What’s left?

May 2012

Year ends with dancing, singing, swimming!

For your calendar: F irst, the dancing. Our first Spring Gala was a rousing success! We were able to raise money for IMPACT for Education while

enjoying a great night of socializing, dancing, and amazing food at the Upcountry History Museum. We cannot wait to do it again next year.

You’ll find photos in the margins throughout the newsletter (and with the article below) of some of the art items sold in the Gala’s silent auction.

Now the singing. Parents are invited to attend the end-of-year musical performance of the primary and elementary students, 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the gym.

And the swimming! See the details on Thursday’s Summer Splash Party at left.

Summer brings construction to campusThis summer, you will see a lot of changes going

on around campus. There will be construction going on in the main building to convert the Infant and Toddler I rooms into another Primary classroom, so the entire building will be for Primary students.

The Infant and Toddler I rooms will be moving across from Bergamo, so that all our youngest chil-dren will be in the same area.

In addition to the construction in these two buildings, we will also be updating the playground located at the entrance of the school. The sand will be removed and sidewalks and rubber mulch will be added for extra safety.

To everything there is a season

Family is sad to see time here come to a closeMy family’s affiliation with this school began when

we moved to Greenville and enrolled our 4-year-old daughter, Lindsay, in Ms. Mallika Vejay’s part-time primary class in the fall of 2003.

In 2004, our son, Rader (then 3), joined Lindsay in the part-time class as they excitedly welcomed a new teacher in her first year: Ms. Samantha Vejay.

When we began at Montessori, the school offered classes through the third year of elementary. My husband and I had always planned to send our kids to public school when they finished preschool. But after that first year with Ms. Mallika, we had fallen in love with the school community and with the Montessori philosophy, and we just couldn’t leave. Ms. Susan Taylor did an amazing job of shepherding our kids through Bergamo (five years total: three with Lindsay, three with Rader, the middle year with both).

And while they were there, the upper elementary program was added and the building now called Brennan Hall was annexed into the campus ... so still we stayed. I don’t have the words to say what a phenomenal teacher Ms. Leslie Bruning is. We are so blessed to have had her for Lindsay’s past four years and Rader’s two. She knows those children, all of them, inside and out. She knows what they think, how they feel, how each of them learns.

Times being what they are, the middle school program hasn’t taken hold in the way we would like, despite an amazing teacher and a great facility. Lind-say has been the only 7th grader this year, and we feel that having school peers is important for her as she enters the teenage years. And so we say farewell, and head off to attend public middle school in the fall.

But I know the foundation we are building upon is solid, and because of our nine years here, I am confident of my children’s future success.

We’ll be back from time to time, at International Day, future Spring Galas (see the Brennan Hall bowl we won at the auction, above!), and the like. But I know it will never be the same.

With much love, Susan Ward, newsletter editor

Water park partyOur second annual

Summer Splash Party will be held from 5:45-7:45 p.m., Thursday, May 31, at Discovery Island Water Park in Simpsonville.

Last year’s party was a huge success and a lot of fun.

Join us again this year as we rent out the entire water park just for friends and family of the Montessori School of Mauldin.

Tickets are on sale in the office or at the gate. Save $3 per child ($5 instead of $8) by purchasing in advance at school.

Discovery Island is located at Southside Park, 417 Baldwin Road, Simpsonville.

(Note: Discovery Island will be requiring all guests under 42” to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket. Guests are welcome to bring their own or use one of the ones provided.)

2—Mauldin Montessori NewsletterInfant room, Ms. Anne & Ms. Deborah

We are glad to welcome Gabin to our class. Gabin has a sister in the Toddler II pro-gram. Miles is really starting to voice himself with words like bye bye, daddy, mama, and hi. He is so cute with the phone, saying “hello.” Max is walking and expressing himself with words like daddy and hi, and loves to wave at everything. Owen is pulling up, especially in his bed when he does not want to sleep! He is also starting to wave and say a few words. And Fisher is sitting up, playing on the floor and in the pool. He is also saying bye bye and daddy.

