montessori monitor may 2010

INS IDE

THIS

IS SUE

Changing of the Guard:

Cover

Drama: Cover & page 2

Beginners: 4

Preschool: 5 - 7

Preschool/Kindergarten: 8 -

11

1st & 2nd Grade: 12 - 13

2nd through 5th: 14 - 15

Middle School: 16 - 17

Video Production: 18

Physical Education: 19

Spanish: 20 - 21

Gardens: 22 - 23

Shell Mound: 24

MMS News: 25-27

Calendar: 28

Montessori Monitor

Changing of the Guard By: Jennine Brandt, PTO President

I can't believe that

we are wrapping up another

school year! Thanks for all

of the support you have

given the PTO this

year. We have accom-

plished a lot. Our Relay for

Life team was a HUGE suc-

cess raising just over $2800

for the American Cancer

Society. I hope you were

able to be part of the fun and

enjoy an amazing experi-

ence.

We also had a very

successful Wine & Cheese

Silent Auction on May 22nd

at the Town of Tigoa Club

House raising over $5,000.

All proceeds went to

the End of the Year Show,

Alice in Wonderland, Jr!

The PTO has arranged for a

Bicycle Safety Day on June

7th for the 1st through 8th

grade classes.

We are also hosting

an hour of Puberty Educa-

tion for the 5th Graders on

June 7th. Drs. Ana Hanley,

John and Jennine Brandt and

Dave Kemp along with Mr.

Richard will be providing

the education.

We elected officers

for next years PTO Board at

our last meeting on April

22nd. Congratulations and a

big thank you to the follow-

―It is the child who

makes the man, and no man

exists who was not made by

the child he once was‖

Dr. Maria Montessori

In the twenty-first

century, it is more important

than ever before to be able to

communicate thoughts, feel-

ings, and ideas to other indi-

viduals and groups in a vari-

ety of effective ways. This

article addresses the role

drama plays in building these

skills, how it dovetails and

enhances education, and how

it impacts child development

in a holistic way.

A child is in the

process of creating himself.

With drama, the self is used

as the creative medium. One’s

self activity and expression is

all that is needed to communi-

cate and create with others.

ing individuals for their will-

ingness to serve our school

next year!

President: Lonnie Phillips

Vice President/President-

elect: Irma Alvarez

Secretary: Eileen Sosa-

Pesantes

Treasurer: Constance Heuss

I highly encourage

all families to take an active

part in the PTO and help

make a difference for the

children of MMS.

By: Christina Miller

Drama

S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

P A G E 2

`

M O N T E S S O R I M O N I T O R

plete without a theater pro-

duction component. Experi-

encing a stage and memoriz-

ing and reciting lines offer

children the opportunity to

express themselves with self

confidence. When a child is

able to speak competently to

adults or not be nervous in

front of his class he will not

develop the fear of public

speaking. There are many

authentic components of a

theater experience. Within

the structure lie opportunities

for creating sets, memorizing

lines, singing and dancing,

auditioning, and learning

about the technology of

lighting and sound.

Drama in education

builds skills that are needed

in the twenty-first Century.

An authentic curriculum that

is cutting edge and dynamic

must be taught in an environ-

ment that includes drama in

many subject areas because

of how it impacts child de-

velopment in a holistic way.

Children are naturally drawn

to it because it helps them

create the adults they are

becoming, develop their self

esteems, and provides oppor-

tunities to shine.

Set the stage and let

the curtain rise!

This is different than other

mediums which would re-

quire tools such as paints,

technology or musical instru-

ments.

Drama is thought of

as a form of human expres-

sion found throughout history

and all over the world. It is,

therefore, a fundamental need

of humans. It is spontaneous

in children’s play when they

―rehearse‖ at being a parent,

imitate a movie star, or imag-

ine stretching abilities like a

super hero. In Shakespeare’s

play, As You Like It, Jaques

says, ―All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women

merely players; They have

their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time

plays many parts.‖

Essentially, children

are trying on life. After time,

this develops into abstract

thinking, problem solving,

self esteem, flexibility, think-

ing outside the box, creating

new knowledge and even

common sense.

Howard Gardner’s

list of eight intelligences is

inherent to all humans. These

are:

1.Spatial,

2.Bodily and Kinesthetic,

3.Logical-Mathematical,

4.Linguistic,

5.Musical,

6.Social Interpersonal,

7. Self-awareness Intraper-

sonal,

8.Naturalistic.

A well rounded de-

velopmentally appropriate

education should include

opportunities to develop all

eight intelligences to prepare

students for life in the twenty

-first century.

Drama helps to ac-

complish the aforementioned

by providing a fertile ground

for developing Interpersonal

and Intrapersonal skills.

Also, there is an emphasis on

developing Bodily, Spatial,

and Linguistic intelligence.

