Newsletter January 25

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Week of January 25  , 2016

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
Hello Families! It's been a couple of weeks since our last newsletter and it's time to catch up! We have a busy February before us!

Monday 1- Research project presentations extended from Friday January 29

Friday 5- Second round of Science and Social Studies presentations 

Monday 8- Classroom Chinese New Year celebration! We're making dumplings with our new kitchen! Students will also be creating a craft over the next week to go along with Chinese New Year. 

Tuesday 9, Thursday 11, and Friday 12- Conferences! Please refer to the SignUp Genius for your day and time! Conference Sign Up

Friday 12- Geometric Shape Box/Valentine Box Due (Instructions are posted at the bottom of the newsletter. They were also sent home 1/29/16 along with classroom names for valentines.

Friday 19- North American kick off with a Mardi Gras lesson with New Orleans native Ms. Lynn (we'll also be cooking a King Cake this week in the classroom)

Friday 26 Donuts with Dads! Donuts with Dads Sign Up and Information

We have received many postcards from throughout North America. Please keep them coming!

Charles Ellis Montessori Academy 
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, GA 31405



Wish List

plastic utensils

Dates to Remember:
2/2-2/12   Carnation Sales $1 each (athletic fund)

2/11         Montessori 101 Rob Keyes Montessori Trainer Presentation-Follow the                  Child 6:30-7:30 Media Center
2/12         Dress Down $1 Pink Out-Susan G. Komen
2/15         President's Day- NO SCHOOL
2/18-2/19 Jump Rope for Heart
2/19         Spring Picture Day
2/19         PTA Father-Daughter Dance
2/22-2/26 PTA Science Celebration Week
2/26         Dress Down $1 Dress up as you favorite Montessori Material
2/26         Donuts with Dads Room 20 8-9
2/26         Sidewalk Arts Festival-Peace

Upcoming HEALTHY snack weeks for 26 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. 

          

2/1     COLE
2/8     MAX
2/15   RYAN
2/22   ETHAN

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Where I Live

North America

Students are also working on their own research projects and presentations in both cultural and cosmic education that also align with the Common Core Curriculum.  If they wish to extend these projects to their home environment, they are more than welcome to and encouraged.   

Valentine Activity-Geometric Box

Cosmic Education

Click on this link to find a nicely written piece on Cosmic Education

Newsletter January 11

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Week of January 4, 2016

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
This week we received most of our materials from our latest Donors Choose project! Our entire kitchen is set up. I plan on using it for our Chinese New Year celebration Monday February 8, the actual day of Chinese New Year! 

Our classroom "kitchen"

We are moving our continent study focus from Asia to North America after our Chinese New Year celebration. We have already received two North American postcards!! Please spread the word to your friends and family that live anywhere in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America as it's called, and the Caribbean. Social media such as Facebook seems to be a really effective way to communicate this need. Feel free to post the address when and if you post on social media. They may send the postcards addressed to:

Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, Georgia 31405

Please remember that students are encouraged to be working on their research project presentations at home as well as in the classroom. Like I mentioned in the last newsletter, students have chosen new science and social studies topics and they were given due dates of January 22, January 29, and/or February 5. This information is posted on our board in the classroom as well. Please keep in mind that while we do not assign homework per say, reading nightly is important and Compass Learning is available online and is a fantastic resource.

As I shared in an email earlier this week, Friday February 26th from 8-9 we will be celebrating Donuts with Dads! This is an opportunity for fathers and father figures (family friends, uncles, grandfathers...) to come into our classroom and be a part of our community. This event, and later Muffins with Moms, is one of the students' absolute favorite year after year. They just adore for their loved ones to come and visit them where they spend most of their time. This is just a quick visit where the window is open for one hour. Visitors may stay for the entire hour or stay for as long as your schedule permits. Please be sure to sign in at the office and get your visitor's sticker. I am asking that donuts, orange juice, and napkins be brought in that morning, unless you think you will be coming later in the hour, then I would prefer it is sent in the day before. Donuts with Dads Sign Up   

Please remember to sign up for conferences. Here is the link: Winter Conferences

Wish List

plastic utensils

Dates to Remember:
1/21     PTA Meeting Multipurpose Room 6:30

1/22     PTA Breakfast with Dad 7:30 Multipurpose Room
1/29     Dress Down $1- Dollars for Disaster
2/4       PTA Black History Celebration
2/19     PTA Father-Daughter Dance
2/26     Donuts with Dads Room 20 8-9

Upcoming HEALTHY snack weeks for 26 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. 

