Here is a link to my Montessori materials wish list at Alison's Montessori. I have found that in the past, parents want to know how they can help or contribute, but they can't contribute their time, so this is an avenue to be able to help where it is needed. I will be adding items as I see the need, but this is the wish list for now. Of course, there is always Donors Choose projects, but I try to keep those to one or two per year, depending on match offers etc.
Thank you for all that you do!
Alison's Montessori Wish List
Here is the Amazon wish list: Amazon Wish List
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Homework?
I took an excerpt from this link Montessori Homework that perfectly describes homework in the Montessori environment:
Children in Montessori classrooms are granted many freedoms.
They have the freedom to move about the classroom with purpose, to speak with
each other, to choose their work, and to choose with whom they work. Lessons
are given to the child, suggestions are made. The child has the responsibility
to be working and to meet the expectations of society. Such expectations
include the ability to read, write and do math. The teacher guides the child
through observing his interests, preparing the environment, and following the
Montessori curriculum in each subject area.
In addition to following the Montessori curriculum, emphasis
is placed on practicing the interpersonal skills of compassion and respectful
communication. Every minute of their school day students are exposed to lessons
of grace and courtesy, and conflict resolution. Children 15 months “young”
learn to use their words, rather than action. The students in the Primary
classes discuss issues as they occur and make suggestions of how they could
have resolved them better. Once the children are in the Elementary and
Adolescent programs they have learned how to navigate many sticky situations
that arise inside and outside of the classrooms, and they have learned to show
kindness and respect to each other. The adults in a Montessori setting strive
to set the example by being positive role models.
What does all this have to do with homework? Montessori
Schools do not typically assign daily homework. Dr. Montessori believed that if
we do not dictate the work of the child in class, then it does not make sense
to dictate the work they choose at home. Therefore, traditional homework is
kept to a minimum. Montessorians feel that children spend all day in the
classroom learning and need their afternoons and evenings to pursue their
personal interests, interact with their families and relax.
Parents know that we encourage activities which
constructively direct a child’s pursuits during home hours, while nurturing
their interests and building family bonds. A fundamental truth permeates
Montessori’s work: children are desperate to learn. In a Montessori class,
children are motivated to discover why and how things work. Therefore,
homework, in a Montessori sense, is work that the child does at home, as an
extension of his or her educational exploration.
Many activities may constitute homework, including household
chores. Responsibilities at home help the child develop language skills and
cultural awareness. Making math a real part of the home environment (pairing
socks and counting by twos; dividing a pizza into equal pieces; shopping and
making change) and giving the child a voice in family decisions are important
to the child’s perception of math concepts and economic geography. Reading with
and to your children every day will result in quality family time and
confidence building.
The quality of education has become a charged topic of late,
with several recent films and documentaries addressing the educational system.
The question remains: Will more homework raise academic achievement and test
scores? Much has been said about overly programmed after-school schedules; too
much homework that steals family time; and an approach to learning that
emphasizes memorization and test scores over real understanding and critical
thinking. Let’s consider spending quality time with our children, inspiring
their natural curiosity and love for learning.
Having said that I am happy to provide your child with additional work that they can do at home if you see fit. Also, I have sent logins to Moby Max for most students. Moby Max is great site that tests your child and places them right where they need to be. They will also be accessing Moby Max weekly in the classroom as well.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Newsletter Week of August 22, 2016
Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion
Week of August 22, 2016
A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
The "green" smoothies were a hit! I think only two students didn't care for the Berry Blast they made. The smoothie included spinach, kale, coconut milk, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, chia seeds, and dried goji berries. They exclaimed how much they liked them! Thank you to all that donated to make this a success. They are already talking about next month's flavors! Next month we will be making green smoothies Friday September 23, 2016, as I will be observing out of the state, along with my Montessori training cohort, at certified public Montessori schools, the last Thursday and Friday of September.
Unfortunately, we have not chosen Science research topics as of yet. I am waiting for normalization in the class before I add the responsibility of research. We're working hard to get them normalized! I am adding more and more lessons every day and the students are really beginning to get into the swing of things. Perhaps next week is the week for the Science research topics..
