whole way on their own also fosters confidence.

In thinking about emotional literacy in the Pri-

mary classrooms, I recalled a conversation with

one teacher who shared a reflection of one of her

kindergarten students. She was elated about the

student’s recent gains in his reading skills. He

had been working hard for months and had final-

ly made a breakthrough. While in her classroom

one morning, I observed her sitting down to give

a lesson to another student. Prior to starting the

lesson however, she offered an invitation for her

new reader to share his book with the younger

student. He beamed with pride while he read

aloud to his classmate, who admired his new

abilities. This was a beautiful moment of en-

couraging a child’s self-understanding and pride

which provided an intrinsic reward for his hard

work.

Everywhere and Everyday

By Megan O’Sullivan, Assistant Head of School

Looking for examples of emotional literacy in our

students at Oak Farm feels a bit like looking for

examples of biodiversity in a rainforest. It is every-

where, evident in each student interaction, each

class discussion and each conversation that takes

place at Oak Farm. In the last newsletter Judith

shared her observations of how our Montessori

High School students are bringing their emotional

intelligence to their pursuits in their new school. In

reflecting on emotional literacy at Oak Farm, I

looked throughout the levels of our program to find

examples of that work from birth through adoles-

cence and they were plentiful.

In the Infant and Toddler program, children work

constantly to learn the language of feelings, to ex-

press desires and needs, and to learn empathy to-

wards others. Even at carline, something that could

be treated merely as a matter of business, opportuni-

ties emerge for development of emotional literacy

skills. The Toddler teachers shared their insights

into how carline is a learning opportunity to foster

confidence, emotional understanding, and respect:

“We stop at two locations along our route to

the benches where the students sit very close to each

other. It is amazing how well they adapt, use words

to ask another friend to move over, or respectfully

make a space to accommodate someone without

being asked. They learn to sit on the bench and

wait which is a BIG job for a toddler.” There is joy

in watching the trains together, singing songs and

enjoying their fellowship. The independence of

carrying their own belongings and walking the

Letter from Megan 1-2

7 Habits 2

Library 3

Closings and Delays 4

Infant / Toddlers 4

Primary Pizza Garden 5

Inside this issue:

Oa

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tes

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. Volume 6, Issue 5

November 1, 2012

November 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

Upcoming Events

Nov. 9 Infants/Toddlers Closed

Nov. 14 Primary Cook Day

Nov. 20 Grandparent’s Day—School dismisses at 11:45am

Nov. 21 Thanksgiving Break—School Closed to Students

Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Break—School Closed to Students

Nov. 23 Thanksgiving Break—School Closed to Students

Nov. 29 Coffee with the Head

Nov. 29 Elementary Parent Education Event

Scrip Program 5

Acoin Drive 6

Picture Update 6

Winter Wonderland 7

Spanish Newsletter 8-9

Yearbook 10

Continued on page 2

Kaiden helps Ana and Brady find their seat at carline

"If your family members and friends would

write a tribute statement about you, what

would they say? A tribute statement would

be their description of you. Would your

children say, “My mom is the best!!?”

Would a neighbor say, “He is always there

to help?” Would it be what you want to

hear? Habit #2 helps us think through this.

Last month Tracy Reinke helped us under-

stand Habit #1 from the Seven Habits. This

habit had to do with programming or men-

tally picturing your program. Habit #2 is

writing your program.

Most of us feel less stressed and more satis-

fied when we can focus on what is really

important to us. For instance, if being

healthy is a priority, but you find yourself

going to bed once again without working

out or feeling frustrated that dinner was at

McDonalds after a busy day, you may not

In Lower Elementary, one place that emotional literacy is inter-

woven with the curriculum is in daily read aloud. Lessons about

voice are part of the discussion of interpretation of character.

Students can reference a visual depiction of different feelings to

help them understand more sophisticated emotional states, such as

“disgusted,” “ecstatic,” or “overwhelmed.” Students practice

identifying those feelings in the books they are reading, and try to

convey them as they read aloud. These skills will carry over into

their abilities to recognize and articulate their own emotions as

well as others’.

