EARBORN EIGHTS ONTESSORI ENTER News & Notes · 2 News & Notes / November 2015 FroM The head oF...

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News & NotesDEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

NovEmbEr 2015

Cameron Kabacinski knows a thing or two about teamwork. He’s on the bas-

ketball and soccer teams at Greenhills High School. He’s in a robotics club. And he’s a Boy Scout, working his way toward becom-ing a third-generation Eagle Scout. So when it came time for him to plan his Eagle Scout community service project, it’s not surpris-ing that he thought of something that fos-ters team building: a low ropes course for the upper elementary and Middle School students at DHMC. Cameron, a junior at Greenhills in Ann Arbor, attended DHMC from preschool through eighth grade, graduating in 2013. “I spent most of my school years at Dear-born Heights Montessori, and wanted to do something to give back to my community,” he says. Our upper elementary’s annual camp experience served as inspiration. Cameron remembered going to camp and completing

the high ropes course, which helps students cultivate team-building skills and self- confidence. His first step in constructing a low ropes version for DHMC was to get permission from Kay Neff, head of school. “I’ve worked with a lot of contractors over the years,” says Kay, “and I’ve met very few who have done as much research and were as detailed and professional as Cameron was in his presentation. We were delighted to accept his proposal.” Cameron assembled a team of 20 people, including fellow members of Dearborn-area Boy Scout Troop 1151 and several family members experienced in scouting. After months of planning, construction began in mid-August. The school grounds were properly pre-pared for the course structure, which must safely support student use as well as with-stand Michigan’s weather. The entire project

Gleaners food drive is onour annual food drive for Gleaners Community Food bank takes place November 9–20, wrapping up just in time to help the organization provide food for those in need during the Thanksgiving season. The goal for our “Thankful Times, Giving Times” drive is to match last year’s contribution of 1,600 pounds of food. Collec tion boxes are in the school lobby, and our students play a key role in weighing, sorting, and tracking the donations each day. We hope you’ll participate—it’s a wonderful giving experience to share with your children!

Tune in to 89.7 FMAll the latest DHmC news is broadcast from our student-run radio station, WDHm-Fm 89.7. middle School students who take the radio elective do the research, writing, and announcing. WDHm keeps listeners in the know, so tune in as you drop off and pick up your children! For additional coverage of middle School happenings, please turn to page 25.

Alum shows us the ropes

Cameron Kabacinski (center) shares tips with our students on using the brand-new low ropes course he designed for the DHMC campus.

2 News & Notes / November 2015 www.dhmontessori.org

FroM The head oF school

montessori in the Information Agemontessori preschools are

widely seen as the “Cadil-lac” of early childhood programs. Parents recognize and appreciate the progress their children make in academic and social skills, they note growing competence in everyday tasks, and they see how confident their children are becoming as one success builds upon another. As children progress into the elementary and middle school years, however, parents some-times begin to doubt whether the Montessori education their chil-dren are receiving will prepare them for the “real world.” In actu-ality, extensive research has vali-dated Montessori methods, and Montessori education is more rel-evant today than ever before in its 100-plus-year history.

Rapidly changing worldThe adult world for today’s chil-dren will be quite different from that of their grandparents and parents, and as we pass from the Industrial Age of the 20th cen-tury into the Information Age of the 21st, the skills required to succeed will continue to evolve. Our children will become part of a fast-moving global economy where information is outdated almost as soon as it is learned. According to some sci-entists, nanotechnology knowl-edge is on average doubling every two years, clinical knowledge every 18 months, and human knowledge every 13 months. In his book Physics of the Future, physicist Michio Kaku discusses “rapid advances in computers, telecommunications, biotech-nology, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology [that] will undoubtedly change the future of civilization.” In order to succeed in this

rapidly changing culture, the ability to acquire new skills will be a necessity. In his book Future Shock, futurist Alvin Toffler pre-dicted, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Learning how to learnNo educational system prepares children to “learn how to learn” better than Montessori. The class-rooms are the tangible expression of a philosophy that has at its core the belief that children are self- educators. Teachers create an environment in which children are part of a learning community, motivated by their interests and supported by adults and peers. In this peaceful and nurturing atmo-sphere, children are free to reach their highest potential. The traditional educational model has changed little since Dr. Maria Montessori established her first school in 1907. Rooted in the need for a competent industrial workforce, a system of mass education in which the whole group learned the same things at the same time became the norm. The child’s mind was considered a blank slate, with the teacher as the source of knowl-edge. Instruction aimed at the majority left behind those who learned slowly or differently, and failed to stimulate the gifted. Maria Montessori was a scien-tist—the first female medical doctor to graduate from the Uni-versity of Rome—and through her work with children, she saw that traditional methods of instruction, with their emphasis on passive learning and rote memorization, were stifling. She observed that hands-on experi-ences in meaningful contexts, some measure of choice and con-trol, and the child’s keen interest

in a subject led to intense concen-tration. She saw the connection between movement and cogni-tion, and realized that there was much to be gained when children worked together. “People some-times fear that if a child gives les-sons, this will hold him back in his own progress,” she wrote in The Absorbent Mind. “But teach-ing helps him to understand what he knows even better than before. He has to analyze and rearrange his store of knowledge before he can pass it on.”

Mastery is the goalMontessori teachers partner with children and families to establish a climate of acceptance and mutual respect in which each child’s unique gifts are recog-nized and encouraged. Montes-sori education is task-based: Mastery is the goal. Errors are viewed as a step along the path to understanding, not as failures. The result is children who work at a task until they accomplish it, and who willingly take on new challenges because they are not afraid to make mistakes. They learn how to analyze errors, to seek the information needed to correct them, and to move on to mastery. Contrast this to a tradi-tional performance-based pass-fail mentality—which children do you think will be best pre-pared to learn, unlearn, and relearn in the 21st century? Sadly, now that standardized testing has become the sole yard-stick by which public schools are judged and financed, teachers in those settings are being forced to spend more time and resources training children for tests, at the expense of activities that would lead to creative and divergent thinking. In our Montessori elementary

Contrast the

montessori method

to a traditional

performance-based

pass-fail mentality—

which children

do you think will

be best prepared

to learn, unlearn,

and relearn in the

21st century?

News & Notes / November 2015 3www.dhmontessori.org

and Middle School programs, we administer one standardized test per year, beginning at grade 3. We focus our brief pre-test ener-gies on helping children learn the basics of test-taking—a Practical Life exercise that they will need in their future schooling. We do not teach to the test, yet our stu-dents score well.

Academics—and beyondMontessori students do learn all of the basics. Our graduates are well prepared for high school, are accepted at their schools of choice (among them the most presti-gious in the area), and are suc-cessful after they leave us. They carry with them much more than strong academic cre-dentials, however. Because chil-dren in Montessori classrooms are largely responsible for plan-ning their own time, the students are self-directed and self-starters. They know how to analyze and solve problems. Years of experi-ence with group projects and peer teaching have taught them how to work collaboratively, to assume leadership roles, and to be comfortable speaking in front of a group. They have friendships with people from diverse back-grounds, and they have worked together running the businesses that finance their class travels. All of these skills will translate well to a fluid global workplace where flexibility, adaptability, and inno-vation are essential. Independent ideas are encour-aged in Montessori classrooms, and it is no surprise to me that the people who started Amazon, AOL, Wikipedia, and Google all attended Montessori schools. If theirs isn’t 21st-century thinking, I don’t know what is.

was completed within just a few months. The low ropes course sits in the southeast corner of the school property, just off the Middle School. On October 13, students and staff gathered for an official ribbon cutting to celebrate the project and to recognize and thank Cameron and his parents, Teresa and Kevin, for their contribution to the school. Two older siblings, Kaylyn and Kyle, who also attended DHMC, were part of the ceremony. During the unveiling, Cameron described the construction process and materials used, which included 45 yards of pea gravel and wood chips, ten 12-foot wooden posts anchored 4 feet in the ground, tires, hardware, and—of course—ropes. He also gave helpful tips to students about how to use the low ropes course, which is now part of the DHMC curriculum under the supervision of physical education teacher Brett Rosbury. Cameron ended his remarks by telling students how DHMC gave him a good foundation for high school and beyond. He’s looking forward to studying mechanical engineering in college. “Cameron serves as a wonderful role model for our students,” says Kay. “We are very impressed with his achievements thus far and are happy to have been a part of his education.”

The upper elementary camp outing Cameron experienced as a DHMC student takes place every October. Read about this year’s activities, including the high ropes course, beginning on page 22.

Upper elementary students give the new low ropes course a workout. Balancing on the ropes are, from left, Mia ElAli (in white), Naya Kheirbek, and Niya Hagood.

Alum shows us the ropes continued from page 1

Thank you to…n The Kharbutli family for their generous monetary donation. n The Lundh family for donating copy paper for use throughout the building.