          

1/19   LUCY (four day week)
1/25   PAIGE 
2/4     COLE

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Where I Live

North America

Students are also working on their own research projects and presentations in both cultural and cosmic education that also align with the Common Core Curriculum.  If they wish to extend these projects to their home environment, they are more than welcome to and encouraged.   

Newsletter January 4

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Week of January 4, 2016

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
Friday we wrapped up science and social studies research presentations that were started before the break. The students have been presenting outstanding presentations. Their depth of knowledge on their subjects and the audience engagement is a site to see! All students have chosen a new science and social studies topic to research and present. They were given presentation due dates and they are well aware of them. They are posted on our board and I have also asked them to write them down on their lessons/discovery choices list that they keep in their binders. There are three due dates: January 22nd, January 29th, and February 5th.  

We are moving our continent study focus from Asia to North America within the next few weeks! I think a fun project to really get the students interested would be to have postcards sent to our school from friends and family members from all over North America, including different states within the United States. Students will begin work in the classroom that pertains to materials that study the basic needs and tendencies of humans in North America as well as the geography and culture. I also plan on focusing on Native American groups later in our study towards the end of the school year. They may choose to research particular countries or states as part of our studies as well.
I'm going to need your help with the postcard project by asking your friends and family members to participate. They may send the postcards addressed to:

Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
Ms. Jazmin Room 20
220 E. 49th St.
Savannah, Georgia 31405

The materials from our recent Donors Choose project have been ordered and should be here within the next few weeks. I'm hoping to do some cooking related to the different countries in North America: Canada, United States, and Mexico, etc. With the United States we will probably do some regional cooking. If you are interested in offering and participation in any ideas for North America, please feel free to email me.

Please keep in mind that while we do not assign homework per say, reading nightly is important, Compass Learning is available online and is a fantastic resource, and students are encouraged to work on research projects at home with their families.

Friday February 26th from 8-9 we will be celebrating Donuts with Dads! This is an opportunity for fathers and father figures (family friends, uncles, grandfathers...) to come into our classroom and be a part of our community. This event, and later Muffins with Moms, is one of the students' absolute favorite year after year. They just adore for their loved ones to come and visit them where they spend most of their time. This is just a quick visit where the window is open for one hour. Visitors may stay for the entire hour or stay for as long as your schedule permits. Please be sure to sign in at the office and get your visitor's sticker. I am asking that donuts, orange juice, and napkins be brought in that morning. Donuts with Dads Sign Up   


IMPORTANT
We are requesting $5 from each child/family to cover the additional field trip costs for the school year. When field trips were planned for this school year, at the end of last year, we used the cost sheets from the bus company that our school district used in the past. Our district now uses a new company that charges more for each bus. Due to these circumstances, we are above budget, and are requesting that each family submit $5 for the remaining field trips to Oatland Island and the rescheduled Massie field trip.

We would like for all monies to be in by Friday January 15, 2016, so we can move forward.

We thank you in advance for your understanding.

The Lower Elementary Teachers- Ms. Debbie, Ms. Patricia, Ms. Susan, Ms. Beth, Ms. Allie, Ms. Marianne, and Ms. Jazmin    

Wish List

plastic utensils

Dates to Remember:
1/18     MLK Day- NO SCHOOL

1/21     PTA Meeting Multipurpose Room 6:30
1/22     PTA Breakfast with Dad 7:30 Multipurpose Room
1/29     Dress Down $1- Dollars for Disaster
2/4       PTA Black History Celebration
2/19     PTA Father-Daughter Dance
2/26     Donuts with Dads Room 20 8-9

Upcoming HEALTHY snack weeks for 26 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. 

