ECOLECLAIRE FONTAINE MARCH 2019
A SEASON OF FLOWERS& FANTASTIC WINDS Features
a balloon full of feelings FÊTE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE relax wit h rhyt hmic drumming 2019 / Volume 3/ Issue 7
CO N T EN T S March 2019
p2 p3 p4 p5 p6 p8 p10 P12 p13 p14 p16 p18 p19 p20
Contents Calendar Bir thdays Lady Finger s Fête de la Fr ancophonie What We Ar e Reading Petr ichor & Tempests Guided by Inner Voices For the Love of Power Tools Finding Rhythm with Sandr a For aging, Fr uits & Fr iends The WAVE Awar ds Summer Camp by the Sea Adver tise with our Community
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CA L EN D A R Ecole Claire Fontaine Thu, 4 Apr il Japanese Amer ican Memor ial Book Pr esentation 4pm Sat, 6 Apr il Tour for Pr ospective Par ents 9:45am - 11:30am Thu, 11 Apr il Apr il Bir thday Celebr ations 12:30pm CC / 1pm - AK Children only, S.V.P. Fr i, 12 Apr il Easter Tr easur e Hunt Children only, S.V.P. Mon- Fr i, 15- 19 Apr il Spr ing Recess Enjoy a beautiful week Mon. 22 Apr il Ear th Day Celebr ation Picnic 11:30am - 1:30pm
May 9 WAVE Awar ds May 6- 10 Par ent Teacher Confer ences, AK May 13 - 16 Par ent Teacher Confer ences, CC May 27 Memor ial Day, School Closed June 14 Gr aduation, AK June 20 Gr aduation, CC June 28 Last Day of School July 8 - Aug 9 Summer Camp
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BI RT H D AYS Mar ch & Apr il
Avril Alexandr e Cassius Cr osby
Mars Audr ey Luna Shay
Indigo Leon Liam
Madeleine Nova
Lily
Otis Vivienne
Sylvie
Yumi Wilder P 4 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Bir thdays
at Ecole Claire Fontaine involve master pieces such as this gor geous Lady Finger Cake created by the children of the Camper Campus and Ar iana's mother, Chef Jill of Sucre et Sel. Meanwhile at the Abbot Kinney Campus dur ing bir thday celebr ations, the children delve into the world of Mr. Steve's Electronics with fantastical machines.
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Dix Mots
Logogramme
FÊTE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE Le
Fête de la Francophonie et les Concours des Dix Mots is an inter national celebr ation of the French language spoken throughout the world by over 900 million people. Each year an inter national panel of native French- speaking ar tists and intellectuals chooses 10 words ? Dix Mots. The words for the year 2019 revolve around different for ms of wr iting. To play this game of the Fr ancophonie, children and teacher s put their minds together, work collabor atively and this year embarked on a magnificent treasure hunt to discover a secret cache. By communicating clues throughout the garden, the ways in which we express our selves have come to light. 6 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Ar abesque ? curvy line of elegant form, scroll Coquille ? ornamental pattern representing a shell Composer ? creating, writing books, music, poems Cur sif, ive ? cursive Gr ibouillis ? scribbling Logogr amme ? a logo corresponding to a notion Phylactère ? banner with curled ends, thought bubble in the comics Rébus - a puzzle in which words are represented by combinations of pictures and individual letters Signe ? a sign Tr acé ? copying over the lines
Rébus
Phylactère
Gribouillis
Air writing in Cursive 7 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
WHAT WE ARE READING Imaginations Run Wild
T o read or not to read -
this is an easy question. Far more difficult is what shall we read. Hundreds of fascinating books are calling to us from the shelves of our school. Per use the abecedar ian additions to our editions:
March
ABC Yoga America?s Other Audubon
Going to School The Lion and the Bird Martine Fait du Théâtre Mei Ling in China City The Night Gardener The Night Life of Trees Nutcracker People of Peace - Inspiring Icons
The Brilliant Deep ? Rebuilding the World?s Coral Reefs
Soccer Stars - Inspiring Icons
Les Carnets de Cerise et Valentin
Stephen Hawking
Contrary Creatures ? Unique Animal Opposites
Thea?s Tree
Everest 8 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Ulysse Aime Pénélope
Examine new worlds
Read childhood classicsinstead of watchingthem on screens
Read to your child at least once per day 9 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Hatching of Preying Mantises in Life Sciences with Emilie
Searching for Ladybugs in the garden
A SEASON OF PETRICHOR AND TEMPESTS The
month is passing quickly from winter to spr ing. At this time of year we exper ience both dreams and tempests. Dur ing spr ingtime fr iendships face what we see as the same instability in the weather. Heat is emer ging from cold, the wind blows wild, r ains pour and the sun shines. Birds sing as petr ichor fills the nose after a fresh r ain on dr y ground, clouds of a chilled mar ine layer spr aying before us. The madness is not only seen in nature, but in our lives as spr ing bir ths itself.