PeGGY & aNGIe

oh, the things we can do!our time in our tod-

dler rooms is prov-ing to be so energizing! The shelves are filled with many activities from which we can choose throughout our day. In our tile space, we have been experiencing water play, beginning with pumpkin scrubbing. A large pumpkin awaits us at the water table. After putting on an apron, we delight in the soapy water with all its bubbles. We pick up the small scrub-ber, perfectly sized for our hands, and dip it into the soapy water, creating even more bubbles! Our eyes seek out the perfect spot on the deep orange pumpkin to begin the task of cleaning it of all its spots. After much scrubbing, a careful assessment is made. Our pump-kin is clean! We return the scrub-ber to its tray and pick up the

small towel. It is time to dry the pumpkin. The towel is then returned to the tray and our apron to its place. Our pumpkin is shiny and beautiful! Our water table also allows

us to do some open-ended play. It is absolute enchant-ment as our hands make their way through the waves of water to discover a vessel with which to scoop the liquid and pour it through a waterwheel. We focus intently as the water trickles through the turning wheel—until suddenly it stops, and we begin again! We continue to work on food-preparation activities such as banana slicing. These activities take many steps. Learning to master all of them helps us build focus and concentration, and when we finish, we get to eat!

Expanding our vocabulary

On the carpet side of our rooms, we gather at the big rug to learn about different types of birds and their names. We love repeat-ing names such as “yellow-billed magpie” and “scarlet tanager.”

ToDDlEr

Toddler MusIc

Gather round for musicour toddler classes are enjoying having music

together! Music classes for our youngest Mon-tessorians began in October, and we meet for 15 to 20 minutes on Mondays and Fridays in the toddler classrooms. Later, when the children are ready, they’ll make the long walk down the hall to the music room for class. We open each class period by singing “Good Morning” and end by singing “Good-bye.” At the beginning of the school year, the songs I present to our toddlers are tunes they can move to. Sometimes we play the Guitar Game, in which the instrument tells the children how to move around the room. We might march, or walk, or try trotting like a horse! When the guitar stops making sound,

our feet have to stop as quickly as possible. When the guitar resumes making sound, it is time to move to the music again. Throughout the year, I’ll introduce some rhythm instruments for the children to experience playing. If your toddler comes home singing a song and you are not sure you understand the words, come take a look at the “Music and Lyrics” binder in the school office. The contents are divided by level, and songs are listed in alphabetical order. New songs are added weekly. We’re going to have such fun in toddler music class this year!

—Pat Tait

Ali Najjar tackles the task of scrubbing a pumpkin—a big job for little hands! The multi-step process helps young children develop a sense of order.


ToDDlEr

concentrated effortsIn our peaceful yet industrious toddler rooms, the children are able to choose activities, concentrate fully on them, and learn! Clockwise from top: Isabella Ajrouche enjoys the book she selected from our reading corner. n Joey Alfonsi strengthens his hand muscles with a jar-opening activity. n Jenna Makki builds balance and coordination on a Sit ‘n Spin. n our banana-slicing activity begins with peeling the fruit, on which Tarig Elbashir is intently focused. n Inserting spoons into the slots of a lid helps Victor Pietrandrea refine his hand-eye coordination.

We have even begun to make the connection between the birds we are studying and the birds we behold just outside our classroom windows. Food tastings provide us with much to talk about! We’re building wonderful vocabulary with words such as bitter, sweet, juicy, and crunchy. We started our food-tasting journey with lemons, and what an experience it was! The sourness caused some contorted faces, yet many of us relished the juiciness of the lemon slice and even requested another! It’s always fun to dis-cover what is going to be revealed when the special tray for food tasting appears.

Exploring new paths As our comfort level has grown, so have our adventures. We like to trek through our beautiful school building. We take in with great curiosity all of the wonder-ful artwork hanging on the walls. Our ears absorb every lovely sound—the laughter of big friends, the music from Mrs. Pat’s classes, the cadence of another’s footsteps passing by us. We also have had many adven-tures on our playground and around the charming walking path just outside our playground gate. This path leads to many intriguing discoveries, from the changing colors of leaves on trees to the antics of the neigh-borhood squirrels! We are off to a magnificent beginning and are so excited for the journey ahead!

—Peggy Simms, Angie Alfonsi,

Taghrid Beydoun, Samantha

Caspers, Angela Herron,

Marwa Mazloum, Sara Turner,

and Erica Wilson


prESCHool, KINDErGArTEN, & ExTENDED DAY

BeTh

A warm, wonderful place to learnWe have a wonderful and

warm Montessori commu-nity. Our 14 returning students have been welcoming and helpful to the new friends in our room:n Morning session: Zackery Berry, Hadi Fadlallah, Lily Hodroj, Elijah Johnson, Rima Makled, and Miriam Perkins. n Afternoon session (which is spent with us, Ms. Maya, and Mrs. Helen): Sydney Cross, Nicolas Granodos, Fatima Hrajli, Rosemary Nunu, Lydia Taji, and Ali Younes.

All of the children have accli-mated well.

We love to walk the lineTo establish order and routine in the room, we spent the first few weeks of the school year review-ing and practicing the ground rules. These include rolling rugs, using quiet voices inside, carry-ing materials with two hands, walking around others’ work and rugs, returning work to its proper place, and requesting a teacher’s attention by placing a hand on her shoulder. One of the activities the chil-dren especially enjoy is “walking on the line.” Between the ages of 3 and 6, the child needs to prac-tice and perfect the body’s move-ments. Dr. Maria Montessori introduced “walking on the line” activities to help the child develop balance and strengthen the mind’s control of the body’s movements. Our “line” is in an elliptical shape; it’s made of red tape that’s attached to our rug. We play soft music, and the children practice walking on the line, carefully

placing one foot in front of the other. Eventually, they will prac-tice walking while carrying a flag or a bell, and they’ll progress to tiptoeing, galloping, skipping, or marching to music.

Practical workEarly in the school year, the children spend a lot of their time in the Practical Life area. They use familiar materials to build and refine the skills needed to do academic work in all areas of the classroom. They are learning the cycle of work: choosing one activity, complet-ing it, and returning it to its place. They are developing coordination and concentration and refining their fine motor skills, which are all necessary for advanced academic work. One of the most popular additions to the Practical Life shelves has been water pouring. Children of all ages enjoy sponging, pouring, and basting water, and then cleaning it up.

New lessons every dayEvery day we introduce new activities in the Sensorial, lan-guage, math, geography, and science areas. We check the calendar and review the days of the week and months of the year. We have learned about the cycle of the seasons and have noticed the changes that fall brings. We learned about the difference between living and nonliving things and characteristics that distinguish plants from animals. As the leaves began to change, we began lessons on the parts of a tree and parts of a leaf. We incor-porated these lessons into projects throughout the classroom. We are very excited to watch the children learn and grow this school year!

—Beth Newberg and Belize Afonso

Our Extended Day kindergartners are doing remarkable things. Read all about them on page 9.

Collage work by Rosemary Nunu, 3. This single activity incorporates many skills, which include cutting (strengthens hand muscles), gluing (improves hand-eye coordination), and recognizing shapes and colors (builds vocabulary and enhances the visual discrimination skills necessary for reading).

The children

are developing

coordination and

concentration

and refining their

fine motor skills,

which are all

necessary for

advanced

academic work.



MaYa

Enrichment all aroundIt is so heartwarming to see chil-

dren walk into their classroom with a smile! And we have had much to smile about in these first few months of school.

Peaceful beginningsSeptember found the children actively exploring their environ-ment, getting acquainted with their teachers, practicing classroom ground rules, and making friends. We were busy settling into a routine, one that flowed with more ease as the weeks went by. It was now a perfect time for our school’s Peace Day celebration. It’s wonderful starting our school year with love, respect, and empa-thy for one another in our hearts. Our chil-dren took home a small, white LED candle, their “peace candle,” as a reminder of their com-mitment to be little warriors of peace in their environment, with their friends, and within the community that is helping to raise them.

Specials and celebrationsIn October, we introduced the children to some other amazing teachers who make their days at DHMC so exciting. Specials such as gym class with Mr. Brett, art education with Mrs. Lynn, music class with Mrs. Pat, and French language with Madame Becky enrich the children’s lives

every Monday and Friday. We all work closely to enhance the chil-dren’s education in these areas as much as possible. Of course, students also have individual math and language lessons, as well as group lessons in Practical Life, Sensorial, art, geography, and science. Our first birthday celebra-

tions took place in October. In addition to sharing their favor-ite healthy snack with their classmates, October-born class-mates each shared their timeline from birth. We sang a special song as the birthday celebrant walked around our model sun holding a globe, representing an orbit of the earth, or the passing of one year. It is a beautiful event to witness, and we will be doing this celebration for each child in the coming year. October came to an end with

our Halloween celebration. It was an absolute success, with the children and teachers sporting their favorite literacy costumes and marking the day with crafts and healthy treats!