These intelligences have long

been eclipsed in traditional

curriculum planning by read-

ing, writing, and arithmetic.

Research now shows that

even the three Rs are posi-

tively impacted by drama

because it develops listening

and speaking skills and im-

proves memory and compre-

hension.

Drama, speech, de-

bate and a well rounded per-

forming arts program can be

implemented easily within

the curriculum. If viewed as a

part of every subject area and

not as an elective, education

becomes authentic and mean-

ingful as well as loads of fun.

In Science, students can enact

the workings of a cell. In

grammar, they can learn pro-

nouns by memorizing the

famous ―Who’s on First‖. In

History and Humanities the

opportunities are endless such

as personifying historic peo-

ple or doing a simulation of

the Underground Railroad.

Also, there has always been a

strong relationship between

storytelling and theatre. The

National Curriculum for Eng-

lish recommends that all Eng-

lish teachers include drama

when teaching reading and

writing. Even the National

Council of Teachers of

Mathematics has added the

history of mathematics as a

standard for the twenty-first

century.

A performing arts

program would not be com-

Drama (cont. from page 1)

P A G E 3 C E L E B R A T I N G 3 2 Y E A R S O F A C A D E M I C E X C E L L E N C E

P A G E 4

Beginner’s Class Ms. Crystal

Sorrow

Ms. Elizabeth

Sheehan &

Ms. Lonnie Phillips


The month of May has been a frolicking and fantastic month in the

Little House. This month we have had fun activities planned and

special event days to finish off the school year. We have enjoyed a

bubble day on the playground, fun with yoga balls, creativity with

sidewalk chalk and body tracing, and fairy Friday. We are capping

off the month with a class dance party, followed by spirit week.

This time of year is always fun for the students and the teachers as

we celebrate the year we’ve had together and the friends we have

made.

Congratulations to Mariasole

on her new baby sister!

Preschool - Ms. Renee Brohamer & Ms. Lily Tajalli


Parent Night ―Space Odyssey‖

Making a map of the world Playing Twinkle Twinkle at Parent Night

St. Patrick’s Day Decorating Easter Eggs

P A G E 6

The Spring season brought

about our study of plants.

First, the students dissected

seeds and discovered how the

seed turns into a new plant.

Next, they labeled the parts of

a plant. Several of the stu-

dents created their very own

push pinned tree. During our

final unit of the year, the chil-

dren examined a variety of

flowers and the anatomy of a

flower.

The children celebrated Earth

Day by making their very own

sand art creations of our

planet. We discussed the im-

portance of taking care of the

Earth and ways to keep it

healthy. The recycling work

that was added to the classroom

proved to be a favorite activity

of many students.

The children performed the mu-

sical ―Tikki Tikki Tembo‖ ar-

ranged by Carol Kaplan for our

Parent Appreciation evening


Ms. Christina Eckstein & Ms. Jeanne-Marie Hrivnak Preschool

P A G E 7

which was held on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. The musical coincided wonderfully

with our unit study of Asia. Many skills were developed during the preparation of

the musical including proper voclization, expression and following directions.

The children also enjoyed preparing special chow mein drop cookies which were

served at the conclusion of the evening.

C E L E B R A T I N G 3 2 Y E A R S O F A C A D E M I C E X C E L L E N C E

P A G E 8

In March we finished our

unit on Asia with an in-depth

study of India. Our class was for-

tunate to have had a number of

families with ties to India to help

with this unit. We would like to

especially thank Sharvari Pathak,

Natasha Alexander, and Liji Jacob

for their contributions. Sharvari

was instrumental in organizing a

number of spectacular guest per-

formances and lessons including

one on the tabla from Tan May

LeLe, one on Indian music and the

harmonium from Shiwani Avora,

one on Indian dance from Vinata

Vedam, and one on yoga from

N.K Sharma. We also enjoyed

guest speakers and demonstrators:

Shreya Pathak (on her trip to In-

dia), Praveen Pathak (cricket and

carrom), Hera Cole (growing up in

India), Sharvari Pathak (Hindi

writing and textiles), Natasha

Alexander (textiles), and Madhava

Mirel (living in India & the

Mrdanga drums). With the help of

many families we also had a deli-

cious and authentic Indian feast.

We are so very grateful to all of

the parents who made our India

Unit so wonderful and contextu-

ally rich. The children loved it

and learned so much!

In April, we completely

switched out the classroom and set


Ms. Jackie Johnson & Ms. Kathleen Bastien

Preschool/Kindergarten

We are so

very grateful

to all of the

parents who

made our

India Unit

so

wonderful

and

contextually

rich. The

children

loved it and

learned so

much.!


it up for learning about the hu-

man body and nutrition. So

far we have studied the human

skeleton and the nervous sys-

tem. The children find it all

fascinating. We have a num-

ber of anatomical models for

the children to observe, hold

and put together. We also

have x-rays of an actual child

to assemble and study.