Toddler I news, Ms. Brenda & Ms. SophiaSpring is here! Since our last newsletter, Toddler I has welcomed Henry from the infant

room. He is doing great and fits right in! All of our toddlers have learned to recognize their fruits, and know all their Toddler I friends by name. We are looking forward to the summer, and will be working on learning our vegetables and shapes. And, just a reminder, please be sure to check your calendars for your child’s book day. Have a great summer!

Toddler II, Ms. Doris, Ms. Luz, & Ms. DeborahWe would like to give a special “hello” from the Toddler II staff. We’ve had lots of fun,

rewarding excitement, working with all of the beautiful children that you have entrusted us with. We have studied and explored so many things in the world that we all share.

August through October—We studied the letters A-H, and numbers 0-10. We enjoyed drawing with crayons, using paint brushes at the table, and practicing doing puzzles. We also read lots of mystery and adventure stories.

November through February—We studied letters I-R, and numbers 11-20. With excite-ment we finger-painted and made collages and sculptures. We also enjoyed using different types of pegboards and working in our home center.

March through May—We studied letters S-V, reviewed all of the alphabet and numbers 0-20, and discussed the weather. We learned some Spanish words and songs. In addition, we had fun doing self-portraits, dressing paper dolls, easel painting, drawing with markers, and exploring with magnets.

As the school year comes to a close, we are so proud of your child’s achievements. We thank you for the opportunity to assist in the development of your most profound expres-sion of your love, during this time. We are confident that your child has attained a well-rounded foundation that will blossom into an enthusiastic and successful educational career.

Ms. Mary’s activity classThe last month of school is here. It seems like yesterday I was meeting the students for

the first time. I would like to give a big “thank you” to all of our parents who volunteered their time in our class this year. Thanks also to Ms. Vanessa Ayers for all of her great sto-ries from the Greenville County Library. Many thanks go to Ms. Lisa for our Spanish class and Ms. Linda for the art and the art show. Every one of the mothers seemed to enjoy the “Muffins for Mom” for Mother’s Day. Do not forget the Summer Splash Party at Discovery Island, May 31, 5:45-7:45 p.m. We get the park to ourselves!! Buy tickets in the office. For those children who will not be with us during the summer, I will miss each and every one of you. Please keep in touch with us. Have a happy summer and remember that Ms. Mary will miss you!! Please watch for the monthly calendar and daily activities we have planned for the summer fun. Thank you again for your support.

This adorable birdhouse was made by Ms. Mary’s class for the Spring Gala silent auction.

Capturing movement: a drawing with emphasis on lines and circles. By Andrew (Ms. Faria’s class)

3—Mauldin Montessori NewsletterMs. Ceomi’s gym activity class

We have had a wonderful year working with the gym activity class with our enthusiastic group. We have done quite a few projects in the last several weeks and incorporated mini-lessons in each. Our seed starting in early spring and garden reclaiming has been quite successful and the class has had fresh lettuce from our small plot several times now. We have peas to munch on and many tomatoes we’re waiting on ripening, and, of course, our giant sunflower that is nearly five feet tall already! Our May has some memorable art proj-ects completed: especially our crayon art for the Spring Gala where we discussed how artists layer their art and prepare the canvas, fol-lowed by the real fun—melting the crayons with the blow dryer. The following week we spent some time each morning working on the cards for Mother’s Day and enjoyed hearing what our kids think of their moms. To rest our hands we went on an adventure to the South Seas and have just finished the abridged ‘Swiss Family Robinson.’ It has been a wonderful year and we’ve really enjoyed watching your children grow and getting to be a part of their days. A special thanks to Ms. Linda, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Elizabeth, Ms. Kim, and Ms. Julie for coming to teach the specialized areas. Happy summer adventures!