Academic advancesNow, in November, the children are ready for more advanced

academic work. In Octo-ber, we introduced the planets of our universe and then narrowed the study in geography by unwrapping the color- coded Montessori conti-nent map. This month, we narrow further by examining the map of North America. As Thanksgiving nears, we will have a thankful gathering of our own, where we will be making the beloved Stone Soup. All the children will take part in our first classroom cooking project. We are such a won-derfully diverse class, the children are all get-ting along, and teaching

them is a pleasure! We’ll con-tinue to enrich their lives by offering the best possible pre-pared environment in which to learn and grow.

—Maya Chiarini and

Helen Hartline

Kindergartners in our Extended Day program are experiencing all of the above and more. Read about their amazing adventures on page 9.

Stencil work by James Wilks, 4. James used a stencil to outline the shape of the apple before filling it with color. Coloring within the confines of the shape develops the fine motor skills needed for writing.

As Thanksgiving

nears, we will

have a thankful

gathering of our

own, where we

will be making

the beloved

Stone Soup.



heIdI & reNu

montessorians are active learnersEvery school year begins with

excitement and anticipation of the experiences to come. In our preschool-kindergarten class, we lay a solid foundation for a successful year by starting with the ground rules—the guidelines for how the children operate in our Montessori environment. We learn to sit “on the line” with legs crossed and hands on knees, and to raise our hands to partici-pate. We learn to walk in line, use the washroom, and be on the playground. These and other ground rules keep us safe and give us the freedom necessary to do our work. The children anticipate the presentation of lessons and materials, and they pay close attention to them. They are eager to have the opportunity to work with the materials inde-pendently. Our classroom is a busy place, filled with children making choices, actively learn-ing, and acquiring skills. It’s a pleasure to observe their inter-ests and growing skills. Lexi Danielson-Francois likes to work with drawing and coloring, which refine her skills for writing. Jack Davis enjoys working with the spindle boxes, which present the concepts of zero, numerals, sequence, and quantity. Michael Davis loves to read a new book each day. Amir Goins chooses to work with spooning and pouring activities, which

lengthen his attention span. Lilit Haroyan likes to work with the “same and different” and “what’s different” language activities, which prepare her for under-standing abstract concepts. Alaya Hudson enjoys work-ing with the teen and ten boards. Dado Jundi loves to have begin-ning sound lessons to prepare for

reading. Taim Kheirbek exer-cises his visual discrimination skills with the knobbed cylinders and knobless cylinders, which lay the foundation for future lan-guage and math works. Rayan Kharbutli enjoys working with blending sounds and reading each day. Lucy Koster often chooses to work with the triangle box to explore obtuse, right, and equilateral triangles. Hudson Kraft likes the pink tower, brown stair, and red rods, which are great com-parison activities.

Madeleine Machnacki often opts to do drawing, pin-punch-ing, and the metal insets, all of which prepare her for writing. Jonathon Manrique loves to listen to stories and work with numbers. Quintin Miah spends a great deal of time in the science area working with mag-nets and leaves. Adam Najjar likes to have les-sons with the teachers and work with puzzles. Calvin Oelkers enjoys science activities and bead-bar sequencing. Julianna Pietrandrea brings her great attitude to visual discrimination activities, which are good prepa-ration for reading and writing. Owen Sanderson-Price is developing excellent handwrit-ing skills by doing pin-punches and the metal insets. Tamer Sbeiti is lengthening his atten-tion span through challenging extension activities with the knobbed and knobless cylinders. Julia Shamas is working very well with beginning sounds in preparation for reading. We look forward to sharing many more learning experiences with the children on our journey through the school year.

—From our hands to yours,

Renu Lobo, Heidi Gauger,

and Badia Jaafar

Our Extended Day kindergartners spend the whole day at school. Read about their exciting experiences on the facing page.

The children

anticipate the

presentation

of lessons

and materials,

and they pay

close attention

to them.

Self-portrait by Extended Day student Reid Liljegren, who turns 6 this month. The feathered friend is a bluebird Reid saw in his backyard.



eXTeNded daY

building a community of leadersThe Extended Day kindergar-

ten children from all three morning classes are blending well, enjoying new activities, and making new friends. Extended Day is our full-day academic kindergarten program, and it affords children many develop-mental advantages. Leadership opportunities, field trips, big projects, and advanced work are all part of the experience in Extended Day.

Taking the leadChildren aged 5 and 6 are enter-ing a social phase of their devel-opment. Part of that development is to begin building the class-room community. Our Extended Day children help one another become familiar with the class-room routines and materials. During the first month of school, we served group snack so the children could get to know one another. One of our favorite songs is “Here We Are Together,” where we sing the name of each child. Many of our Extended Day students eat lunch together, and they all join in for after-lunch recess. New friendships are being made, and as the older children in the class, they are learning to be role models for the younger students.

Extended Day extra: Field tripsIn September, the Extended Day students took their first field trip as a class. They all enjoyed riding the bus and bowling together. In October, we visited an apple orchard. To prepare for that trip, we learned about the

parts of a tree, the parts of a leaf, and the cycle of the apple tree from blossom to fruit. We iden-tified and tasted different kinds of apples and used the fruit in baking and art projects. We’re scheduled to visit the DNR Outdoor Adventure Cen-ter in Detroit on November 12. Experiencing some of the won-derful land and water activities Michigan offers will tie in nicely to our study of geography.

Big discoveries in geography The Montessori geography cur-riculum begins with an explora-tion of our solar system. The children have enjoyed learning about many aspects of the uni-verse, from the sun to each of the nine planets (including the dwarf planet Pluto). Extended Day stu-dents had the opportunity to do many projects and activities to expand their study of the solar system. We then narrowed our focus of study to elements of our planet, Earth. We learned about the features a planet needs to support life: air and water. With the introduction of the globe,

the children learned to distin-guish land, air, and water. They explored where different animals live, whether on land, in the air, or in the water. We introduced the continent globe, and the children have begun to identify and name the seven continents. They are reinforcing their knowledge of the continent names and locations by making maps in many different sizes and media (crayons, markers, colored pencils, watercolors, and pin-punches). Our geography studies will narrow again and focus on each of the continents, beginning with where we live: North Amer-ica. We will learn about the countries in North and Central America and later identify the flags of each. Exploring artifacts from all parts of the continent gives the children an apprecia-tion of the different regions and cultures. We have a whole world of knowledge to discover in the months ahead!

—Beth Newberg, Maya Chiarini,

Belize Afonso, and Badia Jaafar

As the

older children

in the class, the

Extended Day

students are

learning to be

role models for

the younger

ones.

Self-portrait by Jolee Liu, 6



pr e s c h o o l – k i n d e r g a r t e n French lessons began the first

full week of October. Each class meets twice a week for 25 min-utes. During these first months of school, we have been learning how to greet each other in French: “Bonjour. Ça va?” (“Hi. How are you?”) Children will be able to say they feel great, feel so-so, are sick, have a headache, or have a sore throat. Our lessons are taken from familiar words and phrases used in everyday life. For example, we will learn how to talk about the weather: “Quel temps fait-il?” (“What’s the weather like?”) Soon we will be able to tell each other it is hot, cold, windy, beau-tiful, snowing, or raining. The children see colors every-where in their world. We have learned the following:n Red rouge n Blue bleu n Yellow jaune n Green vert n Pink rose n Orange orange n Purple pourpre n Brown brun n Gray gris n Black noirn White blanc

We use games and activities to enhance and reinforce the vocabulary. Ask your children about the fun we’ve had with building blocks, ice cream scoops, Bravo (like bingo), and match/memory games while learning colors. During the holidays, our les-sons will focus on familiar sea-sonal items and words, including

leaf, pumpkin, turkey, Novem-ber, feather, pie, reindeer, gift, ribbon, snow, and snowman. Our preschool and kindergar-ten French lessons are intended to be an introduction and expo-sure to another language. My

hope is that the children will have fun and have a comfortable, successful experience. Please feel free to contact me anytime. Merci (thank you)!