Emotional literacy is a critical component of every aspect of Up-

per Elementary, not only of community life, but also of academic

work. Students talk daily about the characteristics of people who

have changed the world and how to evidence those characteristics

in their own lives at Oak Farm. Posted on the classroom wall, as

daily reminders, are examples of behaviors that show “valor,”

among other qualities. Students work to demonstrate those be-

haviors, such as “encouraging others,” “taking risks,”

“persevering,” “being your-

self,” “doing the right thing,”

“caring about the consequenc-

es your actions have,” and

“giving up something to some-

one who needs it.” Students

connect these behaviors to

their daily chores, their play

times, and their works.

At the Middle School, I spoke with one eighth grade student who

shared with me her feelings of confidence that come from a re-

spectful environment: “The whole community really helps with

anything. When you make a mistake here, people laugh with

you, not at you.” When I asked her to talk about how students

work through problems and deal with each other’s feelings, she

shared, “It’s really special here. People don’t bully. Here we

learn about peace. Sometimes there are misunderstandings. If

something’s bothering you, people here don’t get up in each oth-

er’s faces and start yelling or anything like that. You just say

something like, ‘I’m letting you know how I feel about this and

that it wasn’t right.’ And then people will apologize and say

they’re sorry they made you feel that way. It’s pretty simple; I

love it here.”

It is impossible to pass an Oak Farm classroom without overhear-

ing evidence of respect, of confidence and of support for continu-

ous self-improvement. Our teachers insist that children, even as

young as one, have the power to appreciate others’ perspectives,

to advocate for their own needs,

and to celebrate their own accom-

plishments. In so many ways Oak

Farm is sowing seeds for our stu-

dents to become self-assured, ma-

ture, and grounded individuals who

will bring gifts of peace and insight

to all those they encounter.

Page 2

Seven Habits #2: Begin with the End in Mind By Lori Zacharias, Infant and Toddler Teacher

Everywhere and Everyday

By Megan O’Sullivan, Assistant Head of School

OA K F AR M MONT ESS ORI S CHOOL

be using habit #2; begin with the end in

mind.

Seven Habits would encourage you to sit

down each week and look at your “big

rocks.” What is most important to you?

Write down and schedule in the most im-

portant events each week. This might in-

clude preparing meals for the week so you

can have a healthy meal on the table, even

on a busy night. Invite the children to help

while doing food prep, what a fun way to

be with your family! Children love to cut

vegetables, stir muffin mixes or layer cas-

seroles. We are all different in our make-

up and it is important to think through how

to manage the tasks that we value most.

Learn more about yourself to live with the

end in mind with these ideas:

Create a mission and/or purpose state-

ment.

Write your key roles in life. (Ex.: father,

painter, runner, volunteer . . . etc.)

Describe responsibility in your key roles.

State the key people in your life. How

would you like them to describe you?

Write two or three things you could do to

help make this reality.

Answer these questions:

I am at my best when . . .

I am at my worst when . . .

What do I love to do at work?

What do I love to do in my personal life?

My natural talents and gifts are . . .

Reflect on people who have influenced

you.

Use this information to help you plan, pre-

pare and be proactive in your daily routine.

Continued from page 1

Middle School students show a strong sense of community in their emotional literacy

V OLU ME 6, ISS UE 5

How are the elements of emotional literacy enhanced

through the library?

Self-confidence – Through reading we develop our under-

standing of language, building the vocabulary and compre-

hension to succeed at communication. Skill development

builds competency. Our younger students gain the skills to follow

the multi-step procedure required to check out a book, read it, and

return it to the library for another. Older students, while continuing

to enjoy fiction, learn the needed research skills required to find

sources of information that interests them.

Optimism and Joy—Watch the child’s face as she discovers a

book that sparks her interest. See the joy of sharing the book expe-

rience with others.

Self-understanding grows as we identify with characters in books

and learn to tell our own stories.

Self-development—

Reading together bonds those who share the experience, helping meet

the need for attachment—first to the parent or caregiver, and then to

friends and peers.

Parents ask…

“Is there something I can buy that would help my child read better?”

