INSIDE THIS ISSUE... Page 1 Choosing an Independent Private School for Your Child Page 2 Announcements And Achievements Page 3 Winter Shows Page 4 Performing Arts Showcase Page 5 Spotlight Kids Page 6-7 A Most Important Gift to Give Your Child Page 8-17 Classroom Updates Page 18 Literature and Language Arts Page 19 Media Page 20 M3S Spanish Page 21 Technology Page 22-27 Art Page 28 Calendar
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM MILLHOPPER MONTESSORI SCHOOL
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Choosing an Independent Private School for Your Child and the Importance of Accreditation By MMS Owner & Teacher, Christina Miller There are many decisions parents need to make when selecting a private school for their children. It is not uncommon for parents to select their homes based on which public schools are designated for their neighborhoods. Selecting a private school eliminates a predetermined school, but it often requires traveling a little farther and sometimes without bus service. Selecting a private school also requires parents to make more decisions. Variations in tuition, hours of operation, certification of teachers, curriculum, religious versus nonreligious, and school’s accreditation are all important considerations. All public schools go through an accreditation process but not all private schools do. Accreditation agencies vary, and this requires a higher level of scrutiny for parents. Of course, if tuition is not an impasse, the choices abound for parents to find the right school for their children. First of all, parents must visit several schools, the more the better. Then, observe classrooms, and speak with teachers when available. Ask about the turnover rate of the teaching staff as well as the teacher’s credentials. Observe classes in action either by sitting in the classroom or observing through one-way windows. It is important to always ask if the school is accredited and by whom. When selecting our accreditation at Millhopper Montessori School many years ago, I chose the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) and the Florida Kindergarten Council (FKC). FCIS and FKC are professional associations that between them accredit pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools. These organizations promote professional, ethical and educational excellence while assuring that their member schools maintain high standards and independence. This independence allows a school to set its curriculum and standards apart from financial and administrative governmental restraints. Because of this, innovative programs are more often seen in independent schools. The evaluation and accreditation process of FCIS and FKC consist of a school’s self-study using a rubric of the Council’s written standards. This is a lengthy process that requires teachers and parents to peruse all aspects of the school’s safety, finances, curriculum, staff qualifications, library, technology, instructional resources and facility. This self-study is submitted to the Council and is followed by an extended visit to the school by a full evaluating committee. The committee consists of members of other FCIS accredited schools. The aforementioned occurs every five years for a member school. Accreditation gives parents peace of mind, assuring the school’s integrity and that it has voluntarily chosen to put the welfare of the students first. It also guarantees that the school will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or national/ ethnic origin in admission or hiring and will meticulously carry out all promises made to students, teachers, patrons or the general public. For more information on FCIS go to www.fcis.org.
MMS Announcements Our latest MMS “Spirit Knight” at Sonny’s BBQ was another great success! We raised over $220.00 by dining out with friends and family and mentioning MMS. Our next “Spirit Knight” is at any Piesanos location on Monday, January 12th from 5:00-9:00 PM. Please join in and give MMS a shout out while you are there!
MMS Achievements October’s Pumpkin Poetry Contest Winners Ms. Erin’s class: 1st Place- Jeremy 2nd Place - Miles 3rd Place - Ethan
Ms. Tina’s class: 1st Place - Chloe 2nd Place - Teya 3rd Place - Kate
Mr. Richard’s class: 1st Place- Ketki 2nd Place - Anthony 3rd Place - Akimi
Mr. Richard’s Winners
Ms. Sherilyn’s class: 1st Place - Marissa 2nd Place- Aziza 3rd Place - Lacey
5th Grade Spelling Bee Winners 1st Place - Analia 2nd Place - Madison 3rd Place - Maui 4th Place - Aviv
Middle School Spelling Bee 1st Place Winners 6th Grade Robyn
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7th Grade Lindsey
8th Grade Tara
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 19 th**
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Ms. Martha Dolan & Ms. Christina Eckstein Holiday Sing-Along Show Time— 10:00-10:30 AM @ MMS Big Room Dismissal: Regularly scheduled day (After School Program available) Ms. Elizabeth Falls & Ms. Renee Brohamer Holiday Sing-Along Show Time—11:30 AM-12:00 PM @ MMS Big Room Dismissal: Regularly scheduled day (After School Program available)