—Becky Wattleworth

(Madame Becky)

Preschool FreNch

let’s say ‘Bonjour’ to everyday words

Preschool arT

Getting a feel for artThe first art lesson in the 3-to-6 classes this year was all about

what gives a painting its special look. The differentiator is the medium we use to add the color! We looked at crayons, pastels, and pencils to see how the same-shaped picture looked different when the color was added by waxy crayon, soft pastel, or the sil-very gray of a pencil. Next, we discovered that watercolor paints are always “see-through”; tempera paints make smooth, flat color; and oil paints are thick like toothpaste or frosting. Differ ent brushes are used for each type of paint. And sometimes a palette knife is the tool of choice to spread oil paint like frosting or to scrape paint off the canvas. We even passed around a small canvas so everyone could feel the texture. For our next lesson, we used our imaginations to build a time machine in our favorite shape and color. We pictured what it would look like inside, the shape of its windows, the kind of steer-ing wheel it has, and even the type of snack food we would take for our journeys back in time. Each week we’ll be “flying” our machines to different continents and countries. So far, our time travel has been quite rewarding. We discovered that the early humans created drawings on cave walls using berries or burnt wood called charcoal. The ancient Egyptians made giant triangle-shaped buildings called pyramids. They painted the walls inside with the story of the king who is buried beneath the pyra-mid. These paintings, which include picture words called hiero-glyphics, tell about the good things the king did during his lifetime. There was even a girl king (Hatshepsut) who dressed up like a boy and ruled for a long time. The Egyptians also created beautiful gold furniture covered in jewels. Our next adventure took us to Greece, where people used white marble to make sculptures that were smooth and perfect. In Rome, sculptors wanted to show people’s real wounds, so the sculpture there was more rugged. In South America, we found pottery and sculpture made of red clay dug from beneath the ground and dried in the hot sun. We’re warming up our tiny time machines for our next voyage. Ten, nine, eight…blast off!

—Lynn Manwell

Self-portrait by Extended Day student Almitra Nabha, 5



one way to measure student development in the concept

of self is through self-portraits, and that was our first lesson in Extended Day art class. Can the child draw a complete person with fingers, arms, legs, and torso? We looked at portraits done by famous artists to see that there are different ways to draw oneself. Another useful measurement is to create a family portrait to see if the child understands con-cepts such as the size of people. The backgrounds inside or out-side are included to complete the portrait of the family doing something they enjoy together. We read the book How Artists See Families so that the children could observe that there are many types of families as well as ways to draw them. Our Extended Day classes meet weekly in the art room for a

45-minute lesson. Our lessons revolve around the elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, and pattern. We’ve been intro-duced to the different kinds of lines we can make: straight, zig-zag, curved, and dotted. We lis-tened to a story about a boy who watched as a little green hum-mingbird flew and flew; the boy then designed a painting show-ing “Little Green’s” flying path. Our work was to trace our hand and use a fine-tip black marker to fill the hand shape with all the different types of lines, creating a pattern much like the henna handprints of India. For follow-up work, we made booklets in which we drew some-thing using only straight lines, then a page using only zigzags, and so on. We also created a positive-negative work using black and white paper and cut-ting three of the four lines we studied. We glued them onto

paper and saw that sometimes our eyes play tricks on us and we think the lines are reversed. It’s an optical illusion! We also made line sculptures; using various sizes of paper strips to create curved, zigzag, and straight lines, we attached them in vertical pat-terns on a cardboard square. It almost looked like a city of lines. Our next lesson tied in with a book called When a Line Bends, a Shape Begins. We took chenille stems and bent them to create caterpillars. We’ll be cutting shapes that we trace from metal insets and gluing them down so they overlap to create a new shape or pattern. We’ll also be creating pottery by rolling long, snake-like lines of clay and then curling them around and around until we create a coiled pot. It’s lines bending into shapes!

—Lynn Manwell

eXTeNded daY arT

Art for good measure

preschool-kindergarten music classes began in early October, and the children come to the

music room for 25 minutes on Mondays and Fri-days. We started our musical year singing songs with lots of movement: “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “Did You Feed My Cow?” and “Put Your Finger in the Air.” As October 31 neared, we sang two of everyone’s favorite songs for Halloween: “Skin and Bones” and “Jack O’Lantern.” For some students, these songs were new, and for others, a wonderfully fun review. November finds the children learning songs about turkeys. We are having great fun keeping the beat of the music with our feet while pretend-ing to be turkeys in the barnyard.

Working with the basic, or steady, beat is an ongoing activity in preschool-kindergarten music. We clap and walk the beat as well as play it on rhythm instruments to accompany our songs. In addition to singing songs for each season, we will introduce other standard repertoire through-out the school year. If you would like to know the words to the songs your child is learning, come take a look at the “Music and Lyrics” binder in the school office. The contents are divided by level, and songs are listed in alphabetical order. New songs are added weekly. We’re off to a great start in music class and look forward to more learning ahead!

—Pat Tait

Preschool MusIc

on the move in music class

Parts of a tree by Mahdi Zalghout, 3. Mahdi colored the trunk and branches and then tore paper for the leaves.


loWEr ElEmENTArY

“Big Bang” illustration by Adam Fakih, Grade 1

“Lines of the Earth” by Ava Boccarossa, Grade 3

The Great Lessons Every year, formal group lessons in all of our lower elementary classrooms begin with the montessori Great lessons. These lessons introduce five key areas of interconnected studies in the form of inspir ing and dramatic stories. The Great lessons include the story of how the world came to be, the development of life on Earth, the story of humankind, the development of language and writing, and the development of mathematics. These stories provide the basis for further studies of the history of the uni verse, the earth, and early man. many of the montessori lessons on astron omy and physical geography originate in these first “great” lessons. read more about the Great lessons in the elementary classroom articles on the pages that follow. If you’d like more information about the Great lessons, just ask your child’s classroom teacher.

Plant root illustration by Shayma Murshed, Grade 3


loWEr ElEmENTArY

“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive, and even spiritual satisfaction.”—E. O. Wilson

In our lower elementary class, we began the school year by

welcoming all our returning children as well as our new students. Joining us for first level are Zane Berry, Hassouna Beydoun, Jawad Fadlallah, Adam Fakih, Katerina Goffas, Luke Hourani, Isaac Perkins, Isabella Wright, and Alina Younes. We are happy you are with us.

Powerful Great LessonsRecently, the lower elementary teachers presented the first of the five Montessori Great Lessons to students. The Great Lessons are dramatic, inspiring stories designed to create wonder and spark the imagination of the child. The first Great Lesson tells the story of the creation of the universe and is presented with the use of experiments and geog-raphy charts. The children learn about the formation of the sun and earth, laws of physics, and states of matter. The presenta-tion of this Great Lesson lays the groundwork for our studies in astronomy, geography, geology, and physics. At our Curriculum Night parent meeting in Octo-ber, the lower elementary teach-ers presented this powerful lesson to parents in attendance.

Fascinating field studies“Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.” —Thomas Berry This definitely is something we do! In the classroom, we are studying biomes around the world, learning about plants and animals that are able to survive and thrive in the various climatic regions. We supplement our classroom studies with field stud-ies, and in October we traveled to Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor. There, we were able to visit special houses con-taining plants from temperate, tropical, and desert regions of the world. Our docent led us through each house, discussing the various plants and some of

the many good things they pro-vide to people: delicious fruits, chocolate, skin care products, and medicines. We also walked the grounds to explore and make discoveries. Using their observation skills, our students made many inter-esting finds and excitedly asked many insightful questions to gain the most from this outside experience. It was a great day to learn from the world around us. Our excitement for learning and growth will continue as we move further into the school year.

—Karen McGraw and Aurora Utley

kareN McGraw

learning from the world around us

We brought our biome studies to life with a field trip to Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Here, exploring the grounds, are (from left) Alana Nowlan, Ali Younes, Dimitri Goffas, Konner Kubica, Addison Hunter, and Yara Shuayto.


loWEr ElEmENTArY

Dr. Maria Montessori said, “Education is a natural pro-

cess carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environ-ment.” This is the essence of the Practical Life curriculum in the Montessori classroom. At the elementary level, we meet the child’s need for real-world experiences through classroom jobs that create a sense of com-munity, field trips that allow us to take the learning beyond our four walls, and activities that prepare the child to be a suc-cessful, independent adult.

Grown-up diningThis year, we introduced some-thing called Fancy Friday Feast. About once a month, at lunch-time, we transform our class-room into an upscale restaurant. Our class chef leads the prepara-tion of a main food to serve at our luncheon. Parent volunteers sign up to bring in a vegetable tray, a fruit tray, sparkling juice, and fresh flowers for the table. Students polish our silver candelabras, cut and arrange the flowers, cover two long tables with cloth tablecloths, set the table, and begin pouring the juice and serving the food. Our musician puts on soft dinner music, and we wait, with cloth napkins on our laps, for every-one to be served before we eat. Students are invited to dress up for this event, and impeccable manners are observed. Our first Fancy Friday of the year was a success! Children and adults alike love the idea. Why? Maria Montessori believed that children are

innately preparing to be adults. She said that parents and teach-ers need to provide a strong foundation of skills and work habits that will eventually allow children to be responsible for caring for their own families, homes, community, and envi-ronment. These skills, when taught early in life, allow chil-dren to believe in themselves and develop the self-discipline needed for success throughout their lives.

Eager for lessonsOf course, we are in full swing with our daily routines and learning contracts. Students are requesting grammar, math, and language lessons with an eager-ness that makes teaching them such a joy! We are solidifying the con-cept of time through history les-sons that complement geography and physical science lessons. We’re learning that we have

autumn and other seasons here in Michigan because of the rela-tionship between the earth and our sun. Our work with lines and angles in our geometry stud-ies helps cement this concept.

