Our Inservice Day

Pauline and I had an enjoyable and productive inservice day last Thursday. It is so helpful to have an uninterrupted block of time to get a project not just started, but completed! We worked on our baking curriculum. We selected three recipes for cookies, muffins and a quick bread and cut down the proportions to very small batches. That math class I took this summer really paid off there! We went shopping for ingredients and materials. We began our search at Goodwill, hoping to economize and be green, but only found one item there. The rest we found at Bed, Bath and Beyond and Fred Meyer. Then we returned to the school to organize our pantry and learn how to use our convection oven. We love the heavy-duty pull-out shelves we are asking Bryan Irwin to install in our pantry. They will make accessing items from that deep, deep cabinet much more manageable.

Baking will be an activity done independently by a child who can read the recipes. We have set some reading standards that a child must achieve to be allowed to bake here at school. Kids love to bake and cook. It is especially meaningful for them to cook with you, their parents. Find tasks they can do on their own and let them help you with the trickier aspects that require close supervision. I really encourage you to make them a part of the set-up and clean-up, too. That is good for lengthening the period of focus and activity, letting them see the entire cycle and teaches responsibility. Food preparation is so basic to life. Let's share it with our kids.

On another note, Pauline filled me in on all the wonderful ideas that the Recruitment Committee came up with at their meeting last Wednesday. That is a group with their thinking caps on. One bit I will share with you is that the committee felt speaking to like-minded groups, such as parenting classes, was a focused way to reach our target demographic. They also felt that parents heed the words of other parents more than those of teachers or other representatives of the school. Perhaps some of you could begin pondering the idea of doing a little public speaking on behalf of our school. The experiences you and your children have had would be invaluable for prospective parents.

Best Regards,
Doni

Remembering Canada

On Monday, October 11, we ended our study of Canada with a gathering. Pauline asked the children what they remembered about Canada and here is what they said:

Ian - spirit quest (for young Haida men searching for their spirit guides and special talents)
Alan - the spirit quest takes place at age 13 and the boys stay in icy rivers until they can no longer stand it, then rub themselves with sticks (branches) until they bleed
Raine - age 11 or 12
Maggie Rose - the fish hook (artifact) with the pointy-poky thing
Alleck - spearing salmon
Clare - the salmon go to the ocean, but start their lives in rivers
Alleck - ping pong on ice (???)
Dhabih - Haida coats made of cedar bark
Hazel - lots of hockey
Maggie Rose - no golf because there's too much water (???)
Raine - very cold
Alan - not many people live up north due to the cold
Kian - "let's sing O Canada!"
Eliason - polar bears that kill seals
Dhabih - ice fishing and how it is done
Hazel - "Are there penguins?"
Alleck - belugas live there
Hazel - Haidas made their boats out of cedar
Dhabih - their boats are called canoes

We ended the ceremony with the singing of 'O Canada' and went to work. We began our study of Chile the next day, coincidentally the day that "Los 33" began to ascend to freedom and out of their dim, collapsed mine. I told the story of the miners and what was happening at that very moment in Chile. It was great serendipity to begin our study on such a joyful note.

Gratefully Yours

I've let too much lapse since my last blog so now I'm going to overwhelm with news! First of all, in case you didn't read the minutes yet, at the auction meeting last Friday evening we found the new chair of our auction fundraiser -- Clara, Maggie B's mom. Yay, Clara!! She has at least two enthusiastic and savvy sidekicks -- Michele and Melissa, former PhMS parents, who ran the auction last year and are back to elevate to a new level again!

You now also know that Audrey, Charlotte's mom, is our new Solicitation chair, Kerry, Clare and Ben's mom, is the Children's Program chair and Janelle, Raine and Mica's mom, will be taking care of our auction booklet. Thank you so much for taking on these big ones!

Lots of great ideas came out of the meeting Friday and we all left feeling jazzed about the possibilities! Please come to the next one!!

Please put on your calendar another event that Clara is organizing -- a wine tasting at Magenta's. It will be Saturday, November 6th from 4:30 - 6:30. Clara did one last year and we hope to have an even bigger crowd this year!

We had a couple of very nice surprises today. Seeing our new gift list this morning Rory, Dhabih's dad, signed up to purchase a new world map for our classroom! Doni and I were ecstatic -- not having such a key material has been exasperating. Well, about an hour later, I see Alleck poring over the geography pictures and then suddenly he's at my chair holding South America in his hand -- the piece that's been missing from our world map!! He found it in the geography folders. Tomorrow the world map will be back in the classroom... complete. Thanks, Rory and Alleck!

Our recruitment committee is meeting tomorrow evening at Mel's home -- also Alleck's abode. It will start at 7:30pm. If you'd like to join us, we'd love it.

