News&NotesMARCH–APRIL 2012

PLYMOUTH-CANTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL

We are just kicking off our re-enrollmentprocess and encourage parents to sub-

mit their children’s applications soon. Youwill be making a decision that will not onlyaffect your child’s learning in these earlyyears, but will also maximize his or her abil-ity in future learning situations. The Mon -tessori curriculum has a dual purpose: theimmediate aim of giving specific informa-tion to the child and the long-range goal ofgiving children tools for learning.

Dr. Maria Montessori always emphasizedthat the “hand is the chief teacher of thechild.” There must be concentration in orderto learn, and the best way a child can con-centrate is by fixing his attention on a task he is performing with his hands. The use ofthe materials in our classrooms is based onthe young child’s unique aptitude for learn-ing, which Dr. Montessori called “theabsorbent mind.” The young child retainsthis ability to learn by absorbing until he orshe is almost 7 years old.

During these early years, children under-

go extremely rapid growth of intelligence. Bygiving your child the opportunity to com-plete the Montessori cycle of education, youare allowing that growth to be influenced bya rich, developmental environment.

Montessori testimonialsThanks to everyone who helped showcaseour Montessori program to prospectivekindergarten families during our Kinder -garten Information Meeting in February.Current kindergartners Conor Bambery,Zoe Cialella, Zaara Iqbal, Ethan James, Ella Kim, and Ian Smith and their parentsdemonstrated materials and answered ques-tions about the third year of our Montessoricurriculum.

In addition, alumnus Zachary Buvalic,now a fifth-grader at our Dearborn HeightsMon tessori Center sister school, and his momTracy were on hand to talk about their PCMSpreschool experience and how well it preparedZachary for elementary school. He was able to

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

Artwork by Nathan Esser, 5

A rich learning environment

continued on page 5

“Montessori education is the originaland, I think, the best brain-based

model of edu cation,” said pediatric neuro -psychologist Steven J. Hughes, Ph.D., in avideo showcased at our staff professional devel-opment session on February 21.

The video, “Good at Doing Things: Mon -tessori Education and Higher-Order Cog ni -tive Func tions,” which will also be featured atour Parent Perks meeting on Wednesday,March 21, focuses on brain-based learning andneural networks.

“There is a model of the way the brain is organized and how it works which I refer

to as the nuggets and networks system,” Dr.Hughes said. “Areas of the brain do not func-tion in isolation; they communicate with otherareas through networks of active fibers. Brainsneed healthy nuggets and healthy networks inorder to function.

“Somehow Maria Montessori knew aboutthese nuggets. The Montessori reading cur-riculum is astonishingly dead-on in helpingdeveloping brains condense the nuggets thatperform these certain functions.”

The Montessori curriculum triggers spe -cific brain functions that aid in cognitive

Montessori: Good for the brain

continued on page 4

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Montessori in the Information AgeMontessori preschools are

widely seen as the “Cad -illac” of early childhood pro-grams. Parents recognize andappreciate the progress their chil-dren make in academic and socialskills, they note growing compe-tence in everyday tasks, and theysee how confident their childrenare becoming as one successbuilds upon another.

As children progress into theelementary and middle schoolyears, however, parents sometimesbegin to doubt whether the Mon -tessori education their childrenare receiving will prepare them for the “real world.” In actuality,extensive research has validatedMon tessori methods, and Mon -tessori education is more relevanttoday than ever before in its 100-plus-year history.

Rapidly changing worldThe adult world for today’s chil-dren will be quite different fromthat of their grandparents andparents, and as we pass from theIndustrial Age of the 20th cen turyinto the Information Age of the21st, the skills required to succeedwill continue to evolve.

Our children will become partof a fast-moving global economywhere information is outdatedalmost as soon as it is learned. Inthe words of physicist MichioKaku, “Human knowledge isdoubling every 10 years. In thepast decade, more scientificknowl edge has been created thanin all of human history. Com -puter power is doubling every 18months. The Internet is doublingevery year. In the wake of thistechnological upheaval, entireindustries and lifestyles are beingoverturned, only to give rise toentirely new ones.” (Visions, 1997)

In order to succeed in this rap-idly changing culture, the abilityto acquire new skills will be anecessity. Futurist Alvin Toffler

predicted, “The illiterate of the21st century will not be thosewho cannot read and write, butthose who cannot learn, unlearn,and relearn.” (Future Shock, 1970)

Learning how to learnNo educational system prepareschildren to “learn how to learn”better than Montessori. The class-rooms are the tangible expressionof a philosophy that has at its core the belief that children areself-educators. Teachers create anenvironment in which childrenare part of a learning community,motivated by their interests andsupported by adults and peers. In this peaceful and nurturingatmosphere, children are free toreach their highest potential.