Besides the library card, which is free, there are the 3 B’s:

Books

Book baskets about the house

Bed lamp

For those of you who would like more inspiration and information,

check out the following books from our OFMS Library. You can use

your child’s library card!

Page 3

Library with a Purpose By Bonnie Schultz, Library Assistant

First Feelings gives information on the emotional develop-

mental needs beginning with the youngest child. The other

titles will inspire you with great ideas and stories about the

impact reading with your children can make.

Good reads for parents from OFMS Library

First Feelings, Milestones in the Emotional Development of

your Baby and Child by Stanley Greenspan, M.D. and Nancy

Thorndike Greenspan.

Greenspan outlines the six stages of emotional growth in

early childhood and explores the ways in which they are

communicated, emphasizing parental interaction as the key

to a child's healthy, emotional maturation.

The Read –Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

The Read-Aloud Handbook imparts the benefits, rewards,

and importance of reading aloud to children of a new gener-

ation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest

research, The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven tech-

niques and strategies—and the reasoning behind them—for

helping children discover the pleasures of reading and set-

ting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.

Reading Magic...Why Reading Aloud to Our Children will

Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox

Fox speaks of when, where, and why to read aloud and

demonstrates how to read aloud to best effect and how to get

the most out of a read-aloud session. She walks readers

through the three secrets of reading, which together make

reading possible. She gives guidance on defining, choosing,

and finding good books and closes with tips on dealing effec-

tively with the challenges that sometimes arise when children

are learning to read.

“It wasn’t that she was just selling books.

She was helping people become whoever they were going to turn out to be... Because when you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity….”

Kathleen Kelley in the movie, You’ve Got Mail

8:30 a.m. Oak Farm has adopted two delay options: a 1-hour

delay and a 2-hour delay. When a 1-hour delay occurs all stu-

dents may begin arriving in their classrooms at 9:30 a.m. with no

change to our lunch program. If a 2-hour delay is called, school

will be closed to half-day students and our lunch program may be

modified to accommodate the shortened prep time. Please note

that there will be no before care on school delay days.

If Oak Farm is open and you are uncomfortable driving, do not

bring your child to school; use your own discretion. Please keep

in mind that the safety of our faculty, parents and children will be

the determining factor in our decision.

*Please note that this is an abbreviated version of our school closing and

delay procedure. The complete version can be found on page 18 and 19 in the

Parents Handbook on RenWeb.

The weather will soon be changing and with it brings school de-

lays and cancellations. Whenever possible, the decision to delay

the start of school in the morning or to close school will be made

the evening before or no later than 6:00 a.m. Oak Farm uses Ren-

Web Parent Alert Service to provide notification to parents and

guardians in the event of a delay, closure or emergency. Parents

are asked to make sure that their contact information is correct and

up to date by logging in to Parents web and completing the appro-

priate web forms.

Notice of delays and closures will also be made by radio and tele-

vision broadcasts: WOWO (1190 AM), WMEE (97.3 FM) and

Fort Wayne Television stations 15, 21 and 33. Parents are encour-

aged to utilize the text alert services that these local radio and TV

stations offer as a backup to our alert notification services.

Please note that when a school delay is called, the delay is from

Page 4 OA K F AR M MONT ESS ORI S CHOOL

School Closings and Delays

By Lauren Moyer

Charlie and Beth work together to clean the environment Lunch is a community affair for Prestley and Candy August and Tracy use facial expressions to communicate

Understanding the World we Live in…

By Candy Slabaugh, Infant/Toddler Teacher

At Oak Farm Montessori School, we

act as advocates for families and what

is best for the children. We are always

supporting the child and their parents

in understanding the world in which we

live in. You might ask, “How do we do

that?”

Building trusting relationships

Giving each other the opportunity

to learn and extending grace as

each person grows and develops.

Building a trusting relationship is key

to this relationship and it starts from

the very first home visit. Home is the

heart of every family. At school, we

see our classroom environment as an

extension of the families’ home. As

teachers, we want to be the extension

of your family. Parents learn to trust

that each of their children will be seen

as individuals with different learning

styles and personalities. Each human

being is unique and we all develop at

different paces.