Friday, December 19, 2014 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. There will be coffee and cookies 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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The Spotlights Kids Thespians Troupe #88928, under the direction of Ms. Sylvia Aslanian and Ms. Wendi Stoltzfus, earned several awards for their performances at the District International Junior Thespian Festival on November 1, 2014. There were nine events total and ten Thespians competing, and the Thespians won 7 Superiors, 2 Excellents, and 1 Best in Show in Improv. They have won Best in Show for Improv three years in a row now! The 7 Superior awards were won by Lacey and Ross in Solo Musical category, Sarah and Robyn in Duet Musical category, Anu, Sarah, Rissa, Arianna, Lindsey, Lacey, Ava and Tara in Large Group Musical category, Ava, Sarah, Tara, Lindsey, Lacey and Arianna in Ensemble Scene category, and Ava in Costume Design category. The 2 Excellent awards were won by Anu, Ava and Tara in the Small Group Musical category, and Lindsey and Arianna in the Duet Acting category. And finally, Anu and Ross won Best in Show for Improv! Congratulations to all the Thespians. MMS is so proud of your troupe. The Troupe will be heading to Eastern Florida State College/The King Center in Melbourne, FL in February for the State Competition. Break a leg, Thespians! We are now preparing for our Performing Arts Showcase on January 31, 2015. This Showcase features two original musicals. The first one, Peace, Love and Cupcakes has only been performed at the Vital Theater in New York and the Thespians now have the opportunity to present a preview. And the other, The Same Sky, is written by Andrea Green and will be presented by the Spotlight Kids Junior. Read below for a back drop of the shows, and join us the end of January at Eastside High school for the Showcase performance. Peace, Love, and Cupcakes Kylie Carson has a problem. She loves monster movies, zombie thrillers, and vampire sagas but her classmates at her new school avoid her like the Creature from the Black Lagoon! To sweeten up her image Kylie starts a Cupcake Club. With the help of her new friends they begin spinning out tasty treats. But when Meredith, the most popular girl in school, tries to sabotage the big cupcake party, it may spell the end of the Cupcake Club. Based on the hit chapter book The Cupcake Club: Peace, Love, and Cupcakes, by Sheryl Berk and her 11-year-old daughter Carrie Berk. The show is appropriate for ages 6 – older. The Same Sky At Fabric Fantasia, a showroom in the garment district on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, fabrics come to life and tell the story of Lady Tattersol, the sinister seamstress of the store, who rules and rates her fabrics according to their worth to her. It is only when the showroom is in danger of being sold that the fabrics take it into their own hands to save the showroom. Each piece contributes to a new fashion design that is uniquely their own. Book, music, & lyrics by Andrea Green
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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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Beginners: Ages 2 to 4 Ms. Crystal Sorrow ~ Ms. Kyra Akay ~ Ms. Oksana Carlberg The Beginners Class, or “Little House,” as it is affectionately called is often the starting place for a child’s experiences with learning in a structured environment. The beginning of the year can be emotionally challenging for the young child, who may be separating from parents for the first time or may be following rules and daily schedules for the first time. Quite a few of the students begin their year with limited verbal skills, unable to communicate in the way that older students rely upon. As the first semester progresses changes begin in the young child. Adjustment to the class’ expectations is occurring. Confidence is growing, skills are developing and strengthening, attention span is lengthening, and independence is flourishing. These young children are capable of so much, if given the opportunity to practice and strive. Windows are being cleaned, tables are being washed, and work is being put away with care and consideration. The young children are practicing manipulating their clothes, opening containers, and washing their hands. They are learning self-care. These skills, termed Practical Life in the Montessori environment are some of the most important skills your child will ever master. These skills allow them to be an active participant in society. These skills allow them to be independent, to trust themselves, and to develop true self esteem through the knowledge that they can accomplish a task without assistance.
Scooping seeds from the class pumpkin before carving
Cutting and sorting herbs and flowers
MONITOR
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Washing the window
It is often hard for adults to observe and allow young children to master a skill without help. It is so easy to step in and assist when adults witness a child struggling with a skill the adult can do easily. However, it is through the struggle that the children not only succeed, but also learn to keep working to accomplish their goals. Demonstrate the skill for the child and then allow the child to try to replicate the task without assistance. Stand back and observe the child; allow the child to self-correct, allow the child to puzzle out a solution, allow the child to experiment and succeed. If the child becomes frustrated then simple help with that one step of the process can be given. Then allow them to continue the steps to finish the task independently. It takes time for a child to master a skill. The process may be messy, dirty, and slow down your morning, but it is all worth it in the end. Allow them to feel that internal pride as they complete something they have given great effort to solving. The environment for the young child is prepared in the Montessori classroom to encourage the child’s gross-motor and fine-motor skills through large and small Practical Life works. These works not only encourage a particular end result, but help develop concentration and coordination as the child focuses on the process. Allowing your child at home to set the table, dress themselves, scrub fruits and vegetables for your family, put away their clothes, and wash the table after meals continues the work they are shown and complete in class. The young child loves to complete these tasks and loves to feel that their work is a valuable part of the family or classroom. Their work is productive and helpful. What a wonderful feeling that is.