This last week and the

first two weeks of May we fo-

cused on practicing for our

Parent Appreciation Perform-

ance. This performance

brought together, song, dance and poetry read-

ings about the human body and nutrition. The

children worked hard and had a lot of fun as

well.

It is hard to believe this year is winding down.

We have had a great year, a terrific group of

students and a really supportive and generous

group of parents. Ms. Kathleen and I are so

appreciative; we feel privileged to teach such

wonderful children. Thank you for a great

year!

Congratulations to Gavin on his new baby brother!

P A G E 1 0

It is so hard to believe that

this school year has come to an

end! We would like to thank all

the parents for the support and

help they have given to their chil-

dren and to the school. It seems

like it was only yesterday that we

had orientation!

First, we would like to

congratulate Ms. Widline for suc-

cessfully completing her AMS

Associate in Early Childhood Cre-

dential!

In February, our Kinder-

garten students took the IOWA

Standardized Test. All the stu-

dents did very well; scoring higher

than their actual grade level!

In the classroom, many of the

children are working with the

Stamp Game to better understand

the Place Value concept. They

have been working in the thou-

sands; learning Dynamic Addi-

tion, Multiplication, and Subtrac-

tion. Some children have ex-

plored the concept of Division

with remainders. We have also

been working on Money Values,

Telling Time and working with

Fractions.

In Language,

the children have been

learning the difference

between antonyms,

synonyms and homo-

nyms; and putting to-

gether compound

words. Lessons on

beginning punctuation

and function of words

(nouns, verbs and prepositions)

have also been presented. In the

Second Semester, the Kindergar-

ten students began taking weekly

spelling tests that focused on

words containing phonograms.

The children looked forward to

learning new words each week!

During reading groups, the chil-

dren were able to pick out words

they had learned for their spelling

tests.

For Parent Appreciation

the children learn all the aspects of

putting on a play. This year the

children performed ―Go Fish‖. A

musical/play based on friendship

and acceptance. The children

learned their lines and the songs as

well as some choreography! The

children did a wonderful job! I

believe we have some budding

actors and actresses amongst us!

They are already asking when we

are going to put on our next one! I

want to thank all the parents for

helping with their children’s cos-

tumes!

Developmental Art is care-

fully woven into our academic


Ms. Elizabeth Falls & Ms. Widline Senecharles

Preschool/Kindergarten

P A G E 1 1

curriculum.

Fine and

gross motor

skills are

constantly

being devel-

oped through

the various

projects we

do in the

classroom.

Each year

our class

puts together

a special pro-

ject – a class

quilt! This year’s quilt is entitled, ―Under

the Sea‖ and was designed to coincide with

our Unit Study of the Ocean. The children

used their handprint to create the two,

ocean scene panels. A ―silent auction‖ de-

termined what lucky family got to take the

quilt home.

As part of our unit study of the

ocean the children learned about sharks.

They were surprised to learn that there

were over 350 kinds of sharks and that sci-

entists still do not know everything about

them. A mini unit study of butterflies con-

cluded our studies for this school year.

Children are our future! and they

―have the

whole world

in their

hands!‖ With

the help of

Sunny Sorel’s

Dad, Ter-

rence, the

children used

paper mache

to cover a

wire model of

Earth and

then painted

the planet. The children push-pinned the

seven continents and used decoupage to

put them on

to the

―globe‖. It

was a very

fun art pro-

ject and was

enjoyed by

all!

Each

year I con-

tinue to be

amazed at

how much

the children

have grown

emotionally, socially, and academically.

They have come so far since first entering

our classroom. One of the most important

days of the school year is almost here –

Kindergarten Graduation! This occasion

is bittersweet for us. Ms. Widline and I

have watched your children grow so much

in the short time they have been a part of

our ―family‖. On Graduation Day, we

will not be saying good-bye; we will be

sending them on their way to further ex-

perience inner satisfaction and achieve

pride in their accomplishments. Wherever

they will be attending school next year,

they will be terrific! They are very proud

of themselves and we want to wish them

the very best! Thank you for allowing us

to be a part of your child’s early learning

experience. We have had a wonderful

year! Your child has definitely impacted

our lives and we wish you much luck and

success!

Take care, have a wonderful summer and

we love you all! See you in August!

Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Widline


P A G E 1 2

The ITBS (Iowa Test of Ba-

sic Standards) testing went so well

we wrapped up testing early. The

children were well prepared and

handled the testing very well.

Thanks to all of the families who

brought in a special snack to share.

Also, the children have begun to

rehearse for the End of the Year

Show, ―Alice In Wonderland‖. Our

children are working on practicing

with their props, blocking, getting

fitted for costumes and learning

their songs and moves.

Our garden, is abundant and beauti-

ful. The flowers are blooming and

the vegetables are maturing. The

children picked herbs, fruits, flow-

ers and vegetables for the food they

prepared for our Mother’s Day Tea.

