DOBSON MONTESSORI SCHOOL NEWS
March 16-20
WHAT IS MONTESSORI?
Learning by doing is a principle of Montessori philosophy that is part of your child’s daily experiences at Dobson Montessori School. Rather than passively hearing lectures about the world, children are invited to be actively engaged. They create original work, conduct science experiments, solve problems in teams with other students, communicate ideas, interpret stories, and learn by doing. Research shows that when the whole child is actively engaged learning is retained.
KINDERGARTEN
We continue to “Watch our Plants Grow” as we learn about botany. This week we focus on leaves, stems and roots. Students will enjoy creating a leaf venation rubbing and making chlorophyll paint. Did you know that plants breathe? Students will conduct a plant respiration experiment and discover that plants exhale. Using celery, another experiment will show how stems conduct water and nutrients to the leaves. Roots anchor the plant. Let’s see how strong they are as we try to pull a plant from the garden. Each student will make a “Waiting for a Flower” poster. This week, we will create the roots, stem, and leaves and a mystery bubble where the flower will arrive next week. On Monday, March 16 we are going on a field trip to the Desert Botanical Garden to learn about plants of Arizona. Parents my attend but there is a discounted $20 admission fee. Please message us here if you can help chaperone.
PRIMARY
Our “Astronomy” unit looks at comets, shooting stars, and meteors this week. We will create shooting stars in a classroom experiment demonstrating kinetic energy. Students will learn about the planets in our solar system and practice saying them in the order from the sun. Which ones are solid and which ones are gas? Did you know our sun is actually a star? We will learn the names of some stars and discuss why planets orbit around their stars. On Monday, March 30, we are going on a field trip to the Mesa Community College planetarium to see a show presented by an astronomer. If you wish to attend, please sign up this week in room 3. We will depart at 9:30 and return by lunch time.
INTERMEDIATE
Our “STEM” students are investigating science, technology, engineering and math this month. This week, we will work in teams to investigate stable structures. Which is stronger? A triangle or a square? Everything is made of molecules. What happens to the molecules in egg white when air is integrated? We will meringue cookies to enjoy as we conduct this experiment! How do rockets escape our atmosphere? We will build balloon rockets to see how thrust works. As a special activity, students will see the movie “October Sky” which tells the true story of a boy from a poor family who becomes inspired by the launching of Sputnik and grow up to be a rocket scientist. On Monday, March 30, we will be going on a field trip to the AZ Science Lab for a workshop about solar energy. Students will build and race solar cars under the direction of our mentor scientists. Parents are welcome to attend. We will leave at 9:15 and return at 3 PM. Please sign up in room 3.
UPPER DIVISION
“Practical Life” continues with things everyone needs to know such as sewing on a button and hammering a nail. How do you solve disagreements with friends? We will use role playing games to learn refusal skills to avoid peer pressure and how to send I messages to better communicate our feelings. We are also preparing for our upcoming auditions for the Shakespeare play. Students will enjoy a fencing workshop this week to learn techniques of stage combat. Our spring study trip is just days away and students are working on final restaurant reservations and details of scheduling meals and events. Learning to be independent and self-reliant are important practical life skills.
HIGH SCHOOL
Our students will go to Rio Salado Community College on Monday to take the midterm exam for their Astronomy class. On Wednesday and Thursday, they will go on a two-day field study trip to northern Arizona. Students will visit Montezuma’s Well where they will learn about the prehistoric inhabitants. We will see pit houses and cliff dwellings and hike to the source of the spring that made this an ideal place to live. Students will then go to Lowell Observatory to investigate the new Discovery Center, see films in the planetarium, and then do night viewing of planets and deep space objects through the telescopes. The next day, they will visit Meteor Crater. When it hit earth 50,000 years ago, no people lived in North America. NASA has used the site to train astronauts, and it is considered one of the most remarkable meteor sites in the world. Everyone is excited to learn from these first hand experiences.
TAKE CREDIT
Only a few more weeks left to take advantage of the Arizona tax credit program. Married couples can donate up to $3062 and single taxpayers can donate up to $1535. You receive the donation back on your state income tax so it costs you nothing and makes a huge difference in the life of a child. We rely on your donations to fund our kindergarten students as ESA does not pay for full day programs. Please go to www.seefaz.org and make your donation now.