Western Swallowtail and White Admiral, Ms. Beth & Ms. SadiaAnd almost as quickly as it began, our journey of learning is drawing to a close. Our

year together is almost over. As we reflect upon our shared path this year, there are always moments that will forever have a place in our hearts. We remember meeting with new stu-dents, seeing them transition into the Montessori environment, learning and flourishing.

The development and progress of second- and third-year students has been remarkable and inspiring. Sharing moments of discovery, delight in the acquisition of new skills, and growth in social and academic endeavors amazes us each and every day. And your children have been our teachers as well: sharing these moments has been a trust and treasure without equal.

And at the heart of each day at Montessori School of Mauldin is always our promise to respect and honor the individuality of each child. Dr. Montessori asks each of those who aid in the development of children to let the child show us the way. She said, and we do believe and hold fast the truth:

“In the child is much knowledge, much wisdom. If we do not profit from it, it is only because of neglect on our part to become humble and to see the wonder of this soul and learn what the child can teach.”

All the best to each and every one of you for the future. It has been a sacred honor to share in the daily lives of your children.

P.S. My heart is full.¤, Beth

Ms. Ceomi’s gym activity class created this delightful spring scene with melted crayons! It was sold at the Spring Gala silent auction.

This colorful fingerprint heart was painted on a canvas by Ms. Beth’s & Ms. Sadia’s students for the auction.

4—Mauldin Montessori NewsletterEastern Swallowtail and Red Admiral, Ms. Faria & Ms. Wynetta

It’s hard to believe that we are toward the end of the school year. It has been a very exciting learning experience for all of us. It is so heartwarming to see how the children have grown to be comfort-able in their environment and how friendships have matured.

We have had a lot of interesting conversations regarding Earth Day and talked a lot about ways to recycle. The children have also enjoyed learning about mammals, parts of a flower and leaf. Moth-er’s Day was very exciting too. We made bracelets for moms and it was so sweet to see how much care and love they put into making them. They just wanted to go on and on; make it beautiful for the very special person in their lives. Our art show was a treat for all of us. It was so interesting to see all the hard work the children did with Ms. Linda all year round.

I would like to wish a very happy birthday to all our children with April and May birthdays. Ms. Wynetta and I would like to thank all our parents for their trust in us and all their support which

made this school year a wonderful experience for us. We would also like to wish our rising first graders all the best in their future journey. We will certainly miss them. We look for-ward to another great school year with all our returning children. I wish all of our families a great summer and hope to see you soon.

Ms. Jennifer & Ms. Lori’s Monarch classIt is hard to believe that the end of the

school year is already here. The children have all progressed so much and have learned many things. It has been a pleasure and a joy to watch each student grow.

Sadly, we must say goodbye to many of our friends as they move on to the first grade and new schools. We hope you will remem-ber us here in the Monarch class and maybe come to visit us from time to time.

Thank you to all the wonderful parents who have made the school year such a suc-cess. Please remember to return any books from the classroom before the end of year. Also, don’t forget to clean out your cubby and folder on the last day of school.

We wish everyone a wonderful, safe summer and look forward to seeing our returning students next August!

The beautiful totebag at right was created by Ms. Jennifer’s and Ms. Lori’s students for the Spring Gala silent auction.

The lovely glass jar above was painted by Ms. Far-ia’s and Ms. Wynetta’s students for the Spring Gala silent auction.

5—Mauldin Montessori NewsletterBergamo I, Ms. Samantha

The lyrics at right, from the Broadway show RENT, really sum up our year together. This is a song the children have been preparing for our end of the year performance...

As we look back to the past school year, we can really marvel at the things we have learned! I have really been impressed with the academic strides we have taken. As a group, our class has completed research of Native Americans, snakes, Ancient Egyptians, and a plethora of individual research such as Julius Caesar, grasshoppers, sharks, and Dr. Seuss. Everyone has reached some level of abstraction with either addition, subtraction, multiplica-tion or division to the millions place value. We have experimented with particles, studied solids, liquids, and gases, and who can count the number of times we have made the volcano erupt! We have played with the recorders, the kazoos, and learned to work together through our performances.