In May, we took a field trip to the

Center for the Performing Arts for

Gainesville Chamber Orchestra's

presentation of Celestial Celebra-

tions: we went on a majestic visual

tour of the solar system that inspired

Holst’s masterpiece The Planets

while the orchestra performed the

landmark piece. The concert in-

cluded great music from the film

Star Wars and Disney's Aladdin. The

first and second grade students have

been studying and researching the

planets and making associations to

the gods associated with the planets

Mercury, Venus and Mars.

Our lessons in Geography and in

History for the rest of the year will

be about the concept of time. The

children continue their study of time-

lines. We discussed BC/AD or BCE/

ACE and what things took place on

the timeline before and after this time

period. The History of Writing is an-

other of Maria Montessori's exciting

Great Lessons. The children will be

studying the way communication has

changed from caveman, Greek, Ro-

man to the Illuminated Texts, into the

age of the moveable press and all the

way up to modern day technology.

We will continue to look at different

histories through time for the remain-

der of the year.

Thanks to our volunteers: We also

thank all of the people who donated

items for our special activities and

parties.

Ms. Anita Bender & Ms. Susie Long

1st & 2nd Grades


JUNE 2010

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MAY

Ameia Smith

Ms. Anita Bender

JUNE

Caroline Tosolini

Matthew Fogleman

JULY

Maxx Adkins

P A G E 1 3 C E L E B R A T I N G 3 2 Y E A R S O F A C A D E M I C E X C E L L E N C E

Congratulations to Brennan New and his family on

his new baby brother!

Looking Ahead...

May 31 School Holiday

Memorial Day

June 2 Field Trip:

PK Yonge for Dress Rehearsal

June 4 End of Year Show:

Alice In Wonderland

PK Yonge - 5:30pm

June 7

Bicycle Safety

Presentation

June 8 Field Trip:

End of the Year Party (TBA)

June 9 Last Day of School/

Awards Day

P A G E 1 4

Birthdays

We had

some surprise

guests in our

classroom during

the last month.

Mr. Richard’s pet

rats became par-

ents the day after

Spring Break.

This allowed our

class to see the

process of growth

in the life of a

fancy rat during

April and May.

We were amazed

to see how quickly they

grow in size and how the

color traits from the par-

ents are passed on to the

offspring. It truly has

been a wonderful experi-

ence.

We have contin-

ued our tour around

South America, visiting

Chile, Argentina, and

Bolivia. We would like

to thank Ms. Gigi Tajalli

for coming to our class

and talking to us about

her home country, Chile.

In Science, our

focus has now shifted to

Botany. We looked at

the many different shapes

of leaves in the Montes-

sori leaf cabinet and

spent some time walking

around MMS and investi-

gating some of the leaves

on campus. We looked

into root systems and

flowering plants during

May. Our Social Studies

classes have us now

learning some of the his-

tory of Alachua County.

What does the word

Alachua really mean?

We will be learning

about important people,

events and the formation

of our county as well.

Congratulations

to Sage Trunnell (2nd),

Shreya Pathak (3rd) and

Dillon Webb(4th) for

earning the title of Spell-

ing Bee Champions for

their respective grades.

Thanks to moms

and dads for all your hard

work and support

throughout the year. We

hope you enjoyed Fa-

ther’s Day Field Day and

Mother’s Day Tea.

We look forward

to providing you with

one more gift this year,

Alice in Wonderland on

June 4th!!

May 10—Shreya (9)

20-Vishnu (10)

Mr. Richard Aslanian & Ms. Suzi Rumsey

2nd, 3rd & 4th Grades

June Lacey and Lindsey (9)

July 12 Matt (10)

17—Charlie (9)


P A G E 1 5

It’s hard to believe

it is already the end of May!

There is a feeling that the

end is near now that we

have completed our ITBS

testing, and have started

rehearsing for our end-of-

the-year show. Our class

would like to congratulate

Dillon for winning 1st place

in the Fourth Grade Spell-

ing Bee.

Fourth grade stu-

dents in Ms. Tina and Ms.

Erin’s Florida History class

were treated to several spe-

cial events during the past

weeks. One highlight was

our field trip to Shell

Mound to explore coastal

wetlands with Ms. Amilda’s

husband, Dr. Mark Clark.

There were lots of squeals

and giggles as we slipped

around in the mud trying to

experience several different

types of wetlands and ex-

amine their characteristics.

In April we were

visited by Civil War re-

enactor Tom Fasulo, who

helped the Civil War come

alive for us with his interac-

tive and entertaining pres-

entation.

During the fourth

quarter we discussed mod-

ern Florida. Students

planned road trips to desti-

nations including State and

National parks, bodies of

water, and historic sites pre-

viously unknown to them in

Florida. They examined

road maps and presenting

their trip in a Google Earth

presentation.