Parents want to know that their child

will be safe and secure. We continue

to remind ourselves how important it

is to be in the moment. No matter

how crazy the world around you is

or how fast everyone is moving, the

most important work is to learn how

to be in the moment. Letting go of

what everyone around us says we

have to be is big work, but it is the

most important work we can do. As

an adult, when we let go, it gives us

the permission to look in the child’s

eyes and see how they see the world

around them. It should be a world

where an adult’s eyes light up when

they enter the room; a world that is

full of love, peace and harmony.

V OLU ME 6, ISS UE 5

You asked for it and we have it! Kroger/Scott’s has been add-

ed as a retailer for our new Scrip Program at Oak Farm. Have

you taken the few minutes that it takes to sign up? With only

three order cycles complete and a handful of participants, those

families have already earned nearly $300! These earnings will

be split between the families and the tuition assistance program.

Don’t wait any longer, sign up today and start saving. Stop in

the front office to pick up a list of participating retailers and

don’t forget these important notes:

The holidays are coming up and scrip is a great gift idea

PrestoPay is the only way to pay (direct withdraw from your

checking account)

Orders are placed every two weeks

Page 5

Sowing Seeds By Lyndy Poyser, Primary Teacher

New Addition to Scrip Program

Lauren Moyer, CFO

A folk tale, The Little Red Hen, tells a story depicting the payoffs of hard work and dedication. The Little Red Hen finds a seed,

plants it, harvests it, grinds it, and finally bakes it into bread. She requests help during each step of the process from those who sur-

round her. It is only when the delicious fresh bread is ready that the Little Red Hen’s compan-

ions want to help her. They of course want the end product, but had little interest in the pro-

cess.

Unlike the characters in the Little Red Hen, children love to be a part of the process. For the

first Primary cook day earlier this October all four of the primary classes convened together and

dined on pizza that they had been cultivating since last spring!

In May the primary children readied the area that was to be the “pizza garden” – filled it with

wheelbarrows full of dirt, hoed, raked, and prepared the soil to be planted. They sowed seeds

of spinach and lettuce. They planted cherry tomato and sweet bell pepper plants, onion bulbs,

marjoram, basil, chives, and even marigolds (can’t forget the “cheese”).

The children then tended to the garden. They watered, and watered, and then watered some

more (and of course they weeded)! Throughout the summer children eagerly cared for the gar-

den as well.

When all of the Primary children returned to school, the fruit of their labor was obvious. There

were cherry tomatoes and sweet bell peppers dangling from the plants. The garden hummed of

the herbs that the children were able to smell either by coming close to the plant or just by rub-

bing the leaves between their forefinger and thumb.

You could hear the relentless question, “When are we making pizza?” Soon enough it was har-

vest time. Every child was an active participant throughout each step of the process. They cre-

ated the garden, they tended the garden, they harvested the garden, and finally they enjoyed pizza using the ingredients from their

pizza garden. If (like the Little Red Hen) you ask a child, “Who will help me?” They will exclaim, “I will!”

Maria Montessori said, “The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel

and live in harmony with the Earth.” When children are given the knowledge and the tools to

use that knowledge, their love for the process develops into a vested interest. They become self-

confident with their abilities. Young children are able to work towards a common goal learning

to be respectful of others as well as themselves along the way.

Of course gardening didn’t stop with just a pizza garden! Young children are always enthusias-

tic to do more. Their joy and optimism presented itself through many continuing conversations

about gardening, vegetables, fruits, plants, roots, etc. The pizza garden may be dormant for the

season, but the experience and passion grows within the children.

The Primary classes gather together in picnic-style fashion to enjoy their hard work!

Caprie prepares a pizza using fresh vegetables

Last May, Aiden and Elijah water the newly planted pizza garden

Our school pictures have arrived and with them have come a flurry of questions. Below we have addressed the most frequently asked

questions along with answers that we hope will provide the information you are seeking.

When are re-takes being held?

Tuesday, November 6th at 9:00 a.m. Please contact Kelly Elias at (260)897-4270 x1005 to confirm that your child will

be participating.

Can I still order pictures from the original picture day?

Yes! Please use the information included in your child’s picture packet or stop in the office for a new one.

