News&NotesNOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2012

Kacie Kusnir concentrates on using the Montessori metal insets, whichteach children geometric shapes suchas ovals, trapezoids, and pentagons.Working with this material also helpsthe children develop hand-eye coordi-nation as well as the finger-grip skillsthey’ll need for handwriting.

Come experience Montessori

Put on your red, white, and blue and join us for an interactive meeting on Thurs -

day, Decem ber 6. Together, parents andenrolled children will enjoy Montessori classroom activities inspired by the UnitedStates of America. We will be matching landmarks, listening for the beginningsounds of the 50 states, and matching solid, thick-line, and thin-line tracings of the states. Parents will be able to experiencethe Montessori philosophy of learning bydoing, without losing the precious time youspend together with your children in theevening. This interactive format also pro-

motes a sense of community. Please join us.Some of you are already attending our

morning Parent Perks sessions each month.Sue Fitzpatrick from our Dearborn Heightsschool comes to LMS on the second Wed -nesday of every month (September to May)to lead a discussion group. She provides thetopics as well as coffee or tea, and parentsjoin her with questions and answers to every-day parenting issues. Parent Perks meetingsbegin at 8:45 a.m. in Room 3. We hope tosee you there.

While filling in your 2013 calendar, please

LIVONIA MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

continued on page 3

As we move into the winter months, weenter that time of year when it can be a

challenge to keep our children healthy. A fewproactive steps can help our LMS staff andparents work together to achieve a healthyschool environment.

Keeping germs at bayWe disinfect tables and play surfaces here atschool several times daily. We always have thechildren wash their hands before eating andafter toileting.

Experts cite two useful tips to help childrenavoid spreading germs: n Wash your hands for the right amount oftime—and in the right way—to help get rid ofgerms. Have your child rub his or her handstogether vigorously with soap and warm waterfor 20 seconds (about the time it takes to sing“Happy Birthday”).n Cover coughs. Because few people washtheir hands after they cough into them, manynurses suggest that children cough into theirinner elbow instead of their hands.

If your child is sickWhen your child goes home sick, you will beasked to sign our Sick Child Policy. As areminder, this policy states the following:n Each week, we must report all cases of con-tagious diseases to the county.n Children sent home with a fever, vomiting,and/or diarrhea may not return the next day.They must be fever free and free from thesesymptoms for at least 24 hours.n We cannot accept a child for care if he or she has recently vomited, or has a fever orprofuse nasal discharge. n We will not administer Tylenol or aspirinto treat a fever. This only masks the symptomsof illness and contagion.

We require staff members to stay at homewhen they are ill. Please do the same for yourchild, not only to avoid the spread of conta-gious illness, but also to ensure a speedierrecovery for your young patient.

We appreciate your cooperation duringcold and flu season!

Staying healthy all winter long

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Getting to know the ground rulesMontessori people do lots of

talking about ground rules,and children new to our programhave to learn about them. Ithought you might like to knowsome of the specifics too.

When children begin in a newschool or even with a new teacherin the same school, their first taskis to master the culture of theplace—to find out what is expect-ed of them in and out of the class-room, and to become comfortablewith the routines. This is whatground rules are all about.

Classroom ground rules arethe guidelines for behavior thatserve as the foundation for thechildren’s activities in school.Their purpose is to provide thechildren with a secure world—one in which all children (usually)adhere to the same “code of con-duct” and in which the consis -tency makes them feel safe.Ground rules also protect the children from doing things thatare harmful to themselves, to theirfriends and teachers, or to theclassroom materials.

Ground rules are conveyed tothe children in a variety of ways.They are sometimes discussed (for example, how we treat ourfriends); sometimes demonstratedto the group (showing how a com - pleted activity is returned to theshelf ); and sometimes rehearsed(practicing walking around rugsspread on the floor). Reinforce -ment is especially consistent atthe beginning of the year whenchildren are still forming class-room habits. There is a lot tolearn, and parents should respectthe effort involved. It is notunusual for chil dren to experi-ence some stress during the acclimation period, but theyquickly become comfortable,with a real sense of mastery.

The mini-society of the class-room is much like the larger onein the adult world. These “rules”

are really guidelines for life.Logistical fundamentals are

often learned first—getting intothe building; managing coats andother possessions; using the toilet;and practicing such classroombasics as rolling and unrollingrugs and carrying trays. Childrenalso learn to move through thebuilding in a safe fashion, and(gradually!) to take turns and lis-ten when others are speaking.