In U.S. History with

Ms. Susan Hansen, 5th grad-

ers presented skits about the

diverse peoples of the West.

These skits showed the

hardships of people who

tried to move to the West-

ern United States in the

1800s. Groups included

Mormons, Chinese immi-

grants, Mexicanos, Nez

Perce Native Americans,

Forty-niners, and Oregon

pioneers. Students created

costumes and props and

enjoyed giving their presen-

tation for Mr. Richard’s

class and Ms. Tina’s fourth-

graders.

In 5th grade science

students have been working

with plants, comparing

plant vascular systems and

animal circulatory systems

using Venn diagrams. Stu-

dents enjoyed the celery

experiment in which they

discovered how xylem and

phloem tubes work to bring

nutrients to the plant cells.

Now students are getting

ready to discuss the food

pyramid and how cells get

the energy they need.

Fourth graders just

finished up a Science mod-

ule about the human body,

bones and muscles. They

created working models of

joints, muscles, tendons and

ligaments using rubber

bands, popsicle sticks, and

other household items.

Our last weeks of

school will be busy and ex-

citing! In early May, 4th

and 5th graders went on a

field trip to the Gainesville

Chamber Orchestra’s Chil-

dren’s concert. The Safety

Patrollers’ went on a field

trip to Aquatica at Sea

World and our end-of-the-

year trip to Blue Springs is

coming up soon!

There were

lots of squeals

and giggles as

we slipped

around in the

mud trying to

experience

several

different types

of wetlands

and examine

their

characteristics.


Ms. Christina Miller, Ms. Susan Salvatore & Ms. Erin Sorel

4th & 5th Grades

P A G E 1 6

As the school year winds down,

things are still very busy, as usual, in the

middle school. Middle school students

are prepared for the end of the year

show, Literary Magazine, Mother’s Day

Tea AND Eighth Grade graduation!

Slowly, but surely, the middle school

scenes for the end of the year show, Al-

ice in Wonderland, Jr. are taking shape.

Students are getting more comfortable in

their roles and embracing the nonsensi-

cal whimsy for which Charles Dodgson

was known.

During the third

quarter, the sev-

enth and eighth

grade students,

turned graphic

designers, cre-

ated the beauti-

ful third annual

literary maga-

zine, The Gal-

lery. We took

time out of the

busy ITBS

week to add the

last minute,

finishing

touches to the magazine.

We honored our Mother’s with a lovely

tea; complete with yummy refreshment,

lively entertainment and lovely flowers.

Fourth quarter is also a time for transi-

tion as our graduating eighth graders pre-

pare for high school. We send them off

in style at the graduation

ceremony, Monday, June 7

at 6 p.m. at Unity Church.

To prepare for graduation,

all middle school students

are writing speeches for the

ceremony. Graduating

eighth graders will deliver

extemporaneous speeches

recalling their fond memo-

ries of MMS. Some of the

seventh graders will intro-

duce eighth graders, and

some will deliver belief

statements based on the

popular NPR series ―This I

Believe.‖ The sixth graders

Ms. Sherilyn Farris & Ms. Susan Hansen

Middle School (M3S)


M3S Cont...

P A G E 1 7

are writing poems in either the terza rima, villanelle or

Spenserian sonnet style about themes related to gradua-

tion and moving forward.

Our Graduating Eighth Graders:

Dominick Aslanian – Eastside High School, IB program

Gini Bernal – St. Francis Catholic School

Laura Clark – Eastside High School, IB program

Derek Lipsig – Eastside High School, IB program

Ilie Tomlin – Buchholz High School, Entrepreneurship

Program

It has been another wonderful year in the M3S class-

room. We’re always so surprised by how fast the year

goes but when you’re learning AND having fun at the

same time – that tends to happen! We would like to

wish our eighth grade graduates – Dominick, Gini,

Laura, Derek & Ilie – the best of luck in high school. To

the incoming sixth, seventh and eighth grade students,

have a summer full of adventures to share in community

meeting when you return in the Fall. To our M3S Par-

ents, thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Ms. Sherilyn & Ms. Susan

C E L E B R A T I N G 3 2 Y E A R S O F

P A G E 1 8


The weather is finally warming up and the cold

days that forced us inside have disappeared. During

those blustery days, the children learned a few line

dances with a brief dance unit. Middle school stu-

dents met the challenge of creating their own rou-

tine. Before Spring Break the children performed

their final testing for the Presidential Physical Fit-

ness program. As usual, the students exceed expec-

tations! 81% of our students have placed at the Na-

tional Level or above (42% were Presidential and

39% were National)! As we close out the year, stu-

dents are learning the basics of lacrosse for the first

time with Coach Cam. The lower field is even get-

ting some use for the first time. It has been another

fabulous year in PE. Coach Cam looks forward to

seeing you at summer camp. Even if you don't at-

tend, stay active and safe in the Florida sun. Go

Knights!

