Calendar
Feb. 25 Core Group Meeting 5 pm
Mar. 8 Elementary & Primary Assembly 9:45 am - Dance performance
Mar. 17 Core Group Meeting 5 pm

SAVE THE DATE!
Mark your calendars for MAY 22, the 5th annual GLM Auction Fundraiser. This year’s theme is “A Night in Venice”. For one night only, the grounds of Grand Lake Montessori will be transformed into a glorious trip down the Grand Canal, complete with live entertainment, a raffle, the auction, dancing and a 3-course Italian feast!
This year we’ll distribute one book of raffle tickets to each GLM family to sell to friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc! There are 20 tickets in each book. The tickets will sell for $3.00 per ticket, or 2 for $5.00. Three fantastic prizes will be raffled off on the night of the auction, including the 1st place prize: a Family Membership for 1 month at the Claremont Resort and Spa. This includes many great perks, such as complimentary access to pool, fitness center, tennis courts and more! Take a summer vacation right in your own town! Look for your tickets and complete details in early March. If you would like to help with this fund raising project or need more information, please contact Denise Slattery at 510-444-4965, or slatterysf@yahoo.com.
Some of the great auction items already include:
~4 tickets to a GIANTS VS. ARIZONA GAME, Club Level, behind Home Plate!
~Dreyer’s Ice Cream Bus winery visits and gourmet lunch!
~12 lbs of gourmet coffee, delivered to your home every other month for an entire year!
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS in all areas to help with auction planning! That’s right, here is your golden opportunity to rack up those parent participation hours. In particular, we need 1 volunteer for the raffle (contact Denise Slattery, slatterysf@yahoo.com), and 2 volunteers for the “Mystery Bags” (contact Gigi Orta, gigiorta@yahoo.com). Event Planning
needs volunteers to help with decorations and catering (Mary Aima, aimaaimaaima@aol.com, and Johanna Kohr, johannakohr@aol.com). The Donations Committee needs help getting and organizing the auction donations (Celia Mc Guinness, celiamcguinness@hotmail.com, and Tammy Brown, coryandtammy@earthlink.net)
If you have any ideas or would like to help, here is a complete list of committee chairs to contact:
Chair: Gigi Orta, 510-282-8483, work 510-419-4979
Solicitations: Tanya Stolurow, tanya.stolurow@mulberryneckwear.com
Donations: Celia Mc Guinness & Tammy Brown
Event Planning: Mary Aima and Johanna Kohr
Communications: Lori Spitz, lori_spitz@email.com and Ondrea Riley, oriley@deloitte.com
Class Projects: Randi Lee, randilee@comcast.net
Auction: Denise Slattery
Raffle: Leslie Franco, rickandles@sbcglobal.net and Mike Dolan, mdolan@seiu250.org
Stay tuned for more information regarding parent donations, raffle ticket sales, additional volunteer opportunities and updates on more exciting auction items!

SOUND OF THE WEEK Each Wednesday your child is encouraged, with your help, to find an object at home (preferably not a toy) that begins with the sound of the week. Put it in a labeled bag to share with your child’s class, with the sound being “W”, as in Water, Wind, and Web.

TRAFFIC ISLANDS ON SANTA CLARA AVE.
The City of Oakland – Public Works Agency – Transportation Services Division and Heather Hood, a neighbor and future GLM parent, are working with a neighborhood committee to install traffic islands/circles along Santa Clara to help reduce speeding and accidents. The first of the islands will be hopefully installed in front of the Lake Park Church, prioritizing school safety. We will keep you informed as developments come in.

PARENTS NIGHT OUT
Ms. Leck is hosting a Parents Night Out on Saturday, March 6th, from 6-11 pm. Children should come to the Jacaranda classroom in their pajamas, and bring their sleeping bags. A snack, crafts, and movie will be provided. The cost is $35.00 for one child, $55.00 for two. Children must be at least 2.5 years old. Please call Ms. Leck at 510-663-8770, or email her at sidleck@earthlink.net. Advance payment reserves your spot! This service is not affiliated with Grand Lake Montessori.

NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS:
New e-mail address for the Simmons’ family, Noah (in Brown Cottage) and Caleb (in Juniper class): DENLSIMMONS@PACBELL.NET

ELEMENTARY ACTIVITIES
The following is a partial list of activities the elementary students will be participating in:
~ A trip to Pt. Richmond
~ Continued library trips
~ Cents For A Cure (Leukemia fundraiser) during February
~ Spring dance performance
~ Attend Theatre Works USA production of Ramona Quimby

LOST JACKET
During Silent Journey childcare. Red quilted LL Bean jacket with blue corduroy collar. Labeled with child’s name, LUCY. Please contact Kate Faust or the school office.
MISSING COAT
Angela Harris is missing her Mickey Mouse jacket. It is black and gray. Please return it to the office or the Live Oak class if you find it. Thank you in advance!