Painting Washing a pumpkin
Petting the pony
The Little House students this semester have practiced Practical Life skills while learning about families and pets, sports, the light spectrum, and holidays around the world. Each unit study has presented different opportunities for specialized works that encourage gross-motor and fine-motor skills. From shooting a basket to washing a baby, the students have explored many different activities that are developing their skill sets and abilities to concentrate and focus. Watching the students become confident and conscientious classmates as the year progresses is a real joy. Watching them develop empathy and display this through small daily kindnesses is incredibly rewarding, and is one of the things that makes the Montessori environment such a wonderful place to be. PAGE
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Preschool: Ages 3 to 5 Ms. Martha Dolan ~ Ms. Christina Wegner During the month of October the students enjoyed exploring our Solar System. The students learned that our Solar System is made up of the planets that orbit the sun. They learned that Earth is the fourth planet from the sun. The classroom lessons included the Inter Solar System which is made up of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These are the closest to the sun. The Outer Solar System is Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune these are sometimes called the “gas giants”. To reinforce with a fun learning activity each student made their own Solar System with Pom-Poms. They also enjoyed painting their planet Earth! What fun they had putting together a giant floor puzzle of the Solar System.
Pom-Pom Solar System art Completing the giant Solar System floor puzzle November was a continuation of learning about the parts of the Earth. The students made their own study guide and labeled each part. We would like to thank the parents who participated in our Thanksgiving Feast with donations of food and time to help with our feast day activities. The students really enjoyed the food and concluded by singing “Five Fat Turkey’s”. Thanksgiving Feast
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Drop Everything and Read was such a big success in our classroom. Our focused Author was Laura Numeroff and the book we choose was If You Give A Mouse A Cookie! To conclude the activity the students made mouse head bands and made chocolate chip cookie necklaces and their favorite was baking and eating chocolate chip cookies! Yum. They also enjoyed the older students coming to read to them.
Mouse ears and cookie necklaces
Reading stories together
A 7th grade students reading to the Preschoolers
Working on a Kadinsky art project
With the completion of first semester report cards we are now emphasizing on building on the foundations the students have obtained. Practical Life Works are available to continue improving their fine and gross motor skills as well as their concentration and coordination. In the Sensorial area students are now challenging themselves with the Pink and Brown Stair extension works and working as a team to problem solve. In Math students are often working with the teen beads and addition counters as well as the Hundred Board. In Language we are continuing our lessons with letter sounds with the alphabet sound boxes and in addition, for Show and Tell, the letter of the week is the focus. Many other Language works are taught daily. The students are continuing their hand writing practice with the Sand Paper Letters and writing in the Blue Sand Box which is one of their favorite lesson activities.
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Preschool/Kindergarten Ms. Renee Brohamer ~ Ms. Kathleen Bastien It is hard to believe that winter is already upon us. It has been a busy fall. We began the year learning about our bodies and how to keep them healthy through safety, good nutrition and exercise. In October we spent time exploring different jobs people do and saw how people all help each other within communities. If everyone works together doing the jobs that need to be done, communities will be healthy and happy. We have our own community of our class and we each help by taking turns to do the jobs that need to be done daily. Our class is a great community, where we all help each other. In November we took a look at where we live, our place in the universe. The lesson presented to help with this understanding is “Our Cosmic Address;” a set of nesting cups is used with pictures on each cup to represent where we live. The smallest cup represents our home (house or apartment) and the cups incrementally increase in size with, neighborhood, city, country, continent, earth, solar system, galaxy, and finally the universe. Later we talked about how the universe began. The lesson presented was “The Great Time Line”; using a line with pictures and corresponding objects we illustrated major events from the “Big Bang” through the time of people living on earth. At this time we are examining what the earth is made of, its layers, the earth’s crust and land and water forms. We are using sand and water to illustrate how the earth’s surface changes over time through erosion. Of course we also explored how the land can rise above the ocean waters by eruptions of the hot melted rock within the earth bursting toward the earth’s surface in the form of volcanoes. We looked at the continents and how they are actually “plates of crust” sliding over the hot melted rock underneath pushing into each other to build mountains, pulling away from each other leaving openings that usually fill with water, and also rubbing along the edges of each other creating earthquakes and more changes in the earth’s surface. The fall held many exciting events, from the Halloween Parade dressed in our costumes to our class’ Thanksgiving Feast. Thank you to all the parents who participated. The winter is full of excitement while preparing for our Holiday Sing-Along. Join us on Wednesday, December 17 at 11:30 AM in the Big Room for the performance. Be sure to check out the our pictures from the past few months on the next page!
