Hi Families,                                                       

        Attached please find an updated calendar and permission slip to go to the Amherst Public Library on Friday, January 22^nd.  Elementary is on the move again. This time our research topic will be Ancient Greece.  More on that later!

     Our second week of skating was uneventful for injuries, thankfully.  It is amazing to already see the improvement your children have made from the first week. It is SO important that have a good breakfast so they don’t peter out expending that tremendous amount of energy.  If you haven’t come yet, you might want to consider coming along. Remember for a nominal fee after their lesson YOU can join them on the ice for the “open skate” time which lasts until 11:30.  Several dads have joined us. It looks like great fun and very motivating to your child

     Remember to sign up for conferences now. As you can see on the calendar, I have the 28^th booked with two. I am open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:00 to 3:30 and 3:30 to 4:00 pm and available for you. Please stop in after school and let me know your preference. We have child care available at no cost to you for your conference.

     We have our third annual Poetry Café coming up. This year it will be held on Friday, February 12^th at 7pm.  For those of you that have not experienced a “Poetry Cafe” before, you are in for a real treat!  This month we are focusing on poetry. The children are learning several kinds like, couplets, haiku, acrostic, cinquain, personal, and shape.  They will be writing and performing their originals as well as reciting some famous ones from memory.   They may be performing in two, three or four “voices” and some may have musical accompaniment.  It is truly one of our elementary highlights and a treat for all who attend.  This year, as always, we ask younger siblings, unless they are a rising 1^st grader to refrain from attending in consideration of our talented performers. What can you do at home?  Change your bedtime reading to poetry – all kinds.  Play with rhyming – at bedtime – in the car everyday in every way.  See how easy it is?  Expose your children to your favorite poems and poets. Go to the library and pick out poetry books. Share and enjoy. (Even if poetry isn’t your cup of tea; feign interest – but above all, DON’T GROAN!)

     Extending the writing experience at school we have also begun talking to your children about the books they are to begin writing with us about themselves. We have begun a discussion with them to think about their earliest memory. It may NOT be what someone has told them about what they did how they looked or acted, but an actual memory from their own stored memory banks. This will serve as their introduction.  The photographs will serve to illustrate each year of their life.  Most will be about what someone has told them about their first year, second year and third year of life and so on, until they kick in and provide narration themselves.  This is a yearly activity we do with all children in elementary and you should see a change over the years in the compositions, in length, spelling, handwriting, and sentence composition.

     I always see a change in their willingness to undertake the assignment and the actual joy they have when they end up with a finished product they are proud of.  We share our stories of ourselves at “Writers Circle.” It is always entertaining!

     One more topic on the process of writing I’d like to mention is the Ancient Greece Project.  Working our way along the timeline of history and civilizations, the stories of the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece never fail to capture the imaginations of children and hold them spellbound. Perhaps it is their all too human failings and personalities that we can connect to and become aware of in ourselves…..Whatever the reason, this period of development for children is ripe for introducing big picture culture in a way that they really connect to and become excited about.  So we are once again off to research at the library. How can you help? Read books and articles at home. Discuss their favorites with them and marvel at the stories together.

      I would love to have an Elementary Parent Meeting with you all as I have taken up the bulk of this newsletter on our writing projects – but do have much more to share on reading and math in the elementary years. Please look at your schedules.  I am available weekends and would love to bend your ears say on a Sat. or Sunday morning with coffee and bagels?

Call me!

Claire

Hi Families,                                                                                    Happy New Year              

       We are so happy to get back into the swing of things after the break!  Before I close the 2009 chapter of CVMS I would be remiss if I didn’t take time to thank everyone for their thoughtful gifts.  It’s always a little humbling to receive the fruits of your good wishes.  I know I say it time and time again, but we really do feel the best gift you have already given us is the time with your children. So away into 2010 we go….

     On Friday I attended the Non-Public School Advisory Council Meeting at the Department of Education in Concord.  We were privileged to have the “School Nurses Association” representative join us. Karin Rannie talked about the H1N1 virus and while we haven’t been hit too badly, she cautioned that a second wave may be arriving. Vaccine is available and she advised us to get the word out – if you are so inclined – to take advantage and have your children vaccinated.  Also, the regular influenza virus season is upon us as well.  We’ll be our usual guardians of the hand washing and disinfecting daily. And, we will update you as to the status of any communicable illnesses that pass through our friends here at school.

     It was nice to see all the children wrapped so snugly in their winter gear as we are able to get outside daily when it isn’t frigid! Some may need waterproof mittens or gloves as their hands do get wet and cold in the knit variety.