The traditional educationalmodel has changed little since Dr.Maria Montessori established herfirst school in 1907. Rooted inthe need for a competent indus-trial workforce, a system of masseducation in which the wholegroup learned the same things atthe same time became the norm.The child’s mind was considereda blank slate, with the teacher asthe source of knowledge. Instruc -tion aimed at the majority leftbehind those who learned slowlyor differently, and failed to stimu-late the gifted.

Maria Montessori was a scien-tist—the first female medical doctor to graduate from the Uni -ver sity of Rome—and through herwork with children, she saw thattraditional methods of in struc tion,with their emphasis on passivelearning and rote memorization,were stifling. She observed thathands-on experiences in meaning-ful contexts, some mea sure ofchoice and control, and the child’skeen interest in a subject led tointense concentration. She saw theconnection between movementand cognition, and realized thatthere was much to be gained when

children worked together: “Peoplesometimes fear that if a child giveslessons, this will hold him back in his own progress. But teachinghelps him to understand what heknows even better than before. Hehas to analyze and rearrange hisstore of knowledge before he canpass it on.” (The Absorbent Mind)

Mastery is the goalMontessori teachers partner withchildren and families to establisha climate of acceptance andmutual respect in which eachchild’s unique gifts are recog-nized and encouraged. Mon tes -sori education is task-based:Mastery is the goal. Errors areviewed as a step along the path tounderstanding, not as failures.The result is children who workat a task until they accomplish it,and who willingly take on newchallenges because they are notafraid to make mistakes. Theylearn how to analyze errors, toseek the information needed tocorrect them, and to move on to mastery. Contrast this to a traditional performance-basedpass-fail mentality—which chil-dren do you think will be bestprepared to learn, unlearn, andrelearn in the 21st century?

Sadly, now that standardizedtesting has become the sole yard-stick by which public schools arejudged and financed, teachers inthose settings are being forced tospend more time and resourcestraining children for tests, at theexpense of activities that wouldlead to creative and divergentthinking.

In the Montessori elementaryand Middle School programsoffered at our Dearborn HeightsMon tessori Center sister school,we administer one standardizedtest per year, beginning at grade 3.We focus our brief pre-test ener-gies on helping children learn thebasics of test-taking—a Practical

Montessori

students learn

how to analyze

errors, to seek the

information needed

to correct them,

and to move on

to mastery.

NEWS & NOTES 3

Life exercise that they will need intheir future schooling. We do notteach to the test, yet our studentsscore well.

Academics—and beyondMontessori students do learn allof the basics. Our DearbornHeights Montessori graduates arewell prepared for high school, areaccepted at their schools of choice(among them some of the mostprestigious in the area), and aresuccessful after they leave us.

They carry with them muchmore than strong academic cre-dentials, however. Because chil-dren in Montessori classrooms are

largely responsible for planningtheir own time, the students areself-directed and self-starters.They know how to analyze andsolve problems. Years of experi-ence with group projects and peerteaching have taught them how to work collaboratively, to assumeleadership roles, and to be com-fortable speaking in front of agroup. They have friendships with people from diverse back-grounds, and they have workedtogether running the businessesthat finance their class travels. All of these skills will translatewell to a fluid global workplacewhere flexibility, adaptability, and

innovation are essential. Independent ideas are encour-

aged in Montessori classrooms,and it is no surprise to me that the people who created Amazon,AOL, Wikipedia, and Google allattended Montessori schools. Iftheirs isn’t 21st-century thinking,I don’t know what is.

For information about Dear -born Heights Montessori Center,including upcoming Open Housedates, please see page 5.

What are the real benefits of sending a child to Montessori?by Tim Seldin, chair of the International Montessori Council

Parents often ask: What are the real benefits ofsending a child to a Montessori school? They seek

assurance that it will prepare their children to survivein the “real world,” by which they really question:Will Montessori prepare their children to succeed ina conventional school?

My favorite answer to this question is a simpleNo! No, Montessori is not designed to prepare chil-dren to think, act, and learn the way most childrendo in most traditional classrooms!

Will Montessori children succeed in a traditionalclassroom? The odds are that they will do just fine.

But, is Montessori designed to prepare childrenfor the sort of classroom experience that they are likely to find if they transfer from Montessori to atraditional school program before they go off to college? The answer is, of course, no. If Montessoriwere designed to prepare children for the next rungon the conventional schooling ladder, then Mon -tessori would be like other traditional schools, andthat is precisely what Montessori schools weredesigned to challenge and replace!

Now, is Montessori designed to prepare childrenfor the “real world”? What do we mean when wethink about the real world? What most people meanis a world of people who are driven high-achievers. Inthe real world, many so-called successful people live

lives that are centered around competition instead ofpartnership, where relationships are structuredaround hierarchies of power and influence, andwhere people are thought of as being part of a groupor outsiders. In the real world that we live in, manypeople whom we think of as “successful” tend to beself-centered, materialistic, and not terribly happyand balanced. Many conventional schools teach chil-dren, perhaps nonverbally, perhaps overtly, that theworld is made up of “somebodies” and “nobodies.”Sadly, these ideas tend to be woven into what manypeople think of as success in the real world.