Next week I will present another Montessori lesson related to the Coming of the Universe/God with No Hands great Lesson called the Cosmic Story. This lessons is also beautiful and comes with a timeline! I hope you have found the time to begin discussing their own personal timelines at home as this is an important step in understanding that time follows a linear progression.
This past Friday all field trip money and forms for the year were due! Thank you to all that have turned yours in! We are only missing a couple of students' forms and money.
We are continuing our initial assessments in SRI(Scholastic Reading Inventory), MAP(Measure of Academic Progress-in math), and DIBELS(first year students). This year students will be taking the assessments three times: fall, winter, spring. This first go around gives a sort of baseline to go off of, but remember that in most cases there is summer backslide, so please do not be shocked, especially with SRI, as it is the first time second year students are seeing this type of assessment, if I call you in for a quick conference to share the results with you, as we are just making sure that you are aware of the results of the fall testing, and also the gateway benchmarks for end of year. If your child scored far below end of year benchmarks I will request a meeting with you early September. If your child scored near, at, or above, the benchmark for the end of the school year we will discuss scores at regular parent/teacher conferences mid October.
We are continuing our study of North America that we began last year, and we will transition into South America mid year. We have received many postcards from throughout North America, but we are still missing some locations! We would love post cards from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Greenland. We are also missing several of the mid western states. We have not received post cards for the states that do not have pins.
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405
Wish List
Guinea Pig Supplies- food, Timothy hay, pine shavings or other bedding , and treats if you wish.
The "green" smoothies were a hit! I think only two students didn't care for the Berry Blast they made. The smoothie included spinach, kale, coconut milk, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, chia seeds, and dried goji berries. They exclaimed how much they liked them! Thank you to all that donated to make this a success. They are already talking about next month's flavors! Next month we will be making green smoothies Friday September 23, 2016, as I will be observing out of the state, along with my Montessori training cohort, at certified public Montessori schools, the last Thursday and Friday of September.
Unfortunately, we have not chosen Science research topics as of yet. I am waiting for normalization in the class before I add the responsibility of research. We're working hard to get them normalized! I am adding more and more lessons every day and the students are really beginning to get into the swing of things. Perhaps next week is the week for the Science research topics..
Next week I will present another Montessori lesson related to the Coming of the Universe/God with No Hands great Lesson called the Cosmic Story. This lessons is also beautiful and comes with a timeline! I hope you have found the time to begin discussing their own personal timelines at home as this is an important step in understanding that time follows a linear progression.
This past Friday all field trip money and forms for the year were due! Thank you to all that have turned yours in! We are only missing a couple of students' forms and money.
We are continuing our initial assessments in SRI(Scholastic Reading Inventory), MAP(Measure of Academic Progress-in math), and DIBELS(first year students). This year students will be taking the assessments three times: fall, winter, spring. This first go around gives a sort of baseline to go off of, but remember that in most cases there is summer backslide, so please do not be shocked, especially with SRI, as it is the first time second year students are seeing this type of assessment, if I call you in for a quick conference to share the results with you, as we are just making sure that you are aware of the results of the fall testing, and also the gateway benchmarks for end of year. If your child scored far below end of year benchmarks I will request a meeting with you early September. If your child scored near, at, or above, the benchmark for the end of the school year we will discuss scores at regular parent/teacher conferences mid October.
We are continuing our study of North America that we began last year, and we will transition into South America mid year. We have received many postcards from throughout North America, but we are still missing some locations! We would love post cards from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Greenland. We are also missing several of the mid western states. We have not received post cards for the states that do not have pins.
Feel free to share details on social media as well! This activity really helps bring the children into the research.
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405
Wish List
Guinea Pig Supplies- food, Timothy hay, pine shavings or other bedding , and treats if you wish.
Dates to Remember:
8/30 Parent Education-Cosmic and Cultural Education in the Lower Elementary(1-3) Classroom-5:30 Media Center
8/30 PTA 6:30 Multipurpose Room- Lower Elementary will also be performing/singing!
