Cornerstone Montessori School Newsletter
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
A New Face in the Lower Elementary
Parents of Lower Elementary (and full-day Kindergarten) Students may have heard about the new intern that joined us January 10! She is the fantastic Miss Nicki Bushway -- an enthusiastic, multi-faceted teacher-in-training who has tackled many areas of the curriculum and has instantly taken initiative in the classroom! She is doing Music lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, opposite Drama and PE, and she has taken over French instruction for Lower Elementary, which will be taking place on Thursdays! Another special touch she'll be adding is lessons in "Peace Education" -- her favorite curriculum area!
Here she is with her cat, Merlin!
My name is Nicki Bushway, and I am a second semester intern from Xavier University. I am certified in Early Childhood Montessori. Last year I was an intern at Montessori Academy of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. I am finishing up my Elementary certification through Xavier. I will be graduating in May of this year, and plan to move back to Lake Placid, New York during the summer. In a few years I plan to open my own school in Lake Placid. I live in Cincinnati with my cat named Merlin. I work part time at Domino’s Pizza in Fairfield as a delivery driver.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Preprimary Happenings
It’s been hopping down in Preprimary! Since October, we have welcomed Faith Wilson and Collin Witte. Both of these new students are kindergarteners. We welcome Collin, Faith, and their families to our Cornerstone Family.
We have studied the continent of North America by learning how the Inuit people of Alaska live, and making flags of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We have read about mammals of North America, customs of Mexico, and lifestyles, weather, etc. of the Canadians. Several children asked us to make sure to let their parents know about the book, The Inuit, which is by Ruth Thomson and is part of a series called “Footsteps in Time.” This is a simple account of how the Inuit people live now and lived long ago. After each topic (food, transportation, shelter, etc.) is a craft or activity.
In science, the mammal work on the shelf has included parts of the beaver and moose, parts of the human body (skeleton, circulatory system, organs), parts of the human face, bats!!, and an internal organ (heart, intestines, liver, lungs) coloring page. To accompany this work, we have been talking about the five senses.
Popular story time books have included Stella Luna, Seven Silly Eaters, and Stone Soup.
Our stone soup stew was quite a success with the teachers, but the children preferred the accompanying bread. Only two children were brave enough to actually taste the soup. We still enjoyed sitting down together for a Thanksgiving snack! (P.S. Don’t tell the kids, but we didn’t really use a stone for the soup!) Thanks to everyone for taking the time to prepare the ingredients. When asked why the boy in the story said that a stone was needed for the soup, one child replied, “Because it’s called ‘Stone Soup!’” Out of the mouths of babes….
At least three days a week, volunteers (Dina Velkly, Amy DesJardins, Kelly Curry, Cate Brown [Kirchhoff], Kathleen Hardy) have been listening to children read in the Art room. This is valuable time for each child to have one-on-one time to work on sounds/words. Many thanks to our listeners!
Kyle Meadows (his son is Douglas, grade 4) once again supplied us with two finches. The children have enjoyed drawing and observing the birds.
Seeking to avoid winter blues, we find it more important and enjoyable than ever to be outside at the end of each day. Most often we play on the blacktop, as the playground area is soggy due to rain. The children seem to enjoy running, chasing, and pretending with each other just as much in this area as on the playground proper.
We hope you had a joyful holiday season and we are proud to be beginning a new year with your children! ~Melody and Jenny
Monday, October 18, 2004
News from the Lower Elementary
With all of the new students in the Lower Elementary classroom, we have certainly felt quite grateful to have Vickey, our beloved intern! With her assistance in the classroom, we are able to more effectively work with each of your students, one-on-one! We are also proud of our classroom and our students and we are confident that Vickey is acquiring a very enriching and enjoyable experience this semester!
