ECOLECLAIRE FONTAINE MARCH 2018
352 West m in st er Ave. Ven ice 90291 (310) 314-9976 laclair ef on t ain e.or g
CO N T EN T S Ecole Claire Fontaine
p3 Calendar p4 Bir thdays p6 Honor ing Differences p8 Flower s p10 Diver gence in Philosophy p12 Per spectives in Ar t & Music p14 Un éléphant qui se balançait p16 Garden Life p18 A Var iety of Taste p20 Color s Blend in Science & Botany p22 Adver tising & the WAVE
CA L EN D A R March 2018
Thu, 8 Mar 12:30 CC 1pm AK Bir thday Celebr ations
Sun, 11 Mar Daylight Savings Fr i, 16 Mar 5- 6:30pm FĂŞte de la Fr ancophonie Fr i, 23 Mar Easter Hunt Children only Mon- Fr i, 26- 30 Mar School Closed Spr ing Recess p3
BI RT H D AYS
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Bon anniversaire
Esther, Rudy & Yumi
Children and teacher s will celebr ate this month's bir thdays on Thur sday, March 8th by singing together and shar ing a treat lovingly prepared at school.
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There
is much to do and lear n throughout the day ? including appreciating differences through ar t, books and play. For reading time, the children listened to the stor y of Maya Angelou. Her exper iences as a young girl have infor med her life and work. We love to hear the cadence of, ?I know why the caged bird sings,? as it lulls some of us to sleep. p6
The discussion after the reading revolved around depth and difference, and the ways we live. While the children discovered more similar ities than differences, the var iety of us all is celebr ated. What color are your eyes and skin? Is your hair curly, long, shor t, str aight, black, brown, red, yellow? Do you like to r un, read or jump while wear ing pur ple pants or a green skir t?
H onoring Differences
How many moms or dads do you have? Do you love the beach or maybe singing in the mountains? As children we come to under stand that we are all beautiful, different and impor tant. Empathy for oneself and one another is developed through deep breathing, mindfulness and the social and emotional lear ning that the children pr actice in qigong and yoga classes. Differences are celebr ated while SEL is integr ated into the cur r iculum of Ecole Claire Fontaine. By under scor ing the impor tance of self- awareness, self- management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision- making, the songs of the children fly high above the gardens.
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Flower (s) of the Month of W RITTENBY:
March
DAFFODIL
Dear March, My name is Daffodil and I am here to offer you unequaled love. I have flat leaves and my petals are br ight yellow so you will see that the sun always shines when you are near. I am among two glor ious flower s this month. Appreciating our differences, you may be interested in my fellow Narcissus, Jonquil. He looks almost like my twin, except his leaves are tubular ; and as a par ticular type of daffodil he may desire that his affection be retur ned. I, however, am hardy and grow easily in most of the US! It's up to you. With love, Daffodil
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Philosophy
On
a beautiful day in the Ecole Claire Fontaine garden, teacher Elodie is asked an open ended question that leaves her laughing. What do you love about working with children? "Oh my, just like that?!? With mischievous light in her eyes she responds, ?They make you humble. Really humble." With sur pr ise she descr ibes a student telling her about a man who lost his legs. ?But they?re not like plant legs,? the young girl explained. ?They don?t grow back.?
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Discussing Diver ging & Conver ging Exper iences in Philosophy Class
Among Elodie?s popular classes are French and Philosophy. Dur ing a recent session on growing up, a group of children gathered around a paint- splattered worktable in Building C. With ?Philosophy? wr itten in lovely chalk cur sive behind her, Elodie posed the question, ?What does it mean to grow up??
With their initial focus tuned to the physical attr ibutes of older adults, the answer s began with ?Wr inkles! Gr ay hair !? Dreaming of becoming bigger kids, the children then listed losing their baby teeth and changing schools. What comes next? "Taking care of my own self. Dr iving a car to work!? By becoming a teacher Elodie has retur ned to her roots professionally. The daughter of educator s, she worked as a media str ategic planner in Par is before committing her self to teaching. In a Philosophy class focusing on families, the children thought about what it means to be in a family. ?You stay with them forever for love and fun,? a student answered. Other s added that they often share a name and have similar color eyes. ?Families keep you safe!? The world of children is rooted in their families. Like for the trees in the campus garden, this is the basis that gives strength and secur ity for a lifetime. Elodie adds, ?Working with kids is always different. You can be having a tough day and one of them will say something that completely sur pr ises you. I think they really make us, as adults, grow too.? p11
I n Classical Ar t the children study per spective. Using measurements, r uler s and water color s, they recreate Van Gogh's ?The Room."