Other typical ground rules forMontessori classrooms follow:n Sound and speed levelsshould fit the location. “Insidevoices” and “slow feet” are rightfor the indoor environment;shouting and running are reservedfor the playground.n Children select materialsfrom the display shelves, but donot work on the shelves; thiswould obstruct other children’saccess to things on the shelf.Activities may be done on a rug(on the floor) or on a table—whichever is most suitable to theparticular item. n Children are free to choosematerials from the shelves, and touse them respectfully. Materialsmay not be used in ways that aredisturbing to other children, orthat damage the materials.n When a child is finishedusing an activity, he or she returnsit to the shelf, ready for the nextuser. This process might involvewiping up spills (with a spongethat is provided with the activity)or replenishing supplies on thetray. The children also put awaytheir rugs or mats, and push intheir chairs so others don’t trip.n Children may not touch orinterfere with another child’swork. This rule provides everychild with the security that willallow him or her to continue anactivity to completion, to repeatthe activity (thus lengtheningattention span), or to leave thearea temporarily with the confi-

dence that he or she can returnand resume working.n Sharing is never forced.Rather, a child’s knowledge thatthe activity can be used indefi -nitely often leads to a more natu-ral sharing, and children who askto be included usually are. (Theappeal of working with friends isoften greater than the pull of theactivity when concerns about pos-session are eliminated.) However,the child’s right to work uninter-rupted is protected, and he or shemay choose to continue workingindependently. Generosity devel-ops naturally as children matureand become more self-confident.n Children are encouraged tojoin in group activities, but arenot coerced into participation.They may observe the activitywithout actively participating, but they are not allowed to dis-rupt the other children.n A child has the right towatch, so long as he or she is notdisturbing the activities of others.Much learning takes place whileobserving others working—this isone of the special advantages of amixed-age-group class.n Children are expected totreat each other and their teacherswith respect, both verbally andphysically. Abusive words oractions are not acceptable. (Staffare role models for appropriatebehavior.)

Visitors to Montessori class-rooms often remark about thecomfortable atmosphere, the lackof conflict, and the industrious-ness of the children. Typically, visiting children are welcomedand assisted by the class. All ofthis comes about naturally whenground rules are followed consis-tently. Come see for yourself!

The mini-society

of the classroom

is much like the

larger one in the

adult world. These

“rules” are really

guidelines for life.

NEWS & NOTES 3

jot in Moms’ Night on Thursday,January 17. The children willinvite their moms to come spendthe evening with them in theclassroom. They love to showtheir parents all the wonderfulthings they do here at school.(Don’t worry, Dads—your spe-cial night is scheduled on thenext page of that calendar.)

The gift of readingWe would like to thank all whoparticipated in our Scholas ticBook Fair. We also appreciatethe book and cash donations tothe Red Wagon Book Program.During the summer months,Red Wagon volunteers walkthrough less affluent neighbor-hoods to lend books to childrenwho may not have the opportu-nity to purchase books or visit alibrary. We will continue to col-

lect used books throughout theyear for this important cause.

Winter remindersThe weather is definitely colder!Remem ber to bundle up yourchildren in layers so they canenjoy the great outdoors. Alsoplease remember to label every-thing: boots, snow pants, hats,coats, and even mittens if pos -sible. We can usually find misplaced items when they are labeled.

Before the snow flies, here’s areminder of our weather-relatedschool closing policy. If LivoniaPublic Schools are closed due tosnow, our classes will be can-celled. However, our staff is pre-pared to make every effort tokeep day care open. Call theschool for a message on theavailability of day care.

Wednesday, November 21 isa staff professional developmentday, which means there will beno classes. Day care will be avail-able (please sign up in advance).Our staff will be attending train-ing at our Dearborn Heightscampus.

Our families are encouragedto join us on Friday, December21, when Beverly Meyer, TheMusic Lady, will entertain thechildren with a joyous sing-along on the last day of schoolbefore our holiday break. Classesresume Monday, January 7.

During the busy holiday sea-son, be sure to take time toreflect on the past, to enjoy thepresent, and to dream of thefuture. The staff at LMS wishesyou and your family time wellspent—together.