Montessori schools are generally focused on amore balanced and more spiritual approach to life.Montessori is not antimaterialistic. It does not teachchildren that they should not aspire to have a beauti-ful home or a successful career. What we do say is thatthere are other things that have a deeper value. If weown a home and somehow it is lost, our lives havemeaning that is much greater than the things we own.

So, to return to the original question: Is Mon -tessori oriented, as is a typical prep school, to preparechildren for university and for a career? My responsewould be that we prepare children to think, create,imagine, design, and collaborate well with others,and to live a balanced life.

Artwork by Jacob Li, 3

continued on next page

4 NEWS & NOTES

So then, what do children tend to get out ofMontessori?

Firstly, Montessori children have an incrediblesense of self-worth. They become fiercely indepen -dent. They get a sense of their own ability to learnnew things, master new skills, solve problems, anddo things well.

Secondly, children in Mon tes sori schools learnnonviolence and conflict resolution. They becomespiritually alive—in the highest sense of what thatmeans. This is not simply a fear-based approach toreligion but rather an approach to living based onlove and faith.

Montessori was always in tended to create condi-tions in which children, even children whose livesare impoverished, can develop their full, uniquepotentials. The original group of children withwhom Dr. Maria Montessori worked were 50 streeturchins, whose families lived in conditions ofextreme poverty, with all the negative factors thatgo along with it: crime, drugs, and violence. Andthose children blossomed.

In Montessori education, we try to create condi-tions at school that give children a sense of joy, asense of celebration, and a sense that they are part ofsomething bigger than themselves, without takingaway their sense of per sonal empowerment and per-sonal responsibility. We aim to inspire in them asense of awe and wonder. This is not done in a waythat makes children feel small and powerless, butrather to say “you belong on this Earth!” Montessoricreates an understanding that each life has value andeach life has purpose. Our children learn that we

need to honor ourselves, honor our parents, honorother human beings, and honor all life. Like all greatspiritual traditions, Montessori helps children to dis-cover their own dignity in the midst of our imperfec-tions and personal limitations.

Montessori children learn that their ideas havemerit and that their decisions are important. Theylearn that people make mistakes, but that we canlearn from them. They learn that we need to takeresponsibility for our actions and, where appropri-ate, to try to rebalance the scales.

Montessori teaches children how to live in acommunity and how to resolve conflicts peacefully.We teach them to support one another emotion ally.Our children learn how to lead and also how to bepart of a team.

These are very powerful lessons, which go farbeyond the simple memorization of facts and formu-las, and far beyond the mechanics of the basic cur-riculum. We are engaged in teaching children tothink deeply, to figure things out for themselves, andto be their own best teacher. We teach them how tobring abstract ideas, along with things that they havenever seen, to life. We help them to see the real con-nections between things.

Most Mon tessori schools produce incrediblybright young people who think for themselves, whohave terrific self-confidence, and who can be trust-ed to ask all the right questions.

Tim Seldin is chair of the Inter national Mon tessoriCouncil, a worldwide umbrella organization ofMontessori schools.

development, Dr. Hughes said.The hallmarks of the Montessoriapproach—hands-on learning,opportunity for repetition, mixedage groups, multi-sensory materi-als, indirect learning, freedom toexplore one’s environment, andfreedom of expression—are inte-gral to cognitive development.

The video presentation rein-forced the benefits of Montessoriover traditional education meth-ods: “Why do young children,who are still developing the abil -

ity to understand language, spendso much time sitting and listen-ing to teachers at conventionalschools? Wouldn’t it be nice todesign an educational modelaround hands-on activity, physi-cal manipulation, and engage-ment in the world? Maria Mon -tessori did just that.”

Dr. Hughes is a licensed psy-chologist and board-certifiedpediatric neuropsychologist spe-cializing in problems with atten-tion, concentration, organization,planning, and related executivefunctions. He also consults on

educational program evaluation,and speaks to groups aboutdevelop mental education, neuro -cognitive disorders, parenting,and other topics of interest to par-ents and educators.

Dr. Hughes is a lecturer at the Maria Mon tessori Institute in London and the MontessoriTraining Center of Minnesota,and he serves as chair of the Asso -ciation Montessori Inter nationaleGlobal Research Com mittee. He’salso a Montessori parent.

Montessori: Good for the brain continued from page 1

The real benefits of Montessori continued from previous page

We are

engaged in

teaching children

to think deeply, to

figure things out for

themselves, and

to be their own

best teacher.

NEWS & NOTES 5

A rich learning environment continued from page 1

answer questions from parentsabout DHMC’s elementary pro-gram as well.

Welcome, spring visitorsMarch is a busy month withmany sharing activities for fami-lies and children. We thank thoseparents who volunteered to sharetheir cultures with the childrenduring Multicultural Week. Thechildren benefit from this richexposure to different cultures.