8/31 Maria Montessori's Birthday!
9/5 School Holiday- Labor Day
9/21 International Peace Day-Sing Along
9/22 Fall Equinox
9/30 Dress Down Day $1- Lymphoma (Proceeds to benefit Wyatt Rath)
Here is the link to his story and GoFundMe page:Wyatt's GoFundMe page
10/18 Parent Education 5:30 PTA 6:30
10/24-28 Great Pumpkin Book Characters (Media Center)
10/28 Dress Down Day $1-Ellis Athletics Program
10/31 Halloween
8/30 Parent Education-Cosmic and Cultural Education in the Lower Elementary(1-3) Classroom-5:30 Media Center
8/30 PTA 6:30 Multipurpose Room- Lower Elementary will also be performing/singing!
8/31 Maria Montessori's Birthday!
9/5 School Holiday- Labor Day
9/21 International Peace Day-Sing Along
9/22 Fall Equinox
9/30 Dress Down Day $1- Lymphoma (Proceeds to benefit Wyatt Rath)
Here is the link to his story and GoFundMe page:Wyatt's GoFundMe page
10/18 Parent Education 5:30 PTA 6:30
10/24-28 Great Pumpkin Book Characters (Media Center)
10/28 Dress Down Day $1-Ellis Athletics Program
10/31 Halloween
Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.
Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers… The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it. Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.
8/29 ALEX
9/5 JOHNNY
9/12 FRANCIS
9/19 ETHAN
9/26 OLIVIA
9/5 JOHNNY
9/12 FRANCIS
9/19 ETHAN
9/26 OLIVIA
Cultural and Cosmic Focus
Where I Live-Cosmic Nesting Box
Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures
Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures
North America
Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.
Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...
Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.
Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Nature of Science - Donors Choose Project
Hello Families!
I want to make sure our students have the materials they
need to succeed, so I've created a classroom project request through
DonorsChoose.org, an award-winning charity.
Donations of any size will help our kids. Right now, any
contribution you make to my project will be doubled by The Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. Your donation will brighten our students' school year, and
you'll get heartfelt thank yous from my class and photos of your gift in
action. This is not the Tom's of Maine match I was expecting but it's a match offer, and
it's a wonderful opportunity!
Here's my classroom request:
To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, just make a
contribution on that project page - donations will be doubled automatically,
but only while funding lasts. I also suggest turning off the suggested donation to Donors Choose when you make your donation, because that adds $273.29 to our project total.
If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. My students and I greatly appreciate your support. Family members such as grandparents and aunts and uncles love to help as well!
Thank you,
Ms. Jazmin
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Peaceful Community Art
Would anybody be interested in coming in and working with the students in small groups to create something like this? It could be several volunteers over several scheduled days.
Here is the link for the only information/instructions I found: Peaceful Community. It seems pretty self explanatory, and of course we would make it our own.
This quote by Maria Montessori for the center seems fitting: "Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child."
Please email me if you are interested!
Here is the link for the only information/instructions I found: Peaceful Community. It seems pretty self explanatory, and of course we would make it our own.
This quote by Maria Montessori for the center seems fitting: "Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child."
Please email me if you are interested!
Newsletter Week of August 15
Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion
Week of August 15, 2016
A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
This week was a busy one with language, reading, word study, arithmetic, penmanship lessons as well as the first Great Lesson; the Coming of the Universe also known as God with No Hands. The first Great Lesson is a story of how the earth was created and serves as a spring board into deeper study of matter, rocks, minerals, land forms, weather, magnetism, heat, energy, the universe/space, etc. It is a beautiful lesson and one of my favorite Great Lessons. This link may provide more incite:The Great Lessons
Next week we will continue with language, reading, word study, arithmetic, and penmanship lessons and add on geometry and paragraph writing. Science research topics will be selected Monday, and due dates will be given to each child/group. I generally give two to three weeks of time to complete research and presentations, as the research projects are to be completed in class as well as at home if need be. This first time I will extend due dates to four or five weeks as students, especially new to the class, will need time to acclimate and learn how to balance their time. The week after next a Social Studies topics will be chosen as well.