MMS Grade 2-3 Football

The 2-3 Football team remained utterly undefeated

throughout the team’s season. All games have had a

20 point or more margin of victory. Plays such as

―Free Willie‖ and ―Center Drag‖ have scored us

points on nearly every drive. Our defense has been

outstanding with several interceptions (often run back

for touchdowns) and smothering coverage guaranteed

to halt any forward progress by our opponents.

With the temperature of late Spring starting to heat

up, our parents are looked forward to cold Gatorade,

pop-up tents and cheering our awesome team forward

as we finished the rest of our season. Many thanks to

our Coaches who have made this season such an ex-

citing one to watch and to the kids for having so

much fun! Go Knights!!

PS: Cleats for Feet reminder:

We are still taking old cleats to catalogue and have

ready for Fall’s soccer season. Please drop them off

at the front office.

Coach Cam Parker

Physical Education

C E L E B R A T I N G 3 2 Y E A R S O F A C A D E M I C E X C E L L E N C E P A G E 1 9

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11493617&id=356968110704



P A G E 2 0

Beginner, Preschool & Kindergarten Spanish

Ms. Jeanne-Marie Clune-Hrivnak


P A G E 2 1

and drew their real and ideal rooms and pre-

sented to the class. Recently we began review-

ing vocabulary related to the family. During the

remainder of the year we will also work on some

Spanish verbs and verb forms which will prepare

5th graders for Middle School Spanish next year.

6th and 7th Grade

Students have been studying the city and places

in a city. They have learned how to give direc-

tions in a city and how to talk about where peo-

ple and places are using the Spanish verb estar,

meaning ―to be located‖. Students created tricky

logic puzzles giving clues to characters’ loca-

tions in a fictional city, which we all attempted

to solve. We have completed our basic unit on

verb conjugations with the help of some funny

songs to help us remember the steps.

8th Grade Spanish

Students finished up their study of grammar and

vocabulary related to cultural activities. Each

student researched a famous artist of Spanish-

speaking descent and presented their research in

a Power Point presentation. Our next unit was a

review of clothing and fashion related words,

and now we are beginning our final chapter

which deals with Summer time and vacation.


Ms. Erin Sorel

1st - 8th Grade Spanish

1st and 2nd Grade

Ms. Anita’s Class was presented with vocabulary

relating to clothing and parts of the body. Stu-

dents played several body part games such as

―Simón Dice‖ (Simon Says) and sang some fun

songs as well. Students enjoyed naming body

parts to add to our class drawing of a monster

and presenting ―monsters‖ of their own in Span-

ish using body part cut-outs and vocabulary.

During the last quarter we will work on themes

including the family and Mothers Day, the Mexi-

can holiday Cinco de Mayo, and words related to

summer time and vacation.

2nd and 3rd Grade

Mr. Richard’s 2nd and 3rd graders worked on the

theme of the house and specifically things in our

rooms. Students enjoyed using vocabulary to

discuss things that are or are not found in each of

their rooms. As a final project, students created

an ideal room or ―cuarto ideal‖ which they com-

pared with their actual room in writing as well as

in a class presentation. During the last quarter

we will work on topics including family mem-

bers and adjectives used to describe people and

we will review much of the language we learned

this year.

4th & 5th Grades

4th and 5th graders worked on grammar and vo-

cabulary to describe their house and their room.

They created a project in which they wrote about

P A G E 2 2

There is in the soul of a child an impene-

trable secret that is gradually revealed as

it develops.

Dr. Maria Montessori

It is developmentally appropriate for chil-

dren to learn hands on and through their

five senses. One of the most joyful ways

is to plant seeds and watch them grow.

Children are constantly drawn to smell,

touch, and gather collections of leaves,

seeds, flowers, and even insects. They are

fascinated by the tiniest of things and

watching a tiny seed gradually reveal

itself as it grows provides a magical ex-

perience and can bring about a peace of

mind.

Flowers

daffodils pop up

sunflowers sway in the sun

dandelions blow

by Chloe (age 5)

Children as young as two years can and

should have the opportunity to garden

before they develop an aversion to na-

ture. More often than not children are

told not to touch something or put some-

thing in their mouths. All the attitudes

that accompany the sanitizing trend have

contributed to children being tactilely

defensive. Many children today cannot

tolerate putting their hands in paper ma-

chete or scooping seeds out of a pump-

kin.

A class garden provides a perfect oppor-

tunity for the children to cooperate with

each other for a common goal. Each child

has a turn watering, weeding, harvesting

and solving problems. Sometimes insects

or squirrels, for example, may destroy

some of the plants. Sometimes plants

may be selected to attract butterflies. La-

dybugs may be purchased and released to

solve the pest problem naturally. All

these decisions make wonderful class

discussions.