          

1/11   HAMISH

1/19   LUCY (four day week)
1/25   PAIGE 

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Asia-Desert People of Asia(Human Needs and Tendencies)
Asia-Temperate Forest Animals
North America- Temperate Forest Animals

Georgia-Our State

United States Geography (Rivers and Mountain Ranges)
Land and Water Forms
Where I Live
North America

Students are also working on their own research projects and presentations in both cultural and cosmic education that also align with the Common Core Curriculum.  If they wish to extend these projects to their home environment, they are more than welcome to and encouraged.   

Newsletter December 14- Happy New Year

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Week of December 14, 2015

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
Welcome back and happy new year! I hope everyone had an enjoyable break with their loved ones. I'm sure you are ready for the kiddos to be back at school. I know I am ready to be with them again!

Traditionally, this is the time of year that I up the anti and kick things into full gear. By now the students know how this well oiled machine functions and they are prepared for more challenges. They are also being introduced to a new format of Learning Log where research in Science and Social Studies is more of a focus point. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Please keep in mind that while we do not assign homework per say, reading nightly is important, Compass Learning is available online and is a fantastic resource, and students are encouraged to work on research projects at home with their families.

Just before the break the classroom was buzzing with exciting activity! Students were busy making ornaments, finishing up their research projects and presentations, and being surprised by the Because of Winn Dixie party that was a huge hit! They were also surprised by me with hot cocoa made from scratch and popcorn popped the old fashioned way, while they watched the Because of Winn Dixie movie. Thank you for sending in the accouterments for the party. Hopefully they told you all about it. 
   

Ornaments

egg salad sandwich with a frilly toothpick, large pickle, "Litmus Lozenges", "Dump Punch" 

Life Cycles Shadow Box

IMPORTANT
We are requesting $5 from each child/family to cover the additional field trip costs for the school year. When field trips were planned for this school year, at the end of last year, we used the cost sheets from the bus company that our school district used in the past. Our district now uses a new company that charges more for each bus. Due to these circumstances, we are above budget, and are requesting that each family submit $5 for the remaining field trips to Oatland Island and the rescheduled Massie field trip.

We would like for all monies to be in by Friday January 15, 2016, so we can move forward.

We thank you in advance for your understanding.

The Lower Elementary Teachers- Ms. Debbie, Ms. Patricia, Ms. Susan, Ms. Beth, Ms. Allie, Ms. Marianne, and Ms. Jazmin    

Wish List

plastic utensils

Dates to Remember:
1/18     MLK Day- NO SCHOOL

1/21     PTA Meeting Multipurpose Room 6:30
1/22     PTA Breakfast with Dad 7:30 Multipurpose Room
1/29     Dress Down $1- Dollars for Disaster
2/4       PTA Black History Celebration
2/19     PTA Father-Daughter Dance

Upcoming HEALTHY snack weeks for 26 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. 

          

1/5     NAZYIA
1/11   HAMISH
1/19   LUCY (four day week)
1/25   PAIGE 

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Asia-Desert People of Asia(Human Needs and Tendencies)
Asia-Indian foods and Diwali
Asia-Temperate Forest Animals
North America- Temperate Forest Animals

Georgia-Our State

United States Geography (Rivers and Mountain Ranges)
Land and Water Forms

Students are also working on their own research projects and presentations in both cultural and cosmic education that also align with the Common Core Curriculum.  If they wish to extend these projects to their home environment, they are more than welcome to and encouraged.   

Article- No Homework

I came across this article written by a teacher about deciding not to assign homework. I found many correlations with mine and Montessori's line of thinking regarding homework. Enjoy!

No Homework Article

Newsletter December 7

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Week of December 7, 2015

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
Another fabulous week in the books! The students thoroughly enjoyed tasting the delicious kheer(Indian rice pudding).  Here is the recipe if you are interested: Kheer Recipe. They also created beautiful Rangoli patterns using lentil beans and printed patterns of their choice. This activity especially worked on their concentration skills! I created one as well and it was almost meditative.      

Diyas and Rangoli

The Festival of Lights was just beautiful! Thank you to all that were able to attend. Here is a photo of the Diwali display and the special clothing I wore.