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Love those community helpers Presenting the Long Bead Chain at Parent Night
“The Great Time Line�
Thanksgiving Feast
With their decorated Halloween bags
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Lower Elementary: 2nd & 3rd Grades Mr. Richard Aslanian ~ Ms. Suzi Rumsey Our year started off with a bang with the class participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge along with the Middle School Class. We were happy to raise over $300 to donate to ALS. During Spirit Week we were really excited about celebrating our school and also brought in canned/dry goods for a local food bank. The second grade students represented MMS very well when we delivered all of the goods raised by the school. (It was nearly a ton of food.) In October, we hosted a bake sale that raised $270. Some of these funds will be used for classroom supplies and some of it we will be donating to a fund that will help reduce famine around the world. We have found it quite amazing to see what we can buy with our donations. Our annual Historical Timeline was a huge accomplishment for the students. Each student did a fabulous job researching, learning about and representing the person of history that they were portraying. They truly were amazing and inspiring! The students then linked this famous person to a state research project that was created and presented to their classmates. This major project was done either on a poster board or in Power Point form. Now our studies will be focused on the United States and the important places, people and ideas that are part of our great county. We have had a lot of fun learning about simple machines (levers, pulleys, ramps, wheel and axle and the screw). We spent time using these machines to perform various tasks and focused on the science behind them. We are currently learning about magnets and electricity and look forward to creating some fun projects. Congratulations to all the students that participated in “Screen-Free Week”. The challenge was given to the students to spend an entire week without any TV, computer games our screen operated toys. Many in the class chose to go “Big Time” and also participated over the weekend before, making it seven complete days with not screens. A special award will be enjoyed by all who accomplished this goal. Way to go! Finally, we would like to thank our classroom parents for their help and support during the first half of the school year. It is amazing how quickly it has gone by, and we look forward to making the second half even better. Happy Holidays to all!
Reading: 1st through 3rd Grades Ms. Elaine Manion ~ Ms. Rhea Bush
This year’s theme for first through third grade reading is Reading Takes You Over the Rainbow. Each month there is a different genre as its theme. The students will receive gold coins (think “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow) to track their progress. The idea is that just as there are different colors in a rainbow, there are different genres in reading - for example: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biographies, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Humor, Poetry, and so on. Ms. Elaine and Ms. Rhea encourage the students to explore the many genres of literature and become well-rounded readers. Ms. Elaine and Ms. Rhea send home library packets weekly. The students are expected to read the assigned books and take a Reading Counts quiz upon return. This helps us measure their level of comprehension. PAGE
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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Presenting Historical Timeline figure
Presenting Historical Timeline figure
Experimenting with the lever Testing the pulley
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Middle School: 6th, 7th & 8th Grades Ms. Sherilyn Farris ~ Ms. Susan Hansen ~ Mr. Carter Johnson
S C I E N C E PAGE
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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 began this year with a cross curricular unit with language arts on crime scene investigation. In literature students read mysteries, and in science they delved into the fine art of forensics. They examined hair and fiber samples, pulled fingerprints using the superglue and iodine methods, and learned how to bag evidence. It was a great introduction to the importance of the scientific method in science. Our next unit was on Minerals and Rocks. 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. Currently, the sixth grade just finished a unit on Plate Tectonics. Ms. Sherilyn and the students discussed the processes occurring at mid-ocean ridges and deep-sea trenches. They have also compared and contrasted rift valleys and fault lines. Their culminating activity was watching the National Geographic documentary Colliding Continents. Seventh and eighth grade students are studying physical science this semester before moving to chemistry in January. Students began the year exploring the potency of solar power while creating solar cars and solar cookers. Building and testing solar car and cookers was a lot of fun. Both demonstrated how harnessing the sun can be a useful energy source. They even fried eggs and baked cookies with our solar cookers. Next, they began to study Force during a cross curricular unit with PE. Students studied on the concepts of force, friction, with discussions about force. Students measured the force of objects thrown. We even invited State Trooper Ray Brewington to measure our speed using a radar gun. We are currently learning about work and simple machines, and the students will be conducting an experiment with various scale model catapults and trebuchets that they have built. Over the course of the next few weeks, the class will use their trebuchets in a variety of ways use concepts they have learned so far in an actual situation.