The academic extensions are endless. A

garden is an ever changing laboratory for

fine tuning observation skills needed in

every subject area. It is a ripe environ-

ment for graphing, measuring, journaling,

researching, identifying, and vocabulary

building such as whether a particular

leaf’s shape is reniform, elliptical, or

maybe spatulate.

Flowers

white, pink, red, yellow

rain, sunshine, flowers to grow

happy, pretty earth

by Kayla (age 5)

A class garden is appropriate for all ages.


By: Ms. Christina Miller

Gardens


P A G E 2 3

This year, 4th grade students planted a variety of

seeds and plants which tied in directly to our core

subjects. For example, when we studied Florida's

native Timucua people who used agricultural tech-

niques to grow gourds for use as drinking vessels,

students planted the same type of gourds in our

class garden. This was one of our most exciting

experiments, as the vines grew at an amazing pace

and the giant fruit was something most students had

never seen before. To connect with Spanish class

we grew marigolds, which are the traditional flower

of Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday to honor

departed friends and family members. We used our

marigolds to decorate the authentic altar we created

in celebration of this holiday. Our gardening en-

deavors not only connected students with their core

classes in a more meaningful way, but inspired them

to learn more about plants and start gardens of their

own.

Several students chose an experiment for their sci-

ence project which involved growing plants. Cris-

tina designed a garden and presented her design to

our parent organization. It included a space for con-

templation, topiary of our mascot, as well as native

flowering plants. As a school, we will work to

manifest her garden.

As the weeks passed, our gardening time also gave

us a chance to observe the changing seasons, the

birds which frequent our schoolyard, and the types

of trees and wildflowers that grow there. In a time

when many children are focused on indoors activi-

ties, such as computer and video games, our stu-

dents had a chance to experience the natural world

in a more meaningful way. Rather than looking to

nature and seeing woods, children can identify

pine trees, oak trees, and native flowers. Rather

than just seeing birds, children see more specifi-

cally robins, bluebirds, and others. In this way our

gardening and exploration of the outdoors has

served to enrich the students' world view.

Garden

grass covered soil

digging, chopping, feeling good

planting seeds, growing

by Ahmik (age 5)

Some years back one of my elementary first

through third grade classes’ garden experienced a

very cold winter such as the one from which we

just emerged. The children took their clipboards

out to the garden to make their observations. They

were all horrified to observe the results of the hard

freeze. One child wrote: The beans are dead. The

carrots are dead. The endive is alive. The ground is

colder than the air.

And, yes, that pretty much summed it up.


The

academic

extensions

are endless.

A garden is

an ever

changing

laboratory

for fine

tuning

observation

skills needed

in every

subject

area.

P A G E 2 4

On March 29th, the fourth grade students in Mr. Richard

Aslanian’s and Ms. Christina Miller’s classes suited-up

for a fun filled day at the Shell Mound wetlands in Cedar

Key. Dr. Mark Clark, professor from the University of

Florida, led the students on a guided journey through sev-

eral coastal wetland ecosystems. The children were en-

couraged to get their feet wet and muddy as well as ex-

amine the different

textures and compo-

sition of the soil in

each wetland. Dr.

Clark did an excel-

lent job of explain-

ing how the con-

tents of the soil ef-

fects what is able to

grow in each system as well as describing the plant and animal life in each.

Jalyn said it was the most disgusting and awesome day she had ever had!!

We congratulate the students for their bravery

in walking through swamps, forests

and muddy coastlines.

N E W S L E T T E R T I T L E

By: Christina Miller & Richard Aslanian Shell Mound





Father’s Field Day

P A G E 2 5

Each spring MMS hosts

Father’s Field Day for all

first through eighth

grade

students. We had over

100 dads (and moms) in

attendance for this an-

nual event. We had

beautiful weather and

even landed a spot on

children's book illustrator

and painter, also an MMS

alumnus.

In late March a bookfair was held at Barnes &

Noble on Archer Road in Gainesville. Thank you

to all of the families that joined us. We had

some wonderful performances by the thespians,

Daisy Scouts, and our teachers. A special thanks

to Ms. Crystal for organizing the event. Over

$740 was raised and a fun time was had by all!

See you there next year!

Barnes & Noble Bookfair


Enjoying the Arts Day MMS hosted an Arts Day for

its first through eighth grade

students on Wednesday,

March 17.. The students en-

joyed a vocal ensemble led

by Paul Sikivie, an MMS alum-

nus, and his band as well as

an artist/illustrator presenta-

tion by Arthur Edwards, a

TV 20 news! Check out our

Facebook page to view the clip!


through Eighth grade campers

can choose from the following

options: Enrichment, Theater,

Young Filmmakers, Wide

World of Sports, Technology

and Fit Club camps.