CLASS News

LIVE OAK - MS. CHURCH
Welcome back from Winter Break! We hope all of the families had a great time.
This week, Alena Hutchinson, Laurel Leeds’ mom, celebrated Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, with the Live Oak class. Alena explained that for some people there is a period of time for serious thought and reflection: the 46 days before Easter. But, for one day before this “serious time” begins, there is a big feast and celebration called Mardi Gras. In Brazil it is called “Carnivál”. Colorful, beaded necklaces were tossed for the children to catch, and afterwards they made festive masks adorned with feathers, both Mardi Gras traditions. The children love the masks they designed themselves! Thank you, Alena!
Marta Krampitz Dickson, Ian’s mom, has begun an activity for the Live Oak auction project. This year the children will be creating a “Game Table”. Check with Marta for donation needs and assistance. She is collecting small game items such as stray puzzle pieces, dice, dominos, marbles, etc: things with more of a classic nature as opposed to “Disney type”.
In Second Step we had a discussion about ignoring distractions in order to continue with a work. If the teacher is talking or giving a message and a child feels distracted some of the children suggested the following ways to focus on the teacher:
~Look at the teacher
~Turn away from, or move away from people who are trying to get your attention
~Tell your friends to stop talking so you can hear the teacher.
At the beginning of Circle we demonstrated how hard it is to listen and talk at the same time while singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.
We also viewed a picture of a child trying to listen to both her friend and the teacher while the teacher was reading a story. The children realized that it will help them with their activities if they are able to ignore distractions.

GINKGO – MS. NITONDE
We learned that in the United States, Mardi Gras draws millions of fun seekers to New Orleans every year. This year Connor Lee and his family attended Mardi Gras. They returned with the most recognized souvenir of the event; colorful beaded necklaces thrown from floats. Connor gave each child in the class, as well as the teachers, necklaces! Thank you, Connor!
Thank you to Denise Slattery and Jennifer Theut for helping with our Valentine’s project. The framed photo was the gift to you from your child. All of the children had fun working on this project!
Thank you to Glynis Mason for doing a special activity with the children. The children drew and colored pictures with Glynis, then made up a story to go along with each illustration.
A special thank you to our Room Parent, Cindy Fressola, who hosted a Get-To-Know-You soiree at her home a week ago. It was a opportunity for Ginkgo families to meet and socialize in a relaxed atmosphere. There were lots of kids having a great time, and plenty of finger food!
Happy birthday to Lillian Wool who turned 3 on Feb. 20, and Marina Mosley who turned 4 on Feb. 22! Thank you to Marina’s dad for sharing the donuts with our class!

MAGNOLIA – MS. OLIVARES
Welcome back, everyone!
Before we left for Winter Break we had our Valentine’s celebration in the class. The children passed out their cards and afterwards they decorated heart shaped cookies with pink icing! Thank you to Marla Erojo, Ariel’s mom, for baking these yummy cookies for us! Abbott’s mom, Rachelle, Matthew’s mom, Arlene, Raquel’s mom, Teresa, and Joseph’s mom, Terry, all helped us set up our special snack. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It was a lot of fun!
The children have been practicing counting in Spanish for some time now and are getting very good at it! They have also been learning a new song called “Una Mano, Dos Manos” (“One Hand, Two Hands”). This song incorporates the vocabulary of counting with parts of the body, so they are also learning the Spanish words for fingers and hands.
Please do not allow your child to bring toys to school. Children find it hard to share their precious items from home, the toys are distracting, and if the item gets lost or damaged there will be a very sad child waiting for you at pick-up. Other items that should stay at home are umbrellas, watches and jewelry, and sunglasses. If your child wants to bring something to share, send a book! Thank you.

CAMELLIA – MS. ALLEN
Welcome back to everyone who was away for the Winter Break!
Before the break our class had a great Valentine’s Day celebration. The children were very excited to receive special cards and treats. Thank you to the parents for all the staff treats as well! Thank you to Niorline Reiser’s family for the beautiful orchid in honor of Valentine’s Day!
This week we had our first Camellia class birthday celebration of the school year. Vikram Branch turned 3 years old. His dad, Glenn, showed pictures of Vikram at various ages with different family members. Vikram’s gift to the class was a wonderful imagination book entitled “Billy’s Bucket”. Thank you, and happy birthday, Vikram!
Please check your child’s extra clothing bag to make sure there are extra pants, underwear, socks and shirts available, in the correct sizes!