     Along with the last announcement we ARE beginning to get a few items in the lost and found.  If you suspect your child is missing anything, just park up and come on in and have a look around for it. If articles of clothing or other personal items are not labeled we are hard pressed to remember what belongs to whom.  Aside from collecting a “lost” item, remember you are always invited into school at the end of the day to set up an appointment, to touch base, or for a quick chat!

     Scholastic Book Club order forms went home Friday.  We will be back online with Scholastic in February.  If you have any orders you would like to place, just send them in with a check made out to Scholastic and your form with your child’s name written on each and we’ll do the rest.

     On Saturday we received a warm thank you note which I’ll share with the children today, from Cassandra, Jonathan and Brandon – our Bridges family - thanking us for helping them have a happy Christmas.

     ICE SKATING ALERT:  It IS an occupational hazard. To date, while having tons of fun, we have also experienced a cut lip, black and blue knee, sore stomach muscles, and a blister!! It bears repeating to make sure your children have on snow pants (to cushion falls) knee pads that fit and socks that stay in place. We will do our best to size and adjust skates. Please tell your children that if their skates are bothering them that they need to TELL US so we may try a different size.  All in all the children have reported that they LOVED their skating and several have gone on the weekend with their parents as well.  Hoo-ray! We love hearing that.

     We have a HUGE announcement to those of you that may not yet have heard the news. Jeremy Jagentenfl made his way in to the world on Monday, January 4^th!  Monica and Jason are now the proud parents of a third son.  We wish Tyler and Julian, Monica and Jason ALL THE BEST!

     Don’t forget for TAX purposes the EIN or Tax Identification number for Country Village Montessori School, LLC, is 03 – 0408556.

     The next Friday “Pizzaandamovie” night will be offered on January 22^nd.  It’s back by popular demand. Details to follow.

Elementary Homework: 

     To add to our Spelling homework, Spanish homework and Newsday Wednesdays………

     We’ll be adding a new “Reading Log” form that will need to be submitted weekly to show ½ hour of reading per day. The reading can occur either by reading to your child or by having your child read to you.

An additional “weekend report” will go home whereby your child will need to write down a few sentences about the book they are currently reading at home and return it Monday.

A few last minute note worthy items for elementary: 

• Don’t forget games for indoor recess on rainy and/or frigid days. Otherwise no toys, stuffed animals or artwork from home that does not fit into our guidelines for sharing on Mondays. 

• Conference for the end of January – sign up now. Stop in at the end of the day and we’ll chat.

Welcome back!

Wednesday, December 23^rd is the date for our Annual Holiday Celebration before vacation.  This year, as is our tradition, we will be closing ½ day for all.  We have a program planned for The Isle at Ledgewood starting at 9:30 am. We need you to bring your children to Ledgewood by 9:15 so we may be ready in place at 9:30. After we finish singing our Christmas, Hanukkah, and seasonal songs, we would like to invite you and your children back to Country Village for homemade cookies (no nuts), conversation, and an activity. When you are ready to leave, be sure to collect your child’s work and holiday crafts.  We hope to see you all at The Isle of Ledgewood  at 9:15 next Wednesday.  Please let us know if you will NOT be there so we may send your child’s work home ahead of time.

…….On another note, we have all been touched by the generosity of you, the esteemed parents, of our Country Village Montessori School families. Because of you we have been able to fill three Baskets of Hope full of food for SHARE. That is a record!  We are also full of “thanks” for a job well done collecting gifts for our family of three from Bridges. Together we are making the holidays a little brighter for those in need.

Thank you and Joyous Holidays from all of us -

Hi Families,                                                    Happiest Hanukkah/Solstice/Christmas      

       We are at the end of another year.  This is always a time to look backward and ahead.  Ahead of us comes my most favorite time of the school year – the most productive for your children.  The throes of the newness of school are mostly over.  Everyone has pretty much settled into a comfortable routine.  We have a captured audience with weather conditions trapping us indoors most of the time.  We have a lot of time to work, perfect our movements, try new things, refine skills, face new concepts and test old ones.  Yet the need is still there to exercise our bodies as well as our minds.

     While it is neither practical nor safe to be out-of-doors much, you may find activities to enjoy as a family like sledding or skiing or just right for you!  A favorite of mine, when my children were small, was our local YWCA to swim.  There was nothing like an after school 2-hour marathon session a few days a week to take the edge off.  They always slept wonderfully, had great appetites, and were generally of sounder mind when allowed the full expression of their energies in water!!  Just a thought.

