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Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Calendar
Jan. 12 Core Meeting 5 pm
Jan. 14 Staff Inservice Day – no school or childcare
Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Holiday – no school or childcare
Jan. 20 Estate Planning/College Saving Seminar 7-8:30 pm
Jan. 29 GLM 1st Annual Crab feed 4 – 7 pm
Feb. 1 Financial Aid paperwork due
PHENOMENON OF CONCENTRATION
Tolstoy, Piaget, Etand, and Segain were among the first to observe the remarkable powers of observation in the very young child.
Maria Montessori made it her life’s work from 1906 to 1954 to study this occurrence and to create nurturing learning environments where children could develop at their own rate, and spontaneously focus on tasks that attract them. Following are some examples observed in each classroom in the last few weeks.
PRIMARY
~ We help protect the children’s concentration, and as “defenders” of their focus and concentration we observe them everyday. Last week, a male child had finished his “100 board” work, and joined his friend in the snack area saying, “I’m going to have snack”. He began to talk to his friend, who was squeezing oranges into juice. Another friend joined them at the table and they conversed while toasting and buttering bread. They were clearly enjoying each other’s company. Smiling, the first child pretended to be asleep. Even as they talked and played together, there was focus on their works, whether math or practical life.
~ Two girls demonstrated great concentration with the numeral memory game materials for one and a half hours. These two showed true enjoyment as they were learning the basic concepts of mathematics, all types of quantities, counting, comparing, and sharing.
~ A male child was using the “100 board” on a rug in the back of the classroom. He spent over 45 minutes sorting and categorizing the number tiles by tens. A younger child interrupted him to ask if she could watch. He nodded his head “yes” and continued to sort the tiles. Five minutes later another child who had been watching the finches turned on his stool and quietly observed the tile sorting. All 3 children were engaged, interested, and concentrating.
~ A 4.5 year old boy is so taken with puzzle maps that he often spends entire days doing them. Working on the floor with other children’s mats all around him, he removes country shapes, rebuilds continents, and replaces all pieces while feet and limbs fly by his work.
continued
~ A teacher was reading to a small circle of children from a book in Spanish. The children were so enthralled with the story they did not notice the noises from the other students who were working on activities. Two other children were working on the 100 board, sorting number tiles and placing them in numerical order. These children also remained focused on their work for a good part of the morning.
TODDLERS
~ A 20 month old child was using the spooning work. As he spooned from one bowl to another, a child tripped over the first child’s foot. The child doing the spooning work didn’t even look up. Another child spilled water under the table the first child was working at, and he still was not distracted, even as the liquid was being mopped up around his feet.
~ A 2.5 year old girl was working on the “Pink Tower”, building the tower slowly and carefully, from largest block to smallest. Nearby, a parent was doing a project with four other children. There was lots of activity and noise, “My crayons!”, “My glue!”. With all the distraction the child continued to focus on the building the tower, generating good eye-hand coordination.
ELEMENTARY
While playing basketball one girl was determined to control the ball during warm-up. With head bent and eyes glued to the ball, she began slapping at the ball. It hit her foot, rolled to the side, but she chased after the ball never losing sight of it. Once she retrieved it she resumed her position and began again. During this time her partner was chanting her name, she was oblivious to the chants and continued concentrating of her activity.
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. The sound for next week is “O” as in Octopus, Olive, and October.
23 DAYS TILL CRAB FEED
GLM’s first annual Crab Feed is only a few weeks away! See the attachments to this newsletter for more detailed information and ticket order form!
PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY 101:
ESTATE PLANNING & COLLEGE SAVINGS BASICS
Join us, Jan. 20th, at 7 pm, for an informational seminar on how to protect your family and save for the future. Gigi Orta (GLM parent of Sam & Lily in Magnolia) is an estate planning attorney in the East Bay, and Julianna Youn, financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and mother of a toddler, will cover topics such as: What is probate, and why all the fuss about avoiding it? Wills vs. Trusts – what’s the difference? Are 529 college savings plans here to stay? Do I qualify for an education IRA? Is a custodial account the best way to save for college?