As we prepare for summer, we hope that you will all have a wonderful and exciting break. We will also be busy getting the Bergamo classroom ready for the fall of 2012. For those of you leaving us, we wish you all the best as you venture out into your new frontier. Those students returning, we are excited for some new changes that will be launched in the fall. We can’t wait to show you the renovations to the Bergamo building! Thank you for al-lowing me to be a part of your child’s educational journey.

Five hundred twenty-five thousandSix hundred minutes,Five hundred twenty-five thousandMoments so dear.Five hundred twenty-five thousandSix hundred minutesHow do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnightsIn cups of coffeeIn inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In five hundred twenty-five thousandSix hundred minutesHow do you measureA year in the life?

News from Ms. Maryann and Mr. John’s Bergamo II classroomWe had a busy and adventurous school year. In the month of April, the third-year

students participated in the Urban Forestry Competition. Each third grader created a poem, story, or illustration about protecting trees. This year Ryan won in second place for essay writing. He was invited to receive his prize and certificate for his essay writing. His winning essay told the story of how Treebee the ugly tree became gorgeous with a potion of soil, sun, water, and fertilizer. The Greenville Garden Club also donated a tree to the school, which the third graders helped in planting. For Earth Day, each student made a coaster out of used CDs. We also read books about recycling and keeping our environment clean.

In the month of May, the children wrote reports about their mothers and presented their reports to the class. Students also made a vanilla brown sugar body scrub for their Mother’s Day gift along with a card.

As the school year ends, we took a recap of what fun activities we did and we brought some of them back for the last week of May, like making lemon hand scrub, decorating t-shirts, and playing board games. Their favorite was making autograph booklets, and students wrote a little note in each other’s booklets.

Our year-end performance is on Thursday, May 31, at 1:30 p.m. in the gym. The stu-dents will also have a potluck lunch and make ice cream for dessert.

We say farewell to five third-year students (pictured at right)—Grey, Ryan, Tom, Xavier, and Katherine. These stu-dents have worked really hard this year and we are very proud of them. We wish them the best.

Above and top right, detail of the framed mirror, crafted by the Bergamo classes using recycled soda cans, for the Spring Gala silent auction.

Brennan Hall NewsUpper School News—the 4th-8th grades of Brennan Hall

Another year of learning nears its inevitable close

It has been a very busy couple of months. The kids have been working very hard and it shows!

We had our art show on May 6. We had our usual large body of artwork, including color and black and white photographs; com-puter fractals; our interpretations of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Seascape near Les Saintes Maries de la mer’ using palette knives and acrylic paint; computer-generated Picasso heads; pulled-string Rorschach designs; oil pastel monoprints on sandpaper; our very own heraldry shields that we tied in with our play, ‘Joust;’ ceramics and glass from the Glazing Pot; and found-object sculp-tures which we entered in BMW’s Recycling Contest.

We also performed two of the songs we sang in ‘Joust.’

The very next day we left for CSI Camp in Pickens, S.C. We arrived at the old Na-tional Guard Armory in Pickens and admired the surrounding mountains. Then we settled into our dorms and imme-diately set to work! Our older guys went with Ms. Kathie and our younger guys went with Ms.Anji.

Some of the classes we attended were finger-printing, document analysis, crime scene investigation and digital photography, hair and fiber analysis, footwear and soil analysis and discovering forensic sci-ence careers by designing our own PowerPoint presentations.

In the evenings we sat around the campfire and sang wonderful songs and stories (your children may have regaled you with the imaginary green ball already).

On day 2, there was a team-building exercise. Imagine, if you will, 11 kids … ages 9-13 standing together on a small wooden square and having to work together as a team to get across (imagi-nary) lava to the next wooden square with two pieces of wood that were too short. I know some adults that could not do it, but our

kids overcame their differences and did it! (Alex was a great help here.) It was an eye-opening exercise for our kids.