     We’ve had a wonderful last two weeks exploring the traditions of Hanukkah, Solstice and Christmas.  Ledgewood is certainly blessed to have once again, the “Country Village Family Singers”.  I frame what we do in this service to the children in this spirit.:  “It doesn’t matter what our individual beliefs are; we are singing to bring a little joy into the hearts of older friends who may have forgotten the words to their favorite songs, may not have any family to celebrate the holidays with and to bring many of them in touch with their memories”.  

     End of year thanks to all our drivers and chaperones to YOGA, Scholastic Book participants, Box Tops and Campbell Soup Label and Hannaford efforts.  Special thanks to Irina, Natalie’s mom, for all the paper goods, soaps, and disinfectants. Special thanks to Monica, Aidan’s mom for the tremendous supply of toilet paper! In today’s economy we sure do appreciate the help.

     A note to Elementary Parents:  Remember, your child is allowed to bring in a small game or cards on frigid days for “indoor recess”.  Your children are also encourage to be reading at home and may bring in their chapter book they are working on for silent reading daily. 

Two vacation homework assignments:  with your help

1.  Keep a monthly chart for sunrise and sunset (a copy was sent home).
2.  Visit the Rock Shop in Milford talk to Barbara, and research their rock they were given by drawing their specimen and writing a few sentences about the rock or mineral in their Nature Journals (also sent home) to share upon return.

The Happiest of Holidays to you all…………

Hi Families,                                        

      It seems like a good time to get everyone on the same page again and let you know in “expanded form” just what the Elementary class will be up to and about this busy Dec!  As you can see from the calendar we have about 3 weeks from today left in this year. It is my hope that the remaining conferences can be completed prior to the vacation as we will have round two coming up in late January. Remember, in the first conference, we concentrate on the adjustment to the new school year. The second conference will concentrate on goals and academic progress. The third and final conference, in the spring, will be a review of accomplishments. As you can see, they are important and we’d hate to have you miss any as they all are designed to give you as clear a picture as possible of how your child spends their time while here at Country Village Montessori School. Call today to set an appointment!

     We will be finishing our YOGA segment and have a slight hiatus before embarking on our next segment of Physical Education: Ice Skating. We will have complete details following shortly. If, for any reason, you do not wish to have your child participate, please notify the school so we may plan alternate activity for your child that day. It is important that the school knows the exact number so we can make an accurate time and resource commitment to the Ice Arena.

     Tomorrow, our local Rock Expert, Barbara Medlyn, from The Quartz Source in Milford will be presenting a program for the Elementary children complete with samples of Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary rocks and minerals. She is a wonderful presenter, captures the children’s imagination and is very factual. You may already know how kids and rocks are such a good fit. This begins our “Composition of the Earth Study” which rolls into the winter solstice and our annual pajama day this year on Monday the 21^st of December.

     As we present the timeline of life each year, we layer on more and more information. Even though our second and third year students see the great lessons yearly, they are designed to give more information each year as the children ascribe much more meaning to their physical world in this way.

    We will once again present the stories of Hanukkah and Christmas. This year, we will sing traditional songs in Spanish of the Christmas celebrations held throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

     We still need pictures of your children representative for each year in their lives so they may complete the stories of their lives. To date, we have only received 2 children’s pictures. Please send in ASAP so we may complete this project.

     The Egypt project will conclude and all presentations will be finished by the 22^nd of the month. Many children are off to a great start and already are on their editing process. Please ask them about their projects and what area they have chosen to study. Determine if there is something they may do at home in the way of a project to augment their presentation. They may be interested in adding to their projects at home.

     The last day before vacation is a ½ day. We will begin by going to the Isle of Ledgewood in Milford, and singing seasonal songs. The Elementary may want to present Las Posadas for them.  We will then return to school where the children may want you to see their Egypt projects. After sharing cookies and Happy Holiday wishes –we bid all a buenas noches and adjourn till 2010!

     We will continue to have spelling for the next two weeks and send home the final words and homework – due in 2010 the last week of school for the year.

In a nutshell:

• Send in photos of your child

• Barbra Medlyn come to school tomorrow for a discussion and hands-on about ROCKS

• Two more YOGA sessions (car drivers still needed)

• Story of Hanukkah Dec 11

• Pajama Day/Winter solstice 21 December (Everyone in pjs with a pillow and teddy)

• Egypt projects due 22 Dec.

• 23 December Isle of Ledgewood singing and cookies at school.  School closes at 12 noon. (no lunch)

We will be sending more information home as the events come up – and, as always, if you have a question, or two or three, please do not hesitate to call or come in. I am generally available after school. Ms Sue is here to watch your child if you need to conference with me for any reason. Please do not hesitate to make an appointment.

As you can see, we have an ultra exciting action packed December. We are always looking forward to spending this time with your children. It is a most wonderful time of the year!

Thanks for all you do!