Like spr ing seeds sprouting up through the soil, we witness on our campuses the pushing and pulling of fr iendships. Moods move as inconsistently as the weather ? 70 10 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
degrees and tr anquil through strong dr y winds that give way to r ain. In the way that winter and spr ing, achieve equality on the Equinox, the children must take similar steps to find their balance. We liken it as well to the cour se that sap has to tr aver se, finding its way from deep within tree tr unks throughout the br anches and out. Just as the paper we wr ite on at school, syr up comes from those tall, woody perennials, which deser ve our respect and care. Sap inside a tree can be considered a bit like blood inside the human body. It flows through a par t of the outer tr unk known as sapwood, pushing water s, sugar s and nutr ients
throughout the tree. Using proper procedures, trees sustain only minor wounds that are not damaging when tapped. Be gentle and trees will repair holes and heal in a matter of time; remember they are alive. Tr y making pancakes and obser ve the changing states of matter ? dr y ingredients tur n to paste when mixed with liquid, only to solidify again when placed on heat. If you bur n your pancakes enough, they will cr umble to ash. It is the season that sap tr ansfor ms into your maple syr up and fresh ener gy becomes eclectic.
ECF Oceanography teacher, Tim Rudnick, delivers a Whale's Rib Bone to class in an Early Spring Rain Storm
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GUIDED BY INNER VOICES In
"It?s pretty out of control. If you hold Meditation with Connie Clotwor thy the class embarks on a all your anger inside for a long time, it might all come out at once sometime, hot air balloon tr ip. and you could have a much bigger "What happens if you hold all of your reaction than the situation calls for." feelings inside and stay sad or angr y, The class ends with a Hissing Breath, a or if you tuck those feelings away somewhere inside your hear t?" The breathing technique to release anger class blows a bit of air into a balloon. and sadness. "If we let it out each time we fell angr y or sad, it?s not such a big deal ? just a little air comes out and we?re back to nor mal." The class lets the air out of the balloon.
Your Moder n Family wr ites that depression is on the r ise as quality time with families is replaced by more screen time. "We all know that what our kids hear becomes their inner voice, "But if we keep it inside, and keep but it's hard to control what they hear adding to it each time we get upset from other s..." and hold it in..." The class blows into Tune out the outside voices by the balloon several more times. "...Then tur ning off the screens, eating dinner what happens? What will the balloon together and talking with your do if we keep blowing into it?" children. The class watches as the balloon is let When you feel disconnected from you go; deflating it flies all over room. child, disconnect from technology. 12 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
FOR THE LOVE OF POWER TOOLS
The old adage that "hard work builds char acter " tr ansfer s seamlessly into the ECF philosophy that children must be allowed to be active par ticipants in life around them. Repairingwhat we have ispart of life at ECF
Taking care of the gardens, using brooms, wiping up spills, moving fur niture, setting the table for lunch and helping those younger than themselves are meaningful par ts of the week for our students.