Rooted in the real worldWarm-weather days have allowed us to enjoy real-world studies of roots and stems, and we’ve sketched live specimens in our nature notebooks (see third grader Shayma Murshed’s work on page 12). Our October field trip to Matthaei Botanical Gar-dens in Ann Arbor comple-mented our Biomes of the World studies. Through our zoology studies, we are learning about the types of animals typical of each biome. It’s shaping up to be an excit-ing school year!

—Peace and abundant love,

Melissa Romero and Sabrina Borieo

MelIssa

Feeding the need for real-world skills

First grader Kai Brown trims flowers to make a table arrange-ment for one of our upscale Fancy Friday Feast luncheons.


loWEr ElEmENTArY

karreN sharoN

A whole universe to discoverWe have accomplished many

new lessons so far this autumn in Karren and Pat’s class.

Biology basicsWe began the year with our biol-ogy studies. First, we classified living and nonliving things into their two categories. Next, we learned that cells are the building blocks of all living organisms. We prepared a slide of cheek cells and a slide of onion cells and observed them under a high- powered microscope. For our next lesson, we reviewed the five kingdoms of life: Prokaryotae (or Monera), Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. After that, we learned the seven characteristics of living organisms: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition. To help learn these traits, the third level students created a mnemonic chart,

MRS. GREN. They also matched the cards of the seven character-istics, and listed and described each of them. Next, we studied the eight biomes of the world. We read about the animals and plants that live in each, along with some of their adaptations. All students followed up by match-ing the animal biome cards and the type-of-biome nomenclature cards. The second and third level students matched the further- study biome cards, which describe temperature, rainfall, soil, animal and plant life, and human impact. Finally, students chose a biome to illustrate, label, and describe (a sample is shown below). As a follow-up to these stud-ies, we took a field trip to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a nature walk and conservatory presentation. We

were able to observe and learn about plants and animals in their biomes. It was a gorgeous sunny day enjoyed by all.

Our first Great LessonAll three lower elementary classes shared in watching the lower el teachers pre sent the Montessori Great Lesson on the formation of the universe. The presentation is accompanied by charts and demonstrations. Parents who attended the curriculum meeting in October were able to watch the lesson just as it was presented to their children earlier that day. This Great Lesson is the first of five and opens the door to further lessons and studies on our solar system, types of galax-ies, Big Bang timelines, the sun and the earth, and the three states of matter. We have much to look for-ward to this school year!

—Karren Sharon and Pat Schmidt

Grasslands biome researched, illustrated, and labeled by Serena Mahmoud, Grade 2


loWEr ElEmENTArY

lower elementary students have been studying the

American pop artist Keith Har-ing. His style of art is simple figures with no facial features but with some kind of move-ment or motion to their bodies. He believed his art was to be interpreted by the viewer, so most of his work is untitled. Students have been busy cre-ating their portfolio covers with a simple Haring figure, in bold color with a thick black outline. They can further explore Har-ing by reading stories about him, making figures using stencils from the Museum of Modern Art, or coloring pages of his work such as Radiant Baby or Barking Dog, which were his trademarks. Students also may build “Haring Towers” by using blocks in the shape of Haring’s figures. Third levels have been able to research Haring’s life and then perform a finger-puppet show about it for the first and second levels! Students also have the opportunity to explore crayon rubbings, collages, playdough, ink thumbprints, fall pop-up cards, and various drawing les-sons, from owls and cranes to tadpoles and frogs. “Art lives through the imagi-nations of the people who are seeing it.” —Keith Haring

—Lynn Manwell

lower eleMeNTarY arT

Art is ours to interpret

Portfolio cover in the style of Keith Haring by Yousef Kadaf, Grade 3

Collage work by Niyosi Bhakta, Grade 1


DAY CArE & lATCHKEY

For day care and latchkey stu-dents, learning does not stop

when school hours are over. Our programs provide many hands-on educational opportunities, just as the Montessori classrooms do.

Creative playThe beginning of the year was an exciting transitional period for students, mirrored by the chang-ing colors of the outdoor envi-ronment. Day care and latchkey students have spent much of their time outside enjoying blue skies, comfortable weather, and the freedom to explore and cre-ate their own adventures. For some children, this might mean the discovery of interesting insects and spiders that inhabit our outdoor space. For others, it is the joy of using our beautiful surroundings to invent imagi-nary worlds and play creative games with their friends.

Creature careIndoor time also offers ample opportunities to discover, create, learn, socialize, and have fun. Lower elementary latchkey has inherited a fish tank filled with very active goldfish, which the students are responsible for feed-ing and caring for. Day care children have a new pet, a leopard gecko they have named “Spotty.” The children get to take turns feeding Spotty, which involves dispensing live crickets into his cage. Honoring all living things, the crickets also have a comfortable habitat, com-plete with water, food, and dark tunnels to hide in. The children are beginning to discover interest-ing things about Spotty: Some-times he likes to hide during the day. He sheds his skin once a month and eats it for additional

nourishment. He needs a heat source under his tank because his natural habitat is very hot.

In the kitchenDay care and latchkey students prepare their own snack and are involved in cooking projects. Latchkey children recently made banana bread, which they enjoyed for snack the next day. Day care students savored this season’s most abundant fruit by preparing applesauce and apple muffins with freshly picked Cortland apples! Day care children are learning about creating a balanced diet representing all food groups. They are excited to analyze their lunch boxes and try new fruits and vegetables.

Planet protectorsDay care students are doing an excellent job of recycling waste from lunches and art projects. They have learned the difference between garbage and paper and plastic recycling and have even started rinsing out and recycling

soiled plastic. As a group, they helped to determine the charac-teristics of plastic vs. paper, and they take pride in being able to help the planet by reusing and recycling many times through-out the day.

Leading the wayThe Extended Day students enjoy being leaders in day care, and they give the younger children excel-lent role models to look up to and seek guidance from. The older children are patient and sensitive with the younger ones, which has been a joy to witness! We look forward to an excit-ing and educational year through programs that embrace the Mon-tessori philosophy while provid-ing the comforts of a home environment. Thank you!

—Kelsey Strate,

Flo Farkas, Heidi Gauger,

Renu Lobo, Marwa Mazloum,

Rhonda Myers, Lauren Reynolds,

Wedad Sultani, and Lydia Turner

daY care & laTchkeY

After-school adventures

Caring for Spotty (above), a leopard gecko named by our day care children, is a fascinating way to learn zoology lessons firsthand. At left, kindergartner Taim Kheirbek has just finished giving lunch to Spotty by releasing a live cricket into his tank.


SpECIAlS

The goal of DHMC’s technology program is to provide students in lower elementary through

Middle School with safe and effective tools that they can use in all areas of their school life. They have the opportunity to do everything from learn-ing computer basics to building and programming robotic models.

Lower elementaryLower elementary students begin the year with an introduction to technology tools. They become familiar with the keyboard and mouse by using software programs such as Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and online tools such as Dance Mat Typ-ing. As their keyboarding proficiency improves, we introduce tasks such as manipulating files and starting programs, along with basic computer eti-

quette. Along the way, students explore many edu-cational websites. Two of the more popular ones are Coolmath.com and LearningPlanet.com.

Upper elementaryThe use of mobile technology increases in upper ele-mentary, with students bringing in their personal laptops and tablets if they wish. They also have access to several community iPads in each classroom. Classroom iPads are equipped with many educa-tional apps, and students are introduced to these apps over the course of the year. Upper el students also learn about programming, a growing area of interest. During the school year, they take part in events through HourOfCode.com and Code.org. Beyond what it offers to students who may be interested in learning more about

TechNoloGY

Tech tools for today and tomorrow

PhYsIcal educaTIoN

personal bests“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” —Anonymous

We have new equipment for our physical education

program—a low ropes course constructed by DHMC alumnus Cameron Kabacinski (class of 2013). Cameron designed and built the course, which will be used by students in upper ele-mentary and Middle School, as an Eagle Scout service project. See the article on page 1 for complete details about this incredible project. We have had beautiful weather this fall, allowing all levels (pre-school through Middle School) to be outdoors for afternoon PE classes for much of the first two months of the school year. New this school year, our preschoolers have joined our Extended Day kindergarten stu-dents in coming to the gym for PE classes on Mondays and Fri-

days. Students are learning to show compassion, be respectful and responsible, and put forth their best effort—all corner-stones of DHMC’s PE program. Class activities are based on showing kindness toward others while incorporating locomotor skills that will help the children as they grow physically. Elementary through Middle School PE class goals are to demonstrate selected personal- social behaviors and values such as self-responsibility and good sportsmanship. Students are encouraged to perform to the best of their ability each and every day. Our PE program is focused on small-group games that give each student the oppor-tunity to be involved. Students are able to build relationships with classmates in a team envi-ronment while participating in lifelong physical activities. In September, elementary and Middle School students

took part in our unit on kickball. In October, we played Ultimate Frisbee. For each sports unit, stu-dents are introduced to rules and strategies to help them under-stand the concepts of the game, along with skills to practice in class and at home. In the weeks leading up to our holiday vacation, we will be testing out our skills in soccer and volleyball. We’ll also con-tinue to work toward our indi-vidual fitness goals. DHMC’s Intramural Soccer team had a successful fall, with students in fourth through eighth grade participating. Our program consisted of after-school practices over the course of four weeks, culminating in a friendly competition through our annual Students vs. Staff/Parents Game. We’re looking forward to a fun and healthy school year!