We will be making our green smoothies Friday!! Please read this entry Classroom Cooking. The students are very excited for this as am I! A few parents have mentioned that they will bring in the items needed, thank you! If we get more than we need this time, we will save the ingredients for next month. We could also used some canned organic coconut milk.
I have a brand new Donors Choose project in the works. I am waiting for the approval and then a Tom's of Maine match offer that may take up to two weeks to receive. Hopefully we will receive the offer and that will cut the project cost in half, once that happens I will share the project with our families. I can tell you that the new materials we received from last year's projects are being LOVED by students. When I hear multiple students exclaim, "This looks like fun!" during a lesson, my heart sings!
This Friday all field trip money and forms for the year are due! Thank you to all that have turned yours in!
We are continuing our initial assessments in SRI(Scholastic Reading Inventory), MAP(Measure of Academic Progress-in math), and DIBELS(first year students). This year students will be taking the assessments three times: fall, winter, spring. This first go around gives a sort of baseline to go off of, but remember that in most cases there is summer backslide, so please do not be shocked, especially with SRI, as it is the first time second year students are seeing this type of assessment, if I call you in for a quick conference to share the results with you, as we are just making sure that you are aware of the results of the fall testing, and also the gateway benchmarks for end of year. If your child scored far below end of year benchmarks I will request a meeting with you early September. If your child scored near, at, or above, the benchmark for the end of the school year we will discuss scores at regular parent/teacher conferences mid October.
We are continuing our study of North America that we began last year, and we will transition into South America mid year. We have received many postcards from throughout North America, but we are still missing some locations! We would love post cards from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Greenland. We are also missing several of the mid western states. We have not received post cards for the states that do not have pins.
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405
Wish List
Construction Paper- all colors welcome
This week was a busy one with language, reading, word study, arithmetic, penmanship lessons as well as the first Great Lesson; the Coming of the Universe also known as God with No Hands. The first Great Lesson is a story of how the earth was created and serves as a spring board into deeper study of matter, rocks, minerals, land forms, weather, magnetism, heat, energy, the universe/space, etc. It is a beautiful lesson and one of my favorite Great Lessons. This link may provide more incite:The Great Lessons
Next week we will continue with language, reading, word study, arithmetic, and penmanship lessons and add on geometry and paragraph writing. Science research topics will be selected Monday, and due dates will be given to each child/group. I generally give two to three weeks of time to complete research and presentations, as the research projects are to be completed in class as well as at home if need be. This first time I will extend due dates to four or five weeks as students, especially new to the class, will need time to acclimate and learn how to balance their time. The week after next a Social Studies topics will be chosen as well.
We will be making our green smoothies Friday!! Please read this entry Classroom Cooking. The students are very excited for this as am I! A few parents have mentioned that they will bring in the items needed, thank you! If we get more than we need this time, we will save the ingredients for next month. We could also used some canned organic coconut milk.
I have a brand new Donors Choose project in the works. I am waiting for the approval and then a Tom's of Maine match offer that may take up to two weeks to receive. Hopefully we will receive the offer and that will cut the project cost in half, once that happens I will share the project with our families. I can tell you that the new materials we received from last year's projects are being LOVED by students. When I hear multiple students exclaim, "This looks like fun!" during a lesson, my heart sings!
This Friday all field trip money and forms for the year are due! Thank you to all that have turned yours in!
We are continuing our initial assessments in SRI(Scholastic Reading Inventory), MAP(Measure of Academic Progress-in math), and DIBELS(first year students). This year students will be taking the assessments three times: fall, winter, spring. This first go around gives a sort of baseline to go off of, but remember that in most cases there is summer backslide, so please do not be shocked, especially with SRI, as it is the first time second year students are seeing this type of assessment, if I call you in for a quick conference to share the results with you, as we are just making sure that you are aware of the results of the fall testing, and also the gateway benchmarks for end of year. If your child scored far below end of year benchmarks I will request a meeting with you early September. If your child scored near, at, or above, the benchmark for the end of the school year we will discuss scores at regular parent/teacher conferences mid October.