A portion of the Cultural curriculum changes monthly. We began the year studying the Solar System and the Universe and its wonders. We examined the characteristics of each of the planets, including the best known moons of each, and we examined the "life" cycle of a star. We went on field trips to the Cincinnati Observatory Center and the Drake Planetarium. We have been working on the huge concept of our place in the Universe...from our Milky Way Galaxy, to our Solar System, to our Planet Earth, our continent of North America, our country of the United States of America, our state, our city...all the way to our home addresses! We have also moved into the study of North America, including its biomes, flora, fauna and cultures. Students and their families are researching various North American animals they have selected; the presentations are during the last week of October!
Many visitors to our classroom are attracted to the many and varied pets we have! Our classroom pets include representatives of the five major classes of vertebrates:
- Fish -- betta
- Amphibian -- mantellas (tiny, colorful frogs native only to Madagascar!)
- Reptile -- Treeco, the female giant day gecko
- Birds -- zebra finches, located in the Library/Office
- Mammal -- Sydney, our sugar glider (a small, nocturnal marsupial native to Australia -- she hangs out in a little fabric pouch all day, around the neck of the child with the much-coveted job of "animal care"!)
We also have several invertebrates:
- Myriapoda/Chilopoda -- Wiggly, our giant African millipede
- Insecta -- Moja, Mmbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano, Sita & Saba, our giant Madagascan hissing cockroaches and our collections of feeder crickets and flightless fruit flies
- Arachnids -- our newest addition, Rosa, the Chilean rose-hair tarantula, will be joining our classroom menagerie in a few weeks, when we begin studying South America!
October is National Fire Safety Month: We have visited the Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport and its special fire department, and we visited our friendly, neighborhood fire department of Bellevue/Dayton and "Fireman Joe"! Please remember to take the time to discuss fire safety at home with your child(ren)! Establish and practice an escape plan with two ways out, review what to do if the smoke alarm goes off, and change your smoke alarm batteried when you set your clocks back on Oct. 31!
Reading Material Available
Did you know that we have a shelf of Montessori and related books available in our school library? Additionally, the school receives a magazine, "Tomorrow's Child," specifically geared toward parents and families associated with Montessori education. Feel free to borrow these!
For your convenience, several issues of "Tomorrow's Child" are located in a white basket on the preprimary cubbies. Please return them when you are finished. Better yet, recommend them to others!
For further reading, below are some titles that are by and about Maria Montessori and/or the Montessori Method. Some of these books may be available in our library, to be checked out for you by Melissa or a teacher.
The Montessori Controversy by Chattin-McNichols c.1992
Montessori in Contemporary American Culture by Loeffler (ed.) c.1992
Maria Montessori: A Biography by Kramer c.1988
Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work by Standing c.1957
By Maria Montessori (older writings, despite copyright):
Education and Peace Clio Montessori Series c.1992
The Formation of Man c.1975
Education for a New World c.1974
What's Been Happening in the Preprimary?
In the Preprimary classroom, the school year began with a week-long orientation to the classroom and classroom procedures. Daily activities include discussion of current events (e.g. cicadas, hurricanes, birthdays), the calendar (days of week, month, season), the silence game, a fiction/nonfiction book during story time, lessons, snack, and songs/movement games. Most recently, we have sung songs pertaining to fall, Johnny Appleseed, and Halloween.
One day the students spent part of the morning peeling and cutting apples. With these we made applesauce in a crock pot. On the following day we prepared applesauce pancakes (see recipe below).
On the science shelves, students were introduced to the concepts of plant/animal, nonliving/living, and air/land/water. Insect works have included parts of the honeybee, insects vs. arachnids, insect types, etc.
In addition to the air/land/water work, students were given lessons on the names of the planets and a general introduction to the solar system. One of the most popular works in this area (Geography) was the child-sized astronaut jump suit.
