Jeff Schneider’s class project in aid of Gordon Elementary School was just one of the many acts of service initiated by Post Oak children to mark the Season.

Mon 10 Infant Parenting A

1:30- 3:00 pm Session 2 Susan Tracy’s room

Mon 24 ASEP II Begins

Infant Parenting A 1:30- 3:00 pm Session 2 Susan Tracy’s room

Tue 11 POPA Coffee/Work Day

8:45am ...after drop off

POS Spirit Day

Prospective Parent Class 9:am Reading Room with Kathy Long

Infant Parenting B 1:30- 3:00 pm Session 2 The Motherhood Center

Thu 13 Infant Community

Transition to Primary Mtg. 8:45- 10:30am

Infant Parenting A 1:30- 3:00 pm Session 2 Susan Tracy’s room

Deadline for gala under-writer commitment for citation on invitation for

Fri 14 Application Deadline

for New Students Mon 17 Martin Luther King, Jr.

School Closed Tue 18 Infant Parenting B

1:30- 3:00 pm Session 2 The Motherhood Center Prospective Parent Class 9:am Reading Room with Kathy Long

Thu 20 Primary Parent/Child

Night 6:00pm

Infant Parenting A 1:30- 3:00 pm Session 2 Susan Tracy’s room

Some ARTrageous Evening

Did Maria Montessori Wear Khaki? By John Long, Head of School

A couple of years ago full page advertisements appeared in glossy magazines featuring photos of famous people wearing khaki pants: “Humphrey Bogart

wore khaki,” or “Ernest Hemingway wore khaki.” You get the idea.

Although she was famous, Maria Montessori did not wear khaki.

But that ad campaign came to mind recently when Barbara Walters interviewed Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the co-founders of Google. The pair met at Stanford University when they were students there. Do they attribute their remarkable success to Stanford or to the fact that they are both the sons of college professors? No, they give credit to their Montessori schools.

According to Brin, the Montessori approach instilled in them self-direction and self-motivation, an inclination to challenge the status quo and to do things differently. We at Post Oak recognize these characteristics as common to Montessori children (and adults).

Montessori fosters creativity, self-confidence and an entrepreneurial spirit.

So it was no surprise to learn that Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, also attended Montessori school. A recent issue of Business Week said this about him: “As a preschooler, Jeffrey P. Bezos displayed an unmatched single-mindedness. By his mother’s account, the young Bezos got so engrossed in the details of activities at his Montessori school that teachers had to pick him up in his chair to move him to new tasks. It’s a trait that goes a long way toward explaining why the company he founded, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), has survived to become the most dominant retailer on the Internet….Says Paul Saffo, research director at the think tank The Institute for the Future, ‘Jeff Bezos was the first one to figure out what the power of the Internet was for selling.’” ….continues

JANUARY 7

The Post Oak School · 4600 Bissonnet · Bellaire, TX 77401 · TEL 713-661-6688 · FAX 713-661-4959 Accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI); founded 1963 www.postoakschool.org

I M P O R T A N T D A T E S

J A N U A R Y

Lunch sack chic !!

It’s good to see our ‘thank you’ puzzle tags are being put to use.

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For children ages 5 - 8 years and 9-12 years When: Jan 11—Feb 17 ( six weeks per session) Time: 5-8 yrs at 1-1:30 pm, 9-12 yrs. at 2-2:30pm, Tues. & Thurs. Where: Post Oak School. Contacts: Beth Dawson, M.A., CCC Mary Jo Rapini, M.Ed., L.P.C. Please fill out a registration form (inquire at front office) and attach a check for payment of $400 for the six week session. You may place the registration form and check in Beth Dawson's Post Oak mail box in the Workroom

Checks should be made payable to ‘Mary Jo Rapini and Beth Dawson’

“How do I tell you what I feel?”

(A social-expressive language skills group)

The classes (one for ages 5 - 8 and one for ages 9 -12) begin on January 11, 2005 and will meet twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) for six weeks during school

hours.

Did Maria Montessori Wear Khaki?…

Actually, we would have allowed young Jeffrey to continue with his work rather than moving him to a new task. We want children to develop concentration and task commitment. We want them to develop a love for work. We want them to have the confidence to take creative risks – to try new approaches to a problem, to invent new ways of doing things. We want them to take initiative; to take on big work; to choose their own tasks; and with guidance, to shape their own learning – not simply to do what is assigned. Such experiences shape Montessori students’ character and their approach to the world.