Thank you for your support. We are very gratefully yours,

Pauline

A Scintillating Evening

What a treat to hear Dr. Kathleen Lloyd speak Thursday night at our Parent Orientation Part II. Seemingly extemporaneously, Kathleen, as she prefers to be called, made the simple brilliance and still revolutionary truths about Montessori and early childhood development clear to us all. Kathleen distilled the gifts of Montessori to a few clearly articulated ideas and then fleshed out elements with ways to recognize and encourage them. She spoke of independence, spontaneous self-discipline and concentration and how this leads to personal peace. We all discussed our own experiences with children exhibiting these abilities as well as activities that might promote them. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I am told that Dr. Lloyd's lecture on self-regulation is entertaining and mine-expanding. Please help us get the word out. It will be at 6 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Corvallis on Thursday, October 21. We will charge a sliding scale of $0-$10 with all the proceeds benefiting our scholarship fund at the speaker's request. We will provide childcare on-site, but only to our currently enrolled families. Please share this opportunity to hear Dr. Lloyd speak on the profound benefits and means of acquiring self-regulation.

On another note, please don't wait to sign up for Parent-Teacher conferences. Pauline and I need adequate time to prepare to meet with each of you. Please let us know for whom we should prepare! The sign-up sheet is in the hall. A reminder to new families. You do not need to sign up for a pre-conference observation as yours will take place through the window in the door. Only returning families must sign up to come inside.

The weather report for this week looks awesome! I love a clear, fall day!

Best regards,
Doni

The Mighty Salmon

Pauline has really edified myself and all of the children regarding the sacred salmon. She has told riveting tales of their life cycle; how they must spend some time in brackish water for their body to transform from a fish that thrives in fresh water to one who can tolerate salt water. Then, on the return to its spawning grounds, it must reverse the process, again in the brackish water, before swimming upstream to lay/fertilize the eggs and die. She spoke of the harrowing journey over rapids and up waterfalls, how its body is beaten and bruised, how it does not eat at all on the return trip from the ocean and how, weak and starving, it procreates and passes away.

She also taught us about its fins, their names and purposes. The tail is the main form of propulsion, switching from side to side. Only fish's tails move this way. Dolphins, seals and whales' tails move vertically. The salmon's dorsal fins help it to make quick turns, stop and keep itself upright. The pectoral fins are primarily for steering. I am so fortunate to be a Montessori guide. It ensures that I am always learning!

We read a terrific book today called "There's an Opossum in my Backyard" by Gary Bogue. It tells all about the adventures of this backyard marsupial and how it practically becomes a member of the family! One also learns much about the habits of this often disregarded American denizen. Thank you, Barbara and Don Hinds-Cook (library parents,) for selecting it.

Best Regards,
Doni

Our Photo Shoot

Our photo shoot went really well. Nearly the whole class was present and accounted for. I thought this sudden change of routine might be unsettling for an individual child or two, but clearly, I underestimated them. Everyone took direction very well from Jock, our photographer. The tricky part with a group photo is that when the photog makes everyone smile and laugh, the impulse is to look around at one's classmates to see how they are reacting to the funny sound or punchline rather than continuing to face the camera. Jock is fantastic, though and always gets the job done very quickly and efficiently.

We are very excited about our presentation next Thursday, October 7th. It is officially part of the orientation for new families and will provide a good foundation in Montessori philosophy, but all are truly welcome and encouraged to come. This is a great opportunity for any of your friends who are interested in early childhood development, whether or not they are considering our school. Our speaker is Dr. Kathleen Lloyd and I am proud to say I knew her when she was a mere Ms. Do sign up in the hall and let us know if you will be needing the free childcare we are providing.

Dr. Lloyd will be giving a second lecture on Thursday, October 21, sponsored by our school, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Corvallis. Childcare will be provided free of charge. The topic of this lecture is "Self Regulation" which Dr. Lloyd has studied extensively and how having it or not having it affects one's success in life. I believe she will also offer us guidance as to how we can ensure that our children do indeed develop this pivotal ability. Please invite friends and family to this talk as well. We will be posting flyers for it and will need your help with that. I am to write up a press release, too, which I have never done. How hard can it be? We all wish you a terrific weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

Best regards,
Doni

Ordinary Day

I am writing this for the second time as my post vanished when I tried to "preview" it. Stupid computers! Don't tell the children I said that as they will chastise me for using bad words.

At this morning's group, I told stories about ice hockey, ice fishing, ice skating and ice dancing and how these sports are enjoyed outdoors, throughout the winter (and probably a good portion of the spring!) in the northern regions of Canada. We read a book called "Have You Fed the Cat?" by Michele Coxon. It is about a once-cute kitten, now neglected, who cries to be fed in order to gain attention. It has wonderfully cuddly illustrations and a happy ending. On the playground, we learned the motions to our Canadian folksong "Going Over the Sea." It has the feel of a cadence and makes one want to march about militarily!

The extended day children were, for the most part, quiet, focused and industrious. This gave me the opportunity to go about surreptitiously observing pencil grips. This group is in good shape! We ended the day with a book about a homeless woman who is befriended by some children. It is called "The Lady in the Box" and it is written by Ann McGovern. It is heart-warming and ends positively without tying up the problem of homelessness in a pretty bow. We haven't finished the book yet, but I peeked ahead!

I hope you are all enjoying this unseasonably warm and humid weather!