Newsletter - Bloomfield Maples Montessori

6201 W. Maple Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
(248) 661-0910
www.bloomfieldmaplesmontessori.com
Parent Connection
May / June 2015 ~ “End of School Year” issue
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From Ms. Jeanette’s Desk:
A Fond Farwell….
As the year quickly comes to a close we again are forced to say a melancholy goodbye to our
kindergarteners. When we reflect on our first days with these wonderful individuals it is incredible what
they have accomplished. We watched them come in unsure and fearful, with eyes looking for a kind and
trusting face. In time they learned the routine, began to feel part of a school family and eventually a leader
within that family. It is amazing the genuine person they have become: academically strong, confident,
caring, thoughtful, and empowered.
As the years go by we get to know the children very personally. We understand their personalities,
strengths and weaknesses, but also their humor, their character, the impulsiveness, sensitivities and
potential. We share in their milestones: the first time they write their name or realize they can read. Even
though we know they are prepared to move to the next level it is not without reluctance.
As much as we get to know the student we also become as close to the family. We love getting to
know each family member. We learn where the student gets the love of certain subjects from or their
stubborn streak. We hear stories from home. We share in the excitement of a new baby and the sadness
when misfortune enters the family. We worry when each is sick, but are thrilled when everyone gets to enjoy
a vacation. We get frustrated when the student is disorganized but understand when a parent is the same.
Parents learn to trust us with their precious children. They take joy in hearing stories about their
child’s moments within the classroom. They enjoy being a part of classroom events. They get to know the
teachers within the classroom and feel at ease asking our opinion on different concerns. They feel
comfortable and happy being in the school. They are pleased with the progress in their children.
The parents like the children often are sad to leave the school. They love the cocoon environment
they have been in all these years. They don’t want to break the tie. Like the children they count down the
days when being a part of our everyday is no longer. But like the children we look forward to hearing from
them and ask how they are doing? We look forward to our alumni coming back to visit. We often see the
students in summer camp. We get invited to their high school graduations… Yes, their high school
graduations!
Each family makes an indelible impression on us. They are not forgotten and are thought of fondly.
We are proud of not just the student’s but the entire family’s accomplishments and their successes for many
years to come.
So to our parents: We give you back your children, the same children you confidently entrusted
to our care years before. It has been our pleasure and privilege to watch their personalities unfold day by
day and marvel at this splendid miracle. We give them back reluctantly, for having spent 3 years or longer
together we have grown close, have become a part of each other, and we shall always retain a little of each
other. We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together. We wish it
could go on indefinitely, but give them back we must. Take care of them, for they are precious. Please know
the door will always be open for you, our wonderful families.
We wish you the best! ~ Ms.
Jeanette
SPRING WEATHER NEWS
Since spring weather brings lots of sunny days,
we’d like to remind everyone of sunscreen.
Please make sure to send your child to school
with sunscreen already applied. Thank you in
advance for your help.
2014 – 2015 Yearbook
We are pleased to offer a school Yearbook
filled with wonderful pictures of your child
and classmates. This book highlights special
moments of our year at Bloomfield Maples
Montessori. Order forms will be going home
next week.
BEE SEASON
SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM
Registration forms are in the office for
this year’s Summer Camp. We are offering a
5 or 3 Day Summer Camp Program for
children 18 months to 9 years of age. The
program will start the week of June 15th and
run through July 31st. Please stop in the
office
for
more
information
and/or
registration forms.
Spring Is In The Air –
Ms. Diane and Ms. Sue
Please let the office know if your child is
allergic to bee stings.
A Special Kindergarten
Mark Your
Reception
Calendars
Friday, June 5th at 4:00 PM
For Kindergarten parents and
graduating students to celebrate
their Montessori experience.
Go to our website at
www.bloomfieldmaplesmontessori.com
and read the monthly newsletter, checkout upcoming events, learn what is new in
the school, etc...
Stay connected!