The children will have a visitfrom Margaret Schmidt, the FarmLady, on Monday, March 19.“Spring time on the Farm” is a fun, interactive program that celebrates all the new life on afarm in the spring. Rounding out the month’s activities is thepopular Art Day on March 24, aSaturday morning dedicated tofun art projects for students andtheir parents.

Dads will have the opportu -nity to spend an evening withtheir children here at school onWednesday, April 4. On Friday,April 20, grandparents (or a sub-stitute) are invited to spend timein the classroom with their grand-children. The children alwayslook forward to showing theirclassroom to guests and sharingtheir favorite activities.

Please mark your calendarsfor spring break. There will beno classes or day care fromFriday, April 6 through Friday,April 13. Students return to

school on Monday, April 16. Our spring Open House for

current families and their friendsis scheduled for Sunday, April 22from 1–3 p.m. Please join us!

Comfort and safety firstAs warmer weather approaches,we will be going outside moreoften, so please remember todress your child in comfortableplayground wear. Layered cloth-ing is best because the tempera-ture varies from early morning tolate afternoon.

Increased playground timemeans more children crossingthe driveway to the playground. Do not park along the walk, atthe front door, or within onecar length of the crosswalk.Parents, remember that slow is

the word. Please drive very slowlyand cautiously in your swingaround the driveway. With cellphones off, you are able togive your full attention to yourdriving and the children.

Summer, Montessori styleSoon after the end of the schoolyear our summer session begins,starting on June 18 and continu-ing for nine weeks. Each class is three hours in length, with day care available from 7 a.m. to6 p.m. Summer camp is themebased, with each week offering avariety of crafts, activities, andoutdoor fun. Sprinkler Day isone of the most popular weeklyevents! Several exciting in-housepresenters have been scheduled,along with an ending field trip to Maybury Farm in Northville.Enrollment is on a first-come,first-served basis, so please regis-ter for summer camp right away.

Recycling mattersWe encourage you to continuerecycling your used cellphones,digital cameras, and video gamesand systems through PCMS.Laptops, PDAs, and laser or ink -jet cartridges are also accepted.The collection box is located inthe hallway. Also, we continue tocollect Box Tops for Education.Thank you for your participation.

—Linda Myers and

Cheryl Miller

Tracy and Zachary Buvalictold Open House guests howwell our preschool preparedZachary, now in fifth grade,for elementary school.

Our spring

Open House for

current families

and their friends

is scheduled for

Sunday, April 22

from 1–3 p.m.

Please join us!

Explore the next level of Montessori for yourchild by visiting PCMS sister school DearbornHeights Mon tes sori Center.

DHMC, now in its 40th year of providingeducational excellence, represents the only single-choice Mon tessori environment for Tod -dler through Middle School in this area. Comesee our programs in action during our nextOpen House: Tuesday, April 24 from 9 to 11 a.m.and Wednesday, April 25 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Our staff welcomes the opportunity to sharewith pro spec tive families all the benefits that aDHMC education has to offer. If you can’t makethe Open House, please call Admissions DirectorLaura Springer (313-359-3000) to schedule atour at your con venience. DHMC is located at466 N. John Daly in Dear born Heights, one halfmile east of Inkster Road and one block north of Cherry Hill (www.dhmontessori.org).

We look forward to meeting you!

Looking for elementary Montessori? Look to DHMC!

6 NEWS & NOTES

MRS. SHEKAR

Amazing progress in our classHow lucky we are to have expe-

rienced such a mild winter!Isn’t it ironic to say this when ourchildren are missing making snowangels and snowmen?

Moms’ Night this year was abig success, with excellent turn -out and participation from themoms. It was heartening to seeour children proudly presenttheir class work—and emulatethe teachers by advising theirmothers to be organized beforeparticipating in activities.

We would like to thank ourparents for the donations towardedible and nonedible treats forour Valentine’s Day party.

In the Practical Life area ofthe classroom, our children havecompleted some of the morechallenging activities such assqueezing oranges to prepareorange juice, slicing pickles, andspreading jelly on crackers. Foodpreparation activities help thechildren to become independentand develop a sense of order.

We will continue to focus onimproving the children’s coordi-nation and concentration skillsthrough activities such as spoon-ing, pouring, sew ing, and dish-washing. Over time, we willgradually decrease the size of the

objects (spoons, funnels, etc.)used for the activities to chal-lenge the children further.

In the Sensorial area, the chil-dren have learned to recognizegeometric shapes such as the par-allelogram, rhombus, trapezoid,and all polygons from pentagonto decagon. We will continue towork with the color tablets,which help children learn grada-tions by presenting differentshades of a color.

In language, our childrenhave been absorbing vocabularyand developing comprehensionby discussing answers to ques-tions posed after story time. Weare proud to say that they indeedlove these discussions. Phonicslessons and reading will continuein subsequent months.