Since we are currently moving from the study of insects to that of the human body, "Stuffy," a 5' tall stuffed human, visited, along with Kevin, from the Cincinnati Museum Center. Kevin's program included a discussion of nutrition (junk food vs. nutritious food), the esophagus ("food tube"), large and small intestines, stomach, heart, etc., as well as lots of student interaction. Kevin does a fantastic job with our children.
Prior to Stuffy's visit, Kevin did a wonderful, informative, interactive insect program for the entire school. The teachers enjoy his programs just as much as the children!
Last week our class visited Fireman Joe at the Bellevue/Dayton Firehouse. There we learned about smoke detectors, 9-1-1, "stop, drop, cover, and roll," and safe meeting places in case of a fire. The children were allowed to climb into 2 fire trucks.
Recipe for Applesauce Pancakes
(makes about 25 apple cakes)
2 apples
2 cups pancake mix
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
Optional: 1 cup chunky applesauce instead of apples
1. Wash apples. Leaving skins on, either grate them or chop them finely.
2. Mix all the ingredients except the oil. Mix until smooth.
3. Heat an electric skillet to 325F. Coat the cooking surface with about 1 teaspoon of the oil.
4. Drop 2 tablespoons of batter for each apples cake into the skillet. Fry 2 minutes on each side, or unit golden brown. Recoat surface with oil and make next batch.
5. Drain apple cakes on paper towels. Eat warm.
6. Serve with applesauce, if desired.
~ contributed by Miss Jenny
Volunteers Seldom Get Enough THANK YOUs!
The teachers, staff and students wish to thank the parent volunteers who have already been quite busy helping us at Cornerstone!
- Thanks to Karen Dansberry, our library more closely resembles a real library -- the books are once again organized and alphabetized, but Karen doesn't stop there! She does a great job of locating seasonal books or books applicable to what the classrooms are studying!
- Thanks to Kathy Baur, we have a warm and friendly face to greet the children each morning and welcome them safely into the building!
- Thanks to Brenda Brown, Miss Gretchen has help with the youngest Art class on many Friday afternoons!
- The Sherrys provided great refreshments for the Open House and the Parent Meeting!
- Barb Barth has kept busy most weekends with CMS laundry!
- Trish Messman has been wonderful in the Art room in the mornings and very helpful in the Preprimary classroom as well!
- Renee Marquette has been doing a great job shopping for materials Melody and Jenny have needed for the classroom!
- Kyle Meadows helped the Upper Elementary with their fish tank, repaired a Lower Elementary shelf, welcomed the Upper Elementary on a field trip to his farm and acquired another computer desk for the library!
- Cate Brown has been popping in to listen to readers and do file box with the children in the Lower Elementary!
- Melissa has gone above and beyond her office job in the assistance she has provided to students, teachers and to the school at large!
- Amy DesJardins has been doing a super job assisting Melody and Jenny with the Preprimary morning recess, AND she found time the first week of October to work on cleaning the classroom in preparation for the Open House!
- Kelly Curry, too, put in time that first week of October, cleaning shelves and sanitizing materials!
- Kathleen Hardy cleaned the floors in the Preprimary classroom on the afternoon of Friday, October 8!
- Chris Bachman did windows in the Lower Elementary classroom that afternoon!
The following people joined in on the hard work and the fun at the cleaning night on Friday, October 8:
- Sherri Smith
- Donna Snyder
- Suzanne Becker
- Gail & Jim Bacho (accompanied by Andrea, grade 5, and Kaitlyn - a former student who came just to clean!)
- Renee Marquette
- Sue Witte
- Dina Velkly
- Kathy & Ron Baur
- Joe Theis and Upper El student Alicia
- Stephan Fedak
- Jon Atkinson
THANKS to all of YOU, we certainly had a school environment to be proud of on Sunday, October 10!
Thursday, September 23, 2004
CMS Night at the Observatory
On the evening of Friday, September 17, elementary students and parents visited the Cincinnati Observatory Center. It looked as though Ivan was going to ruin our chances of observing the night sky with telescopes, but the weather turned in our favor and it turned out to be a wonderful night!
