will spend ever y Monday from 10:30 - found that it foster s inter nal 11:30am on the Abbot Kinney Campus wholeness in a hectic world. "For to share her pr actice of Vipassana kids," she says, "this is preventative Meditation, which focuses on medicine." mindfulness and awareness. Through the non- profit she
The answer s were affir mative."Yes, I do" and "I did today!" Connie led them to take three shor t "Bunny Breaths"
"Ever ything star ts with the kids." 11 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Sweetie Recipes Just a little Sugar in the Winter
Yogi Tea Treat Delicious,
hot and just sweet enough ~ homemade Yogi Tea that you with natur ally caffeine- free Roobis, instead of Black, tea. 2 CINNAMON STICKS 15 CARDAMOM PODS 12 WHOLE CLOVES 24 BLACK PEPPERCORNS 4 SLICES FRESH GINGER 1 TEASPOON TEA LEAVES 40 OUNCES WATER 2 CUPS MILK
Br ing to boil, except the tea & milk. Tur n down to simmer for 20 minutes. Now add the tea & milk. Let it get hot on the stove while the tea steeps for a few minutes. Str ain and enjoy. 12 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Madelaine Classique By Lyn's father Chef Chr istophe
GRS SUGAR 120 GRS OF RAW BROWN SUGAR 9 EGGS 15 GRS OF BAKING POWDER 450 GRS FLOUR 450 GRS BUTTER 120 GRS HONEY ORANGE ZEST LEMON ZEST VANILLA BEAN 300
M ix the sugar, eggs, sugar r aw, then add flour and baking powder. Add the hot butter and honey + zest + vanilla bean. Let it rest for a bit. Spoon into your Madeline pan & bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
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THE MAGIC OF MATH & SCIENCE Nature Delivers School Supplies L ooking
to the natur al world around them, students of Science & Botany investigate the bark of trees and how to build snow- people in a Souther n Califor nia r ain stor m. "It's polymer s," a child explains. "They stick together when you shape them." The lesson focuses on the absor ption of water dur ing the per iodic r ains of the month. Teacher Emilie elucidates, "As the polymer s absorb water, the molecules begin to meld together. As they build up, grow and mor ph into shapes, the children see it as magic." The class compares this to the the ear th absorbing the r ain, helping the plants and trees around us to grow. 14 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
"It is the same with us," Emilie explains to her students. "When we dr ink water our cells absorb it and our skin looks plump." The children make beads and cr ystals with similar mater ials in their study of r ain and water. Food color ing in the water enhances the visual effect of the process. Sculptures can be for med by any mold; ice cube tr ays work nicely, par ticularly those that have been for ged to resemble hear ts or snowflakes. Days later the creations are shr iveled and small from evapor ation, just as the soil will become when sunshine retur ns to the garden.
Cereal O's glued to paper become an exercise in counting for Mathematics that transitions to Chess class where pieces like pawns fill perfect squares with the outcome to be counted upon.
Ever
quizzical, ECF students use magnifying glasses to unear th the inhabitants among fallen leaves, under scattered rocks and between the mounds of dir t that have tur ned to mud. What did you discover within the bark of the tree? "The spaces are long and crooked... A bug, a bug!" Grooves r un with r ain water like r ivulets from a mountain.
In Geology the children study the liquids and gases that make up so much of the natural world. 15 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES In the Pursuit of Equality in Education
Chaired by JoĂŤlle Dumas, the Education Committee of the Venice Chamber of Commerce works to elevate the status of education in our community while celebr ating the presence of all children. Among the annual events is the Jacket of Excellence Awards. Among this Januar y's winner s are alumni of Beethoven, Richland and Westminster elementar y schools, Mark Twain Middle School and, some day, Ecole Claire Fontaine.
Since 1984, 1,300 Venice High School senior s have received this commendation, holding it in high esteem into their futures as alumni. The Jacket is reser ved for exceptional students who do above what is expected of them in school, shar ing their ener gy and intelligence in ser ving our diver se community. From their early year s, Jacket scholar s have inhabited the spir it of stewardship and reciprocity. Next, Mme Dumas will be tr aveling to Par is where she has been invited to par ticipate in the WISE Conference (World Innovation Summit for Education). 16 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
STUDIO TEACHERS
Oceanogr aphy teacher, Tim
ar r ives at ECF as Chess teacher, Pedro hops his Vespa to his next match with the children of Venice. Tim is car r ying the tail of a Thresher Shark, which measures the same length as its body at 5- 6 feet. Dur ing his weekly classes he leads students in an explor ation of the sea.
ECF'S ICONIC FAÇADE Upon falling prey to tagger s, a panel of the iconic wall at the Abbot Kinney Campus must be spr uced. We call in ar tist & co- creator, Paulin Par is. www.paulinpar is.com
"The fisher s on the Pier give me things they find." Also with him is a Sawfish and the jaw of a Bull Shark to investigate. Other samples he br ings to show the children come from his museum collection on display Sundays at the Venice Pier. Lear n more about his project to build a str ucture on the Pier to per manently house the Venice Oceanar ium: www.veniceoceanar ium.or g 17 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
W IT H A D V ERT I SE OUR CO M M U N I T Y
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Preser ving Family Photos
BARKER HANGER | SANTA M ONICA | JAN 31 - FEB 3
310.428.3989 greskala@gmail.com
I ncluding
the works of ECF fr iends, for mer teacher s and alumni families, Geor gina Reskala, Shelley of the DeSoto Galler y & Olivia Fougeirol
$35per weekly session
Ecole Claire Fontaine is an Ar t, Language & Nature school for young children near the ocean in Venice, Califor nia 19 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
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