During the holiday break I got out the Post Oak School Cookbook to look for a recipe. (For those of you who have never seen one, current Post Oak parent Jenny Murphy led a committee several years ago to produce an amazing cookbook of, by and for the school.) Its introduction quotes Julia Child, the author and cook often credited with ending the primacy of the meat and potatoes cuisine in America. In it she says, “Influenced, perhaps, by my early experience at a Montessori school…I am all for encouraging children to work with their hands.” (The text I am referring to is reproduced on the next page.)

“Influenced by my early experience at a Montessori school.” Is that the chorus of the creative, culture-changing entrepreneur? I wonder if they wore khaki’s, too?

Copyright John Long and The Post Oak School

Please respond no later than Monday, January 10th if you plan to enroll your child in this program.

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Kwanzaa

On Friday, December 10 all the primary classes attended "A Celebration of Kwanzaa." Our special guest, Joseph Dixon, is an educator with H.I.S.D. and he shared his love of African-American music and culture with us.

We learned the Swahili names for the seven principles of Kwanzaa and why each principle is important to the community.

For example, each primary class had a child bring a basket of fruit which represented the principle of

Umoja or unity when we put all the fruit together.

Thank you to Dr. Janice Beal-Geyen for arranging this special presentation

at Post Oak.

A wonderful holiday treat for Mr. Pinto as students in his class arranged a very special surprise, flying his wife Maya to Houston (from Canada where her mother, who is ill, lives). The scene in the class-room on that last Wednesday as he re-moved his blindfold was

joyous and

A feast of music and song at the all-school assembly

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December 13th: Setting off for Gordon Elementary.

Post Oak carolers give a rousing performance at

Mr. Schneider’s class supports third graders at Gordon Elementary with hand decorated gift bags stuffed with useful items for home and school.

POS students also shared some singing and cookies with Gordon's 3rd grade class of 71 students.

Sharing gift bags with

special friends

Stuffing the gift bags was

a big job

Dear Families of Post Oak School,

Mr. Schneider’s class would like to thank you for your generous support of our service project. Each child in the third grade at Gordon Elementary received a gift bag containing: 12 pencils • special erasers • 10 crayons • 8 markers or colored pencils • scissors • 1 book • facial tissue • toothbrush and toothpaste • a comb or brush • soap • bandages • 1 pair of socks •3 hand-made booklets for math, art and composition.

Students in our class divided into four teams to do the project. Marketing Team: Brooke, Emily C., John Henry, Grant, Jonathan, and Sarah B. Finance and Shopping Team: Allison, Benny, Sarah M., Rishi, Jessica and Elizabeth Collection Team: Harrison, Avery, Mary Elizabeth, Aziza, Cassidy, Mason and Braxton Booklet and Decoration Team: Alex F., Jack, Emily P., Anna, Samantha, Alex N., and Daniel

On December 13th, our class delivered gift bags to Gordon Elementary. Although some of us were a bit nervous, we all felt happy once we got there. Here are some things some students said about the project: “It felt good to think about the needs of others…” “I was excited because they were excited!” “It made me happy to help others.” “It was fun to meet new people.”

Sincerely, Anna Arnett, Sarah Bourdin, Daniel Brenner, Emily Chen, Alexandra Fowler, Jessica Goff, Mary Elizabeth Harvey, Elizabeth Hunter, Aziza Janmohamed, Jack Murphy, Cassidy Newsome, Alexander Nguyen, Emily Paul, Benjamin Penchas, Avery Peters, Rishi Prasadha, Sarah Muschinske, Samantha Pulaski, Braxton Reese, Jonathan Rodriguez, Harrison Schmidt, Mason Speed, John Henry Styles, Brooke Upchurch, Allison Wawro, Grant Wise, Jeff Schneider and Patricia Sayegh.

A note of appreciation to all who supported the Early Reservations Cam-paign in November by pledging or purchasing their table or tickets to the gala by the November 30th dead-line! Your subscription to Culinary Thymes, Texas’ award-winning food, wine and cooking magazine, will follow shortly. Thank you!!!

Gala invitations will be mailed in early February for this “outrageously fun” March 11th event. Those who purchase a table or tickets by Thursday, January 13th at the $500 level and above will be listed in the invitation. These underwriters to date:

Royal Rauschenberg Regal Renoir Divine DaVinci Ray C. Fish Foundation Erik Littlejohn / Morgan Stanley Christine & Bentley Fondren The Salners Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. David Grimes II Masterful Michelangelo John & Bridget Styles Darlene & Bob Fleming Wonderful Warhol The Landon Family/The Kernell Family The Meinig Family Foundation/ Magnificent Monet The Neurology Center Kathy & Greg Geib Liz & Tom Glanville Bev & Doug Peters Pat & Bill Mitchell

Miri & Tim Wilkins/Phyllis & Fred Wilkins Vallette & Russell Windham

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Some ARTrageous Evening:

Celebrating the Making of Masterpieces! Friday, March 11, 2005

Hotel InterContinental – Galleria

Remember, for the first time, Post Oak is offering parents and business owners the opportunity to advertise in the Gala program.