We are continuing our study of North America that we began last year, and we will transition into South America mid year. We have received many postcards from throughout North America, but we are still missing some locations! We would love post cards from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Greenland. We are also missing several of the mid western states. We have not received post cards for the states that do not have pins.
Feel free to share details on social media as well! This activity really helps bring the children into the research.
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405
Wish List
Construction Paper- all colors welcome
Dates to Remember:
8/26 Green Smoothie Day!
8/26 Fall Picture Day-Free Dress Up Day!
8/30 Parent Education-Cosmic and Cultural Education in the Lower Elementary(1-3) Classroom-5:30 Media Center
8/30 PTA 6:30 Multipurpose Room- Lower Elementary will also be performing/singing!
8/31 Maria Montessori's Birthday!
9/5 School Holiday- Labor Day
9/21 International Peace Day-Sing Along
9/22 Fall Equinox
9/30 Dress Down Day $1- Lymphoma (Proceeds to benefit Wyatt Rath)
Here is the link to his story and GoFundMe page:Wyatt's GoFundMe page
10/18 Parent Education 5:30 PTA 6:30
10/24-28 Great Pumpkin Book Characters (Media Center)
10/28 Dress Down Day $1-Ellis Athletics Program
10/31 Halloween
8/26 Green Smoothie Day!
8/26 Fall Picture Day-Free Dress Up Day!
8/30 Parent Education-Cosmic and Cultural Education in the Lower Elementary(1-3) Classroom-5:30 Media Center
8/30 PTA 6:30 Multipurpose Room- Lower Elementary will also be performing/singing!
8/31 Maria Montessori's Birthday!
9/5 School Holiday- Labor Day
9/21 International Peace Day-Sing Along
9/22 Fall Equinox
9/30 Dress Down Day $1- Lymphoma (Proceeds to benefit Wyatt Rath)
Here is the link to his story and GoFundMe page:Wyatt's GoFundMe page
10/18 Parent Education 5:30 PTA 6:30
10/24-28 Great Pumpkin Book Characters (Media Center)
10/28 Dress Down Day $1-Ellis Athletics Program
10/31 Halloween
Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.
Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers… The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it. Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.
8/22 GIANCARLO
8/29 ALEX
9/5 JOHNNY
8/29 ALEX
9/5 JOHNNY
Cultural and Cosmic Focus
Where I Live
Georgia
Georgia
North America
Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.
Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...
Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.
Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...
Monday, August 15, 2016
Personal Timeline Activity
We are trying something new this year that I hope becomes a yearly tradition! I would love for students to share their personal timelines when we celebrate their birthdays with the Walk Around the Sun celebration that we traditionally do. Follow this link for more information about that:Walk Around the Sun. The document found in that entry would be exchanged for the personal timeline, but may still be used as a guide.
Timelines are used in the Montessori classroom extensively in the cultural and cosmic curriculum, first seen in the Great Lessons. This preparatory activity of creating their personal timeline readies the students to work with the extensive timelines that are presented throughout elementary.
2. To make a short time line, draw a vertical line down the middle of a sheet of paper.
3. Write your child’s birth date on the left side of the line at the top of the page. On the right side of the line, write the corresponding event. (“I was born!”)
4. Add other important dates and events, such as when your child started to walk and talk, when siblings were born, when your child started preschool, when you took family trips, and so on, in chronological order.
5. To make a long time line, cut a length of paper from a large roll or tape several sheets of paper together. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the banner.
6. Write the dates and events of your child’s life from left to right.
7. Glue on photos or let your child illustrate each event.
Timelines are used in the Montessori classroom extensively in the cultural and cosmic curriculum, first seen in the Great Lessons. This preparatory activity of creating their personal timeline readies the students to work with the extensive timelines that are presented throughout elementary.
 |
| Example of a personal timeline. It does not have to look like this! |
Personal Timeline:
1. A time line can be as short as one page or as long as a
wall.