This seminar will be held in the elementary classroom (Redwood) at GLM. Light refreshments provided. Please RSVP to gigiorta@yahoo.com, or 510-594-8483 if you’d like to attend. If an afternoon seminar would work better for you, please let Gigi know.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid information and procedures passed out to all. For re-enrolling families the deadline for submitting a Parent’s Financial Statement (PFS) to retain your child’s space in the school is 2/1/05 – no exceptions. The original PFS is to be mailed to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid, and a copy of the PFS must be delivered to Nancy Haskins, Director of Financial Aid at GLM by 2/1/05. Please see the information passed out in December for details. If you need the procedures/info, please contact either of the school’s offices.
STAFFING CHANGES
With 2005 comes changes at GLM. Elementary teacher, Vermell Mack-Keeles, has decided to resign and join her husband who retired this past summer. The school has hired Nicole Sittre to assist in the elementary class with Ms. Rankins. Ms. Sittre has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Environmental Studies and Community Studies from UCSB, as well as experience and training in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching students 2-17 years about organic gardening, tide pools, and environmental restoration while a Teacher-In-Residence at Slide Ranch in Marin County. Please welcome her.
GLM has also hired a new, experienced teacher, Sherrie Mc Intyre, in the Brown Cottage. Ms. Mc Intyre has worked with us for several months as a substitute teacher from Child Care Careers and is familiar with most of the toddler children. Be sure to introduce yourself!
FLOATERS
During the flu season, GLM experiences frequent staff illness. For continuity, support staff “float” from class to class as needed. These teachers, Gloria Grimm, Tamara Popa, and Elaine Mezzio, already know all the children, and work in all of the classrooms. If there is significant, extended illness, or multiple absences, GLM recruits from Child Care Careers, a temporary teacher personnel agency.
GLM REFERENCES NEEDED
If you would like to be a phone reference for parents interested in our school, please contact Nancy Haskins, 510-836-4313, to be added to the list. Any time spent talking to prospective parents will be applied to your Parent Participation Hours.
BETTER HOMES MAGAZINE REQUEST
Nancy Haskins is looking for copies of the October/November 2004 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Her husband’s cabinetry work is shown on page 56 and his name is mentioned in the resources section. They’d really like to have a few extra copies. You can drop it off in either office. Thank you!
PARENTS NIGHT OUT (PNO)
Ms. Leck is hosting a PNO on Saturday, Jan. 8th, from 6 pm to 11 pm, in the Jacaranda classroom. Children should arrive in their PJs, and bring a sleeping bag. A snack, crafts and a movie will be provided. The cost is $35.00 for one child and $55.00 for two. Children must be at least 2.5 years old. An organic pizza will be served for dinner. If you would like your child to participate in the dinner please confirm by adding $3.00 to your check. Advance payment reserves your spot. Call Ms. Leck at home 510-663-8770, or e-mail sidleck@earthlink.net. PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHECK OUT TO SHIRLEY LECK, not Sidney. Thank you!
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CHILDCARE
Mary Aima, Mulberry toddler teacher, will offer childcare at her home in Alameda on Monday, Jan. 17th. For $50 for the day, the children will take a walking tip to the park, do a cooking project, play games and see a video. Look for sign up sheets on the clipboards. For more information, or to ask questions, please contact Ms. Aima in the Brown Cottage, or call her at home, 510-749-0853.
CLASS News
LIVE OAK
The children were all very excited to return to class Monday morning! The room was busy with work and holiday songs were still being sung.
We hope you all had a safe and peaceful holiday. May 2005 be the best for you and your families!
Missy, Dee Dee, and Anne
GINKGO
Welcome to 2005! The children returned very eager to relate stories from their holidays and what presents they received. Thank you very much to every parent in Ginkgo for the generous gifts. Also, thank you to Catherine Wool who came in and read some Christmas stories, followed by guiding children in decorating their own star cookies! Yummy!
Due to the wetter weather we are going to begin wearing indoor shoes, or slippers, in the classroom. We also feel that this will make a definite marker between “outdoor” and “inside”, which may in turn develop better working habits. Please send a pair of indoor shoes or slippers for your child to wear and leave at school. Be sure to LABEL all footwear with your child’s name.
MAGNOLIA
Welcome back, everyone!
The children are all very excited to be back in their regular school routine.
Happy 3rd birthday to Sam Nelson. He shared a yummy snack of banana-chocolate chip muffins with us! Thank you!