The Musical Explorers field trip was a hit as always! This is always such a wonderful field trip as the children learn about regional music and artists before they even go on the field trip, so they are prepared to sing along and interact with the artists. It's very special. The types of music that they focused on this time was Soul, Musical Theater, and Cajun.  

We had a special visitor this week from Coastal Pet Rescue. We decided to extend the date for donations until next Friday December 18, 2015,  to give families the opportunity to gather donations over the weekend. So far we have two bags of food, a package of puppy pads, and a couple of leashes and collars. The furry friend(dog) will be visiting next week Thursday. One of my goals for this school year was to find more philanthropy opportunities for our class to participate in.  Our first drive this year will be for Coastal Pet Rescue. They have specific needs, so please read the letter bellow for information on their needs:

First and foremost, thank you and your class for adopting Coastal Pet Rescue as your charity for this holiday season. Thanks to the generous support from our community, we have been able to rescue over 400 dogs and cats this year...FAR surpassing our numbers from last year. 
Many people ask how we do it? Through dedicated foster homes,  monetary donations and fantastic support from folks just like you! Without strong community support, our rescue would not be possible! 
I have made a list of items we are particularly in need of. Of course we appreciate anything! 
The only thing we are a bit particular about is food since many of our fosters have come from less than ideal situations. I have listed preferred brands but of course, if something comes in not on the list, we will pay it forward! 
Cats~
Clumping cat litter
Dry kitten food
Dogs~
Wet/Dry Puppy food
Grain Free Adult food
Puppy Pads (either homemade or store bought) 
Preferred brands include: Purina One, Purina Pro Plan, Blue Buffalo, Nutrish (Rachel Ray) 

Toys for both, leashes and collars are always welcome!

Please let me know if you have any questions. You can call me or email me....
Also, I would love to visit your class and talk about our rescue and/or responsible pet ownership if it fits into your schedule! 
If you, your students or families would like to check us out, our website is coastalpetrescue.org or click here Coastal Pet Rescue

Many thanks!!Sarah 

  

Students are continuing their studies and research in their chosen science and social studies related subjects. Please continue to encourage them to work diligently to meet the presentation deadline, which is the week before Winter Break, next week.

Who wants Panda and Shadow (the guinea pigs) over the winter break? If so, please let me know via email and I will enter your child's name in the drawing. The drawing will be Monday December 14, 2015. Food and bedding will go with them. I have two interested families as of now.    

A note from Coach Lesley:

Fuel Up to Play 60-We have the opportunity to get $5,000 and Field Day fun with NFL players! I also have the link on the Ellis page! Click here: Fuel Up Play 60

Wish List

construction paper
plastic utensils

Dates to Remember:

12/15       Field Trip 3rd Grade
12/16       Field Trip 1st and 2nd Grade
12/18       Bobcat Dads Reading Day (Holiday Stories)
12/18       Dress Down $1- 8th Grade Bridging Ceremony Fund 
12/18       Holiday Sing-Along
12/21-1/4 Winter Break (students return on the 5th)

Upcoming HEALTHY snack weeks for 26 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. 

          

12/14 ANGELINA

1/5     NAZYIA

This Week's Lessons : (students continue to work on previous lessons)

Language/Reading

Writing- Paragraph Writing
Detective Adjective Game
Pronoun

Penmanship/Cursive

loop letter practice

Arithmetic

Golden Beads- Static Subtraction
Subtraction Strip Board
Checker Board x

Stamp Game +x-/

Golden Beads- Dynamic Addition

Subtraction Strip Board
R.A.C.E. Math

Geometry

Constructive Triangles
Types of Quadrilaterals

Cultural and Cosmic

Asia-Desert People of Asia(Human Needs and Tendencies)
Asia-Indian foods and Diwali
Asia-Temperate Forest Animals
North America- Temperate Forest Animals

Georgia-Our State

United States Geography (Rivers and Mountain Ranges)
Land and Water Forms

Students are also working on their own research projects and presentations in both cultural and cosmic education that also align with the Common Core Curriculum.  If they wish to extend these projects to their home environment, they are more than welcome to and encouraged.   

Practical Life/Jobs

Arithmetic Materials Specialist

Geometry Materials Specialist