6th Grade Crime Scene Investigation
7th and 8th Grade Solar Cars
7th and 8th Grade Solar Cookers
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Literature and Composition: 4th & 5th Grades Ms. Jennifer Kuntz
During the first part of this school year, Ms. Jennifer and the students have been working on reading more deeply, learning strategies for thinking about and “interacting” with the text. They have looked at purposes for reading and writing, and the deliberate choices authors make in structuring their writing, depending on their purpose. In composition, the students have worked on strengthening their skills through lots of creative writing. The purpose of this is to help the students develop their own “voice”, as well as confidence in their writing. It also does not hurt to have a little fun! I love it when the students get excited about writing. The fourth grade began the year reading the novel Frindle by Andrew Clements in which a boy invents a new word. The students then had the opportunity to invent their own new word for an object, which they then “advertised” using a video commercial created in Animoto, in conjunction with Ms. Sylvia’s Technology class. Reading Frindle and talking about words gave them an opportunity to practice dictionary and thesaurus skills as well as talk about synonyms and effective word choice. Why use “good” when you really mean “extraordinary” or “okay”? They then moved on to fairy tales, as a way to understand the idea of theme – or central message of a story – and point of view. For the fifth grade, this year has been all about the genre of mystery. Our first novel was From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. Because the book is set in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the students virtually explored the famous museum via a webquest. They then chose an artifact they found particularly interesting to research and then share with the class via an Animoto video. They moved on from there to short stories. The students wrote their own “spooky” short stories for Halloween, followed by analyzing published short stories in small groups. Currently, the students are working on writing a mystery story based on a nursery rhyme. As the year goes on, they will focus on more structured informational and opinion writing, in preparation for the new writing test BOTH grades will take in April. Ms. Jennifer has just recently received information about the fourth / fifth grade writing rubrics for this test, which are still to be vetted and finalized. As soon as Ms. Jennifer has additional information, she will send it on.
Language Arts: 6th, 7th, & 8th Grades Ms. Susan Hansen When asked by the students what they are doing in class each day, Ms. Susan usually replies "Super fun language arts stuff!" She tries to keep that statement true throughout the school year. All of the middle school students prepared for the online writing assessment in early November. Students have the option to be reassessed at the end of the school year. Ms. Susan tried to keep it interesting by incorporating cheers and movement while learning the parts of the five paragraph essay. After beginning the year with Lord of the Flies and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, literature units now are focused on The Outsiders by SE Hinton and Peak by Roland Smith. Both books are very interesting thematically and have led to wonderful class discussions. After the winter break students will work on research projects and creative writing. Seventh and eighth grade students will prepare for the biannual Festival of Dionysus after a mythology unit of study. Sixth graders will explore the intersection between science fiction and fantasy as we read Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde. PAGE
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Media Ms. Jennifer Kuntz The students thoroughly enjoyed D.E.A.R. Day on Monday, November 17. Many students – and teachers - wore pajamas so they would be comfortable when it was time to “Drop Everything and Read.” Students had extra free reading time in class. Some classes also had book-themed snacks and activities. Then from 11:00 – 12:00, the older students visited the Early Childhood classrooms and read to the younger students. It was inspirational to see the students enjoying sharing books with each other! Although we were disappointed the Reading Dog could not make it, Ms. Erin’s and Mr. Richard’s classes made the best of it! They gathered in the Big Room and listened to a few “doggie stories”, then partnered with friends to share favorite books. Ms. Jennifer will work on rescheduling a Reading Dog (or a few) for some time in the spring, so that all of the classes will have an opportunity to visit with a dog.
A third grader reading to a first grader
A seventh grader reading to Preschoolers
A fifth grader reading to a Beginner
Screen Free Week was held Monday, November 17 – Friday, November 21. Many students pledged they would go an entire week without watching television, playing video games, or otherwise using a screen for entertainment. Ms. Jennifer received over 60 participant forms from the entire range of classrooms, and she knows of several others who chose to challenge themselves, form or not! Ms. Jennifer participated too. Some classes have already held celebrations to reward those students who “made it”; others are still to be scheduled. The Fall Book Fair was held December 1-5. We had more volunteers than in previous fairs in which Ms. Jennifer has been involved – so thank you! Online fair sales have yet to be finalized, but we were able to purchase over $1,100.00 worth of books for the school, and still take a cash profit of $561.43! Those funds will be applied to installing our Early Childhood “branch” library in the Big Room. Mark your calendars now for our next book fair: March 16-20, 2015 - just in time to pick up some new reading for spring break! Over the next few months, Media classes will focus on biography, poetry, and non-fiction/research skills. Ms. Jennifer is also hoping to arrange an “MMS Out Loud” event for students and teachers to share their own works of poetry or prose, or personal favorites written by others. It is exciting to have so many students interested in sharing their creativity in this way! Look for more information when this comes together. PAGE
