Ms. Nicoletta's Class 2016-2017

Dear Parents-

Thank you so much for the wonderful array of donations for the chili making!  We made two delicious and different batches of chili.  The left over cans are going to be used this week to make two batches of soup and stew for the School Community Gratitude Feast.  On this day the school as invited businesses from the surrounding community who are active supporters for our school- on this day we provide a lunch for them and the choir sings.  Our class is going to be making soup and also the placemats for the table setting.

This was a great natural team building exercise.  The level 6’s made one batch and completely decided on their own:  ingredients and recipe- while the level 4/5’s made the second batch and decided their ingredients and recipes.  Both batches were different and delicious!

Our Class Gratitude feast (not to get confused with the school feast) will also be held on Thursday.  This is a great opportunity for lessons of etiquette, dinner manners, grace and courtesy as well as recognizing each persons strengths and our gratitude for one another.  Ms. Jen (our room mom) will be sending out a sign up sheet for food donations and parent support.

  Our field trip to Mary Poppins was a magical moment.  This field trip was a reminder and eye opening moment to celebrate the beauty of our students and their respect for field trips, respect for the arts and their grace and courtesy.  After the field trip the students came back and they reflected on the parts the play- the story line and message.  Lots of students have expressed their  interest in acting or even in the behind the scenes (tech theatre).  
      

On Friday we met with our LE peer mentor class and we have decided to make a 1,000 cranes to send some place or places to send hope, peace, wish of good luck.  

We also had the opportunity to visit with a Veteran in honor of Veterans Day.  Ms. Marlenes’ husband came to visit the class.  He is a mechanical engineer at Hill Air Force Base and also in New Mexico.

Level 6– Redwood Field trip money is due this Wednesday, November 16!

Rico, our class bearded dragon, is looking for a home for Thanksgiving break.  If you are interested in taking him home- please email me nhouseholder@mariamontessoriacademy.org    He is super low key and loves to hang out.

Reminder that there is NO SCHOOL the following week after this-it is Thanksgiving break.  November 21-25

This is a friendly reminder that the last day to order your child’s Original Works is on Monday.  All orders are online.  Your child should have brought home their Original Works a few weeks ago. This is a classroom fundraiser for each class in the school- the money raised for each class goes toward the individual classes.
These make great gift ideas for family and friends.

Level 6’s will be bringing home their Science Fair timeline this week.

Continent Study and International Festival– the end product of their research will need to be on 3 part poster board to present for the International Festival.  The following is the rubric:  continent

EUROPE:  Hunter- Greece, Payton- Hungary, Gavin- Iceland, Neeley- Ireland, Arael- Italy, McKenna- Kazakhstan   ASIA:  Carson- Mongolia, Carter- Myanmar (Burma), Rylan- Nepal, Jett- North Korea, Alex- Pakistan  AFRICA:  Samuel DC- Algeria, Aiden- Benin, Beckam- Botswana, Nadija- burkina Faso, Burundi- Zambia, Vitoria- Togo  SOUTH AMERICA:  Harely- Guyana, Jace- Chile  NORTH AMERICA :  Wyatt- El Salvador, Asher- Grenada, Kaycen- Guatemala  AUSTRALIA:  Arianna- Micronesia, Samuel S- Nauru  DEPENDENT TERRITORIES:  Sayge- New Caldonia (France)

If your child’s name is not on here- these are the available countries for research:  ASIA- Oman, AFRICA- Angola

Poetry book report– I am postponing the Poetry book report to be due Wednesday, December 14.  I feel that we have not had enough lessons regarding poetry in class for it to be fair for the book report.  So they are getting a two week extension.

SNACK– This week is: Hunter

Enjoy your fall weekend, Mother Nature is suppose to turn to winter the ladder half of the week.

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear Parents-

Welcome to November- it is a busy month!

This week we have our field trip on Thursday, November 10 to Weber High to see Mary Poppins.  Please drop your child off NO LATER than 8:15 at North Shore Parking lot- we will be leaving by 8:20 to get good seats (front row).  We will be back to school by lunch hour.  Thank you to our parents who are volunteering to drive and thank you to Mallory and Gina for chaperoning the play.