—Brett Rosbury

Students are

encouraged to

perform to the best

of their ability each

and every day.


SpECIAlS

programming, coding is a great tool for promoting problem solving and logical thinking.

Middle SchoolThroughout their day, Middle School students use a variety of technology tools, from iPads and tradi-tional computers to multimedia tools such as cam-corders and cameras. Seventh and eighth graders also are greatly involved in all school productions, helping to run lights, sound, and cameras. In addition, a LEGO robotics elective gives stu-

dents the opportunity to build a LEGO robot and program it to complete specific tasks.

Internet researchIn addition to the programs mentioned above, stu-dents make great use of the Internet in their class-rooms, especially at the upper elementary and Middle School levels. Students are introduced to many sites that will aid in their research, such as Google Earth and The World Factbook.

—Tony Lombardo

eleMeNTarY MusIc

Sound beginningsThis year in elementary music,

we began our study of musi-cians by examining the roots of Western music. We listened to and talked about the early music of man, beginning with primi-tive man. Students were asked to use their imaginations and think of how a caveman might have made musical sound. Upper ele-mentary students were asked to look around the house, inside and out, for something a cave-man might use to make musical sound, and bring it to class. We had fun listening to each instru-ment demonstration and then playing all of them together. From primitive man, we moved to the Middle Ages and then traveled through the Renaissance period and the beginnings of polyphonic music. Now, in November, we have entered the Baroque period and are listening to music by one of the greatest Baroque composers, our musician of the month, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). We watched a Power-Point presentation of Bach’s Little Fugue in G Minor and learned to sing the main theme of the piece.

In addition to studying music history, classes are learning dances, singing songs, and study-ing instruments of the orchestra. The lower elementary stu-dents are dancing to “Jump Jim Joe.” We start the dance with a partner, and then at the end of the tune, we each find a new partner and begin again. We also are doing a circle dance to the tune “Shake Them ’Sim-mons Down.” Songs we are singing include “Who’s That Tapping at the Window” and “Indian Names,” which identi-fies Native American names used in the state of Michigan. Students are learning simple

ostinatos to accompany these songs on the pitched percussion instruments as well as the rhythm instruments. The upper elementary stu-dents also are working with the pitched percussion instru-ments; they’ve been accompany-ing the traditional tune “Tumba Tumba.” Students are singing more complicated rounds, or canons: “The Singing School” and “Dona Nobis Pacem.” Our first dance of the year is a circle dance from Appalachia called “Cumberland Gap.” As part of our study of the orchestra, we watched a Power-Point presentation on the instrument families: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percus-sion. We are discussing the names of the instruments in each family, how each instrument produces sound, and whether the sound will be high or low depending on the instrument’s size. We learned that the lowest- sounding instrument in the orchestra is the contrabassoon. We’re looking forward to more great experiences with music in the months ahead.

—Pat Tait

Get to know your school songDuring the school year, your children will become familiar with the DHmC song, written by music teacher pat Tait:

Dearborn Heights montessori, we will long remember you.

From toddler through eighth grade, we have made our friendships true.

We have learned from one another, shared our thoughts and all that’s new.

Dearborn Heights montessori, we will long remember you.

lyrics are availableThe lyrics to songs being taught at each level are always available in the school office. The binder is labeled “music and lyrics” and is divided by level. The songs are in alpha-betical order. If your child comes home singing a song, and you are not sure you understand the words, come take a look in the binder. New songs are added weekly.


SpECIAlS

The elementary Spanish classes meet twice a week for 40

minutes. The Spanish program uses the five strands of language learning: verbal, literacy, inter-cultural understanding, knowl-edge about language, and language learning skills. This process establishes links with other areas of the curriculum while providing reinforcement and extension activities. Throughout the levels of the Spanish program, continuity and progression in the curricu-lum allow students to build on previous knowledge and develop language strategies. Students learn through vari-ous media, including music, games, literature, geography, culture, drama, art, and film. Incorporating such activities gives students a global, cross- curricular way of learning Spanish while helping them develop communication and linguistic structures. Each level has been busy with different projects and activities.

Lower elementaryFirst graders studied colors, made booklets about colors, and are learning opposites and num-bers. We’ve played games such as “same or different” and color bingo. To celebrate the Day of the Dead, students made tissue flowers. Second graders have learned about the days of the week and the numbers 1 to 20. They are working on geometric shapes/patterns and will have a group project designing patterns and labeling the vocabulary. For the Day of the Dead, students made

banners of papel picado (perfo-rated paper). Third graders have learned how to introduce themselves and others, and they acted out a skit in Spanish about meeting new friends at school. They now are working on family and are writing short paragraphs about their own families. In grammar, they are learning possessive adjectives. For the Day of the Dead, students learned about various celebrations and sym-bols and their meaning.

Upper elementaryUpper elementary classes started the school year with the Easy Reader book series, which tells the story of two students (Enrique and Maria) involved with their Spanish Club at school. The readings progress in difficulty to match the stu-dents’ growing reading skills, allowing them to rapidly build comprehension and confidence

as they enjoy the stories. Fourth graders have studied classroom objects and com-mands. Currently, they are learn-ing about descriptions of people and personalities, and feminine and masculine nouns and adjectives. Fifth graders have learned about wild animals and their habitats. They chose an animal, researched it, and did a presen-tation on it in Spanish. (See Sydnie Kelly’s work, above.) Currently, they are learning about professions, including the roles and tasks of various occu-pations that help or serve the community. Sixth graders have learned about the house. They made floor plans of their bedrooms, and in class, they had to explain to everyone where each object was placed and what it is called in Spanish. Students have been

eleMeNTarY sPaNIsh

Spanish spans the curriculum

Wild animal report on el oso panda (panda bear) by Sydnie Kelly, Grade 5

Second graders

are working

on geometric

shapes/patterns

and will have a

group project

designing patterns

and labeling the

vocabulary.


SpECIAlS

eleMeNTarY FreNch

Explorations en françaisbienvenue à la classe de français! (Welcome to

French class!) This fall, all elementary students studied French explorers in Michigan. They exam-ined maps showing how the French came to be in Michigan, how they worked with and learned from the Native Americans, why beavers were important to them, and what birch bark was used for. Many cities in Michigan have French names, including Detroit. Stu-dents enjoyed learning about this part of Michigan history. Lower elementary students are working with food vocabu-lary, which will cover fruit, vege-tables, beverages, meats, and desserts. The main sentence structures we use are Je vois (“I see”) and Je mange (“I eat”). The vocabulary words are in the stu-dents’ French folders, kept in a bin in the classrooms. The folders may be taken home anytime but need to be in school on Tues-days and Thursdays, when we have French together. Please encourage your child to bring home French to practice with you, to play word games, etc. Driv-ing to school is a great time to do this. While reviewing colors, we have taken advan-tage of the beautiful fall leaves. We talk about them in French and then do leaf rubbings with French colors. Just looking at the outdoor landscape makes for a colorful palette (French word!). Each level of the upper elementary is working on a different unit in the book Exploring French. The fourth grade begins with greetings, polite

expressions, and language names, and then moves to classroom directions and classroom objects. They prepare skits about meeting on the streets of Paris and skits about a teacher and students. Some end up very comical with the creative minds that we have at this school. The fifth levels have reviewed numbers and

math facts, focusing up to 50 but understanding the reasoning beyond. Next are weather and seasons, including what we like to do during each time of year. Each student will have a chance to be a weather person, predicting weather all around the world, in truth or fiction. After that, we’ll work on dates, months, days of the week, and holidays of France. The sixth grade group is very involved with food and has a

large vocabulary to learn, from table setting to French cuisine. We will sample a few items as well, with restaurant skits following. Then we’ll turn to parts of the body and clothing and will have some sort of fashion show at the end. That’s a must, since we are, after all, studying Paris! Each fall, I attend the Michi gan World Lan-guage Conference in Lansing and bring back new ideas to use with students. The conference is an energizing place to share ideas with other language teachers and to hear about the latest teaching methods. Stop in and say bonjour (hello)!

—Joy Coyle (Madame Joy)

introduced to Spanish verbs and are learning to express feelings using adjectives with the verb estar (“I am”)—I am happy, I am tired, etc.