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Spanish: 6th, 7th, & 8th Grades Sra. Karina Newman ¡Hola a todos! I hope that all of you had a great Thanksgiving break. We have been very busy during the last couple months. The sixth graders have been studying Unit 1, lección 1 ¿Qué te gusta hacer? They have learned how to talk about activities and tell where they and their friends came from. During October we celebrated the Hispanic Heritage Month. Students learned about the contribution and influence of Hispanics in the American culture. Over the past weeks we have focused on the study of the verb “ser”. We have done some games during class time in which we pretended that each of the students was from a different Spanish speaking country and he or she had to tell the group where he or she came from and then asked the group where they came from. They had a lot of fun doing this activity. Also as part of this unit, students will learn how to say what they like and don’t like. The seventh graders have been studying Unit 4, Ecuador lección 1, Vamos de compras. They have been learning about clothing and shopping and what clothes they want to buy, and what to wear in different seasons. They have been very excited about this unit, as you can imagine. As part of the unit, they have done several skits where they had to describe what their classmates were wearing on a specific day. The eighth graders have been studying Unit 4, lección 1 ¿Qué hacemos esta noche? They reviewed specific vocabulary related to the description of places and events in town. They also reviewed how to say what you want to order from a menu and the vocabulary related to a restaurant. The fieldtrip to the Mexican restaurant was a great experience for them because they had the opportunity to order their food in Spanish and interact with Spanish speaking people in a real setting. Later in the month we studied Unit 7, lección 2, Un día en el parque de diversiones. They learned how to talk on the phone, say where they went and how it was and what they did. The students did a project about what they did in the ROPES fieldtrip. They had to do a presentation describing their experiences in preterite tense using the unit vocabulary they learned in this unit. It has been very satisfactory for me as their Spanish teacher to see how all of the eighth graders have developed their ability to speak in Spanish. ¡Felices fiestas y próspero año 2015! Sra. Karina Newman 8th grader students preparing to order from the menu in Spanish
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Technology Ms. Sylvia Aslanian At the beginning of the year all of the students learned about the Media Center rules, care of the laptops, laptop parts, inside of a computer, technological changes and internet safety. These lessons are leveled for each grade, becoming more in detail for the older grades. Lessons on researching, citing sources, writing in your words and evaluating websites are taught throughout the year. As students become more comfortable with the concepts, they begin to utilize what they have learned in other classes. There have been a variety of lessons going on amongst the different grades: Kindergarteners have learned mouse skills and enhanced reading skills in Starfall. First graders enhanced their reading and writing skills in Starfall by doing the worksheets after they do the interactive lesson on the computer. They also learned vocabulary skills doing the Word Wall Worksheets that go along with the Brain Pop Jr. lessons. Second graders learned research skills and citing sources and learned the difference between a search engine and an actual source. They have been using Kid Clicks and Scholastic Go, and they will continue to learn more advanced research skills. Third graders took their research skills further by adding pictures and creating Power Points on their research. Fourth and fifth graders created Power Points with notes, Animoto videos, Excel Charts and Charts online using Create a Graph, (located on Millhoppertech.com). During December, they have learned to use Google Slides and have begun to use more of the Google Apps for Education. And finally, middle school students have been learned how to choose educational websites in their research and how to cite all sources in MLA. They learned how to create a budget in Excel and how to sum and add currency value, as well as using multiple columns. They also learned how to create an Power Point oral presentation using chapters, links, and adding notes. Currently, they are learning to animate in Animation-ish. They will animate a character from the books they are currently studying. All their work will be showcased at the Elementary/Middle Showcase in mid-March. Other topics have been integrated into Technology lessons that students have been learning about in their regular classes, such as Columbus, History of Halloween, Thanksgiving, autumn, Native Americans, winter and more. The general goal is to teach the students how technology can be used as a tool to aid and enrich learning.
Learning the parts of a laptop
Using the Bamboo WACOM Tablets to draw during an Animation-ish lesson
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Art: 1st through 8th Grades Ms. Joanne McFarland MS. ERIN SOREL’S 1ST & 2ND GRADE CLASS This lesson taught the students about shapes that they can recognize in paintings. We used Andy Warhol's 25 Cats and One Blue Pussy painting to look for shapes. Ms. Joanne and the students also discussed how things they recognize can be simplified into basic shapes - circles, triangles, rectangles, ovals, and so on. Ms. Joanne asked students what shapes they see in the cat pictures. Students were called upon to name a shape and asked what object might be made out of that shape. Ms. Joanne talked about perspective, and how things far away look smaller, and objects closer to them seem bigger. Then Ms. Joanne and the students discussed what resist painting is. They learned that crayons are made of wax, and when painted over with watercolors, the water will resist, or push away, the water because wax and water will not mix.