Chili cook off- this Thursday, November 10- Family Fun event.  The 6th graders will be making a batch of chili in class.  Come and have fun and eat all the chili and cornbread that you can imagine!  chili-cookoff

Thursday, November 17 we will be having our classroom Gratitude and Harvest Feast.  Jen, our room mom, will be sending an email in regards for parent help/ support that morning as well as donation food supplies.

November 21-25 there is no school- Thanksgiving break.

Wednesday, November 30 the poetry book report is due.  Attached is the student created poetry rubric.  poetry-book-report-rubric

The students were given their continent/ country studies rubric last week.  This is a school and home project- please be working with you child at home with research, note taking and the presentation itself.  It is very important that as the students are doing their research that they are recording their resources.

This week snack- Wyatt Weaver

Have a great week,

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear parents-

Thank you so much for the wonderful day on Friday for those of you who could come!  It was so fun and exciting.  I loved having the picnic opportunity- and Mother Nature held out for us.  We will be doing an all day field trip again in the spring to Crystal  Hotsprings- this too will be another FAMILY day- hopefully everyone can make it.

This week I will be gone Wednesday- Friday.  I will be in Florida presenting at a Montessori Conference.  Ms. Susan and Ms. Autumn will be in the classroom.

New Spelling words were given on Tuesday- the students should have brought a copy home to practice.  They will have their review the following Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Their Original Art Works also came home.  This is a fundraiser amongst classrooms- all money raised goes to the classroom.  Last year the money went towards field trips.  The date to place is orders by is November 14.

6th graders Redwoods field trip money is due by November 16!

Monday is Halloween!!  Please do not send your child to school in a costume- this was the purpose of Fall Festival.  We have been carving pumpkins and having pumpkin fun all week as well pumpkin math.  This is a tradition within our class and then we display them at the front of the school- it is so fun to watch the entire school stop to look at the class pumpkins.  

November 9– PICTURE RETAKES

November 10– Chili Cook Off- cook your chili and bring to taste!  This is a great family fun event- more details to come!

November 11 is an EARLY OUT.

A taste of work cycle- 

Have a great week!

A reminder if your child had a birthday this summer or the first six weeks of school- PLEASE email me to schedule their Celebration of Life!!

Ms. Nicoletta

Supplies that are much needed for this week activity:

If anyone can donate any of the following supplies it will be much appreciated!

• newspaper
• paper bags
• pumpkin carving utensils
• push pins

Thank you!

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear Parents-

It was so wonderful to meet with all of you and your children this past week at Parent Teacher Conferences.  I look forward to conferences each semester- it is a great time to celebrate the success of your child and to make goals and plans that best fit the needs of your child individually.  Thank you for taking the time away from your busy schedules to be apart of their education- it means so much to Ms. Susan and I.

PUMPKINS- Please bring pumpkins on MONDAY- we will begin our annual pumpkin tradition in class on Monday.  This project is a 3-4 day project; we practice math skills, carving and art skills, cooking skills and then display our master pieces.

FRIDAY- Hopefully Mother Nature will continue to be kind to us, to hold her magical and beautiful fall weather for Fridays field trip.  We will be leaving the school around 9:30 (please have your child come to school for normal drop off time- 8:15-8:30), we will then go to Wolf Creek in Eden and learn/ play disc golf.  Afterwards we will be going to Eden Park for an afternoon picnic and disc golf free play!

BOOK REPORTS- Book reports are due this week, on Wednesday.  I love watching their presentations in regards to their books.  It is so exciting!

Have a wonderful Fall Break,

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear Parents-

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Fall Festival.  Thank you so much to our parents who were able to support by volunteering at our booth!  

This week is Parent Teacher Conferences:  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  A reminder that these are student led conferences and EARLY OUT DAYS (1:00).  There is NO SCHOOL on Thursday or Friday- I hope you are able to enjoy a long weekend with your family.  Sign up for conferences at  https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/bbosw

Nesting box presentations- I have enjoyed learning about each students family history.  rubric scores will be coming home after conferences.