All together nowUsing the popular series Fami-lies of the World, all of the ele-

mentary classes took part in learning about the culture and children of Guatemala. In addition, elementary Spanish classes worked on a couple of projects with the French classes. We had the opportunity to share ideas, learn about the similarities of both

languages and cultures, and have some fun along the way. I would like to thank all the families who helped with our celebration of the Day of the Dead. We all enjoyed it very much. ¡Hasta pronto! (See you soon!)

—Eva Miciura

Students

examined maps

showing how the

French came to be

in michigan.

Portfolio cover in the style of Keith Haring by Salina Tyra, Grade 2


UppEr ElEmENTArY

Clockwise from top left: Fifth levels (from left) Joshua Cross, Lamont Solomon, Harry Ducu, and Yianni Papadakos gear up for canoeing class at YmCA Camp Eberhart. n Sixth level Maggie Meehan tackles the 32-foot climbing wall. n Fifth level Jasmine Nguyen displays the shell she found during the lake communities class. n Sixth level Emily Davidson negotiates the high ropes. n Sixth levels (from left) Ethan Mincovsky, Adam Hammoud, Reece McKelvey, Matt Cadena, and Jad Younes relax after completing the climbing wall. n Sixth level Zachary Cooley-Fine savors the accomplishment of finishing the high ropes. n A camp counselor gives sixth level Hannah Fakih instructions on how to belay her teammates up to the climbing wall. n Fifth levels Sarah Horan (left) and Julia Franco take a moment to check out the hammocks.


UppEr ElEmENTArY

As the leaves change color and the air begins to cool, we

know that change is upon us. Fall has arrived, and that means it’s time for the upper elementary students and teachers to take their annual camping trip to YMCA Camp Eberhart in Three Rivers, Michigan. For three days and two nights, the woods become our classroom, and our students learn as much about themselves as they do about the world around them. The timing of this trip—in early October—is intentional. By late September, families new to our upper elementary program have familiarized themselves with our school community, and the students have estab-lished a routine in the class-room. For some children, the trip to Camp Eberhart is the first time they have stayed away from home overnight. It can be a challenging experience for our students and their parents. Rest assured that when we return from camp, the students are changed young people.

Hands-on, real-world experiencesDr. Maria Montessori’s ideal for the elementary education experience was an environment in which key lessons provide jumping-off points for explora-tion outside the classroom. The resources in our DHMC class-rooms are of course appropriate for meeting the children’s intel-lectual and social needs, but stu-dents must have experiences beyond the classroom walls. They need to enter the “real world” to gather additional information as they delve deeper into their work. Going out, as it is known

in Montessori terms, is designed to give children these important real-life experiences while fostering independence and resourcefulness. Our camping trip is an ideal going-out experience and is a true extension of our Montessori curriculum. Camp Eberhart’s Outdoor Education programs offer hands-on, real-world les-sons. Students learn about bot-any from their nature hike,

biology from their lake commu-nities class, and early man from their survival class. They also take courses in Native American studies, archery, canoeing, candle making, and group dynamics. Along the way, students learn and develop effective methods of problem solving and communi-cation, and they build trust with one another and with us, their teachers.

Character mattersAnother important facet of the camp experience is character education, which is accom-plished through teamwork and the group dynamics class. The students represent different ages, abilities, and levels of experience. New campers are able to learn from the more experienced stu-

dents, and those who have been to camp before gain new strate-gies and a fresh perspective from the newcomers. The students hone valuable social skills that will serve them well in the class-room and the world beyond.

Rising to new heightsFor sixth levels, two of the most incredible experiences in charac-ter education are the high ropes course and the climbing wall. Both are highly anticipated rites of passage for the senior mem-bers of our upper elementary group. For the high ropes, stu-dents use a self-belay system involving two safety sling lines to scale 15- and 30-foot ropes. For the 32-foot climbing wall, students are belayed from the ground by teams of their classmates. These adventures are more than just fun and exhilarating. They promote teamwork, lead-ership, trust, and respect for one’s self and others. And after tackling activities they thought were beyond their capabilities, the students achieve a new level of self-confidence that’s so impor tant to their personal development.

Lasting resultsWhile they are away from the routine of home and school, stu-dents have a chance to challenge themselves and to develop confi-dence and independence. In true Montessori fashion, each student works at his or her own pace and accomplishes whatever tasks he or she is ready for. Students make gains in their cognitive and social-emotional develop-ment that will help them in the classroom. During all the classes, climb-

uPPer eleMeNTarY

overnight success

rest assured

that when we

return from camp,

the students

are changed

young people.


UppEr ElEmENTArY

uPPer eleMeNTarY arT

Sharing art with everyoneUpper elementary students are studying the art

style of Keith Haring, an American pop artist who was mentored by Andy Warhol. Haring’s style began with cartoon drawings he did with his father. This inspired him to create simple “motion charac-ters” with energy lines around them. After he fin-ished art school in Pennsylvania, he moved to New York because he wanted to share his art with everyone. One day he noticed fresh black paper covering outdated advertisements in the subway. He purchased white chalk and began doing figure drawings in the subway. He had to draw fast because the police weren’t happy with him! This got the attention of the art world and of an already-famous Warhol, who brought Haring to his stu-dio and introduced him to other famous artists and movie stars. Soon Haring was hired to paint murals, which was another way he communicated with a mass audience, at first in New York and then all over the world. Students created their portfolio covers in the style of Haring. They drew themselves as a figure without facial features, outlined with thick black lines. Students were asked to add something that would identify the figure as themselves; their addi-tions included a crop of hair, a guitar, and ice skates. As a final touch for their portfolio covers, students each made a colorful name tag using bold colors and thick black lines.

Upper elementary artists have many drawing les-sons, including a Charley Harper owl (Harper is famous for his bird drawings) and a still life of a col-orful fruit-covered vase. Students also learn to draw dragons and other animals using only numbers or alphabet letters. It’s challenging and interesting. New works in the art room include creating

with Whatchama Draw It. Stu-dents select a card from a stack and follow the instructions: “Draw a rowboat floating on top of a mountain.” The prompts are silly and the draw-ings are timed, challenging stu-dents to think and create in a different way. Printing work using rubber leaves with texture and veins has been perfect for fall. Students paint the leaves with watercolors

and then press down on paper to print the images. Students may also choose interactive computer lessons on the elements of art (line, shape, color) and the principles of design (balance, composition, form). This work is excellent reinforcement for what we are doing in our other lessons. Sculpting works may be done with wax, to cre-ate miniature birds, or with Sculpey clay, where the theme is furniture. Students have made chairs, tables, and sofas with pillows. After the pieces are fired in the kiln, students paint them and glaze them so they have a sheen like fine pottery. “Art is life. Life is art.” —Keith Haring

—Lynn Manwell

ing, canoeing, and other activi-ties (including the ever-popular Dutch auction), the children make new friends and strengthen relationships with old friends. Some activities are organized by grade level, which typically lays the foundation for the lev-els to grow as teams through the remainder of their time in upper elementary. Some activi-ties are mixed grades, often

leading to unexpected friend-ships that last long after camp. Indeed, camp gives children treasured memories that they will take with them all through their lives. They return home with a renewed sense of joy, responsibility, and confidence—and an abundance of amazing stories to share. Students are empowered and now have addi-tional tools with which to build

personal successes throughout the school year. As Dr. Montessori said, “The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.”

—Shereen Lind and Kathy Ward;

Mary Beth Haliburda and Artur

Chmura; Margherita Rodriguez

and Christy Collings

Students

have used Sculpey

clay to make chairs,

tables, and sofas

with pillows.


mIDDlE SCHool

aNNe, JohN, & kIM

Joining forcesWhat a wonderful start to the

2015–16 school year! As the Middle School staff eagerly welcomed back our 14 eighth graders, we were equally excited by the prospect of learning more about our 15 seventh graders. In late August, we met with each student and his or her fam-ily to lay the groundwork for the school year. These conferences gave students the opportunity to set goals and discuss what they were excited about as they entered the Montessori adoles-cent program. All of the students expressed motivation to achieve their goals, and with the support of their families, we are confi-dent that they will find success. We teachers are thrilled to be working with this dynamic group of students and helping them define themselves as young adults as they prepare for high school.

Cross-curricular challengesAs September gave way to Octo-ber, our classroom was abuzz with the day-to-day activities of the academic curriculum. The theme of Cycle One was forces. Our

science work found students completing individual and group projects related to Newton’s laws of motion, Maxwell’s laws of elec-tromagnetism, and atomic struc-ture. Each group was challenged to design a Rube Goldberg-style project using the forces of gravity, motion, and electromagnetism. In humanities, we studied

important individuals, signif-icant events, and relevant outcomes of a number of his-torical revolutions, including the French, Russian, American, and Chinese Cultural. Working in groups, students designed formal presentations based on research and experiments, and they shared their findings during

Middle School experiences such as our Huron River canoe trip in September help students build social skills and self-confidence. From left are Lana Fadlallah, Suha Qashou, Reema Haimour (at back), Jenna Dabaja, Grace Audi, Frank Ducu, and Michael Alzaroui.