The best way to find a good school is from word of mouth from
parents. Please take a moment to let others know why you like
our school. If you would like to give a review please visit some
websites where you may find our school. Suggested sites are:
www.greatschools.org
www.privateschoolsreview.com
www.noodle.com
PREK AND K 1 CLASSROOM NEWS
Ms. Cheryl, Directress
We are just weeks away from the end of our school year.
the 2014 – 2015 school year?
Doesn’t it seem like yesterday when we all began
A lot of growing and maturing has taken place during the past 9 months, just remembering what the children
were doing in September and watching them functioning in the classroom today, is always such a joy. When a
child has completed their 3rd year in the classroom, it is like watching a flower bloom. They leave the
Montessori classroom as responsible 1st graders with the love of learning.
We as adults must remember that we are role models to these precious children. They are watching and
listening, even when we do not think they are. These years are the foundation to the rest of their lives.
Spring seems to have arrived at last. The children and the teachers are pleased to be able to get back
outside for recess after what we all feel has been a human hibernation. We are all in desperate need of
fresh air and sunshine. We will make the most of the sunny and warm days that are hopefully ahead of us by
moving some classroom activities outdoors.
We have been observing nature and spotting signs of spring. We have especially enjoyed watching the
Daffodils pop out of the ground and bloom. The children are going to be sitting outside to draw or paint a
picture of spring. The birds have been very entertaining this year. All the children are very much aware of
the variety of birds that we have visiting the feeder. They have also become very responsible in filling up
the feeder and transferring the food to containers.
We talked about Earth Day and discussed all the items that get thrown into the trash and how we can
recycle certain things to help save the Earth for our children’s future. We will also make some paper in the
classroom.
In Math the children are continuing to work on measuring, clocks and money as well as progressing at their
own pace on the math shelf works. We have been practicing skip counting in multiples of 2’s 5’s and 10’s.
This is a fun thing to do when you are travelling in a car or sitting in a waiting room. Fractions have been
introduced. We divided an apple into many pieces and checked out a mandarin oranges to see how many
pieces there were. Next time you eat Pizza, discuss how many pieces there are and if there are 8 pieces use
the vocabulary, “You have 1/8 of the pizza.
In Language the children who are reading continue to progress in their reading material. Reading is a process
that cannot be rushed. One never tires of watching the joy of a child when he realizes he can read the book
in front of him. The younger children continue to practice beginning, ending and middle sounds in readiness
for reading. While some children progress rapidly in reading another child of similar age may be progressing
in another area of development. The Montessori classroom supplies the tools for the development of a wellrounded child who can function successfully in the big world. Please read on a daily basis with your child.
During the summer find a suitable time in the day when the whole family takes out a book to read. This
encourages the love of reading and models a behavior that will help your child.
In Practical Life more waterworks have been introduced such as dish washing and fingernail brushing. These
works will be moved outdoors as the weather improves together with other works that can be messier such
as shaving foam.
The children loved making their pom poms and adding ears and eyes to make them into
colorful spring bunnies.
In Sensorial, extensions are being introduced which means 2 or more materials being used together on a rug
to produce a new work. The children really have fun with this. In Science we will be studying the life cycle
of a butterfly. We have hopefully planned this project late enough so that when the butterflies get released
it will be warm enough for them to survive.
In Geography we continue with the maps of the continents and
some of the children are progressing well with their passports. They are looking up information on the Ipad
along with many books on the Continents for them to study and talk about with their peers.
We have really enjoyed practicing for the end of year concert. The children have worked very hard and
would really appreciate everyone attending to listen quietly to each of the classroom performances. Please
help them feel proud of their achievement.
Summer camp will begin immediately after school ends, so please check it out. We would love to see your
child during the summer.
Writing this Newsletter is always very emotional, as we have spent so much time with these precious children
during their Montessori journey, some will be returning in the fall to continue their journey but
kindergartners will be graduating to the next stage in their lives. We wish every one of you a safe and
happy summer.
Spring Has Returned With Feelings Of Hope And Joy –
Ms. Cheryl, Ms. Meg and Ms. Jessie
Open School Enrollment Now!