MULBERRY - MS. AIMA
Thank you to Franziska Dutton, Kellen’s mom, for coming in to teach the children how to brush their teeth. She also gave all the children their own school toothbrush!
Last Friday we celebrated Valentine’s Day. Thank you to Jacquez’s mom, Tania Rankins, for baking cookies the children decorated. They had lots of fun putting icing and sprinkles on the cookies. We then handed out Valentines to each other and enjoyed a special treat of frozen yogurt and strawberries. This was a very big hit and the room was so quiet while the children ate you could hear a pin drop!
If your child has worn his/her extra pants home PLEASE return or replace them. We are out of extra pants! Parents need to regularly check the extra clothing bags to be sure your child has extra everything at school, and in sizes that fit. You’d be surprised how many children have outgrown the clothes in their bags!

JUNIPER - MS. KOERBER
We hope everyone had a wonderful Winter Break!
The children have grown in many ways; height, emotionally and intellectually!
On Valentine’s Day we celebrated with special treats. Ms. Koerber made Jello with whipped cream, and Claire’s mom, Lea, baked mini carrot muffins with cream cheese frosting! Delicious! Thank you to everyone, especially the children, for their help, snacks and cooperation!
In keeping with February being Black History Month, Terry Staples, Ahmad’s mom, did a presentation for the class. She said that every ethnic group has what it calls “Soul Food”: soothing, comforting dishes that bring back warm memories of family dinners. Today in America, the term “Soul Food” has come to mean African-American Cuisine. This type of culinary art came from our motherland known as Africa. In every African nation cooking was one of the most important skills young girls had to master. One traditional dish called Fufu is made of pounded yams and served with stew, roasted meats and different types of sauces. In the 60s and 70s some of the popular soul foods included: okra, fried chicken, candied yams, cornbread, pig’s feet, chitlins, collard greens, ham hocks, and black-eyed peas. During the 80s and into the present, soul food preparation methods have changed to become more health conscious. For example, instead of using pork (fatback), smoked turkey flavoring is added. Ahmad brought in a sweet potato pie to share with the class (and the recipe)! Terry also read ”Cultures of America – African Americans”, by Shelia Payton. THANK YOU to the Staples family!
We would like to additionally thank:
~ Ayden and mom, Ondrea, for washing the class towels and rugs.
~ Heidi Hudson, Kai’s mom, for ordering the Dental kits from Colgate for the class.
~ Ms. Basom and the children for planting all the fragrant and beautiful flowers that we all enjoy!
~ Ella Taggart and her mom, Michelle Meyers, for the enormous bucket of Lincoln Logs. This gift was in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday!

JACARANDA – MS. LECK
Welcome back to those who were away last week, and those who were in the South Pacific! Kasha Hinkle and her mom, Carolann, shared with the class their experience in the Tahitian Islands on Wednesday! Sounds like a true paradise!
We also welcome Ms. Dizon, a visiting intern, who will be working with the Jacaranda class this week and throughout the rest of the year. In these first visits she will be giving lessons in practical life, and in grace and courtesy.
Everyone is back in the routine and patterns of the classroom which are reassuring and comforting, and free the children to set their sights high.
At this time of year, after early works in the progression have been covered, reviewed and mastered, the children are able to fully realize their knowledge of the classroom. One of the ways we see this in the class is through peer teaching, when younger, same-age and older children offer help when it is needed. On Tuesday, one of the older children helped others read their work. The older child is boosted, and the younger ones want to be the more-accomplished child. It is truly a win-win situation.
The movable alphabet is an advanced language work that allows a child to pick up and place wooden cursive letters to make words, sentences, and even stories. The initial lesson asks children to recognize the letters (“Can you find the letter that makes the “cuh” sound?”), and so on, until the child forms the word “cat”. Soon there are numerous words, then sentences. This is before actual handwriting takes place, which follows at an age appropriate pace.
Overheard while a child was sewing her “butterfly” on
the sewing grid, “Oh, I’m just starting his antlers”.

REDWOOD – MS. RANKINS
We hope everyone had a great week off. The children seemed very excited to be back at school! We all enjoyed the school holiday on President’s Day!
We had a wonderful Valentine’s Day potluck and party. The children made the most beautiful wreaths in celebration of the day. We had lots of fun sharing Valentine’s Day treats as well!
The 1st years have been working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction math facts, and the 2nd years are working on measuring angles with a protractor.
The 4th years enjoyed their field trip to Mission Solano and the Sonoma Barracks. Thank you to Alice Philips for driving! They also have completed beautiful drawings of the missions they researched.
The 5th years are studying the War of 1812.
Please remember that your child needs fruits or vegetables in his/her lunch everyday! At snack time, only fruits or vegetables are allowed. Many children are still hungry after eating all of their lunches. It is a good idea to pack 3-4 items for your child everyday for lunch and snack.
Thank you to Diana Fong and Stephen Lee for the aquarium supplies! Now we can get our classroom fish!
We are seeking a parent volunteer to do gardening with the class. If you are interested, please let Ms. Rankins know.
















































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