DOBSON MONTESSORI SCHOOL NEWS
October 27-31
WHAT IS MONTESSORI?
Holidays are opportunities to build memories and traditions for our children. Looking forward to an event can be as much fun as the event itself. Planning the costume for Halloween, decorating, or carving a pumpkin is just as fun a trick or treating. Allowing the child to be a part of the planning is important. At Dobson Montessori, our older students plan and host the annual carnival for the younger students. This is as much fun as attending! The booths are planned, created, and set up by the Intermediate students and the haunted house is created by the Upper Division and High School students. Primary students make the refreshments and Kindergarten students decorate trick or treat bags. Everyone looks forward to this event each year!
KINDERGARTEN
Our “Fall on the Farm” unit takes us to a real farm on Wednesday, October 29th of this week! We are going to Shamrock Farms to meet the cows and see how milk goes from cow to grocery aisle. We will even enjoy some ice cream made from milk of the cows we will meet. Students need to arrive promptly at 9 AM and bring their booster seats, wear good walking shoes, and bring a sack lunch and water bottle labeled with their names. In class, students will make individual farm animal dioramas using multimedia materials. And on Friday, we will celebrate with the Holloween Carnival.
PRIMARY
We conclude our “Communication” unit with a review of all the ways we have learned to express ourselves and understand others. Students will create their own symbol and its meaning. Everyone will bring home their mailbox. Perhaps you would like to help your child write a letter to a relative and mail it to reinforce what we have learned this month. On Tuesday, we will enjoy a trip to the Mesa Contemporary Art Museum. How do artists communicate ideas to the viewer? What do they have to say in this exhibit? Chaperones should arrive by 9:30 for departure. Primary students will make spooky refreshments to share with their peers at the Halloween Carnival. Everyone is excited about this annual event.
INTERMEDIATE
Our “Biology” students will submit their research reports on Monday. Everyone chose a plant or animal to study this month. Remember to have a picture of your topic on the cover. We will enjoy reading each other’s reports! When we can teach others, it is the highest level of learning. On Tuesday, we will enjoy a field trip to the Rio Salado Audobon Center. Students will participate in three different workshops and enjoy a picnic lunch. Everyone should wear good walking shoes and bring a water bottle and sack lunch. We need drivers to help with this trip. Please see Ms. Heather. Students will host the Halloween Carnival this week. They are working in small groups to create booths with games. They will run the booths and hand out prizes to the visitors. Time will be allowed for them to visit each other’s booths as well. This develops team and leadership skills and a sense of community service. Hope to see you at the carnival!
UPPER DIVISION
What a great time our “Geology” students had at the Grand Canyon. They will add photos and writing to their scrapbooks about this trip. Everyone did a great job managing their gear, cooking meals, budgeting money, and being part of the team. We learned a lot about Geology, too! On Monday, students will submit their rock collections and on Tuesday there will be a quiz over what we have learned this month. For the Halloween Carnival, students will transform their classrooms into a scary haunted house and assume roles of ghostly and ghastly inhabitants. We need to borrow sheets to create this scene; please send them to school by Tuesday. They will be returned on Friday…unharmed. Parents are encouraged to come and tour the haunted house! Parent teacher conferences end this week…did you sign up?
HIGH SCHOOL
Everyone did a great job on their college midterm exam last week. We are not only learning about humanities but also how to navigate college level expectations. This week, we will discuss liabilities vs. assets in Economics and see if Ms. Bennet recovers from her cold in Pride and Prejudice. For the Halloween Carnival, we will transform our room into a very frightening haunted house and invite our classmates and parents to enter if you dare! We would like to borrow flat and fitted sheets to transform our room. They will be returned unharmed on Friday. Parent teacher conferences end this week…did you sign up?
CONFERENCES
Parent teacher conferences start this week. Please be on time out of respect for those before and after yourself. We are excited to share the progress of your students with each one of you!
TUITION DUE
For those receiving ESA funding, the 2nd Quarter disbursement is now being released. Please check your account and when you see funds are available, send us an email requesting your invoice. Thank you!
HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL
Friday, October 31 9:15-11:00
Join us on the playground for games of chance with prizes, refreshments, activities, and don’t miss the Haunted House…enter if you dare.
FREE for all DMS families.
Enter your carved or decorated Jack-o-Lantern and win certificates.
Check out the display on the patio
(Just bring your pumpkin on Friday morning to enter. Don’t forget to take yours home at the end of the day)
Parents and relatives are welcome to attend.
Students should wear their costumes if they wish and bring a change of clothes for the afternoon. After lunch, we will have activities for differing levels. Please select the one that is best for your student and return the form attached to your newsletter by Thursday.