September Newsletter
September 2013 Newsletter
We hope that you enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day weekend! With the completion of the first month of school, we can now focus on advancing and strengthening each child’s individual progress to continue his or her journey of mastering the complex skills of self-construction! As you may know, we welcomed several new children to our class this school year, and we are happy to say that the children are adjusting very well and feel comfortable in their new environment. The first few days were filled with sharing summer news and experiences, and getting back into the “rhythm” of our school activities. Now, our classroom is calmer, and the children are more focused on their work. They are enjoying school and interacting with their friends. We are very pleased with the progress that each student is making!
September Birthdays! Matthew will celebrate his 6th birthday on September 3rd, and Ariana will turn 6 on September 29. Gia and Emi will celebrate their 5th birthdays on September 6th. Happy Birthday to all!
We Welcome Our New September Students! We are so pleased to welcome two year old Michelle Lu, 5 year old Tommy Birkle, who transferred from Duluth Montessori School, and Ms. Kristen.s son, Liam, who is almost 3 years old. Ms. Kristen Mc Fall, who interned with us from Athens Tech in the Spring, will assist us mainly with our youngest in the classroom. We warmly welcome all!
Ballet Class! Every Friday, beginning September 6th from 8:45-9:30 AM, we will have again Ballet Class at CountrySide Montessori School. Ms. Kim with Creative Movement and Dance will continue to be the children’s instructor. She is very talented and enthusiastic. The “little ballerinas” adore her. If you wish to sign up for the class, please call 678-482-2264. Please remember to label all ballet items with your child’s name.
Tornado/Fire Drills! In September, we will resume practicing Fire and Tornado Drills. We will hold these drills on a regular basis. Our first tornado drill already took place in August. This will be a good opportunity to talk to your child about fire and tornado safety, as well as discussing your family’s own safety precautions and procedures for such emergencies at home.
“Thank You” to our wonderful recycling and composting volunteers, Mrs. Jessica Cooney, Mrs. Stephanie Bodine, and Mrs. Tracy Cook! Our children were very concerned about the amount of trash that is accumulating in large dump piles! They are excited to start our recycling program at CountrySide. May children are already recycling at home! Ms. Bodine and Ms. Cook, moms of both Addisons, showed the children how to recycle old banana peelings, coffee grinds, discarded vegetables, etc., placing them in our state of the art compost bin made for our children by Mr. Bodine! What a difference this wonderful compost bin is making for us! Ms. Tracy brought several worms, lint and vegetable scraps to start the process, and everyone was scurrying to find items for our compost bin! We had so much fun with this hands-on learning experience! The Bodine family also donated two sturdy rakes and a small shovel for working with the compost materials in the compost bin! We thank all of these remarkable parents for their generosity, time, and interest in their children’s school activities! We so much appreciate you!
September 16th Curriculum Night! The topic for our September 16th Curriculum Night is “The Montessori Prepared Environment and the Sensitive Periods for Learning” Enjoy a lively overview of the importance of the prepared environment in Montessori classrooms, and gain insight into the time tables of Windows of Opportunity or Sensitive Periods for Learning. We will also have a “Question and Answer” Session. The meeting will be from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. All parents are encouraged to attend this informative evening with us; child care will be provided. Please RSVP by September 15th, if you plan to join us.
Flower Bulb Sale Fund Raiser! Mrs. Katie Robinson, Sullivan’s mom, chaired our flower bulb fund raiser in the Spring, and she graciously volunteered to assume that responsibility again for the Fall sale. Once you receive the envelope, please ask your friends to participate by purchasing flower bulbs. The plants are from the Netherlands and are of excellent quality. The flowers will add to the beauty of your home, and at the same time CountrySide Montessori School will benefit by purchasing bulbs and flowers for our gardens. We thank you in advance for your generous support. The school receives 50% of all sales in the form of plants and flowers!
Our Fall Planting Day is scheduled for September 11th, from 10:30-11:30 AM. Please join us for this fun activity! Parents usually bring a few plants, either vegetables or flowers that the children can plant. We might have to pull a few weeds if needed, but the emphasis is on planting flowers and vegetables. Bring your gloves and a big smile! In case of rain, we will reschedule this event.
Show And Tell! Every Friday the children participate in “Show and Tell!” ‘Show and Tell” helps children to express themselves in front to others when they describe an item they brought to school. We encourage your child to bring educational items, items from a trip, or from your back yard; a book, telescope, painting, picture, etc. We ask that you please do not select stuffed animals or toys. Thank you!
Box Tops For Education! Ms. Cooney is heading our Box Tops for Education drive. It does not cost any money; you simply look for the Box Tops design on items that you purchase at the grocery store, cut them out, place them in a ziplock bag, and bring them to school. Mrs. Cooney will send them in, and CountrySide Montessori School will receive 10 cents for each box top. This is a wonderful way to get your children involved as well! Thank you so much for your anticipated support!
Wish List! Old cards, old note cards, pictures of landscapes, old post cards, cards with flowers, animals, or pictures of anything children can cut out and write about. We would love to have any of these you would care to donate!
“Thank You,” Ms. Meredith! Ms. Meredith McClean, Cadence’s mom, has helped Ms. Hanne for almost three weeks for one hour every afternoon with copying and re-organizing our sight word reading booklets! We will get this fun reading program started again within the next few weeks. Thank you, Ms. Meredith, for your most valuable and much appreciated help!
PS. Don’t forget to enjoy all the new pictures posted on our web site and on our face book page!
We hope that your September is happy and healthy
for all of your loved ones!
“Teach by teaching, not by correcting.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