Book Reports– A reminder the first book report is due on Wednesday, October 26.  Please use and follow the rubric with your child to understand what is expected to be conveyed in the report as well as look at choices for the presentations.  book-report-rubric  book-reports-2016-2017  I met with each student to find what book they have chosen and I have offered books from our class library.  Again please choose books that are appropriate to your child’s reading level- if you are not sure of the reading level please email me.

SNACK– Snack this week is: Carter Yearsley

Have a great week,

Ms. Nicoletta

Hello Parents-

PICTURE DAY is TOMORROW!!!

  I love coming out the doors to recess and seeing 1/3 of our class agains the wall doing handstands!

FALL FESTIVAL! is this Friday!  Jen our room mom is in dire straits to get help for the festival.   She needs at least 2 more volunteers and an idea for a game, 5 total of volunteers.  2 of the  volunteers are for the school sponsored slide and 3 are for each hour for our own class game.  She needs an idea for a game ASAP and needed volunteers.  She will not be able to attend on Friday, so she needs parent help in place of her.  Please email her at jenqw@digis.net- 6th graders if you would like to earn service hours please contact Ms. Jen for one of these volunteer positions.

Fall Festival- this Friday, Oct. 14 4:00-7:00, tickets for games is 4/ $1.00 and ride wristbands for sale $7.00 at https://squareup.com/store/mapa prior to event or $8.00 at the door.  Eat dinner at the food truck rally.

Above are photos from our field trip for the Celebration of the Constitution.

4th Grade Field trip– This Wednesday is the 4th grade field trip to the American West Heritage Center.  The bus will be leaving North Shore parking lot at 8:15 AM!!!  Please have your child at the parking lot between 8:00-8:10 with weather permitting clothing, full water bottle, sack lunch, back pack and probably a sweatshirt or jacket.  Dress code is as a Jean Friday, shirts must stay with in everyday dress code.  We are asking for a donation to go into the field trip fund- the following is the donation link:  https://secureinstantpayments.com?Event=1105

Field Trips– As a class we have two more field trips coming up within the next four weeks.  Field trip forms will be coming home this week.

• On Friday, Oct.28 we will be going to Wolf Creek Resort in Ogden Valley to learn and play disc golf- this field trip is an open invitation to ALL parents to come and enjoy a late morning of disc golf and a class/ family picnic following after at Eden Park.  Please join us for a late fall day full of fun and adventure outside.  Please contact our room mother, Jen, if you are interested in driving- we will need enough drivers to drive the class of 27.  RSVP to Jen- if you are going to attend the full day and picnic.
• Thursday, November 10– the class will be attending our annual Weber High play- this year Mary Poppins.  We will be leaving school by 9:00 and will leave Weber High by 12:00.  We will need enough drivers to transport to and from, but we will only be able to accept two chaperones to attend the field trip.  Please contact Jen, if you can drive and/ or if you would like to attend.  The donation we are asking for this field trip is $2.

Spelling– Our spelling is underway.  The last week and half the students have been learning different activities to practice their spelling.  Words Their Way is a spelling program that focuses on the patterns of words (consonant/ vowels), roots, suffixes and derivational meaning.  This coming week the students will have their spelling reviews.  Next week they will get new words.  At home please make sure their words are in their planners and the attachment is a list of activities they could be practicing home.  Thank you.  words-their-way-activities     

SNACK- Alex Nielson

Birthdays that were the first six weeks or in the summer- a reminder to PLEASE sign up to celebrate your child’s birthday.  If these times do not work for you, please email me and we can coordinate!       https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/cwdkw

Parent Teacher Conferences– A reminder to please sign up for conferences that are in one week- these are student led conferences, so please make sure your child is attending.  Conferences are 20 minutes, so I ask that we are mindful of our time.  https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/bbosw

What we are studying:

• Biology: Physiology– the different systems, Botany– cell, Zoology– Mountains
• Science: 4- Water cycle, clouds and weather 5- physical/ chemical change  6- microorganisms, heat-light-sound
• Social Studies: 4- land/ water forms, Utah geography 5- Ancient Mesopotamia, Sun/ shadows 6- Middle Ages, US colonies

Have a wonderful week.  As always, if you have questions, comments or concerns please feel free to email me at nhouseholder@mariamontessoriacademy.org

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear Parents-

This week has been fabulous- the students have normalized into a traditional work cycle.  I love watching this transformation take place- it is literally like watching a flower blossom and unfold.