2. To make a short time line, draw a vertical line down the middle of a sheet of paper.
3. Write your child’s birth date on the left side of the line at the top of the page. On the right side of the line, write the corresponding event. (“I was born!”)
4. Add other important dates and events, such as when your child started to walk and talk, when siblings were born, when your child started preschool, when you took family trips, and so on, in chronological order.
5. To make a long time line, cut a length of paper from a large roll or tape several sheets of paper together. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the banner.
6. Write the dates and events of your child’s life from left to right.
7. Glue on photos or let your child illustrate each event.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Newsletter Weeks of August 1st and 8th
Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion
Weeks of August 1st and 8th, 2016
A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
We're off! The school year has begun and we are off to a fairly smooth start!
Wednesday we were so fortunate to be one of the three classrooms that were able to participate in the Africa Yoga Project. Click on the link for more information on the program. Our class had two instructors from Nairobi, Kenya come and share their expertise in a child friendly manner. As you can see in the photos below, the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they went on a "safari". The instructors were wonderful!
Students also completed Maria Montessori's timeline and then were asked to create their own personal timelines. Now that they have had some experience creating their own personal timelines and therefore a better understanding, I would like for the Personal Timeline to be an ongoing project that is worked on at home between students and their families. I will post more information on this project in a separate post.
We are continuing our study of North America that we began last year, and we will transition into South America mid year. We have received many postcards from throughout North America, but we are still missing some locations! We would love post cards from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Greenland. We are also missing several of the mid western states. We have not received post cards for the states that do not have pins.
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405
Wish List
Construction Paper- all colors welcome
We're off! The school year has begun and we are off to a fairly smooth start!
We have had the opportunity to participate in many fun activities already in our classroom. I was able to take photos of some of the activities. For those that don't know, I do my best to keep closeups of student faces out of photos for the blog, as anybody in the world has access to it. Also, I do not post field trip information such as the location before it happens. I will only post "Field Trip" under Dates to Remember and the grade level.
Wednesday we were so fortunate to be one of the three classrooms that were able to participate in the Africa Yoga Project. Click on the link for more information on the program. Our class had two instructors from Nairobi, Kenya come and share their expertise in a child friendly manner. As you can see in the photos below, the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they went on a "safari". The instructors were wonderful!
 |
| the instructors from nairobi, kenya |
Students also completed Maria Montessori's timeline and then were asked to create their own personal timelines. Now that they have had some experience creating their own personal timelines and therefore a better understanding, I would like for the Personal Timeline to be an ongoing project that is worked on at home between students and their families. I will post more information on this project in a separate post.
We also got to do some baking the first week! We made very simple blueberry "pancake" muffins. I think they enjoyed it!
Earlier this week I posted a blog entry about our classroom cooking and upcoming green smoothie making..please click here for more information Classroom Cooking
Thanks to all of you that have returned the signed forms from Open House. We have received almost all of the forms, with a few exceptions where there may be some confusion:
Student Code of Conduct- Found at the back of the Student/Parent Handbook. Please tear out and return filled in.
Media Release-The form was an Opt-Out form. If you choose NOT to opt out we still need the form signed and returned, but leave the boxes unchecked.
Allergy Notification- Even if there are no allergies, please return with that stated.
Students are eager to get into the full swing of things as am I. Fortunately for all of us, we are able to ease into the process of how we do things in our class. There are a lot of new things for the new students to learn, so I am grateful for the gift of time as I am sure they are.
Monday we will begin our initial assessments in SRI(Scholastic Reading Inventory), MAP(Measure of Academic Progress-in math), and DIBELS(first year students). This year students will be taking the assessments three times: fall, winter, spring. This first go around gives a sort of baseline to go off of, but remember that in most cases there is summer backslide, so please do not be shocked, especially with SRI, as it is the first time second year students are seeing this type of assessment, if I call you in for a quick conference to share the results with you, as we are just making sure that you are aware of the results of the fall testing, and also the gateway benchmarks for end of year. If your child scored far below end of year benchmarks I will request a meeting with you early September. If your child scored near, at, or above, the benchmark for the end of the school year we will discuss scores at regular parent/teacher conferences mid October.