Ad sizes and prices are wonderfully AFFORDABLE: as low as $100! We are asking you to share this opportunity with businesses that you frequent. We are NOT asking you to solicit/cold call anybody!!

Since the revenue will support our school, we hope to include many businesses and service providers (insurance agents, realtor, orthodontist, etc)---the businesses you would recommend. We are particularly interested in featuring parents’ businesses, and they will be highlighted in a special section.

It’s easy to place an ad, with the print requirements clearly spelled out in our advertising packet. The payment dead-line is next Friday, January 14th and the artwork deadline is Feb 1st,so please contact 2-3 businesses now to elicit their support. Ad packets are available at the front desk and online. Contact Vicki Harvey or your classroom gala parent representative with questions.

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Auction Highlights – More Great Stuff!!!

Start Your Engines Turn your daily commute into something you look forward to! Spend two (2) days on the track in high-performance vehicles at one of the Skip Barber Driving School’s five (5) locations. Learn and practice slides and recoveries on a skid pad, threshold braking, and accident avoidance techniques. Using the V8 Dodge Dakota pickup truck, you'll practice slides and recovery while the nimble Dodge Neon powers you through lane-toss exercises. The highlight of the program tests your new-found skills in an exhilarating autocross session utilizing the V10-powered Dodge Viper SRT-10. Additionally, this program features classroom sessions on vehicle dynamics, identifying why cars behave the way they do. The curriculum includes heel-and-toe downshifting, emergency lane changes, road manners and more accident avoidance maneuvers. Pitch Like A Pro This package is your Little (or Big) Leaguer’s dream come true! Surprise your son or daughter – or yourself – with the opportunity to throw the first pitch at the Rice Owls base-ball game vs. La Tech on Friday, April 22, 2005, at Reckling Park, 7:00 p.m. Eight (8) tickets to the game in your private luxury box seal the deal. Sensational San Antonio Partake in a family getaway or relish some quality “couple time” as you retreat to nearby San Antonio. There, you will enjoy a one-night stay at the Hotel Valencia, nestled along the scenic River Walk and embracing a medley of cultures at its doorstep. Visit the San Antonio Zoo, one of the country’s largest zoos that is home to 3,500 animals of 750 species, with a family four-pack of guest passes. Return to the River Walk to experience contemporary cuisine with a cutting edge! At Boudro’s, it’s upstream dining all the way and the chance to savor the flavor of our regional heritage with a distinctive menu of Texas and Southwest specialties.

Family Vacation Homes for Weekend Retreats

Hotel Rewards Points for Weekend or Weekday Getaways Airline Mileage on any Major Carrier **

Tickets to Sporting Events or Use of Corporate Boxes Tickets to Arts or Theater Events

Autographed Sports Memorabilia or Unique Sport Opportunities **Airline miles must equal the full ticket reward value of approx. 25,000 miles per ticket;

partial mileage applied towards a reward ticket will not be accepted by the airlines.

Contact Auction Co-Chairs Miri Wilkins or Susan Whitney to donate! Auction Donor Forms are available at the front desk.

And after lunch…...disco dancing was enjoyed by all, whether on or off the floor!

As the menu reveals, nothing was omitted from the festive occasion!

Post

Oak’s staff are deeply grateful to all the Room Parents who

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Who said John Long couldn’t make a decent cup of coffee??!!

Post Oak staff were treated to a delicious cappuccino, individually brewed to order ..with optional sprinkles... the last Thursday before the winter holiday, courtesy of John. True, there was some-what of a wait, but all agreed it was well worth it.

Starbucks had better watch out!

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Relief for Sri Lanka

Dear Friends in the Post Oak community,

I am so grateful for the many telephone calls and visits regarding my family and friends in Sri Lanka. No one in my family was directly affected by the tsunami. In a time of great turmoil, it is so encouraging to note your love and concern. Please continue to keep the people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the other countries in your prayers and thoughts.