Reminders:

Nesting box assignment is due on October 9.

nesting-box-assignment.

October book report is due on October 26.  This book report is supposed to be a Narrative book that is an award winner book.  There are a variety of award winners- such as Corretta Scott or Newberry Award winner books.  Attached is a list of Newberry Award winning books.  Please make sure that the book is appropriate to their reading level.  If you need your child’s independent reading level please contact me.  Below is also the rubric that they should follow.  If you go to the local library they have pamphlets of all different types of award winning books- they are very helpful.

book-reports-2016-2017

newbery-award-winners

book-report-rubric

Coming up is Parent Teacher Conferences.  Please sign up for your time at wejoin.com  Remember to have your student join conferences.  Also these are early out days at 1:00 so please plan for arrangements for your children to be picked early.

https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/bbosw

Fall Festival is also just around the corner, Friday the 14 of October.  Your child should have brought home a flyer yesterday.

A reminder if your child had a birthday within the first six weeks of school or during the summer please sign up for a Celebration of Life.

https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/cwdkw

Snack next week is: Rebecca

Have a great weekend and following week.

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear Parents-

This week Mother Nature and Father Sky brought some crazy weather phenomenons to Northern Utah.  As a class we shared about the diverse experiences we all had.  I hope that everyone is safe.  If you or someone you know had destruction and are in need of help in anyway please let me know so we can further assist you in helping to feel settled and safe. The following is a picture at MMA after the storm.

  With crazy there is also beauty!

Wow- this is the last week of the normalization period, this will be our sixth full week of school!  Where has the time gone- I have enjoyed these past weeks so much getting to know the students and watching them build a class community.  I am so proud of each of them for who they are and so excited to watch them grow.  Over the past weeks I have seen confidence rise, friendships blossom, voices spoken that before were unheard, self direction and independence begin to unfold and lots of smiles.

This past week the class wrote their class commitments, class pledge and their class constitution.  This has been a work in process from day one of school without them knowing- the team building and initiatives, class meetings, and sports games have all been a dynamic part of the creation of their Class Constitution.  Below is a copy- please take a moment to read it and to discuss with your child.  It is very powerful and even more powerful knowing they are the voices of the students.

class-committments-pledge

We have had a great opportunities during the last two weeks to attend the Celebration of Constitution Day, Lee’s Market, and the Duck Pond for out of the classroom experiences.  These field trips were about American History, money math, nutrition and science.  Thank you to all of the chaperones for your help in making these field trips an opportunity.

Level 4’s should have brought home a field trip permission slip for American West Heritage Center- this is their big 4th grade level field trip, where all 4th graders from MMA attend.  Please turn permission slips back in by Wednesday.

Wednesday was International Peace Day.  Our class wrote poems expressing their thoughts of Peace, these are hanging in the hallway.  They also chose a person who they felt has brought peace to the world, they researched about the person for two weeks and on Wednesday and Friday the students gave presentations regarding their person.  This project had no rubric assigned with it, the assignment was to chose a person and to present to the class for 1-2 minutes- they could present in any form they wanted.  I was wowed! by the class presentations, so much more than I ever had imagined for this project to be.  We had songs, guitars, plays, power points, posters and simple presentations.  It was very humbling to hear about the people they chose and why- and is a reminder of how important offering tools and avenues for a peaceful environment is to our young ones- they are our future!  

As a school we participated with other schools around the world to sing, Light a Candle for Peace- if you want to see it live check out the school Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/MMAofUT/?fref=ts

This coming week we will be diving into biology, the life sciences, social studies and science.  Level 4 ‘s will be learning about land/ water forms, the geography of Utah and the water cycle, Level 5’s will be learning about Ancient Civilizations,specifically studying Mesopotamia and physical and chemical changes, while Level 6’s will be focusing on the Middle Ages and micro-organisms.