Building sets for ECF's glor ious or iginal productions dur ing the seasons of the FĂŞte de la Fr ancophonie and Gr aduation presents a magical chance to use tools. Evening par ties are beautiful showcases of Children take pride in keepingtheir school clean collabor ation and include the entire family. In keeping with effor ts to end plastic use and lighten our footpr int, we repair instead of replace, adding another fantastic oppor tunity to get out the hammer s and plug in the sander. When we must call in our neighbor ing handy- per son, the children gather around in protective goggles, r apt by the buzzing of the saw. 13 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
FINDING RHYTHM WITH SANDRA Small
hands slap to the beat, creating their own, and pr acticing the gently fir m touch that gets the crowd going. ?Pah, pap, pap, pah, pah.? As mar acas and tambour ines are added to br ing pizzazz or simulate the sounds of r ain, tr ains or snakes, skir ts begin swirling to the jingling bells. Add guitar and dr um sticks, and voila, a superb mor ning class with Sandr a de Fontanes. The Music and Language Stimulation teacher was fir st introduced to Ecole Claire Fontaine when her daughter was a student 17 year s ago, becoming a consistent par t of the community that has spr ung up around children. 14 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
Building the reper toire of songs by contr ibuting their ideas in English, French and Spanish, ECF's youngest children are strengthening their speech and language skills ar ticulation of speech sounds, memor y, rhyming and vocabular y development. Listening and social skills, coordination and self- confidence, are all boosted. Under twinkling lights dur ing festivities at the Abbot Kinney Campus, dr um circles are created for fun and as healing tools, welcoming adults and children to find their collective rhythm. When Sandr a is not teaching at ECF,
you can catch one of her music classes around town at public libr ar ies, Zooga in Culver City, Happy Baby in El Segundo, Pamper and Play in Westwood and other pr ivate schools. With a Master ?s degree in Speech and Language, as well as an Ener gy Healing Cer tificate from Clear sight in Santa Monica, Sandr a's dr um circle facilitation, music classes and pr ivate pr actice are widely sought after. Follow @Sandr a Sandia on Facebook and @sandr asandiaofficial on Instagr am. Her CD?s and music are available on CD Baby, Amazon, i- Tunes and at the ECF office per request. Enjoy! Classical lessonstaught by HarpeCore leader MaĂŻwenn
CoordinatingGymnastics The makingof a champion by ChessMaster, Pedro
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FORAGING, FRUITS & FRIENDS
Foragingfor FlavorsClass
Children may need 19 triesbefore likinga new taste
A Season of Citrus& Berries- nutrition isa fundamental part of every day at ECF
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Finding Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Jane Goodall & Sonia Sotomayor in Visitingthe ceramicsstudio of friend & neighbor Michael Frimkess Journalism for Women'sHistory Month
Studyingtreesin Arabic class
Tracingthe outline of a hand, counting5 fingers 17 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
It istimefor the WAVEAwards,our annual galatohonor teachers. Toco-create aworldof cross-cultural understandingand positive communication,in 2019weemphasize LivingWell Together.
Nominatedbytheir peers,thisyear?s winningteachers areequitableand connectedtotheir students. They foster empathy andmoral independence, toolsessential in craftinga meaningful lifeas amember of our global community.
Joinusonthe9thof Mayfor aconvivial communityeveninghonoringteachers.Buyaticket or donate at www.VCCEDUCATIONCOMMITTEE.orgAnyamount isgraciouslyappreciated,andpleasedosharethis informationwithyour family,friends&colleagues. 18 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
RegistrationNow Open! LAClairefontaine.org
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W IT H OUR
A D V ERT I SE CO M M U N I T Y
SucrenSel.jc@gmail.com Jill Cleret (424) 354-7949
Ecole Claire Fontaine is an Ar t, Language & Nature school for young children near the ocean in Venice, Califor nia For advertising rates please contact Media@LAClairefontaine.org 20 ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
www.bodytalksystem.com
Body Talk Fundamentals, 4-day class with ECF parent Dr. Lauren Brim $300 off for ECF families
Lindsy Kojima will present her children?s book on the internment of Venice?s Japanese Americans during WWII as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
Bread Art isan Bakery delivers t o school
Ecole Claire Fontaine Thursday, April 4, 4:30 pm
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$35/box includes a dozen eggs
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