DOBSON MONTESSORI SCHOOL NEWS

August 31-September 4

WHAT IS MONTESSORI?

         There is a great sense of community within the Montessori classroom, where children of differing ages work together in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competitiveness. There is respect for the environment and for the individuals within it, which comes through experience of freedom within the community.

Maria Montessori

         During the first weeks of each new school year, the older students in each class welcome the incoming younger students. The younger students role model behavior of the more experienced learners and the older students gain self esteem by helping the younger ones. Everyone has a sense of ownership as they care for the materials and classroom pets. Children work to learn more each day, not to be better than someone else. The mixed age classes promote a cooperative environment and allow each child to learn at their own rate.

KINDERGARTEN

         Everyone is making a positive transition as they head “Off to School” this year. This week, we will learn how to feed the chickens and where to put our materials when we have finished using them. Everyone will have a rotating job to help care for our classroom. We will make a magic walking shoes art project and create school pencil cookies to enjoy for snack. Everyone will enjoy a sorting activity and treasure hunt using a school map. We are working on reading and pre-reading activities and mastering math skills. We are off to a great start!

PRIMARY

         Our “Rainforest” unit will introduce types of monkeys found in forests around the world. Each child will receive a plush monkey to adopt! We will name our monkeys and make letter bead collars for them. What will you call yours? Because of deforestation, many species of monkeys are endangered. Our students will be doing a special project to help save the Belize Howler Monkeys this week! In class, we will make banana fudge and sell it during lunch and after school for $2. Every student will have an opportunity to work in the store. Also, students will learn about the brilliant blue Morpho butterflies. We will create our own models in the art center. Another interesting rainforest animal is the sloth. Using fake fur, students will make their own to hang from our classroom vines. Everyone is working diligently in their reading and math groups…can’t wait to see the progress each student makes this year!

INTERMEDIATE

         Our “Animal Kingdom” study looks at amphibians this week. How do frogs and catch flying insects? Everyone will receive a sticky critter and then compete to catch paper flies in a fun experiment. Fish are another category of animals. Students will learn how the swim bladder keeps them steady in the water and the roles of the dorsal and ventral fins. After labeling a diagram, we will make our own beautiful fish to swim on our windows by melting colored wax shavings on a warm griddle and ironing them between sheets of wax paper. We will play a fish schooling game to see how staying with your group can offer protection from predators. Students will have a progress check of their at home research on Thursday. They should have 16 facts. We will now organize those facts into a story using a storyboard format. Time to start your book!

UPPER DIVISION

         Our “Archaeology” unit looks at how artifacts are best preserved? We will do an experiment to see what conditions preserve organic matter best…dry, wet, cold, humid? Many cultures made beautiful baskets. We will try our hand at making individual baskets using natural reeds. What would you store in yours if you lived 1000 years ago? Archaeologists excavate using grids to preserve context. We will delve into this method in preparation for our upcoming trip to Eldon Pueblo and learn about stratigraphy. Even cultures thousands of years old created art. We will look at the drawings of the Caves of Lascaux and make our own pictograph stories. Using clay, we will create effigies similar to those found in archaeological sites. We will also fire our pottery in the school kiln. Everyone should be working on their chosen archaeology topic at home. There will be a project check on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

HIGH SCHOOL

         Students are working on Chemistry and math geared to their own readiness levels. We are reading “Hamlet” in preparation for our Shakespeare Competition trip later this month and will finalize our competition pieces to memorize this week. In US History, we are focusing on the origins of our country and the native Americans who lived here before the arrival of the Europeans. Students are researching various tribes and will present their findings in written papers on Friday. We are learning about early explorers such as Cartier and La Salle and the French and Indian War. As part of our film making course, students will go on a field trip on Tuesday to see “Tony”, a biography of Anthony Bourdain’s early years. We are developing personal narrative writing through journal prompts. Our first college course of the semester will begin on October 19 when we return from our Utah trip.

COOL POOL PARTY FOR K-3RD GRADE

K-3rd grade families

Cool Pool Party

Thursday, September 10

5:30-7:30

La Casita Recreation Center

2719 S. Reyes, Mesa, 85202

Bring a potluck dish to share and wear your swimsuit. There is a huge pool, a splash pad, and a playground. What a great way to get to know other school families and enjoy time with our children! We are expecting YOU!

FAMILY CAMPING TRIP FOR 4TH-12TH GRADE

         We are going camping on September 17-18! Two days of being a kid again! We will visit Tonto Natural Bridge and camp at Sharp Creek on the Mogollon Rim. The Upper Division and High School students will cook all your meals and there will be lots of nature games, a campfire, stories under the stars, and lots more fun. A sign-up form will be attached to next week’s newsletter with all the need to know information. You will be talking about the fun you had for years to come!

SAVE THE HOWLER MONKEYS!

         Our primary students are doing a fundraising project to help save the Belize Hower Monkeys. They will be making banana fudge and selling it for $2 this week from Wednesday-Friday at lunchtime and after school. Come support our students, enjoy a delicious treat, and help save these endangered monkeys! 

HOT LUNCH AND PIZZA

         Beginning this week, you can beat the brown bag blues by ordering hot lunch on Wednesdays and pizza on Fridays. Our hot lunch program is run entirely by our upper division and high school students who plan the meals, order supplies, cook, serve, and clean up. They are certified food handlers, just like adults who work in restaurants and our “Maria’s Café” has an “A” rating with the Maricopa Board of Health. Students keep all the profit from the hot lunch program and use it for an end of year study trip which they plan themselves. They even grow some of the vegetables in the school gardens! Everyone looks forward to hot lunch on Wednesdays so order yours now!

STAR WARS!         Our teacher, Trevor, is hosting a special extravaganza this year in honor of the 50th anniversary of Star Wars! This family event features four different shows throughout the year. Tickets are limited so reserve yours now. See  brochure attached to your newsletter.  Contact Trevor at 602-690-6071 for more information and to get your tickets!