Georgia O'Keeffe, Gray and Brown Leaves, 1929
Andy Warhol, 25 Cats and 1 Blue Pussy, 1954
Since the month of October brings up images of Halloween and fall, the students did an art lesson that focused on the harvest of pumpkins. This lesson also reinforced color theory and paint mixing. Ms. Joanne and the students started by discussing the shape of pumpkins and how they are segmented, and also discussed what we might see at night. They reviewed how to mix paints and what colors mixed together would give them orange or green. They drew a large oval in black oil pastel, then added the segment lines and the stem. After that, the students drew leaves separately, giving them veins. They painted the pumpkin by mixing the paints right on the paper. They started with yellow, and added a dab of red to make orange. The process was the same for the leaves, but added blue instead of red to make green. At the next art class, they used a black piece of paper and drew stars and the moon with white oil pastels for the background. Then they cut out the pumpkin and leaves and glued them to the black background. Then, to take the lesson a step further, they made more pumpkins and created a class pumpkin patch.
The students continued their Fall Tree theme by studying a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe. Ms. Joanne and the students discussed the colors of leaves in fall and the shape of different leaves. They also looked at different leaves and discussed the common features in the leaves, such as veins and ribs. They spent the first class looking very closely and carefully at actual leaves outside using magnifying lenses. They were amazed at how we were able to see the tiny veins with the lens that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Then they came back to the class and started doing art. The students started painting "patches" of color that they saw in the leaves. Then, the students drew the stem and veins of the leaves with black paint. The final step was to cut out the leaves and glued them onto a square, brown piece of paper. The effect was a great fall collage! PAGE
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MR. RICHARD ASLANIAN’S 2ND & 3RD GRADE CLASS In Mr. Richard's class, the students started this project by studying the artist Keith Haring, an artist who used topical subjects and bright, bold colors with simple lines to comment on social issues of the day. Ms. Joanne and the students discussed how things we recognize can be simplified into basic shapes, and how Mr. Haring showed movement in his art with hash marks. He even had some figures not even touching the ground! The students decided that the figures looked like they were dancing. The students learned how our bodies move at the joints, and how some joints move only a certain way, while others move in many directions. The students did this by moving our arms, legs, torso, and head. The students used oil pastels to color the figures in bright, solid colors. Then they used tempera paint to paint the background. Ms. Joanne reminded the students to choose a very limited palette to stay with the simplicity of Mr. Haring's art. The students really enjoyed looking at each other's figures, and had a good laugh at how some of them were upside down!
Keith Haring, Five Figures Dancing, c. 1980's
Everyone loves Halloween! What is a less familiar holiday is Dia de los Muertas - a day honoring those who have passed. In Mr. Richard's class, Ms. Joanne and the students talked about people they know who have passed away, and what they do to remember them. In Mexico, there is a holiday which falls at the same time as Halloween, that honors loved ones who are no longer here. Dia de los Muertas recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience, a continuum with birth, childhood, and growing up to become a contributing member of the community. It is different than Halloween, since it does not include such imagery as witches, black cats, or pumpkins. It does include skulls, skeletons, flowers, and bright colors is celebrated with festivals, lively celebrations, dancing, and music. On Dia de los Muertos, the dead are also a part of the community, awakened from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with their loved ones. The art uses fun, colorful, bright skulls to help us remember loved ones who have passed. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was an American abstract expressionist painter. This type of art means that the painting does not represent anything recognizable, but is very expressive with lots of movement. The class studied the works of Jackson Pollock and discussed his technique. He would literally drip, throw, and splatter paint on his canvases in order to create his paintings. He used everything to do this, including sticks from outside! It was very important in this lesson for the students to understand that while doing this kind of art, this is not a time for reckless playing. The students prepared for this by going outside and setting up an area where we could share paints with a partner. Then they used popsicle sticks to drip and smear paint onto our paper, being sure to show lots of movement through their paintings. For the students, the process was almost more fun than the Jackson Pollock, Mural, 1943 finished project! PAGE