—Patty Porta

Come experience Montessori continued from page 1

“Fire chief” Quinn McGow manned the day care fire station recently. Fire safety is one of many topics children in day care have explored. Just like in the classrooms, our Montessoriday care “follows the child,” exploring subjects and themes that interest the children. Readmore about day care happenings on page 7.

Artwork by Winsome Hendricks, 3

4 NEWS & NOTES

MRS. VIJAYANTHI

Sense-ational studiesThe beautiful fall season has

inspired some interestingstudies. While spending timeoutdoors, we have been focusingon using our senses. We used our ears to listen for squirrelsdrop ping nuts, leaves falling,wind blowing through the trees,dogs barking, and airplanes fly-ing. Our eyes helped us to findbirds, clouds, leaves, bare trees,and many colors and shapes. Weused our noses to smell the damp earth and the crumbled,dried leaves. Our hands were able to feel whether the varioustrees have rough or smooth bark. The objective of these lessons is to help the childrenbecome aware of their senses and identify them.

At home parents can taketime to allow children to havesimilar experiences. In almosteverything that children come in contact with, one or moreper ceptual quantities are present.Par ents could identify thesequantities by using phrases suchas “Get me the square pan,”“Wear the dark red shirt,” “Thisfloor is very smooth,” or “Ittastes like cinnamon.”

As the children observed thevar ious shapes and colors of leaves,we began lessons in botany. Welearned the parts of a tree, includ-ing the roots, trunk, branches,and leaves. We also learned theparts of a leaf: stem, blade, veins,and margin. We have discussedthe different types of leaves aswell. Is it a simple or compoundleaf? Young children enjoy learn-ing new names, so this is a greatoppor tunity to add to their vocab-ularies. We have also laced dif -ferent leaf shapes and workedwith leaf puzzles, leaf rubbings,and leaf matching. We’ve dis-cussed that some birds fly southfor the winter and some animalshibernate. We have talked aboutprimary and secondary colors and

have been experimenting withmixing, grading, and shading col-ors. The children have enjoyedputting their knowledge of colorto use by painting at the easel.

Another activity that has takenshape is shapes! We have beenbusy identifying different shapesin the room as we learn about triangles, circles, squares, rectan-gles, pentagons, ovals, ellipses,and quatrefoils. As the childrenlearn these new names, they beginto view the environment withrenewed interest. Their responsewas great indeed!

Drawn to the artsIt is never too early to encouragethe artist in all of us! The childrenhave had lessons on many materi-als we use for our art projects: penand ink, pencils, crayons, pastels,and different types of paint. Wediscovered that the materials arewhat give a picture its speciallook. This will lead us into thestudy of art history, which we willbe discussing throughout theschool year. We will be exploring

cave drawings, the art works ofearly humans. Moving throughtime we will stop to explore theart of Egypt, including mummiesand pyramids. Later we will arrivein Greece, where we will discovervases of many colors, sizes, andshapes. We will also exploreGreek sculpture.

October brought the additionof French and music classes toour weekly curriculum. MadameMary is our French teacher andMrs. Patsy is our music teacher.The children attend these classeson Tuesday and Thursday. Wenow hear the humming offavorite tunes and a greeting of“Bonjour” from the students.Since most of these lessons are oral, you can listen for clues towhat the children are learning.The older your child is, the moreyou will hear.

An interest in animalsIn science the children are distin-guishing things that are livingand non-living, plant and animal,and natural and manmade.

Happy Birthday!

NovemberHelen Townley

DecemberOwen Flatley

Connor Nickel

Artwork by Owen Flatley, 4

We used

our noses to smell

the damp earth

and the crumbled,

dried leaves.

NEWS & NOTES 5

The recent in-house presenta-tion by the Organization for BatConservation sparked an interestin different animal groups. Welearned that even though bats can fly, they do not belong to the bird group. Instead, bats aremammals. We discussed the differences between the twogroups. We learned that birdshatch eggs and mammals do not.Birds have feathers, and mam-mals have fur or hair. Mammalsalso drink milk when they arebabies. We even figured out thatwe belong to the mammal group.We also discussed that bats arenocturnal. We read the bookStellaluna by Janell Cannon.

Celebrating the seasonsAs always, Halloween was a greatsuccess. Thank you for your gen-erous contributions to our Hallo -ween party. All the children had aterrific time.

During November we are dis-cussing many interesting factsabout Native Americans and thearrival of the Pilgrims to NorthAmerica, and how they influ-enced our lives today.