Our morning work cycle is unfolding and students are receiving small group and independent lessons in regards to their math, language and grammar.

RUMBI Wednesdays– This year our school is continuing to have Pizza Fridays but we also have the opportunity for Rumbi Wednesdays.  The following link is to order Rumba for Wednesdays if you are interested.

“RUMBI Wednesdays!!”MMA is offering our families the opportunity to purchase a rice bowl from Rumbi Grill every Wednesday for their child’s lunch. All proceeds from the purchases will go towards our 6^th and 9^th grade end of year fieldtrips. Your choices will consist of: Teriyaki Chicken & Veggie with White Rice- $4.00, Orange Chicken with White Rice- $4.00   To order a rice bowl on Wednesday’s for your child, please follow the payment link below:   https://secureinstantpayments.com?Event=2375Orders must be submitted by the Monday prior to Rumbi Wednesday. Any orders submitted after Monday, will be added to the following week’s order. For any questions regarding Rumbi Wednesday, please contact Melanie in the front office.

SNACK– we have been so blessed this year for our delicious and gracious snacks.  We have had loads of fresh fruits and vegetables from gardens and from the local farmers. Thank you so much.  This week Carson Knight is signed up to bring snack.

PLANNERS and PASSWORDS– this week your student will be receiving their passwords for some of our extension lessons in regards to reading, writing, and math.  Their passwords will be written in their planners so please be looking for these so they can be practicing at home as well.  IXL, MyON, and Utah Compose

Celebrations of Life– we have had more than half of our class have a birthday in the first 6 weeks of school.  With this being said beginning the following week we can begin to have our Celebration of Life ceremonies in class.  If you child’s birthday was in the summer or the first 6 weeks of school please sign up for a time to come celebrate in class.  https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/cwdkw

Parent Teacher Conferences– Conferences are just  around the corner.  I will be sending a sign up sheet by the end of this week.  Please note conferences are for both the parent and the students- please have your child attend conferences.  Monday- Wednesday, Oct. 17-19, early release days at 1:00.

Have a wonderful week.  If you have questions, concerns or comments please feel free to always email me at nhouseholder@mariamontessoriacademy.org.

Ms. Nicoletta

Dear Parents-

This week we had our 6th grade Class Representative speeches; Hunter, Victoria and Genesis all were candidates. They did a great job with their speeches.  This year our 6th grade Class Representative is Victoria Tague.  She will be the voice of our class and our partnered lower el class. Congratulations Victoria!

Student Council speeches will be this Wednesday at 2:30.  We have two students in our class running for office; Sayge Rodriguez is running for historian and Samuel Delgado is running for treasurer.  I am super proud of these students and our three students who ran for Class Representative- following through with a position of these sorts take a lot of courage.  If you see any of them, please make sure to give them a hint of a smile or a hug for their boldness and courage.

This week we started our specialist classes:  PE, Music, and Computer lab!

Snack– This week Jett is signed up to bring snack

This week we have our first field trip to  A Celebration of the Constitution.  This field trip is on Thursday and will be ALL day.  Please have your child at Lee’s Marketplace Duck Pond for field trip drivers at 8:30, we will return to school by 3:00 for regular pick up.  Jen Whetton, our room mom, will be sending an email out with more details.  As of now we have one confirmed driver- Wadsmith 9 seats.

Field trip permission slip forms for this weeks field trip and for next weeks field trip both went home on Thursday.  These permission slips need to be turned in NO Later that this Tuesday!

a-celebration-of-the-constitution-field-trip-permission-slip duck-park-and-lees-marketplace-field-trip-permission-slip

The students should have brought home their first HOME PROJECT- The Nesting Box.  Please make sure to go over this project with them- this project is an opportunity for them to research and discover more about themselves and their family history.

nesting-box-assignment

MMA 5k and PANCAKE BREAKFAST– I hope to see you this coming Saturday for a great family and community fun at MMA.  The 5k begins at 8:00.  There will be a DJ, t-shirt, color fun, Great Harvest, Chic Filet, prizes and swag bags.  Afterwards will be a delicious pancake breakfast!

Have a wonderful week,

Ms. Nicoletta