Archives

Week 14

Nov15

Thank you all who participated in our annual Chili Cook Off!  This is my all time favorite community building event.

This week we are busy working and learning many new and different things.

Cultural

We have an amazing parent volunteer (and close friend of mine) teaching Botany lessons this year.  We are so lucky to have Rachael Bush in our classrooms once a month giving foundation lessons!  She brings a passion and energy to this subject that cannot be matched!  We are learning about the importance of roots as supporters and nitrogen fixers (thank you symbiotic relationships!).  We will be following up in class with a traveling nitrogen activity as well as a beautiful work demonstrating the nitrogen cycle.

International Festival is a month away.  Please be sure your child is working on this project at home.  The expectations for this project were given to your student, and can also be found under the International Festival tab at the top of the blog.  This year the festival will be held on Monday, December 19 from 9-11.  Parents are welcome to attend.

4th Level  – We have just started our fractions studies in class.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is a wonderful time to have your child practice using fractions in the real world by reading recipes, measuring ingredients and spending time with family in the kitchen!  Understanding of fractions is a crucial part of our world.

5th Level  – We are continuing our fraction studies this week with multiplication of fractions by whole numbers.  Do you have a recipe that is written for 4, and need to scale it up for 8? Allow your child to help you with this fun and important task during the holidays when it is natural for you to spend time in the kitchen.

6th Level – Currently, rates and ratios are the focus of our math studies   Like fractions, ratios are used in the kitchen.  What better time to practice in the real world than during the time of year we spend a lot of time cooking and preparing for guests.

Redwoods payment due Wednesday, November 16.

Finally, if you have any questions regarding any of the grade level home projects, or the international festival, please send me an email.

No School – Monday, November 21-Friday, November 25.

 

Welcome Back – Quarter Two

Oct24

I hope you all had an adventurous/restful/productive (insert adjective of your choice) Fall Break!

As we enter into our second quarter of school, I wanted to share some important reminders about classroom policy and expectations.   At the beginning of the school year, each of you signed an agreement to support your student in the classroom.  Please take a moment to review our classroom expectations.

IXL –   This assignment is given orally on Monday morning, is posted in the classroom, and is available on the blog.  IXL is due the Sunday following.  These assignments directly support the lessons your child has in the classroom.  In addition, seeing math in a different format from what it is seen in the classroom will help your child develop problem solving skills.  Please set aside a time for your child to practice nightly.  If your child needs extra help on a section, please have them write a note in their planner and Ms. Kari or I will help them in class.

Planners – This is an important communication tool between school and home.  Please review your student’s planner with them nightly and sign it.  By doing this, you can see what work your child has planned, whether it has been completed, and what you can do to help them at home.

Spelling – Your child records new spelling words on Thursday, and spelling tests take place the following Wednesday.  Students are required to correct any mistakes and return their test with a signature from a parent (or guardian) the next day.  Having a signature on the test is a way to ensure your child is sharing their success, as well as their needs, with you.  Please be sure you are helping your child create a routine for spelling.  Those who study do far better than those who don’t, even when spelling is challenging.

Weekly Work Evaluation – Each Friday your child fills out a work evaluation.  This allows your child to self-reflect on their effort, previous week’s goals and what they have learned throughout the week.  Reviewing and signing your child’s evaluation is another critical communication piece between school and home.

Home Projects – 

  • Level 4 – Utah Studies project – I started out with a bang, and very quickly realized the information I sent home was a bit vague.  As such, I will be re-introducing this project to your children on Thursday, October 27th with a solid timeline and better explanations.  Please watch for this information to come home this week.
  • Level 5 – Invention Convention – Your 5th level student had their first assignment due Wednesday, October 19.  This assignment was to be a problem collector which will help them determine the invention they would like to engineer for their STEM based home project.   Your child will bring home their next assignment this week, as well as a printed timeline for the project.
  • Level 6 – Expert Project – We are well on our way on this project.  The last two weeks your child should have been working on a project proposal.  I am excited to read the first draft of these proposals, as it will give me a much clearer idea of where your child is taking their research.  This has been a great experience so far and I look forward to our presentations in April.
  • All Grades – International Festival/Country Reports – This year’s international festival is Monday, December 19.  Your child will receive his/her country assignment (randomly assigned) Friday, October 28.  Because each of your children are already working on an individual, long-term, home project, we will spend some time in class on Friday, November 4 doing preliminary research.  Please take an opportunity to go to the library with your child and check out books that will support their research.  They should bring these books to school on November 4 in order to make the best use of their time.  We do have limited resources (computers, books, etc) and it will help immensely if your child brings some of their own.

If after your child brings home information about his/her individual long-term home project, or the International Festival, you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Have a wonderful week!

 

 

6th Grade Parent Meeting

Sep7

Good Evening!

Don’t forget our first parent and student meeting of the year is tomorrow, Thursday, September 8 at 6:00pm.  If your child is planning on attending the field trip to Alliance Redwoods, you and your child must attend.  We will discuss volunteer requirements for students as well as basic expectations to be able to attend this life changing trip.

If, for some reason, you are unable to attend, please let me know so I can share pertinent information with you.

 

Celebrations of Life

Aug27

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer weather!  I realized that when I changed the blog theme, the sign-up for Celebrations of Life disappeared from the sidebar.

We would love to have you share photos and stories of your child to celebrate their birthday.  Please sign up using this link.   We celebrate on Wednesday afternoons at 2:40.

As a reminder for our returning students, and an introduction to our new students, we do not celebrate birthdays with treats or trinkets.  Your stories and photos are special enough.  Typically, students bring a picture for each year of their life with their current year represented by themselves.  The class participates in a compliment circle and then they sing (complete with a surprise ending introduced to our class by a former student!).

Some students don’t wish to celebrate, and that is perfectly okay (the attention can be uncomfortable, and I want to honor that).   If your child has a birthday during the summer, we would love to celebrate a half-birthday with them.

Back to School Night

Aug17

Good Evening!

Back to school night is tomorrow from 6:30-7:00.  Between the hours of 6:30 and 7:00 we will be in the gym for a short parent education night.  From 7:00-8:00 you can join us in the classroom for a brief informational session.

In addition to the educational component, the school will be providing an opportunity to parents to be background checked between 6:30 and 7:30 tomorrow night during Back-to-School Night. Parents who wish to be certified drivers for field trips, or will be volunteering at the school for more than 1 hour a week, will need to be background checked per the schools background check policy (Background Check Policy). There is a LiveScan required payment of $25.00 due at the time of your prints (cash or check). Please make checks payable to Academica West. A picture ID (i.e., driver’s license, state ID card, passport, etc.) is required for the fingerprinting services. A processing fee of $52.75 to Maria Montessori Academy (cash or check) is required in order for fingerprints to be processed. The fee covers the bill from BCI (Bureau Criminal Identification) which is billed directly to the school.

If you wish to be a certified driver, the office will also need to keep a copy of your driver’s license and an up-to-date copy of your auto insurance card on file. You can call the front office for more information or email ahafen@mariamontessoriacademy.org.

If you can’t make it to be background checked during back to school night, there will be an opportunity on October 18th during Parent Teacher Conferences.

Hope to see you tomorrow night!