As we arrived, there were telescopes out on the lawn to view the waxing crescent moon. Inside the classroom, the phases of the moon and the "Earthshine" on the moon were demonstrated and explained. Due to the mysterious absence of a computer cable, we missed out on a slide show, but ...we all check out the latest Hubble images on our home computers, right? Our presenter, Mr. Paul Nohr, handled this unexpected situation well and took us outside to locate constellations, aided by his handy green laser pointer!
With the big telescope, everyone had a chance to see globular cluster M13;
far fewer people viewed the next several objects, which included a binary star system, a double binary star system, a ring nebula and the Andromeda galaxy!
Meanwhile, out on the lawn.... (Anyone who was out there care to fill us in? See anything nifty with the lawn telescopes?)
The Cincinnati Observatory Center has Astronomy Nights nearly every Thursday and Friday night, but you must have reservations, and they tend to book up rather quickly! Also, this Satruday, September 25, is ScopeOut 2004! This annual event at the observatory will be from noon-10:30 p.m. -- it's a great event to keep abreast of astronomy news and to ask questions of astronomers...or to find out about telescopes! It's a family event, too! For more information, visit www.cincinnatiobservatory.org!
Preprimary Career Aspirations Revisited
Below are preprimary career choices as of May 2004:
Grace H. - astronaut
Alexandra H. - "help sick people get better with a shot on their arm and take a telescope to check their back and tummy and give them shots on their legs"
Lillian D. - teacher
Teresa V. - ballerina
Lucy K. -mommy
George M. - "sweep all sorts of stuff using a vacuum cleaner"
Aubrey K. - mailperson
Aaliyah B. - singing, reading stories, and telling jokes
Cole I. - teach little people about sharks, and hunt and study sharks
Chas K. - undetermined
Savannah S. - dog walker
Katie S. - nurse
Lily H. - artist
Katie B. - work at Krogers putting food into bags
Sam C. - scientist, study in Antarctica
Savanna B. - Britney Spears, veterinarian
Anna J. - waitress at "the kind of restaurant where they are on roller skates"
Sarah K. - art teacher
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Preprimary Update!
Prepare a snack for yourself, because this is a long overdue update on the Preprimary Classroom!
Prior to recess, the class has been practicing "The Silent Game." This is an exercise in which every person in the classroom makes an attempt to sit, together, in silence for three minutes. The purpose of this activity is to center oneself and to practice listening. This is quite a feat for young children! It is amazing the sounds the children can pick up each day. An extension of this process will be an area of the room where individuals are free to attempt to sit silently for a specific amount of time. (We use an hour glass as a visual.) As the weather warms, we will move the Game outside.
On cold and rainy days, we have been learning simple folk dances, listening and dancing to other lively music, and completing an obstable course inside the classroom.
On April 1st, Miss Jenny and Miss Melody, with the assistance of Miss Mary and many parents, played an April Fool's joke on the classroom. Miss Mary brought the children into the classroom, while the teachers hid in the hall and in the teacher work area. After assuring the children that the teachers would return shortly, Miss Mary asked a kindergarten student (Anna J.) to lead the meeting. Your children were incredible!! Who would think that 18 children under the age of six could/would have the maturity to sit and participate in a 20 minute meeting without an "authority" figure present.
Anna followed the usual routine by leading the children in the days-of-the-week song, answering questions, and making decisions. Another child suggested that everyone share. When it was determined that the sharing ball could not be reached, someone else suggested that each child raise their hand. This course of action taken, sharing commenced. Melody and Jenny were so proud of the students!
As Miss Melody had to miss several days of work in April, Mr. Dan (Heidi's previous substitute) was gracious enough to fill her spot. Even though we all very much missed Melody ("She's the best!"--Savannah S.), it was enjoyable to have Mr. Dan read to us, give a lesson on birds and one on tools, and work with individual students. Thanks, Mr. Dan!