In math, we are using beadsto understand the concepts ofunits, tens, hundreds, and thou-sands. The younger children areworking toward relating quanti-ties to numbers. Every child isprovided an opportunity tocount the number of studentsattending the class on a givenday. Depending on the readinessof the children, we will learnabout the concepts of additionand subtraction.

In geography, we talked aboutPresidents’ Day and learnedabout George Washington, Abra -ham Lincoln, and BarackObama. We also discussed thejob of the president and itsimportance to our country. Wewill continue to learn aboutcountries on the various conti-nents. We’ll also study land andwater forms such as cape, isth-mus, island, archipelago, lake,strait, bay, and gulf.

In science, we studiedamphibians and their life cycles.We also performed some experi-ments pertaining to sink andfloat. Cur rently, we are dis-cussing the reasons animalsbecome extinct. We will soonlearn about the properties of mag-nets through experiments, andwill study mammals and theircharacteristics, the parts of ahorse, and the human body.

We look forward to morewonderful days ahead. In Marchand April, we will be celebratingbirthdays of the following chil-dren: Zoe Cialella, AndrewCovino, Ethan Tsang, andArush Vatul.

—Sudha Shekar,

Diane Kwiatkowski, and

Jeannie Michalak

The children

have learned to

recognize geometric

shapes such as

the parallelogram,

rhombus, trapezoid,

and all polygons

from pentagon to

decagon.

“Bug Eating a Leaf” by Nicolas Andraos, 4

NEWS & NOTES 7

MRS. EWASEK

A safe setting helps children soarMany times I have told our

students that while teachingthem how to read and count isimportant, our first concern isalways that we keep them safe.Usually I even tease a bit and tellthem that parents get very cranky

if we send them home broken,but teasing aside, we care deeplyabout this issue of safety.

Our first responsibility is toensure a predictable environmentwhere children can count on theadults to treat them respectfully.Our school is also a place whereit is safe to take a risk, to trysomething new, and to still besupported even if it takes manytries to master a skill. It is a placewhere we work to teach childrento celebrate differences and findcompromises that allow all toenjoy success.

This is the setting that allowschildren to soar. Coupled with the fact that they are allowed tochoose and are directed to workthat is meaningful to them, chil-

dren aren’t limited in a Mon -tessori classroom. Most impor-tant, they are learning to directthemselves. We allow them to fail(such as spilling some water) sothey have the opportunity to fixthe mistake and perhaps next time

avoid it. We give them kind wordsto practice using, and we coachthem to be helpful rather thanhurtful. When parents visit ourroom, they always comment onhow polite and responsible thechildren are.

Making connectionsWe began our science studies bydefining living things. Livingthings need energy, reproduce,and grow. We divided these intoplants and animals. Plants createtheir energy (photosynthesis), andanimals need to feed on organicmatter for energy. Then welooked at the phyla of vertebrateand invertebrate and in even moredepth at the classes of mammal,bird, fish, amphibian, reptile,insect, and arachnid. We willlearn the names of their body

parts and even look at some oftheir life cycles. We will end theyear with a study of a biome (suchas desert), chosen by the students,so they can gain an understandingof how all life is connected.

In our cultural area, the chil-dren are learning the continentsand countries of the world. Theyare also exploring different landand water bodies and are learningthe names and descriptions ofislands, capes, lakes, and bays. Wewill be introducing money andhow to read a clock to some of thestudents who are ready.

Much to celebrateWe enjoyed having parents takepart in our classroom observationsessions. Many gained a greaterunderstanding of all their chil-dren are doing. Parents are alwayswelcome to drop in during officehours, make an appointment fora more convenient time, or call onthe phone. I love talking about“our” kids.

Thank you all for sharing yourchildren with us. We enjoy seeingthem gain confidence, acquirenew skills, and grow into whatMaria Montessori called the“authentic self.” As always, I amgrateful for having the best job inthe world.

Congratulations to thosechildren celebrating birthdays in March and April: EnzoBoata, Alaina Cook, NicoDettling, Nate Ewasek, AnshGhelani, Samantha Los, Emma Maynard, Ian Smith,and Landon Williamson.

—Sandy Ewasek,

Anne Marsh, Renee Smokovitz,

and Diane Kwiatkowski

Artwork by Jennifer Shin, 4

Our school is a

place where it is

safe to take a risk,

to try something

new, and to still be

supported even if

it takes many tries

to master a skill.

8 NEWS & NOTES

MRS. KAROL

Stretching our imaginationsOur morning class is using

colors in various ways in theclassroom. Since late fall, we havebeen doing color mixing witheyedroppers and colored water.Now we have tempera paint atthe art easel, where children usethe primary colors to create theirown works of art. Cleanup is avaluable exercise as children use asponge and water to tidy the easelfor the next artist. We are alsousing watercolor at a table easelfor a different experience withpaint and colors. In addition,we’re working with paper of vary-ing texture, shape, and colors,and gluing small squares of paperonto other paper. The results arebeautiful, imaginative creations!