I didn’t order photos, why did I receive a package?

As a courtesy, Inter-State Studio provides each family, whether they ordered photos or not, with an Operation Child ID

Photo Fingerprint Card at no charge to you.

Where is my child’s classroom photo?

Instead of a group photo, this year the classroom photo will be a composite of all the students’ individual pictures. After

re-takes are finished the classroom photos will be produced. We expect arrival sometime the first week of Decem-

ber.

How do I share my thoughts about the quality, price or convenience of my child’s photos?

Inter-State Studio is a new photographer for Oak Farm and we welcome all comments. Please contact Kelly Elias via

phone or email to share your thoughts.

How exciting to see our students in every

level anxious to bring in their “acoins” full

of change. Even those in the youngest

classrooms carefully put their contributions

into their classroom container with great

enthusiasm. This cheerful attitude towards

giving is heartwarming to see and we hope

it fosters a philanthropic quality for years to

come. How great a lesson to learn at such a young age

that one of the greatest acts of giving is to support that

what brings you joy! After all the counting was com-

plete, the combined effort of all our students raised a

total of $513.27 to apply towards our annual fund. Un-

fortunately the plastic money, Canadian coins and the

rock could not be included in the grand total.

Page 6

And the total is…

By Kelly Elias, Purchasing Manager

OA K F AR M MONT ESS ORI S CHOOL

Your Questions are Answered By Kelly Elias, Purchasing Manager

Winter Wonderland Presents…”Ritornare a Roma” as the Theme for Winter Wonderland 2013 By Jillian Chaulk, Winter Wonderland Committee

Why is Winter Wonderland escaping

to Rome this year? Why not head to

Rome, the birth place of Montessori,

for an enchanting evening of dinner,

discussion and donations. Did you

know that in 1907 Maria Montessori

opened her first classroom, the Casa

dei Bambini, or Children’s House, in a

tenement building in Rome?

Please join us as we celebrate an even-

ing of “Ritornare a Roma” on Satur-

day, February 23, 2013, at the Auburn

Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn,

Indiana. If you can’t wait until Feb-

ruary to get involved, I have a volun-

teer opportunity now for 1-2 parents

who are energetic and enthusiastic

about marketing their school! In

addition, I am looking for someone

to help with securing gift certificates

and silent auction items. Please let

me know if you are interested in ei-

ther opportunity by contacting me at

jillchaulk@gmail.com

V OLU ME 6, ISS UE 5 Page 7

Dear Friends and Family of Oak Farm,

I am very excited to share with you that the 6th annual Winter Wonderland Gala and Auction is returning, but this time is traveling

to Rome, Italy! This year’s theme will be focusing on the wonderful country of Italy and the birthplace of Maria Montessori! Ri-

tornare a Roma will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2012 at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Au-

burn, Indiana.

Winter Wonderland raised almost $40,000 last year to help fund classroom materials, field trips, the learning center, and tuition

assistance. Without the generous support of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and local businesses, our fundraising

event would not have been so successful. This year I am committed to raising even more, and I’m hoping you will help me.

Would you please consider donating an item, gift certificate, tickets, or experience to the auction?

Please read the list of questions below to spark some donation ideas. Are you an artist or do you know an artist who would be willing to donate an item?

Do you have any connections for a behind-the-scenes tour of an interesting place (museum, theater, interesting business)?

Do you have connections for the rental of a boat, helicopter, plane, or limo?

Could you donate an experience like sailing, fishing, airplane/helicopter ride, guest symphony director, back stage passes, golfing, skiing,

rafting, paddle boarding, rock climbing, etc.?

Do you have connections to someone who can donate flowers, candy, or desserts recurring every month for 6-12 months?

Could you donate dinner in your home or catered to the winner’s home?

Could you donate Gift certificates? I love gift certificates! I will be adding a new event at the auction this year and I need gift certificates to

put it all together!!

Could you donate homemade items? (quilts, afghans, pottery, etc.)

Are you a handyman who could donate your services for a day?

Do you have a skill you can teach to others? (art, music, knitting, horticulture, horseback riding, cooking, flying, etc.)