Thank you to all the parents for the generous holiday gifts. We really appreciate your support.
With the rainy weather here please send your child to school with raincoats and rainboots, even if it is not raining. There are plenty of mud puddles around campus asking to be walked through.
Ms. Santiago will return to work on Monday, Jan. 10th. We will all be very happy to see her!
CAMELLIA
Welcome back to everyone! It’s hard to believe it is already the year 2005! In the Chinese Zodiac calendar it is the Year of the Rooster. People born in 2005, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, and 1993 are occasionally eccentric, devoted to work, and seek knowledge!
MULBERRY
Happy New Year and welcome back!
Please welcome Ms. Mc Intyre to the Mulberry class. She will be assisting in the morning and in charge of the aftercare toddler program. Be sure to introduce yourselves. Also, please welcome new student, Ben Bolden, to our class. Lots of birthdays to celebrate! Happy birthdays to Alex, Kyra, Kaylen, and Louis.
We recently got new furniture for the class and the children are all enjoying it!
JUNIPER
Happy New Year, and welcome back, everyone! In just the two short weeks of Holiday Break the children have visibly grown! As we all continue to help these children develop remember the Chinese proverb: “A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark”.
JACARANDA
Please welcome Alexander Schreiber who joined the Jacaranda class on Monday after his initial visits before the Holiday Break. We are happy to have him and his family join ours!
Welcome back to Mrs. Saleem, who has been sick for several weeks. She has returned to the classroom part time as she continues to recover.
Please see the new January Parent Participation calendar posted near the main door. Sign up today for an activity, or ask a Jacaranda teacher for suggestions!
REDWOOD
Thank you to everyone for attending the Holiday Performance! The children were amazing. They are currently looking forward to their Spring Performance. Thank you also to the parents for the generous, wonderful gifts. Your continued support is much appreciated.
This week the 2nd year children have been practicing using mini looms, as the ancient Greeks used for rug making. The 5th and 6th years are beginning to study Leondardo da Vinci and his contributions to physical science (flying machines). The 3rd years are very busy studying the trade routes during the Renaissance.
Calendar
Jan. 12 Core Meeting 5 pm
Jan. 14 Staff Inservice Day – no school or childcare
Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Holiday – no school or childcare
Jan. 20 Estate Planning/College Saving Seminar 7-8:30 pm
Jan. 29 GLM 1st Annual Crab feed 4 – 7 pm
Feb. 1 Financial Aid paperwork due
PHENOMENON OF CONCENTRATION
Tolstoy, Piaget, Etand, and Segain were among the first to observe the remarkable powers of observation in the very young child.
Maria Montessori made it her life’s work from 1906 to 1954 to study this occurrence and to create nurturing learning environments where children could develop at their own rate, and spontaneously focus on tasks that attract them. Following are some examples observed in each classroom in the last few weeks.
PRIMARY
~ We help protect the children’s concentration, and as “defenders” of their focus and concentration we observe them everyday. Last week, a male child had finished his “100 board” work, and joined his friend in the snack area saying, “I’m going to have snack”. He began to talk to his friend, who was squeezing oranges into juice. Another friend joined them at the table and they conversed while toasting and buttering bread. They were clearly enjoying each other’s company. Smiling, the first child pretended to be asleep. Even as they talked and played together, there was focus on their works, whether math or practical life.
~ Two girls demonstrated great concentration with the numeral memory game materials for one and a half hours. These two showed true enjoyment as they were learning the basic concepts of mathematics, all types of quantities, counting, comparing, and sharing.
~ A male child was using the “100 board” on a rug in the back of the classroom. He spent over 45 minutes sorting and categorizing the number tiles by tens. A younger child interrupted him to ask if she could watch. He nodded his head “yes” and continued to sort the tiles. Five minutes later another child who had been watching the finches turned on his stool and quietly observed the tile sorting. All 3 children were engaged, interested, and concentrating.
~ A 4.5 year old boy is so taken with puzzle maps that he often spends entire days doing them. Working on the floor with other children’s mats all around him, he removes country shapes, rebuilds continents, and replaces all pieces while feet and limbs fly by his work.
continued
~ A teacher was reading to a small circle of children from a book in Spanish. The children were so enthralled with the story they did not notice the noises from the other students who were working on activities. Two other children were working on the 100 board, sorting number tiles and placing them in numerical order. These children also remained focused on their work for a good part of the morning.