Maria Montessori said, “Fol -low the child.” This is where weare, observing each indi vidualchild and offering invi tations for lessons or providing space for exploration in an environ-ment prepared for self-motivatedlearning.

There is so much to celebrateat this time of the year. In keeping with the spirit of theseason, we have many celebra-tions planned, including Hanuk -kah, St. Nicholas Day, St. LuciaDay, Las Posadas, Christmas, andKwanzaa. We have also talkedabout Diwali and Ramadan. Wehope to introduce the children to many cultural traditions.

Happy holidays! —Vijayanthi Perera and

Badia Jaafar

FRENCH

Count on fun in FrenchIn French, we are learning numbers and counting by using

pump kins. Each child has a chance to count the pumpkins whilethe rest of us help. We have learned French numbers up to 20.

We are entering the holiday season, which gives us opportu -nities to talk about food and the many different

kinds we share with our family. We set up a plateand, using pictures of food, let each child decide

which things he or she will be eating duringthe holidays. Of course we name all thesefoods in French! It is fun to see the choices

that everyone makes. We will also learn a new songrelating to food.

We are saying bonjour (hello) to our new puppet friend, Le Dindon (the turkey), and we will learn to sing “Alouette,” a traditional French children’s song about a lark.

In December we’ll learn our colors in French while enjoyingthe beautiful holiday lights we see all around us.

Happy holidays to you and your family.—Mary Zirles (aka Madame Mary)

MUSIC

Sing, sway, dance, play!In October, our music classes had some fun with Halloween

songs. We sang “Pump kin Bells,” “Dry Bones,” and “TheTwelve Days of Hallo ween”! Our artist of the month was the big band leader Glenn Miller, and we used scarves to move to the music of “In the Mood.”

In November we are takingnote of the change in seasonswith the song “Autumn LeavesAre Falling Down.” Thanks giving isall about the feast, so we’re singing “FiveFat Turkeys” and “Hot Potato.” Thismonth our artist is Benny Goodman (the “King of Swing”), andwe used streamers to move to his rendition of “Sing, Sing, Sing.”

December will bring many musical opportunities. We’ll danceto a Hanukkah song and play the dreidel game. We’ll sing manyfamiliar holiday songs such as “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Must Be Santa.” We’ll also listen to someAfrican music to celebrate Kwanzaa. Our artist of the month is agroup called the Andrews Sisters, and we’ll jump to the beat of“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”!

Have a safe and joyful holiday!—Patsy Girnys

6 NEWS & NOTES

CLAIRE & SEJAL

Abuzz with independent learningAgreat beginning followed by

engaging learning makes our class buzz with youngindepen dent learners. The chil-dren have begun to internalizethe ground rules and are explor-ing works in a peaceful Mon tes -sori environment.

We have been learning thedays of the week and the monthsof the year. The children enjoysinging the days-of-the-weeksong. Taking a cue from theMontessori golden bead mate -rial, we are using paper goldenbeads to count the number ofdays we are in school. Each daywe add one paper golden bead to the bulletin board. When wehave 10 unit beads, we exchangethem for a 10-bar. When we col-lect 10 10-bars, we will exchangethem for a 100-square, at whichtime we will celebrate the 100thday of school.

Growing strongerThe metal insets are Mon tessorimaterials that teach geometricshapes while also allowing thechildren to use skills necessaryfor handwriting. The childrenenjoy choosing their shapes andcolors to create beautiful designs.

Another activity that lets thechildren prepare for and refinehandwriting is pin-punching.This work helps the childrendevelop their finger grip andprepares them to hold a pencil.When the children finish a pin-punch work, they feel proud oftheir achievement. It is fun tolisten to them talking to theirfriends about how their fingersare getting stronger. They willoften ask us to check whether

their fingers are stronger. We feel their fingers, and with asmile we let them know that yes,they are getting stronger.

Seasonal lessonsThe seasons and the holidaysprovide many topics to learnabout. As the color of the leaveschanged from green to brown,red, yellow, and orange, the chil-dren learned how and why thistransformation takes place. Wehave also learned about the dif-ferent parts of a leaf.

As we talked about autumn,pumpkins took center stage forthe children. We learned aboutthe growing stages of a pump-kin, from a seed to a full-grownorange squash. We did pumpkinscrubbing, sang songs aboutpumpkins, and played a pass-the-pumpkin game.