As we study various animalgroups, we have baskets contain-ing blank pictures of animals forthe children to color. There arecontrol pictures that isolate theparts of each animal to teachnomenclature. The children colorthe specific parts and make a“parts of an animal” booklet totake home. There are many ani-mals from different animalgroups for them to experience.

Metal insets provide experi-mentation with shapes as thechildren trace geometric tem-plates. The templates are metal,and little hands use pencils to follow the outline of each shapeto create the shape on their ownpaper. This work familiarizes thechildren with shapes and helpsthem refine their motor skills. Itis also a great work to do as theysit with or near friends.

Other shape work in the roomis provided by the geometric cab-inet. This is a wooden case thatcontains six drawers, each ofwhich holds wooden templates

of various shapes. One drawer hascircles in six different sizes thatthe children put in order fromlargest to smallest. There is adrawer of differing angled trian-gles, which can be matched to

cards of the same shape. Childrenoften work together in pairs onthese activities, sharing ideas andcamaraderie.

We have been having funlearning about the rainforest andits amazing animal and plant life.We use our bodies to rememberthe different layers of the forest.We touch the ground to help usremember the forest floor. Wetouch the trunk of our own body

to remind us of the rainforestunderstory, with our arms beingthe limbs. We clasp our handsabove our heads to represent thecanopy layer, and we stretch ontiptoe with arms extended high to

represent the emergent layer, thehighest-standing trees of all.

We are very happy to extendcongratulations to our childrenwith birthdays in March—J.T.Chau, Animesh Kar, MaxwellLee, and Saahil Shah—andApril—Kaitlyn Arao and MonaPandit.

—Karol Doody, Beth McGinnis,

and Carolyn Pelli

We have

been having fun

learning about the

rainforest and its

amazing animal

and plant life. We

use our bodies to

remember the

different layers of

the forest.

Artwork by Zak Zoltowski, 5

NEWS & NOTES 9

EXTENDED DAY

Seasonal learning opportunitiesSpring is bringing opportuni-

ties to learn about birds andplants in nature. We are makingpaper models of robins, spar-rows, and hummingbirds, andlearning about their nests, songs,and feeding habits.

The Raptor Project wildlifeedu cation program has a webcamthrough which we have beenobserving a pair of bald eagles layeggs, hatch their young, and teachthem to fly. (You can watch too:www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles.)We are able to watch as thesethings happen in real time! Weplan to make a model of an adulteagle and a baby eagle.

To feel the lightness of a bird’scovering, we examined a peacockfeather, with its hollow interior.We also dropped water on thefeather to see it shed water.

Engaging experiments In our science area we made atube of water and oil to observehow water is repelled by oil. We

also made a “tornado” tube withrecycled liter bottles and a specialconnector to demonstrate thewhirl of a water funnel, which ismuch like a wind funnel.

The 100th day of school(February 15) was, of course, allabout 100! It was interesting tosee the variety of items brought in by the children for counting.After grouping their objects intopiles of 10, the students countedby tens to 100 and then placed anumeral 100 on their rugs. Thenext exercise was to sort theirobjects into piles of five and thencount by fives to 100. As a groupwe orga nized the teacher’s objectsinto groups of two and countedby twos to 100. The Montessoriskip-counting chains offer oppor-tunities to do bead counting allthe way to 1,000 if desired!

The beginning of warmweather is an opportune time tolearn about invertebrates. Insects,arachnids, and many forms of sea life are our focus. The chil-

dren are invited to sort pictures of invertebrates into their dif -ferent classifications. We will bejournaling about some of ourfavorite ones.

Fascinating presentationsMrs. Patsy, a theater director andthe music teacher at our LivoniaMontessori Center sister school,came to visit in February to teachus about pantomime and improv-isation. She grouped the childrenby threes to do skits about suchtopics as people at the beach,people at the grocery store, andpeople doing everyday things.

We also had an in-house pre sentation by Huron-ClintonMetro parks about animals inwinter and the way they copewith the extreme cold (migrat-ing, hiber nat ing, or adaptingouter skin cov erings for moreprotection). It was a great pres-entation that included a puppetshow about animals.

—Karol Doody and Beth McGinnis

The Raptor Project

wildlife edu cation

program has a

webcam through

which we have

been observing a

pair of bald eagles.

Children welcome moms to schoolWe had a wonderful turnout for Moms’ Night in January. Participants included (from left) Vidhya Patel and mom Urvashi and Jacob Li and mom Feng Zhou.