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MS. CHRISTINA MILLER’S 4TH & 5TH GRADE CLASS This art project in the Senior Elementary focused on the stylized tree and symbolism in Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life. In his work, Klimt expressed the circle of life with a tree and other imagery that symbolized the cyclical nature of life. The woman/girl on the left is called expectation, the couple of the right was the embodiment of fulfillment, and the tree itself represented all the twists and turns one's life might take. The blackbird in the tree was a symbol for death, because everything that is alive will eventually pass away. Ms. Joanne Gustav Klimt, Tree of Life, 1905 and the students also discussed all the decorative patches in the work, and how they might represent one's memories of events in one's life. To start the projects, they used gold metallic paint to paint the trunk of the tree. Some children had a tendency to draw the trunk quite straight, so they made sure to paint the trunk in fluid motions by drawing the sides swaying as opposed to drawing straight lines. Then they extended branches from the center and use swirls at the tips of each branch. After the gold paint dried, they outlined each branch and the trunk in black paint. Black spots were added on the tree so that when it dried, they could paint dots on top of it with white and colored paints. They made A student’s version sure to have a symbol of death in the tree so that the trees would represent the cycle of life. Many children painted birds, but some had a cat, or a snake, or even several to show the food chain! The final step was to add patchwork decorations. The students made sure the horizon line was somewhere above the bottom of the trunk to show perspective, and that the patchwork was colorful and expressive to show the moments in life. Everyone was very pleased with the results, and it was fun to do an art piece that was on paper that was not plain white! For the next project, the class focused on Op art – art that creates an illusion of color, images, space, or movement. They students studied the works of Victor Vasarely (Untitled) and M.C. Escher (Sky and Water 1, 1938), as well as many other types of Op Art. This movement of art was very popular in the 1960’s with the advent of computers and space exploration. The artists often used simple designs or objects to create optical illusions, and took into account that one’s Victor Vasarely, Untitled M.C. Escher, Sky and brain is part of the Water 1, 1938 artwork. The students noted how the shapes and lines change size to make the art look 3D, though it is all done on a flat canvas. To make our own Op Art piece, we started by tracing our hand in pencil. Then we drew black lines - straight lines on the outside of our hand outline, and a curved line on the inside of the hand. We followed this by coloring in the spaces between the black lines with lots of bright colors to make it look three dimensional. The students were very impressed with their work! A student’s finished product
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MS. SHERILYN FARRIS’ 6TH, 7TH & 8TH GRADE CLASS In the middle school art class, they studied Roy Lichtenstein's art. Lichtenstein is a pop artist who used comic strips in a new way, and focused on one panel of the strip at a time. He was famous for taking a panel in an comic strip that had a thought or speech bubble, and painted it on a large canvas, painting the benday dots of the comic. Benday dots are a dot/grid system once used to create tones or shading in screen printing, especially in the commercial art world of the 1960s. Pixels on a computer are a contemporary parallel. Tones can be changed by varying the color, number, and size of the dots per inch. Ms. Joanne and the students looked at Roy Lichtenstein, Oh, Jeff, several paintings of Lichtenstein that showed this technique, the most I Love You Too, 1964 famous one being the work Oh, Jeff, I Love You Too, done in 1964. They studied the graphic thick black lines, simple colors, and, of course, the benday dots. Ms. Joanne and the students noted that some of the lines were thicker than others, but everything was outlined in black. The results were their own interpretation of modern art.
M3S’ artwork
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MS. ERIN SOREL’S 1ST & 2ND GRADE CLASS ARTWORK
MS. TINA MILLER’S 4TH & 5TH GRADE CLASS ARTWORK
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MR. RICHARD ASLANIAN’S 2ND & 3RD GRADE CLASS ARTWORK
MS. SHERILYN FARRIS’ 6TH, 7TH & 8TH GRADE CLASS ARTWORK
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Calendar January 2014 Monday, January 5
Classes Resume
Monday, January 12 Monday, January 12
Spirit “Knight” @ Piesanos 5:00-9:00 PM M3S Semester Exam: Language Arts
Tuesday, January 13 Wednesday, January 14
M3S Semester Exam: Social Studies M3S Semester Exam: Science
Thursday, January 15
M3S Semester Exam: Math & Spanish
Friday, January 16 Friday, January 16 Monday, January 19 Tuesday, January 20 Tuesday, January 27
Student Holiday/Teacher Workday Open House 10:00 AM-12:00 PM Holiday - MLK Day 5th Grade Shadows the Middle School Program Spotlight Kids Performing Arts rehearsal @ EHS 4:00-6:00 PM
Wednesday, January 28
Spotlight Kids Performing Arts rehearsal @ EHS 4:00-6:00 PM Spotlight Kids Performing Arts rehearsal @ EHS 4:00-7:00 PM Spotlight Kids Performing Arts rehearsal @ EHS 4:00-7:00 PM Spotlight Kids Performing Arts Showcase @ EHS 4:30 PM
Thursday, January 29 Friday, January 30 Saturday, January 31
February 2014 Tuesday, February 3 Tuesday, February 3 Thursday, February 5
Ms. Elizabeth Falls’ Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM Ms. Martha Dolan’s Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM Ms. Christina Eckstein’s Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM
Thursday, February 5 Friday, February 6 Sunday, February 8
Ms. Renee Brohamer’s Parent Night 4:30-6:00 PM Spotlight Kids Thespians State Competition @ The King Center in Melbourne, FL
Tuesday, February 10
Teacher Work Afternoon 3:30-5:30 PM
Tuesday, February 10
Ms. Crystal Sorrow’s Parent Night 4:00-5:30 PM
Tuesday, February 10
Spirit “Knight” @ Sonny’s BBQ (NW 39th Ave. location only) 5:00-9:00 PM Holiday - President’s Day PTO Meeting 5:30 PM
Monday, February 16 Thursday, February 19
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