We started the holiday seasonby learning about Diwali, the festival of light celebrated inIndia. In the coming weeks, wewill be talking about other holi-days celebrated around the world(Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanuk -

kah, New Year’s Day, ChineseNew Year, and more). We inviteparents to come share their cultures and holidays with ourclass through clothing, crafts, or books.

Respect and patriotismAn important part of our Mon - tessori classroom is respect. Car -ing for ourselves, taking care ofour classroom, and being kindand considerate to our friendsare all ways we show respect andcreate a peaceful place to learn.We have also been learning thePledge of Allegiance as a way toshow respect to our country.

On the evening of Thursday,December 6, parents are invitedto school for an inter active meeting. The children will workwith Mom and Dad on activitiescreated using the good ol’ USAas our theme. We hope to seeyou there!

—Claire Lubaway and

Sejal Doshi

Happy Birthday!

NovemberGiana PizialiMady Rabe

DecemberLuke Johnson

Artwork by Nieko Mooradian, 5

When the

children finish

a pin-punch

work, they feel

proud of their

achievement.

NEWS & NOTES 7

DAY CARE

Building skills in day careDay care at Livonia Montes -

sori provides a wealth ofopportunities for the children to build and exercise importantcognitive and social skills.

While eating lunch or snackswith the children, the teachershave the opportunity to help the children with appropriateconversation, manners, andcleanup skills.

We explore a number of top-ics and themes in our room,

touching and expanding on thechildren’s different areas of interest. We have already talkedabout seasons, fire safety, careers,space and planets, nutritiousfoods, and bats and birds, just toname a few. We have practicedraking leaves both inside theclassroom and outside on theplayground. We have also beengrocery shopping in one of thedramatic play areas.

The children express their cre-

ativity through artwork—paint-ing, cutting, gluing, coloring,and junk sculptures—as well asby constructing structures withbuilding blocks, LEGOs, andother manipulatives.

Our day care staff would liketo wish everyone a safe andhappy holiday season.

—Alice Boguslaw,

Patty Favazza, Badia Jaafar,

Vijayanthi Perera, and

Marie Sulewski

We love leaves!Leaves are just as much fun to rake as they are to play in!Clockwise from left: Jaden Harris(left), William Sung, and ConnorNickel practice raking leaves on our playground. Having right-sizedrakes makes all the difference! n Olivia Mooradian delights inplaying in a pile of leaves. n Wheee, these leaves are fun! In front are Mikayla Rado (left) and Bryce VandeKieft. At back are Winsome Hendricks (left) and Quinn McGow.

DATES TO REMEMBERNovemberSign up Parent-teacher conferences. School remains in session.

17 Saturday Michigan Montessori Society Fall Workshop. 8:45 a.m.–2:45 p.m. “Best Practices IV” explores a variety of topics of interest to teachers and parents.Meadow Montessori School (1670 S. Raisinville Rd.), Monroe.

21 Wednesday Staff professional development. NO CLASSES. Day care available—pleasesign up in advance.

22 –23 Thursday–Friday Thanksgiving holiday. NO CLASSES. NO DAY CARE.

December6 Thursday Parent Meeting No. 3. 6:30 p.m. Interactive meeting with your children in the classroom, featuring USA-inspired activities. Don’t miss it!

12 Wednesday Parent Perks meeting. 8:45 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

21 Fridayn Holiday Celebration! (regular class hours) n Last day of school. Day care available—please sign up in advance.

24 Monday through Friday, January 4 Holiday vacation. NO CLASSES. NO DAY CARE.

January7 Monday Return to school. Welcome back!

9 Wednesday Parent Perks meeting. 8:45 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

17 Thursday Moms’ Night. 5–7 p.m. (open house format—drop in anytime). Moms (or a substitute) and enrolled children come to school together for an evening of work and fun in the classroom.

21 Monday Staff professional development. NO CLASSES. NO DAY CARE.

February7 Thursday Dads’ Night. 5–7 p.m. (open house format—drop in anytime). Dads (or a substitute) and enrolled children come to school together for an evening of work and fun in the classroom.

LIVONIA MONTESSORI SCHOOL

32765 LyndonLivonia, MI 48154734-427-8255

www.livoniamontessori.org

“Education cannot

be effective unless it

helps a child to open

himself up to life.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Artwork by Rhea Cain, 4