Monday we will begin our initial assessments in SRI(Scholastic Reading Inventory), MAP(Measure of Academic Progress-in math), and DIBELS(first year students). This year students will be taking the assessments three times: fall, winter, spring. This first go around gives a sort of baseline to go off of, but remember that in most cases there is summer backslide, so please do not be shocked, especially with SRI, as it is the first time second year students are seeing this type of assessment, if I call you in for a quick conference to share the results with you, as we are just making sure that you are aware of the results of the fall testing, and also the gateway benchmarks for end of year. If your child scored far below end of year benchmarks I will request a meeting with you early September. If your child scored near, at, or above, the benchmark for the end of the school year we will discuss scores at regular parent/teacher conferences mid October.
We are continuing our study of North America that we began last year, and we will transition into South America mid year. We have received many postcards from throughout North America, but we are still missing some locations! We would love post cards from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and Greenland. We are also missing several of the mid western states. We have not received post cards for the states that do not have pins.
Feel free to share details on social media as well! This activity really helps bring the children into the research.
Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405
Wish List
Construction Paper- all colors welcome
Dates to Remember:
8/26 Green Smoothie Day!
8/26 Fall Picture Day-Free Dress Up Day!
8/30 Parent Education-Cosmic and Cultural Education in the Lower Elemntary Classroom-5:30 Media Center
8/30 PTA 6:30 Multipurpose Room
8/31 Maria Montessori's Birthday!
9/5 School Holiday- Labor Day
9/21 International Peace Day-Sing Along
9/22 Fall Equinox
9/30 Dress Down Day $1- Lymphoma (Proceeds to benefit Wyatt Rath)
Here is the link to his story and GoFundMe page:Wyatt's GoFundMe page
10/18 Parent Education 5:30 PTA 6:30
10/24-28 Great Pumpkin Book Characters (Media Center)
10/28 Dress Down Day $1-Ellis Athletics Program
10/31 Halloween
8/26 Green Smoothie Day!
8/26 Fall Picture Day-Free Dress Up Day!
8/30 Parent Education-Cosmic and Cultural Education in the Lower Elemntary Classroom-5:30 Media Center
8/30 PTA 6:30 Multipurpose Room
8/31 Maria Montessori's Birthday!
9/5 School Holiday- Labor Day
9/21 International Peace Day-Sing Along
9/22 Fall Equinox
9/30 Dress Down Day $1- Lymphoma (Proceeds to benefit Wyatt Rath)
Here is the link to his story and GoFundMe page:Wyatt's GoFundMe page
10/18 Parent Education 5:30 PTA 6:30
10/24-28 Great Pumpkin Book Characters (Media Center)
10/28 Dress Down Day $1-Ellis Athletics Program
10/31 Halloween
Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.
Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers… The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it. Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.
8/15 MAX
8/22 GIANCARLO
8/29 ALEX
9/5 JOHNNY
8/22 GIANCARLO
8/29 ALEX
9/5 JOHNNY
Cultural and Cosmic Focus
Where I Live
Georgia
Georgia
North America
Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.
Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...
Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.
Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...
Monday, August 8, 2016
Classroom Cooking
Hello Families!
To those that are new to our class, I try to incorporate as many cooking and baking opportunities as possible into our regular schedule. Cooking in the Montessori classroom is a Practical Life activity that the students enjoy very much.
Over the summer we had TWO Donors Choose projects funded that were all about gathering the materials and some of the non perishable ingredients we need to make green smoothies in the classroom! The green smoothies are a new thing for our class! My hope is to get the students excited about nutrient dense foods by helping them see that kale and spinach and many other ingredients like chia seeds etc, can taste great; especially in a smoothie! My goal is to have them create the green smoothies the last Friday of each month, or at least once a month.