After we left the fun time of camp, we did a quick sightseeing tour. We went up to Whitewater Falls, then to the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery. The waterfall was beautiful but the fish hatchery was amazing! We saw rainbow, brown, and brook trout from the size of a small finger to bigger than pan size in various football-field-length tanks. The kids were amazed at how many different fish they saw. They got to feed the fish as well, and were treated to seeing the wa-

ter “boiling with feeding fish.” It was really a lot of fun for the kids and the adults!

We want to thank Paul (Griffin’s dad) and his wife Lynn (Jenny’s mom) for being fabulous chaperones and making sure that the kids stayed safe, took showers, and had fun. Thanks also for the lunch on the way home! It was a fun-filled three days.

On May 15 we had Parent P.E. Day at the Mauldin Sports Center. Parents came dressed to have fun! We played vari-ous games that Coach Kim of Stretch and Grow planned. Our favorite was a relay involving cut up pool noodles, which we had to run with while carrying as many as we could. We had a great time; thanks to all of the parents who joined us.

Thank you to the Mauldin Sports Cen-ter—they graciously let us use their facility for

gym class every week, for free. And many thanks to Coach Kim Drake, gym teacher extraordinaire! Over the year she taught the kids the basics for many sports including basketball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball but made it fun. Thanks Kim!

May 24 was the culmination of another great opportunity for us in P.E., when we tested for and earned our green belts at our weekly class with Master Michelle Kim (we call her Mrs. Kim) at Master Kim’s World Class Tae Kwon Do.

continued on page 8

Get me off this island!

In our CSI Camp team-building exercise, we had to put our heads together and figure out a way to get from our platform to another one, over (imaginary) lava, using two boards that were too short. Read more on page 8.

7—Mauldin Montessori Newsletter

Tae Kwon Doby RaderHe is colorful belts that students are wearing,He is doing your best,He is trying, and then trying again,He is commitment and sticking to your goal,He is staying focused,He is finding and being a good example,He is hard work!He is having strength,He is Tae kwon do,He is my best friend.

my Future selfby Erickhe is the misty skies at dawn,he is the colorful birds at the zoo,he is the cold snow falling from the sky,he is a soothing song at night,he is the wet rain in London,he is the withdrawn silver saber blade,he is a tall maple tree,he is a sweet, yet sour lime,he is the man walking in the distancehe is my best friend.

The Worldby AlexHe is the giant redwood that grows tall and old,He is the caterpillar-chewed leaf that falls,He is the black beetle that crawls,He is the red trumpet-vine that blooms,He is the wildcat that runs and hides,He is the bald eagle that flies,He is the rainbow trout that swims,He is the North Star that shines,He is the protector,He is my best friend.

Rare Natureby NataliaShe is a cat that plays with a vole,She is the tree that sways in the wind,She is like wolves that play with the leaves,She is like a lioness about to pounce,She is like a picture about to be taken,She is a stone… so strong and yet so small,She is my best friend.

Once Upon A Timeby LindsayShe is the boy who caught the golden ticket, She is the girl who could read when she was 3,She is the orphans who inherited a fortune,She is the boy who survived with just a scar,She is twins who can solve the crime by dinnertime,She is the children who traveled thru a wardrobe,She is the girl who can shoot a bow and arrow,She is the boy who lived because of a hatchet,She is the two that are one and the one that is all,She is my best friend.

natureby Griffin he is water rushing over rocks, he is the skipping stone that I throw,he is the rock where the salamander is sunbathing,he sunny skies on Fridays,he is the black cat walking beside me,he is the boy in the woods,he is the squirrel up a tree,he is the bobcat stalking its prey,he is the lone wolf,he is my best friend.

My Best Friendby KevanHe is like the whistling wind in my face,He is like leaves floating to the ground,He is a bird taking its first flight,He is always there around you,He is like a rainbow with all sorts of colors,He is a nice place to sit and just be, He is like a Saturday morning,He can be funny like animals playing tag,He is a great dancer, He is my best friend.