TODDLERS
~ A 20 month old child was using the spooning work. As he spooned from one bowl to another, a child tripped over the first child’s foot. The child doing the spooning work didn’t even look up. Another child spilled water under the table the first child was working at, and he still was not distracted, even as the liquid was being mopped up around his feet.
~ A 2.5 year old girl was working on the “Pink Tower”, building the tower slowly and carefully, from largest block to smallest. Nearby, a parent was doing a project with four other children. There was lots of activity and noise, “My crayons!”, “My glue!”. With all the distraction the child continued to focus on the building the tower, generating good eye-hand coordination.
ELEMENTARY
While playing basketball one girl was determined to control the ball during warm-up. With head bent and eyes glued to the ball, she began slapping at the ball. It hit her foot, rolled to the side, but she chased after the ball never losing sight of it. Once she retrieved it she resumed her position and began again. During this time her partner was chanting her name, she was oblivious to the chants and continued concentrating of her activity.
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. The sound for next week is “O” as in Octopus, Olive, and October.
23 DAYS TILL CRAB FEED
GLM’s first annual Crab Feed is only a few weeks away! See the attachments to this newsletter for more detailed information and ticket order form!
PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY 101:
ESTATE PLANNING & COLLEGE SAVINGS BASICS
Join us, Jan. 20th, at 7 pm, for an informational seminar on how to protect your family and save for the future. Gigi Orta (GLM parent of Sam & Lily in Magnolia) is an estate planning attorney in the East Bay, and Julianna Youn, financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and mother of a toddler, will cover topics such as: What is probate, and why all the fuss about avoiding it? Wills vs. Trusts – what’s the difference? Are 529 college savings plans here to stay? Do I qualify for an education IRA? Is a custodial account the best way to save for college?
This seminar will be held in the elementary classroom (Redwood) at GLM. Light refreshments provided. Please RSVP to gigiorta@yahoo.com, or 510-594-8483 if you’d like to attend. If an afternoon seminar would work better for you, please let Gigi know.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid information and procedures passed out to all. For re-enrolling families the deadline for submitting a Parent’s Financial Statement (PFS) to retain your child’s space in the school is 2/1/05 – no exceptions. The original PFS is to be mailed to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid, and a copy of the PFS must be delivered to Nancy Haskins, Director of Financial Aid at GLM by 2/1/05. Please see the information passed out in December for details. If you need the procedures/info, please contact either of the school’s offices.
STAFFING CHANGES
With 2005 comes changes at GLM. Elementary teacher, Vermell Mack-Keeles, has decided to resign and join her husband who retired this past summer. The school has hired Nicole Sittre to assist in the elementary class with Ms. Rankins. Ms. Sittre has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Environmental Studies and Community Studies from UCSB, as well as experience and training in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching students 2-17 years about organic gardening, tide pools, and environmental restoration while a Teacher-In-Residence at Slide Ranch in Marin County. Please welcome her.
GLM has also hired a new, experienced teacher, Sherrie Mc Intyre, in the Brown Cottage. Ms. Mc Intyre has worked with us for several months as a substitute teacher from Child Care Careers and is familiar with most of the toddler children. Be sure to introduce yourself!
FLOATERS
During the flu season, GLM experiences frequent staff illness. For continuity, support staff “float” from class to class as needed. These teachers, Gloria Grimm, Tamara Popa, and Elaine Mezzio, already know all the children, and work in all of the classrooms. If there is significant, extended illness, or multiple absences, GLM recruits from Child Care Careers, a temporary teacher personnel agency.
GLM REFERENCES NEEDED
If you would like to be a phone reference for parents interested in our school, please contact Nancy Haskins, 510-836-4313, to be added to the list. Any time spent talking to prospective parents will be applied to your Parent Participation Hours.
BETTER HOMES MAGAZINE REQUEST
Nancy Haskins is looking for copies of the October/November 2004 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Her husband’s cabinetry work is shown on page 56 and his name is mentioned in the resources section. They’d really like to have a few extra copies. You can drop it off in either office. Thank you!