10 NEWS & NOTES

DAY CARE

How do you know when it’s spring?We are celebrating the arrival

of spring in our day careroom! The spring weather hashelped the children get somerelief from cabin fever. We haveenjoyed many nature walks, andthe children have shared some oftheir thoughts about how weknow when spring is here:n Danilo Guberinich: “Leaves

will be growing.”n Vidhya Patel: “The birds

come back.”n Max Beehler: “Things grow.”n Sanjana Addepalli: “The

grass gets green.”n Ella Kim: “When daffodils

start to grow.”n Zoe Cialella: “The robins

are out.”n Manya Gowda: “When the

rain comes.”n Stephen Ayala: “When the

trees get their leaves.”

The spring season oftenbrings the potential for severeweather. During group time wehave been discussing thunder,

lightning, storms, and tornadoes.Our school practices tornadodrills, and we explain why we goto a room with no windows andhow to feel safe. These discus-sions are helpful in calming fearsand learning the right thing to doto keep safe. Similar discussionsat home will help reinforce whatis being taught at school.

We enjoyed discussing St.Patrick’s Day and the story of howit came to be. We also introducedthe words fact and fiction, andalthough it is a difficult concept tograsp, the children have sharedsome great examples of storiesthat are indeed fact as well as somecreative stories that are fiction.

Our bottom loft has gonefrom “Dinosaurs Galore” to aflower shop. Both of these unitsprovide great fun and opportuni-ties to be creative. Many vasesand a wide variety of flowers andleaves enable the children to cre-ate flower arrangements and placethem about the room. A phone,paper, and pencil allows the

flower shop workers take ordersfrom children and teachers alike!

As the months go by, we con-tinue to stress the importance ofgood manners through our les-sons on grace and courtesy. Thechildren have been role-playinghow to introduce a family mem-ber or friend. They have alsolearned to politely ask to beexcused from the table, as well aswhat to do when we burp or passgas in public. We have also dis-cussed being polite when ourparents are busy and how tointerrupt if it is necessary.

In addition to playing on theplayground, our outdoor timehas included sidewalk chalk,bubbles, collecting leaves forrubbing work, tricycle time,and—a favorite among bothboys and girls—bug and wormcollecting!

Happy Spring!—Diane Cook, Martha Almon,

Parul Desai, Leslie Hennes,

Mita Shah, Donna Tooley, and

Annette Walsh

Artwork by Manisha Datar, 4

As part of our commitment to providing ongoing educational opportunities for staff

and parents at all three of our schools, ourDearborn Heights campus welcomed parenting and relationship expert Thomas Haller, Ph.D.,on January 16. He conducted a professional devel-opment session for staff from our Plymouth-Canton, Livonia, and Dearborn Heights schoolsduring the day and an informative parent meetingin the evening.

In his parent meeting talk, “The Six BestParent ing Strat egies Ever,” Dr. Haller shared ideasto help parents manage their children’s behavior,create accountability, and raise responsible childrenin today’s world.

The staff session, “Teacher Talk: The Lan guageof Response-Able Teach ing,” focused on commu-nication skills. “There is an undeniable linkbetween the words teachers speak and the attitudes

and outcomes students create in their lives,” Dr.Haller said. “An educator’s choice of words andcommunication style is critical to the emotionalhealth, academic achievement, and personalempowerment of the students.”

The “Teacher Talk” style of communicatingwith students is designed to create mutuallyrespectful relationships—a perfect fit with the wayour Mon tessori classrooms function.

Dr. Haller holds a doctorate in child and fam ilystudies and has maintained a private psycho -therapy practice in Bay City for more than 20years. He specializes in child, adolescent, and cou-ples therapy. Along with Chick Moorman, Dr.Haller is the co-author of six highly acclaimedbooks and co-creator of the Parent Talk System,which is the basis of the Parent Talk classes ourschool offers to families each fall.

Parenting expert shares insight

“There is an

undeniable link

between the words

teachers speak and

the attitudes and

outcomes students

create in their lives.”

—Dr. Thomas Haller

NEWS & NOTES 11

MUSIC

Variety jazzes up our music lessonsMarch is the beginning of

spring, and we are enjoyingthe changes we see outside. Inmusic class, we learned a silly Irishsong called “Michael Fin ni gan” inhonor of St. Patrick’s Day.

We are enjoying learning somenew songs about spring, such as“Springtime Is Coming,” wherewe talk about the changes innature and then put that togetherin a cute song. We also are learn-ing a butterfly song. As snowchanges to rain, we are learning arain song called “Pitter Pat.” Ittalks about all the special clotheswe need to wear as we go fromwinter to spring. As spring breakapproaches, we will have funlearning the Bunny Hop dance.

One of my goals is to exposethe children to many styles ofmusic. We have learned aboutmany wonderful classical com-posers this year. I am excitedabout our composer for March:jazz great Dizzy Gillespie. Thechildren are learning about hislife growing up in the South. Hehad a unique musical style, andhe changed the swing dancemusic popular in the day to“bebop.” He was a role modelfor many great musicians. InApril we will be focusing on a different style as we learn about John Philip Sousa and listen and march to his march-ing music.