We have passed the deadline reserved
for families presently enrolled in our school
to register for the 2015 – 2016 school year.
Our enrollment is now open to
new families. Some of our classes
are beginning to reach their maximum number,
so if you are interested in enrolling
your child, please call
our school office at
248-661-0910.
PRE K AND K 2 CLASSROOM NEWS
Ms. Jeanette, Directress
We were starting to be concerned that winter would never end. Just when we had started to give up hope
shows through with the robins arriving and the first crocuses peeking out from the snow. The students can
get outside…Run children run…SANITY has returned…
This is also the time to prepare to say goodbye to our kindergarteners. They are a special group of children
that have shown great academic success and are role models of leadership. We sadly send them off knowing
that they are well prepared and confident they will do very well but wishing they could stay. We look forward
to an enjoyable Spring Concert. The children have worked very hard practicing.
Science is alive in our classroom. We are very excited to have life cycles in progress in our classroom. We
currently have butterfly larvae that are growing quickly and soon will spin a chrysalis. Along with that we
have 12 chicken eggs incubating with the anticipation of baby chicks. The children thoroughly enjoy the
process and the excitement of the first pip, and the cracking open of the egg.
In Geography we like to round out the year by learning about the United States. The children will learn the
names of the states and their locations along with regions, climates and some topography. We will identify
the parts of the United States Flag and many others of the world. We will finally focus on Michigan and then
will identify our home towns along with our home addresses.
In Practical Life we continue to have fun using the work bench, washing and scrubbing, and using materials
that help with daily living skills. In Sensorial we will be using different materials to make some extensions of
our sensorial materials. The children will be using a listening center to hear stories.
In Math we are working with all the students to strengthen their skills, playing memory games and being a
banker. We have been practicing our telephone numbers so the children have an emergency number learned.
We are very proud of all the readers we have in our class. The students have worked so hard and enjoy
reading and hearing stories. A few minutes of daily practice at home is the best way for the mechanics of
reading to get easier for your child. The enjoyment of reading comes from listening to a great story. Please
read regularly to your child.
We continue to have daily practice in Writing. It can be letter or number formation practice or proper
sentence writing. We are learning to check and correct our own mistakes before showing the teacher. Some
of the children are learning parts of speech and the difference between a question and a statement.
Thank you:
To our snack parents for May and June
To Mrs. Bakkal for being our library mom this year.
Have a wonderful summer~
Ms. Jeanette, Ms. Beth and Ms. Julia
PRE K AND K 3 CLASSROOM NEWS
Ms. Sheila, Directress
Spring is here to stay! We are having to replenish the bird feeder more frequently and in spite of the
random flurries the children are enjoying the fresh air at outdoor recess. In the classroom we will continue
to learn, review and make connections with the concepts presented in all areas of the Montessori Curriculum.
We will be revisiting our Sensorial materials, using them in combinations that we call “extensions”. We will
learn to label more irregular geometric shapes comparing them to the Metal Insets. In Math, we will continue
to review Time, Money and Measurement and apply the concepts to daily living. Every student is practicing
number writing and counting. Some are doing simple addition with counters while others are working on
addition with the number line and story problems.
The children have come such a long way in their language skills, with many of them reading more fluently and
many of the younger ones have moved onto word building. We have been reading stories from Frog & Toad to
improve auditory memory and comprehension. The children enjoyed this experience of listening to a story.
They have matured and are more confident. This is especially evident at Show &Tell. Many of them are asking
to practice handwriting!
Our Science Fair was such a success! We applaud all you parents who walked your child through this learning
experience. The children really enjoyed learning about plants and germination, so we will be moving onto
flowers, pollination and the importance of insects and bees in nature. The butterfly larvae have arrived and
we will be watching the metamorphosis of the butterfly in the classroom. This is so fascinating for the
children with their innate sense of wonder. We also know that the Frog Prince is not real! It was a very
enjoyable show, as was our frog unit. In Geography we will be learning to label more land forms and bodies of
water. We will also explore marine life.