Do you know a local celebrity who could have lunch/dinner with the winner or show up for a kid’s party?

Could you donate a membership? (Zoo, YMCA, Science Central, Museums)

Could you donate a night on the town?

Are you a professional who could donate their services? (Dentist, Orthodontist, Doctor, Attorney, Financial Planning, Accounting, Home

Repair, Consulting, Car Maintenance, etc.)

Could you donate sports tickets? (football, baseball, hockey; local or nearby cities)

Could you donate a thrill adventure? (white water rafting, car racing, hand gliding, ballooning, skydiving, police car ride along, etc.)

Do you have a vacation or get-away to donate? (condo, cabin or second home; Florida, Disney, mountains, beach, etc.)

Could you donate money that would be used to purchase an auction item?

Please contact me if you have any questions about donation possibilities. If you have an item that you would like to donate to the

Winter Wonderland auction, please let me know by Wednesday, November 21st. You can contact me by phone at 260-415-7291

or by email at jillchaulk@gmail.com .

Thank you in advance for your support!

Appreciatively,

Jillian Chaulk

Jillian Chaulk, Volunteer Chair of Winter Wonderland

V OLU ME 6, ISS UE 5 Page 8

El Periodiquito

Carta de Presentación

E L

P E R I Ó D I C O

E N

E S P A Ñ O L

Dear Oak Farm Community,

The middle school students are putting

together a Spanish newsletter,

(El Periodiquito) which will be sent

out every month. This newsletter will

be filled with games, stories, songs, a

quote of month and recipes. The rea-

son we are doing this is because it will

be a great opportunity for the students

to practice their Spanish skills, and it is

also a connection between all the class-

rooms. There will opportunities for the

students to write stories and games in

Spanish. If there are students

interested in writing something

for the newsletter please contact

Gracie and Jordan at the middle

school and we will make sure it

is published in the upcoming

newsletter.

Sincerely,

Gracie and Jordan

Volume 1, Issue 1

29 de Octubre del 2012

Puntos Principales

Carta de Presentación.

Cuota del mes

Cuento

La granja

Canción

Ilumina las calabazas, las

Cuota del mes Por Seth Price

“Las hojas de los arboles se vuelven

rojas como la cereza que cae. Pero cuando las hojas caen puedes juntarlas y saltar como en un trampolín, en un día fresco”

las hojas saltar

V OLU ME 6, ISS UE 5 Page 9

Cuento “Las Aventuras de Alejandrito y Evercito” Por Alejandro Flores y Evan Russell

Page 2

En una tierra muy, muy lejana vivían dos osos pequeños. Se llamaban Alejandrito y Evercito. Ellos vivían en un pueblo

pequeño. Con ropa pequeña, zapatos pequeños, libros pequeños, cubiertos pequeños, amigos peque-

ños, y vivían felices en su mundo pequeño. Un día Alejandrito y Evercito fueron aventurar al bosque. Alejandrito vio

un árbol grande.

Alejandrito pensó escalar más alto que Evercito.

Continuara……

E L PE RIODI QUI T O

La Granja Por Flor I Ortega At the middle school recently were born chicks and ducklings. Maybe you already came and saw our baby chicks and ducks.

Here are some pictures:

1 2 3

1. El primer pollito

2. Aquí hay mas pollitos

3. Los pollitos están creciendo.

La canción “Los Pollitos……” Choose a word from the box, to write on the lines. (The picture under the lines gives you a clue for the correct answer).

Los pollitos dicen ________, ________, _______,

cuando tienen _______________,

cuando tienen _______________.

La _______________ busca el maíz y el trigo.

les da la comida y les presta _______________.

gallina pío

hambre frío

pío abrigo

pío

“The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul”

- Maria Montessori

BUY YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY!

Oak Farm Montessori School Cost $18.00

YEARBOOK

Student Name____________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________

Phone___________________ Classroom_____________________

Email___________________________________________________

Number of yearbooks_________ x $18.00 = __________ Total

To use a credit card or PayPal, go to yearbookforever.com and enter our school name. For cash or

checks, bring in this order form with payment made out to Oak Farm Montessori School.