DATES & PROGRAMS:

June 14 – 18 Photography

June 21 – 25 Woodworking

June 28 – July 2 Mad Scientist

July 6 – July 9 Geography

July 12 – 16 Drama

July 19 – 23 Drama

Every Friday will be

splash day and an op-

tional pizza lunch is avail-

able for all students.

For more information visit the front

office and pick up a copy of th sum-

mer camp brochure.

We look forward to spending the

summer with your child(ren)!!!

We will once again offer an

enriching and exciting day camp

for Preschool/Kindergarten,

Elementary and Middle School

students June 14-July 23. The

program activities will include

specialty classes, crafts, games,

sports, and special events that

revolve around a variety of

themes. The Preschool & Kin-

dergarten students will experi-

ence a Montessori hands on

curriculum, weekly educational

fun themes, arts & crafts, music

and playground fun! The First

Summer Camp

Thank you to everyone for clipping Box Tops off of

select General Mills products. Congratulations to Mr.

Richard’s class on collecting the most box tops winning

the Ice Cream Party. Keep collecting all summer long!

www.boxtops4education.com

Keep Collecting...

REGISTER TODAY!!!

P A G E 2 6

Each year the seventh

and eighth grade stu-

dents are required to

participate in a week

long internship. The

seventh graders stay on

campus and work in one

of the classrooms. The

eighth graders leave

campus and intern at a

local business/office.

Middle School Internships



State of Florida Science Fair Winners

P A G E 2 7

Millhopper Montessori School had two

winners in the State of Florida Science

Fair that took place at the Orange

County Convention Center in Orlando,

FL April 7-9, 2010. Jacqueline Kessler

received first place in the Behavioral

and Social Sciences category. She was

awarded a $50 from the Florida Mu-

seum of Natural History for Out-

standing Research in the Biological Sci-

ences. She was also awarded a $25 gift

certificate to Barnes & Noble from Thomas

Alva Edison Regional Science and Engineer-

ing Fair. This award is given to both a Junior

and Senior section student whose project

shows the best use of scientific and creative

thinking. Ashley Frye received third place

in the Physics and Astronomy cate-

gory. Both students are taught science

under the direction of Ms. Carol Fogleman.

Mother’s Day was celebrated a few

days early in our Elementary/Middle

School Classes! A long standing tra-

dition here at MMS as the students

perform for the mother’s (and fa-

ther’s) while serving them hors’d

ourves and tea! This is always a very

special day when the children ex-

press their love to their parents.

Mother’s Day Tea


IOWA Test Scores The scores for the First through Eighth Grade Iowa Scores are here! Below are the composite scores for

each grade! For a complete breakdown visit our website at www.millhopper.com!

Grade Grade Equivalent National Stanine National Percentile Rank

1 2.7 8 89

2 4.0 8 90

3 6.2 8 93

4 6.9 7 83

5 9.3 8 89

6 9.3 8 89

7 13+ 7 87

8 13+ 8 96

MMS Calendar June 2010

Tuesday, June 1 End of year show Technical Rehearsal – for directors & some leads

Wednesday, June 2 End of year show Dress Rehearsal – 9:30-2:30 at PKY

Thursday June 3 Kindergarten Graduation – 1:30 PM

Thursday, June 3 Alice in Wonderland full run through at MMS 9:00-12:00

Friday, June 4 End of Year Show at PK Yonge 5:30 PM

Friday, June 4 Last Day of School – Preschool through Kindergarten – Regular full day with the after school program

Monday, June 7 Eighth Grade Graduation – 6:00 PM

Tuesday, June 8 Blue Springs Trip for Mr. Richard Aslanian’s, Ms. Christina Miller’s and Ms. Sherilyn Farris’ Classes

Wednesday, June 9 Last Day of School – First through Eighth Grade – Regular full day with the after school program Friday, June 11 Elementary/Middle School End of Fourth Quarter

Monday, June 14 First Day of Summer Camp

Friday, June 18 Elementary/Middle School Report Cards are sent Home

July 2010

Friday, July 16 Summer Camp Ends Monday, July 26 Entertainment Book Sales Begin

August 2010

Monday, August 16 First day Preschool/Kindergarten Students

Monday, August 23 First day for Elementary/Middle students

September 2010

Monday, September 6 Holiday - Labor Day

Friday, September 24 Fall Individual & Group Picture Day

Thursday, September 30 Entertainment Book Sales End

October 2010

Monday, October 11 Sally Foster Sales Begin

Friday, October 15 Holiday - UF Homecoming

Thursday, October 28 Sally Foster Orders End

Friday, October 29 Student Holiday/Teacher Workday

November 2010

Thursday, November 11 Holiday - Veteran’s Day - Flex Day Wednesday, November 24 Holiday Thursday, November 25 Thanksgiving Holidays Friday, November 26

montessori monitor may 2010

Documents

cover drama

role drama

pto president

school year

o n t e s s o r i

child development

t o r plete

physical education