We have constructed our last Japanese flag and shifted our focus to Africa. Today the kindergarten students and Cole learned about the gazelle, hornbill, lion, African elephant, and camel.
Fish are out, birds are in. Visit the bird shelf to find out about bird beaks (seed-eaters, meat eaters), feet (perching, climbing, hunting), types of birds, etc. On the display shelf you will see a real nest and two types of bird eggs (sans hatchlings) brought in by students.
Miss Melody has worked VERY hard to brighten and freshen the everyday living shelves (EDL). Many of her wonderful ideas come directly from the conference attended by the staff in April. Your child might choose from soap grating, egg shell grinding, wood sanding, wood polishing, copper polishing, table cleaning, bubble blowing, etc. Remember, the primary purpose of these activities is to promote concentraton, coordination, and independence, NOT to learn to clean or polish. The latter are just icing on the cake.
Speaking of cake, aren't you glad I suggested that snack at the outset?
There have been a few new art activities as well. Tire track painting, dowel painting, bookmark construction, rubberband prints, purple collage work, spring-themed rubbing, cutting and stamping work, magnets......
Thank to Kyle Meadows for building ANOTHER aquarium stand for us. Kyle was the musician who played his dulcimer at the auction. He is a man of many gifts.
Miss Jenny brought in a furry visitor at the end of April: Spot. Spot is Miss Jenny's children's pet hamster. Just after spring break Lillian shared her bunny, Pixie, with the class. Ashley and Marella, both elementary students, brought a turtle to school and Ashley and her friend, Andrea, brought the turtle to visit our class one morning. Kyle (see above) is trying to borrow some chicks, as we are studying birds. Last year Kyle's son, Douglas, brought in 2 chickens and gave us a lesson on their habits and needs. We now know that 1) chickens don't use litter boxes, and 2) chickens can, indeed, fly.
Keep Flying,
Jenny
Monday, March 15, 2004
Winged Migration
Last Friday the lower el. and pre-primary/k watched 20 minutes of a film entitled "Winged Migration." The non-fiction movie featured spectacular footage documenting the migration of birds across various continents.
Some children were very interested in seeing more, so we are providing the title through this format. Melody's copy came from the Cincinnati Public Library.
Saturday, March 13, 2004
MANY THANKS!
Many thanks to those who were able to participate in our fun-filled cleaning day! Among the luminaries.....
Alicia Kimball and Alexa Johnson.....cleaned in Miss Emily's room AND made a Starbuck's run
Diana Herrmann........shelved books, spruced up the library, and cleaned the lower elementary classroom
Annie, Ashley, and Marella Soldano.......scrubbed the lower elementary classroom shelves......Ashley had the unenviable task of cleaning the rabbit's cage........Marella helped Miss Kathleen with childcare
Lisa Schneider.........cleaned (and cleaned) the art room and mopped the steps, all while listening to Jenny and Melody exclaim, "Why are we keeping THIS!!?!" from the art room
Susanne Becker (Anna J.'s mom)........for single-handedly removing the accumulated grunge from the pre-primary sink, snack, art, everyday living, and sewing areas...... Anna cleaned the outside of the fish tank and the mirrors.....Susanne brought the first round of snacks, thus keeping Miss Jenny alive another hour, until....
Kathleen Hardy.......brought us pasta, bread, sweets......and took care of the children while we cleaned.......Alexandra helped put the sheets away
Barb Barth and Lucy Knapke.....showed up with a load of freshly laundered work rugs, rags, and art shirts
Jesse (Melody's son) for carrying, moving things, and helping maintain morale
Kyle Meadows.......cleaned, moved, measured, built, dragged, pushed, and dusted........After his 10th trip to the dumpster, Kyle expressed an intimate acquaintance with its complex workings.
Many, many thanks.
Mary, Heidi, Emily, Melody, and Jenny