In music theory, we are learn-ing about different kinds ofnotes and note value. The chil-

dren will learn to clap therhythms of familiar songs as they read the music notes. Wewill also learn about musicdynamics. It is fun to practicesinging loudly and softly.

I continue to work with thechildren on the bells, egg shakers,and other rhythm instruments.We also use scarves to help thechildren feel and experience fastand slow music.

Please continue to share yourfavorite music with your chil-dren when you are in the car andat home. It helps them get a feel for what you like whiledeveloping a sense of their ownpreferences in music.

—Linda Christensen

French class (la classe de français) continues tomeet and have fun twice a week. The children

are greeted in French (en français), and are becom-ing more comfortable telling each other how theyfeel. We have added Je suis fatigué (I’m tired), J’aifaim (I’m hungry), and J’ai soif (I’m thirsty) to ourlist of expressions.

Early in January we expanded our weathervocabulary to include the words to say that it’s cold,hot, windy, beautiful, snowing, and raining. Wedecorated our “weather bears” and played a matchgame and Bravo (like Bingo) with our new words.

In February we learned to say “Je t’aime” so wecould tell our special valentines “I love you.”Students decided that the French word for “family,”la famille, sounds like “love for me.” We love ourfamilies! We used dollhouse figures to learn about la famille. One of our games included pictures ofpeople from magazines, all representing differentmembers of our family. We chose pictures and filledour paper dollhouses with la mère (mom), le père(dad), la grand-mère (grandmother), le grand-père(grand father), la soeur (sister), le frère (brother), lebébé (baby), and les animaux (animals).

Bon voyage! This is what we said after weunpacked and packed our valise (suitcase) with realclothing. Our clothing lessons included all theessentials: hat, glasses, scarf, tie, gloves, purse, shirt,belt, skirt, dress, pants, shoes, and socks. We alsodressed paper dolls in the same clothing.

We enjoyed learning about food while we playedau supermarché (at the supermarket). Childrenchose food to put in their shopping carts, wechecked them out, and they paid before restockingthe shelves. We added food to our place setting forle dîner (dinner). It included le bifteck (steak), le poulet (chicken), le sandwich (sandwich), la soupe(soup), le fruit (fruit), le lait (milk), le jus (juice), la glace (ice cream), la céréale (cereal), and otherfavorites. Before the end of the school year, we willlearn about vehicles, spring items, and sports.

We continue to learn familiar words and phrasesand play fun games to use the language in a mean-ingful way. My goal is to give the children an intro-duction and exposure to French so that they willenjoy learning it and be successful. Please feel free tocontact me if you have questions or concerns.

—Merci, Becky Wattleworth (Madame Becky)

FRENCH

Je t’aime means ‘I love you’

Students decided

that the French

word for “family,”

la famille, sounds

like “love for me.”

Artwork by Jun Shin, 5

DATES TO REMEMBERMarch19 Monday In-house presentation: Margaret Schmidt, the Farm Lady, presents

“Springtime on the Farm.”

21 Wednesday Parent Perks meeting. 9 a.m. Complimentary child care available.

23 Friday Staff development and materials preparation day. NO CLASSES. Day care avail-able—please sign up in advance.

24 Saturday Art Day. 9:30–11:30 a.m. Parents and enrolled children come to schooltogether for a morning of art activities. Lots of fun—don’t miss it!

28 Wednesday In-house presentation: Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum presents its Outreach Program to kindergarten children.

April2 Monday In-house presentation: Interactive music presentation by Two of a Kind, a

popular husband-and-wife duo.

4 Wednesday Dads’ Night. 5–6:30 p.m. Dads (or a substitute) and enrolled childrencome to school together. Open house format—drop in anytime.

5 Thursday Spring Celebration. Last day of school. Regular class hours.

6 Friday Spring vacation through Friday, April 13. NO CLASSES. NO DAY CARE.

18 Wednesday Parent Perks meeting. 9 a.m. Complimentary child care available.

20 Friday Grandparents’ Day (or a special person if grandparents are not available). Open house format:n Morning classes: 9–11 a.m.n Afternoon classes: 12:30–2:30 p.m.

22 Sunday Open House for the Community and Families. 1–3 p.m. Current and prospective families are invited to tour the classrooms and learn more about the Montessori philosophy.

25 Wednesday Karol’s Extended Day kindergarten class field trip: U of M Exhibit Museumand Planetarium. 1–2:30 p.m.

27 Friday through May 14. Parent-teacher conferences. School will remain in session.Dates for individual classrooms to be announced.

PLYMOUTH-CANTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL

45245 Joy RoadCanton, MI 48187

734-459-1550www.pcmontessori.org

“We do not believe

in the educative power

of words and commands

alone, but seek cautiously

and almost without the

child’s knowing it, to guide

his natural activity.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Artwork by Jordan Tate, 5