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M usic ignites emotional, intellectual, language, liter acy, motor and social skills. Bathed in sound and vibr ation, the body and mind function in concer t.
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Un éléphant qui se balançait Sur une toile, toile, toile, toile d'ar aignée, C'était un jeu tellement amusant Qu'il appela... un deuxième éléphant Deux éléphants qui se balançaient Sur une toile, toile, toile, toile d'ar aignée, C'était un jeu tellement amusant Qu'ils appelèrent... un troisième éléphant Trois éléphants qui se balançaient Sur une toile, toile, toile, toile d'ar aignée, C'était un jeu tellement amusant Qu'ils appelèrent... un quatr ième éléphant
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Quatre éléphants qui se balançaient Sur une toile, toile, toile, toile d'ar aignée, C'était un jeu tellement amusant Que tout d'un coup... p19 BaDaBouM!
An Elephant Swinging on a Spider Web One elephant was swinging On a web, web, web, a spider 's web, It was such a fun game, so much fun That he called.... a second elephant.
You
can sing the English tr anslation to the French melody if you sing the word "swinging" using 3 beats like "swin- nnnng- ing". This song dates back to at least 1842. Thanks MamaLisa.com !
Two elephants were swinging On a web, web, web, a spider 's web, It was such a fun game, so much fun That they called... a third elephant. Three elephants were swinging On a web, web, web, a spider 's web, It was such a fun game, so much fun That they called... a four th elephant. Four elephants were swinging On a web, web, web, a spider 's web, It was such a fun game, so much fun That suddenly... Badaboum! p19 p15
Ecole Claire Fontaine has
Coming to Life in Gardens Green Schools & National Wildlife Feder ation
received its accreditation as a Cer tified Wildlife Habitat of the National Wildlife Feder ation. The children are committed to protecting and nur tur ing the wild life of the school. ?NWF's Garden for Wildlife progr am encour ages responsible gardening that helps pollinator s and other wildlife thr ive.?
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ECF is also proud of its commitment to be a Green School, whose or ganizational culture aligns with a vision of sustainability. The school?s physical space "provides both the context for an educational exper ience and a visible representation of school values."
Feeding fish at our dear depar ted fr iend Dr. Jer r y's Sculpture Garden on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, and the chickens at the Cook's Garden next door, elevates the status of children throughout the neighborhood. They intensify their connection with the natur al world when engaged on a community level. Gardening students are welcoming new families of ladybugs to the Abbot Kinney and Camper campuses.
Monarch Butter flies find solace among the milkweed while squir rels use planted pots as pantr ies for a winter stash of peanuts. Gentle water ing comes like the r ain when it's not falling from the sky. Gardens are alive year round with the electr icity of children, the plants they care for, and the cr itter s that make them their homes. p17
Discovering a Variety of Tastes In
Discover y of Seasonal Fr uits and Vegetables, children pr actice eating well and tasting the differences in flavor profiles. Healthy eating contr ibutes to
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aler tness, better sleep, emotional regulation, mental acuity and physical development. A child who forever held disdain for cauliflower found it r aw in the market and said, "Did you know that if you dip this without cooking it in a bit of olive oil and salt it's like heaven?" When asked where he had made this discover y, he announced, "In tasting class of cour se." A lifetime of eating well awaits.
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Colors Blend in Science & Botany Teacher Emilie tells her students the stor y of "Little Yellow and Little Blue." They are best fr iends and decide to take a tr ip together. Along they way Little Yellow and Little Blue get lost. After loads of adventur ing, they find their way home and hug each other in relief. But then they are suddenly green! They did not expect to mix together into a new color. Much of the work of class revolves around polymer s. Making gummies, the children soak them to see just how much water they will absorb. What are the color s they will take from one another ?
STUDYING ABSORPTION What will happen? The children want to know. We must experiment and find out! This is what science is all about? Exper imenting with food color ing, soap and milks of var ying fat content, the children discover absor ption when they float flower s in the mixtures. p20
Amazing!
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A D V ERT I SEM EN T S
Tickets: Theatre Raymond Kabbaz
6 nights, 6 movies Raymond Kabbaz p22
To Adver tise with us please contact Media@LAClairefontaine.or g
Or ganic Produce Boxes
Weekly/Monthly Deliver y
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every blossomis unique
ŠEcoleClaireFontaine2018