As part of spring cleaning, we are practicing dusting, folding, making a bed, juicing oranges and washing
dishes. Please allow and encourage the children to help out at home, especially as Mother’s Day comes up.
The Practical Life area is always so popular and we continue to refresh the work.
We are approaching the end of another wonderful school year. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work
with each and every student. Thank you for entrusting us with your child! We love their energy and curiosity
even when they veer off-topic. We admire their capacity to find wonder and joy in simple details. Some of
you have completed your “Montessori Journey”. We wish you a fabulous future as you graduate and move onto
First Grade.
We do hope that you will enjoy the long summer days. Please keep the learning going in a relaxing
manner…….Have a Super Safe Summer!
Happy Summer Vacation ~
Ms. Sheila, Ms. Stacy and Ms. Vena
Toddler Class
Ms. Heidi, Directress
Spring has sprung and the excitement has begun! These last months of the school year we will continue to
discuss ways in which we can be peaceful. The class is learning “peaceful breathing”, where we practice deep
breathing when we come in from recess to calm the body and prepare for the afternoon. On circle we are
practicing the “peace walk”; each toddler takes a turn walking on the circle holding a peace stone then
chooses a friend and passes it to him or her saying “peace”. It is very cute and they sit with much
anticipation to take their turn.
We are looking forward to our last field trip of the year to Hess Hathaway Park on May 15th. The toddlers
will also be practicing for the Spring Concert on May 8th and we are spending time preparing them for this
new and exciting experience on stage.
For some of our older toddlers that have been practicing a great deal of fine motor activities, we will be
doing some simple writing practice. For those beginners, we will practice some writing skills on the easel or
sensorially with the rice tray. Advanced writers are practicing name and numeral writing.
Our staff is grateful for having the opportunity to be a part of your toddler’s growth. What a privilege it
has been to have had some of your children for 2 years! It has been a pleasure getting to know our toddlers
parents and have generously felt like part of your parenting team. Thank you for all your support.
A very special toddler thanks to Mrs. Mittal for providing us with plenty of library books so we all could have
a little something special to read before naptime, thank you so much for your time & thoughtfulness. Thank
you to all of our friends who brought in snacks this year. We appreciate the time you took to select and
prepare such healthy snacks for our classroom. We pride ourselves on providing nutritious snacks for our
young developing toddlers, and it is you who makes this possible.
Wishing You the Best Summer Imaginable ~
Ms. Heidi, Ms. Sana and Ms. Debbie
Daycare
We are very excited to see all the spring flowers
blooming. This means we are able to go outside to
play before school starts. Even though it warms
up by afternoon recess it is still cool in the
mornings. Please send in a jacket or a sweater to
be worn outside during morning daycare.
We will be making a special surprise project for
Mother’s Day and working on Spring crafts.
Happy Spring –
Ms. Sana and Ms. Julia
Daycare
Welcome Spring! After school care will be
enjoying the warm weather by playing outside. The
children like meeting all their friends on the
playground. Please keep sending in the healthy
snacks
The boys and girls will have fun making spring
crafts. They will also play with the Train set,
Legos, Hexabits and more! We will continue the
tradition of Friday movie and popcorn day!
Let’s Enjoy the Sun –
Ms. Jessie, Ms. SeYoung and Ms. Vena
SPRING CONCERT ETIQUETTE
Friday, May 8th – 6:30 pm
We have really enjoyed practicing for the end of the year concert. The children have worked
very hard and would appreciate everyone attending.
The children are taught the etiquette of going to a theatre environment and we would
appreciate all of you supporting us in this lesson.
Please listen quietly to each of the classrooms performances, not just your child’s class.
Please keep younger siblings safely with you in the audience.
Remain in your seats
Turn OFF Cell Phones
Refrain from talking
Carry all crying infants out of the auditorium
It is an overwhelming thing for your child to sing on a stage in front of a large audience.
Please help them feel proud of their achievement.