The Blue Marbleby Bryan He is riding in flowing water,He is the waves in the ocean, He is one with the sea,He is one with the rivers,He is one with the rain,He is everything wet that you can imagine,He is the only thing I care about,He is my best friend.

Poetry corner: personification and metaphorsDuring one of our lessons, we discussed the use of description and personification in our writing. We also

thought about being able to describe an abstract noun or a quality in a way that was “almost like a person.” Some of the students described someone that they knew using metaphors to construct rich images of that person while others used this approach to describe a favorite pastime, location, or aspect of their world. Here are some of our thoughts and metaphors:

Ashlynby Ryan She is one of a kind,She is full of strength,She is athletic,She is the person who wakes me up on Christmas morning,She is brilliant,She is a “straight A” student,She is a great friend,She is sometimes dramatic,She is always there for me,She is my sister.

Background artwork, left, by Brady.

About the colored pencil sketch, below, by Jennifer: “This is Elo. Her fin is part fish, her arms are part deer, her tail is part cat, her shell is part turtle, her wings are part bird, her neck is part giraffe, her head is alligator, her horn is part unicorn, and her antennas are part bee!”

8—Mauldin Montessori Newsletter

CSI Camp: favorite things1. Soil density 2. PowerPoint 3. Fingerprinting 4. Hair and fiber analysis 5. Footprint casting 6. CSI Jeopardy 7. The Lava game (a.k.a. team-building exercise)

Things we learnedCriminologists gather evidence from the crime scene, like fingerprints, hair and

fiber, footprints, and DNA. Then they do tests and analyze their specimens. ý We found out how to figure out how tall someone was from just a foot-

print. We also learned that there are over 100 types of soil.ý We now know that hair is made up of a medulla, and a cortex in the cu-

ticle. Straight hair is a perfectly round o and curly hair is flatter. ý Ink is made from a solvent and pigment. Did you know that you can never

write your name the same way twice? We used a chromatography formula (RF= C over S) to match the ink from a suspect’s note to the pen found at the crime scene.

ý We learned that a part of the microscope is called the ‘iris diaphragm.’ý Alex found out that he had tented arches and double loops on his finger-

prints. The main types of classifications are arch, loop, whorl, accidental, and unique.

Year-end roundupcontinued from page 6

Mrs. Kim, Master Jun Kyu Kim, Miss Kelly Bartlett, Miss Ashley McHaney, and Mr. Harrison Han all helped with our testing, and we were excited to hear the personal encouragement Master Kim had for each of us at the end. Mrs. Kim also presented each of us with a certificate celebrating our individual successes in class. Many of our family members were there to cheer us on, and we enjoyed lunch together afterward.

We started as white belts when our other Coach Kim (Drake) was out on maternity leave at the begin-ning of the school year. Week by week we worked hard and learned a lot, testing first for yellow belt and then for green stripe along the way. We are so thank-ful to Mrs. Kim for her patient instruction. Learning the tae kwon do moves and techniques was great, but the character education emphasized throughout Master Kim’s curriculum was awesome. Thank you for helping us grow in our focus, respect, self control, leadership, and so many other areas of our characters.

Brennan Hall looks forward to continuing our tae kwon do education in the fall, and several of our stu-dents have even signed up to attend classes through the summer and year ’round.

We would also like to express our sincere thanks to the Nikolich family for their donation of azaleas, creeping phlox, forsythia, and lilies for the front lawn of Brennan Hall. They were planted in remembrance of Kevan and Katherine Nikolich’s father Brian who passed away several years ago from ALS. As they grow and bloom, they will also be a fond reminder of Kevan and Katherine, who’ve attended the Montes-sori School of Mauldin since they were very small but are moving to Charlotte this summer. Thank you Jameela, Kevan, and Katherine. We will miss you all.

CSI campers!

Stopping to see Whitewater Falls on the way home from camp: Alex, Erick, Ryan, Griffin, Bryan, Brady, Kevan, Jennifer, Natalia, Rader, Lindsay.