Many of you have asked what you can do to help. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of corruption in Sri Lanka that makes me hesitate recommending making in-kind donations (books, care packages, clothing, etc.) to relief organizations in Sri Lanka. Through Sri Lankan friends I’ve done some research into what needs to be done for short and intermediate relief for families affected by the tsunami, and request that you consider one of the following methods for contribution. I am not able to recommend in-kind donations at this time because of the costs of shipping.

Option 1: A successful Sri Lankan businessman with an MBA from Canada has a business with

over 500 employees of whom 2 were affected by this event. He is helping these employees from his own resources. He has been helping others by taking water and

other necessities to refugee camps. He has taken stock of the needs of families to get back to their homes and he can get the very bare needs covered for $21.00. This includes starter kitchen utensils and a change of clothing. He has offered to continue helping people with any monies sent to him. He will use 100% of the money for other people! He will be using his own money for transportation and delivery. If you would like to help in this project, please make a check payable to Sri Lanka Relief Fund, and mail it to Commercial State Bank, PO Box 150, El Campo, TX 77437-0150. Phone number 979-543-6441.

Option 2:

LEADS (Lanka Evangelical Alliance Development Services) is the social arm of the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. This is a trust-worthy organization that is currently

helping people affected by the tsunami. As a faith-based organization, their pass-through rate will be much higher than other relief organizations. You can donate

to them through TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission), South Asia Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60189-0969.

Yours sincerely,

Mirani Smith

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About The Post Oak News

The Post Oak News is published weekly while school is in session. It is distributed each Friday to the oldest child in your family. It is also available at the school’s web site: www.postoakschool.org

The deadline for material to be considered for inclusion each week is 5 pm on the Tuesday preceding the day of publication. Please direct all material in electronic form to Janice Elkins, Director of Development: janiceelkins@postoakschool.org

Please call Janice if you have any questions: 713-661-6688 ext. 124.

More on Relief for Sri Lanka

Here are some other agencies accepting contributions for aid to people affected by the earthquake and tsunami, not just in Sri Lanka but across south Asia.

ACTION AGAINST HUNGER 247 West 37th Street, Suite 1201 New York, N.Y. 10018 212-967-7800 x108 www.actionagainsthunger.org

AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE 45 West 36th Street, 10th Floor New York, N.Y. 10018 800-889-7146 www.ajws.org

AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE South Asia Tsunami Relief Box 321 847A Second Avenue New York, N.Y. 10017 212-687-6200 ext. 851 www.jdc.org AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE AFSC Crisis Fund 1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, Pa. 19102 215-241-7000 www.afsc.org

AMERICAN RED CROSS International Response Fund P.O. Box 37243 Washington, D.C. 20013 800-HELP NOW www.redcross.org

CARE 151 Ellis Street Atlanta, GA 30303 800-521-CARE www.care.org

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES Tsunami Emergency P.O. Box 17090 Baltimore, Md. 21203-7090 800-736-3467 www.catholicrelief.org

DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL 27 South La Patera Lane Santa Barbara, Calif. 93117 805-964-4767 www.directrelief.org

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS P.O. Box 1856 Merrifield, Va. 22116-8056 888-392-0392 www.doctorswithoutborders.org EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT Emergency Fund P. O. Box 12043 Newark, NJ 07101 800-334-7626 www.er-d.org INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT www.ifrc.org INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS Earthquake/Tsunami Relief 1919 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 300 Santa Monica, Calif. 90404 800-481-4462 www.imcworldwide.org

INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES Asia Disaster Response P.O. Box 630225 Baltimore, MD 21263-0225 877-803-4622 www.iocc.org

ISLAMIC RELIEF USA Southeast Asia Earthquake Emergency P.O. Box 6098 Burbank, Calif. 91510 888-479-4968 www.irw.org/asiaquake

MERCY CORPS Southeast Asia Earthquake Response Dept. W P.O. Box 2669 Portland, Ore. 97208 800-852-2100 www.mercycorps.org

OPERATION USA 8320 Melrose Avenue, Suite 200 Los Angles, Calif. 90069 800-678-7255 www.opusa.org

OXFAM AMERICA Donor Services Department 26 West Street Boston, MA 12111-1206 800-77-OXFAM www.oxfamamerica.org

SAVE THE CHILDREN Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund 54 Wilton Road Westport, Conn. 06880 800-728-3843 www.savethechildren.org

UNICEF General Emergency Fund or the Maria Montessori Global Children's Fund 333 E. 38th Street New York, NY 10016 800-4-UNICEF www.unicef.org

It is likely that other Post Oak families have relatives or

friends affected by this terrible catastrophe.

If anyone would like to recommend other

reputable aid organizations, we will be pleased to

post details in future editions of this newsletter.