PARENTS NIGHT OUT (PNO)
Ms. Leck is hosting a PNO on Saturday, Jan. 8th, from 6 pm to 11 pm, in the Jacaranda classroom. Children should arrive in their PJs, and bring a sleeping bag. A snack, crafts and a movie will be provided. The cost is $35.00 for one child and $55.00 for two. Children must be at least 2.5 years old. An organic pizza will be served for dinner. If you would like your child to participate in the dinner please confirm by adding $3.00 to your check. Advance payment reserves your spot. Call Ms. Leck at home 510-663-8770, or e-mail sidleck@earthlink.net. PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHECK OUT TO SHIRLEY LECK, not Sidney. Thank you!
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CHILDCARE
Mary Aima, Mulberry toddler teacher, will offer childcare at her home in Alameda on Monday, Jan. 17th. For $50 for the day, the children will take a walking tip to the park, do a cooking project, play games and see a video. Look for sign up sheets on the clipboards. For more information, or to ask questions, please contact Ms. Aima in the Brown Cottage, or call her at home, 510-749-0853.
CLASS News
LIVE OAK
The children were all very excited to return to class Monday morning! The room was busy with work and holiday songs were still being sung.
We hope you all had a safe and peaceful holiday. May 2005 be the best for you and your families!
Missy, Dee Dee, and Anne
GINKGO
Welcome to 2005! The children returned very eager to relate stories from their holidays and what presents they received. Thank you very much to every parent in Ginkgo for the generous gifts. Also, thank you to Catherine Wool who came in and read some Christmas stories, followed by guiding children in decorating their own star cookies! Yummy!
Due to the wetter weather we are going to begin wearing indoor shoes, or slippers, in the classroom. We also feel that this will make a definite marker between “outdoor” and “inside”, which may in turn develop better working habits. Please send a pair of indoor shoes or slippers for your child to wear and leave at school. Be sure to LABEL all footwear with your child’s name.
MAGNOLIA
Welcome back, everyone!
The children are all very excited to be back in their regular school routine.
Happy 3rd birthday to Sam Nelson. He shared a yummy snack of banana-chocolate chip muffins with us! Thank you!
Thank you to all the parents for the generous holiday gifts. We really appreciate your support.
With the rainy weather here please send your child to school with raincoats and rainboots, even if it is not raining. There are plenty of mud puddles around campus asking to be walked through.
Ms. Santiago will return to work on Monday, Jan. 10th. We will all be very happy to see her!
CAMELLIA
Welcome back to everyone! It’s hard to believe it is already the year 2005! In the Chinese Zodiac calendar it is the Year of the Rooster. People born in 2005, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, and 1993 are occasionally eccentric, devoted to work, and seek knowledge!
MULBERRY
Happy New Year and welcome back!
Please welcome Ms. Mc Intyre to the Mulberry class. She will be assisting in the morning and in charge of the aftercare toddler program. Be sure to introduce yourselves. Also, please welcome new student, Ben Bolden, to our class. Lots of birthdays to celebrate! Happy birthdays to Alex, Kyra, Kaylen, and Louis.
We recently got new furniture for the class and the children are all enjoying it!
JUNIPER
Happy New Year, and welcome back, everyone! In just the two short weeks of Holiday Break the children have visibly grown! As we all continue to help these children develop remember the Chinese proverb: “A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark”.
JACARANDA
Please welcome Alexander Schreiber who joined the Jacaranda class on Monday after his initial visits before the Holiday Break. We are happy to have him and his family join ours!
Welcome back to Mrs. Saleem, who has been sick for several weeks. She has returned to the classroom part time as she continues to recover.
Please see the new January Parent Participation calendar posted near the main door. Sign up today for an activity, or ask a Jacaranda teacher for suggestions!
REDWOOD
Thank you to everyone for attending the Holiday Performance! The children were amazing. They are currently looking forward to their Spring Performance. Thank you also to the parents for the generous, wonderful gifts. Your continued support is much appreciated.
This week the 2nd year children have been practicing using mini looms, as the ancient Greeks used for rug making. The 5th and 6th years are beginning to study Leondardo da Vinci and his contributions to physical science (flying machines). The 3rd years are very busy studying the trade routes during the Renaissance.