For this go around I would welcome perishable donations for the smoothies the week of August 22nd. In keeping with the nutrient dense and healthy food theme, I am asking for organic ingredients, such as fresh kale and/or spinach (one or two bags) and a few (two or three) bags of frozen organic fruit such as mango, strawberries or blueberries. We also welcome fresh organic bananas. I know for certain that Whole Foods has these ingredients, but I'm not sure about other grocery stores. Any extra frozen fruit will be used the next month in the smoothies. Rest assured that nothing will go to waste!
Last year we also had a huge project funded that provided us with an oven, pots and pans, and various other kitchen accouterments to help us with our classroom cooking. As you can see I am a huge fan of Donors Choose. I usually wait until there is some sort of match offer up for grabs before creating large projects, so that our friends and families only have to try to raise half of the dollar amount. The latest project funded just last week was fully funded by Target, except for the last $98 dollars! Tom's of Maine matched every donation on a large project that had beautiful and much needed Montessori Waseca materials. I CAN NOT wait for the students to begin working with these!
My point is, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of your past and future donations towards our Donors Choose projects. Your children are the recipients of your generosity!
If you plan to send something in for the green smoothies, please try to send it in either Monday August 22nd or Tuesday, so that I can purchase what hasn't been donated before the Friday that we make the smoothies.
I will be posting our first classroom newsletter for this school year, this Friday with various photos of some of the activities from last week and this week! In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments please email me at Jazmin.Corbell@sccpss.com.
Several students have turned in their paper work from Open House; thank you! Some missed the last page of the Student Code of Conduct. Please tear that out and return filled out. Also, please return all field trip forms with the $10 by August 26, 2016. Thank you!!
To those that are new to our class, I try to incorporate as many cooking and baking opportunities as possible into our regular schedule. Cooking in the Montessori classroom is a Practical Life activity that the students enjoy very much.
Over the summer we had TWO Donors Choose projects funded that were all about gathering the materials and some of the non perishable ingredients we need to make green smoothies in the classroom! The green smoothies are a new thing for our class! My hope is to get the students excited about nutrient dense foods by helping them see that kale and spinach and many other ingredients like chia seeds etc, can taste great; especially in a smoothie! My goal is to have them create the green smoothies the last Friday of each month, or at least once a month.
 |
| Non Perishable Ingredients for the Smoothies |
For this go around I would welcome perishable donations for the smoothies the week of August 22nd. In keeping with the nutrient dense and healthy food theme, I am asking for organic ingredients, such as fresh kale and/or spinach (one or two bags) and a few (two or three) bags of frozen organic fruit such as mango, strawberries or blueberries. We also welcome fresh organic bananas. I know for certain that Whole Foods has these ingredients, but I'm not sure about other grocery stores. Any extra frozen fruit will be used the next month in the smoothies. Rest assured that nothing will go to waste!
Last year we also had a huge project funded that provided us with an oven, pots and pans, and various other kitchen accouterments to help us with our classroom cooking. As you can see I am a huge fan of Donors Choose. I usually wait until there is some sort of match offer up for grabs before creating large projects, so that our friends and families only have to try to raise half of the dollar amount. The latest project funded just last week was fully funded by Target, except for the last $98 dollars! Tom's of Maine matched every donation on a large project that had beautiful and much needed Montessori Waseca materials. I CAN NOT wait for the students to begin working with these!
My point is, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of your past and future donations towards our Donors Choose projects. Your children are the recipients of your generosity!
If you plan to send something in for the green smoothies, please try to send it in either Monday August 22nd or Tuesday, so that I can purchase what hasn't been donated before the Friday that we make the smoothies.
I will be posting our first classroom newsletter for this school year, this Friday with various photos of some of the activities from last week and this week! In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments please email me at Jazmin.Corbell@sccpss.com.
Several students have turned in their paper work from Open House; thank you! Some missed the last page of the Student Code of Conduct. Please tear that out and return filled out. Also, please return all field trip forms with the $10 by August 26, 2016. Thank you!!
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
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