In our montessori middle School, we focus on the concepts of peace, service, and economics by laying the foundations for a life that includes recognizing the need for community involvement. Throughout the course of our studies, students have myriad opportunities to engage in ser vice to others. The simple act of holding the doors open for younger DHmC students in the morning or at noon allows adolescents to fill a community need while internalizing their act as something for the “greater good.” This, along with many other service projects, helps adolescents build a view of the world in which they play an integral role in defining peace. Students promote peace through their study of economics and service. Through economics programs such as Hot lunch, middle mart, and Cycle Sales, students have hands-on opportunities to work with others, to troubleshoot and problem-solve, and to engage in customer service. This work helps adolescents build their sense of self and realize their capabilities. peace and Service, media, and marketing projects also let students make connections beyond our classroom walls and help transform our adolescents into young adults. Whether making presentations to other classes, providing production assistance for school functions, or promoting the mid dle School program, students are building a sense of community and their role in making it a peaceful one.

For our own good: Peace, service, and economics


mIDDlE SCHool

A special directive awaited students taking this year’s Middle School art studio elective:

Create a still life work by bringing in your own objects and arranging them in the studio. This helped students form a better connection to the artists in whose style they have chosen to work. Students could select an artist from any time period in art history. Their first assignment was to write a three- to four-page research paper about the artist, his or her style, and the influences that affected his or her work. Students also penned a paragraph on why they chose this particular person. Really understanding the artist as a person helps students to work as if they were that artist. They often discover that their chosen artist

was similar to them in many ways! Seventh grader Serene Saleh is creating a still life with animal bones and flowers in the style of the American painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Seventh grader Emilio Cascardo has chosen to paint “lunch” in the style of the American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Students meet weekly with Mrs. Lynn, and they use personal reflection time, breakfast club, and a 45-minute free period on Wednesday after-noons to work on their pieces in the studio. Their masterpieces will be displayed in the hallway showcase after their end-of-cycle elective presen-tations to their classmates.

—Lynn Manwell

MIddle school arT sTudIo

Still life comes alive

the fourth week of the cycle. The cross-curricular theme of forces also came into play in lan-guage, Personal Work, and Study Skills. In our language classes, students read either The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitz gerald or Animal Farm by George Orwell and expressed ways in which these novels relate to the theme of the cycle. Personal Work found the students at the begin-ning of their yearlong “Heroic Journey,” in which they each strive to define their inner selves through activities, personal reflection, and journal writing. In Study Skills, we focused on the ever-impor tant concepts of time management and organiza-tion. Students worked on devel-oping a better understanding of how they manage their time during a typical week.

Immersed in outside workAt the conclusion of each cycle,

Immersion Week finds our stu-dents engaged in a variety of activities outside of the classroom. The studies completed during the course of the cycle are assimilated and applied during field trips. Cycle One Immersion Week, at the end of October, helped students make a bridge to the next phase of their educational journey: high school. Represen-tatives from several area high schools came to DHMC to make presentations outlining their schools’ academic programs and extracurricular activities. We also took guided tours of several high school campuses. The informa-tion gleaned will help students evaluate which school best suits his or her needs. Immersion Week also brought the first of our three overnight stays at the Dean Wil-son Farm in Camden, Michi-gan. The Farm Project is part of our ongoing study of sustain-

able living through agriculture. Over the course of the school year, students will present top-ics, conduct research, and per-form experiments to gain a better understanding of how their lives are affected by important agricultural issues.

Structured studiesCycle Two began in early November with the study of structures. During the five-week cycle, students will engage in a number of interesting topics, including the structure of the periodic table in science and the impact of Native American soci-eties in humanities. As the school year progresses, we look forward to witnessing the individual and collective growth that defines the adoles-cent community.

—John Bagley,

Kim Davidson, Anne Parks,

and Anne Marie Miruzzi

Personal crest by Lucas Doran, Grade 8


mIDDlE SCHool

This year in Middle School Spanish we are using the

Gente Joven series. It’s a task-based method that allows stu-dents to practice the language they learn by doing meaningful projects. It also gives students the confidence to express themselves in Spanish. Middle School students have regular reading assignments that build comprehension and writ-ten communication skills. With every reading, the students are given a corresponding strategy to help them approach the assign-ment confidently, as well as pre- and post-reading activities that help them master the task. Students also have Taller del Escritor (writing workshop), in which they gradually build their writing skills in Spanish. The National Standards of World Language Education stress the importance of cultural knowledge as an integral part of learning a language. During each cycle of study, students learn about a new Spanish-speaking country, its people, and its tradi-tions. This helps students make connections with geography, art, architecture, food, and celebra-tions. These interdisciplinary activities increase cultural aware-ness and relate Spanish to other subject areas. At the end of each cycle, stu-dents take a test to assess their proficiency in the areas of listen-ing skills, reading comprehen-sion, writing skills, and cultural

knowledge. The test provides a complete evaluation of each stu-dent’s performance in Spanish. To help students prepare for the test, a study guide is given on

week four of each cycle, provid-ing ample opportunities for stu-dents to ask questions and clarify problem areas.

—Eva Miciura

MIddle school sPaNIsh

Gaining confidence with Spanish

7 tips for new-language learners1. Listen: Students should listen carefully in class and ask

questions if they don’t understand. They are not expected to understand everything they hear at first, but they are actually absorbing even when they don’t realize it. This is when they are given a lot of strategies to understand the language.

2. Visualize: It may help students to visualize the words they are learning by associating each word, sentence, or phrase with a mental picture. For example, if they are learning words for food, they can picture the food in their minds and think about the color, smell, and taste associated with it. If they are learning about weather, they can picture themselves standing in the rain, or fighting a strong wind.

3. Practice: Short, daily practice sessions are more effective than long sessions. Students can practice with friends, relatives, or classmates. After all, language is communication, and it takes two to communicate!

4. Speak: Students should practice speaking Spanish every week. Encourage them to experiment. Their mistakes will help them to identify problems, and will show them important differences in the way English and Spanish each work as a language.

5. Explore: Students should increase their contact with Span ish outside the classroom as much as possible. maybe someone living near them speaks Spanish. Today it’s easy to find Spanish-language programs on Tv, on the radio, or simply by changing the language track on favorite DvDs. many magazines, books, and news papers in Spanish are published or sold in the United States, and are also available on the Inter net. Students shouldn’t be afraid to read, watch, or listen, even if they don’t understand every word.

6. Connect: making connections between what they learn in other subject areas and what they are learning in Spanish class will increase students’ understanding of the new material, help them retain it longer, and enrich their overall learning experience.

7. Have fun: Above all, students should remember to have fun! The more they learn, the easier it will be for them to relax; the more relaxed they are, the easier and more effective it is to learn.

Personal crest by George Nunu, Grade 7

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

466 N. John DalyDearborn Heights, mI 48127-3703

313-359-3000www.dhmontessori.org

DATES TO REMEMBERNovember

12 Thursday Extended Day Field Trip. 9:30 a.m.–12 p.m. DNr outdoor Adventure Center, Detroit.

12 Thursday Family Square Dance: Kindergarten/Extended Day, Elementary, and Middle School. 6–7:30 p.m.

17 Tuesday Preschool–Extended Day In-house Presentation. 9:30–11 a.m. High Touch High Tech presents “Germs make me Sick.”

19 Thursday Parent Perks Meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

19 Thursday Parents Association Meeting. 6 p.m. Complimentary child care provided.

20 Friday Drama Program Performance. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Damsel & The Rogue: A Tale of Life, Adventure, & Friendship, presented by students in elementary through middle School.

24 Tuesday Thanksgiving Celebrations. During school hours.

25–27 Wednesday–Friday Thanksgiving Holiday. No SCHool. No DAY CArE. No lATCHKEY.

30 Monday Welcome Back! return to school.

December 3 Thursday Parent Perks Meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

9 Wednesday Lower Elementary Field Trip. 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. St. Joseph mercy Health Exploration Station, Canton.

18 Friday Holiday Sing. n 10:30 a.m.: Toddler/preschool morning session and upper elementary.

n 2:30 p.m.: Toddler/preschool afternoon session, lower elementary, and middle School.

21 Monday through Sunday, January 3 Holiday Vacation. No SCHool. No DAY CArE. No lATCHKEY.

“The first aim of the

prepared environment is,

as far as it is possible, to

render the growing child

independent of the adult.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Fourth grader Katherine Pavlich designed her sketchbook cover for art class in the style of Keith Haring, whose Barking Dog is among his signature pieces. To read more about our upper elementary students’ adventures in art, please see page 24.

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