Love and Logic

DECEMBER 2011

This Month’s Virtue 2

My Horrible Past 3

Thank You Note 3

Hermosa Brownies 4

Lower Elementary 5

Upper Elementary 6

Middle School 7

Inside this issue:

Hermosa Montessori

Community Times by Sheila

Vote for Hermosa to Win the Pepsi Challenge Grant for

$50,000 Our school was fortunate

enough to have been

selected out of 2,00o

applicants to participate in

the Pepsi Challenge Grant

program. We submitted our

project idea to provide 21st

century skills to our students.

If we are in the top 10 by

Dec. 31st we will receive

$50,000 to upgrade the

technology at our school.

The upgrades include iPads,

laptop computers, audio

visual equipment and

internet improvements. We

win by the number of votes

we receive for our project.

You can help us win by

voting today!

There are three ways to

vote:

♦ Text “110861” to phone

number 73774

♦ Online: go to

refresheverything.com/

votehermosa. Click

“vote for this idea.” You

can log in through your

Facebook account.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Important Dates:

• Dec 16: H.O.P.E. Meeting

CANCELLED

• Dec. 19-Jan.2: Winter

Break NO SCHOOL

• Jan. 3: School resumes

• Jan. 16: Civil Rights Day-

NO SCHOOL

• Jan. 17-18: 1st – 8th

grade Conferences (NO

SCHOOL for 1st – 8th

grades only)

Let me again invite you to

follow your student’s school

activities on our Facebook

page. Look for short photos

and text which can give you

a window into your stu-

dent’s day at school.

While parenting my two

children, I found that the Love

and Logic philosophy of

raising and teaching children

complemented the Montessori

philosophical and

developmental approach.

Logic allows children to view

mistakes as tools for growth,

and consequences of choices

are tools for learning. Jim Fay,

Charles Fay, Ph.D., and Foster

W. Cline, M.D. have written

numerous books, created

DVDs, and conduct parenting

classes using this approach to

help us help our children. I

found the following article to

be insightful and inspiring and

hope you will enjoy it, too.

-Sheila

The Power of Positive

Feelings Weekly Tip from the Love and

Logic® Experts

I love the smell of burnt

toast! That aroma…coupled

with the odor of

overcooked coffee…always

leaves a warm feeling in my

heart.

I once met a woman who

loved the sound of trains. In

fact, she loved this sound so

much that she purchased a

house near the tracks…so

that she could experience

the bone-rattling rumbles

and blaring horns 24 hours

a day. Like this woman, I

learned to love something

because of the unconscious

associations I developed

through my experience as a

child. Every time I went to

my loving grandparents'

home, my grandmother

managed to burn the

toast…and burn the coffee.

This woman had a similar

experience. Her loving

grandmother lived…you

guessed it…next to the

train tracks.

The power of positive

feelings is immense! When

our kids experience love

and joy coupled with

chores…they associate

doing chores with positive

feelings.

When they experience

warmth and affection

coupled with learning…they

come to associate

academics with positive

feelings.

(continued on page 2)

This Month’s Virtue: Kindness

P a g e 2 H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

Love and Logic (continued)

always remember how they felt

when they were around us. Take

great care of yourself so that you can

give them the gift of loving learning,

loving responsibility, and loving

them.

Thanks for reading! Our goal is to

help as many families as possible.

When they feel our joy as we parent

or educate them, they’re far more

likely to live a life filled with

excitement and motivation instead

of apprehension and apathy.

Sometimes I get shortsighted.

Sometimes I forget all of this.

Sometimes I allow myself to get

cross and short and impatient, thinking

that somehow my negativity will

inspire my kids to cheerfully learn and

complete their daily duties. I forget all

of this when I don’t take good care of

myself.

Kids don't remember all of the things

we try to teach them, but they will

nothing to stop these acts, one

becomes culpable. It is not an option

to be a passive bystander.

Recently two students, and one

parent, felt compelled to write about

their experiences with bullying

behavior that was experienced while

attending another school prior to

enrolling at Hermosa. One of these

articles follows. Reading how these

children suffered made me sad, but I

was also encouraged to know that

Hermosa is indeed a safe haven of

kindness, respect, and care.

Bullying often doesn’t disappear after

school. Unfortunately at some point

as an adult, one must deal with

bullying in some form, whether it is a

hostile and angry coworker, or a

gossiping neighbor. Forty five percent

of American workers say they’ve

experienced workplace abuse,

according to the Employment Law

Alliance.

What often lies at the root of bullying

is competiveness and a desire to

assert one’s power. Rumors and

gossip are a not so subtle form of

bullying that adults and students alike

must work to discontinue. Only by

going out of our way to be kind and

welcoming to all, and especially to

one who has been rejected by others,

can we hope to end this unfortunate

yet all too human endeavor.

(continued on page 3)

Our virtue of the month is kindness.

“Kindness is showing you care,

doing some good to make life better

for others. Be thoughtful about

people’s needs. Show love and

compassion to someone who is sad

or needs your help. When you are

tempted to be cruel, to criticize or

tease, decide to be kind instead.

You are practicing kindness when

you:

♦ Give tender attention to those

who need help

♦ Do thoughtful things to give

others happiness

♦ Resist the temptation to be

cruel

♦ Accept people who are

different.

-” The Virtues Project”

Just like a small “bad” spot that

darkens an apple and quickly

spreads to spoil the fruit, our lives,

too, can be spoiled by allowing a

small spot of darkness to enter. At

Hermosa we model and practice

kindness in many ways. In a school

environment filled with children

growing and changing daily, with

various interests, abilities, and skills,

kindness is extremely important to

providing a safe secure learning

environment for all children. On a

national level, and in all too many

schools, some students are not

treated with kindness.

To make the situation even worse,

these students don’t feel the adults

who guide them provide a safely net

when unkind acts occur. This situation

is what precipitates bullying. Since

Hermosa teachers work individually

with their students, and observe their

social interactions on a daily basis,

Hermosa is a hard environment for

bullying to take hold. Teachers work

with their students to help them find

their place in the community by

excelling and by being a person of

character, rather than by trying to tear

others down to make themselves look

good. An important part of prevention

is developing a climate of respect,

acceptance, and kindness.

Starting with me, and including all

staff members, we are on the alert for,

and take immediate action against,

any unkind act that we become aware

of. Also critical is educating the

community to recognize that it is

important that all must take action

against bullying, and that by doing

Many Thanks

P a g e 3 H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

Kindness: One Student’s Regrettable Story

Parent support greatly helps all Hermosa’s students. We thank the following families for their recent generosity:

♦ Anne Fulton-Cavett : The Lower Elementary wishes to express their appreciation to her for

the donation of 100 red t-shirts to use for dragon costumes. Look for some amazing dragons

in the Chinese New Year Parade.

♦ May Hagen-Smith: Donation of two beautiful oak stools for Michael’s class.

that are in that posse or gang, which

really irritates me. But, Hermosa has

taught me to not listen to them so, I

don’t. I am now a better person.

Sometimes I’ll slip but afterwards I’m

doing just fine.

The following accompanies the

student anti-bullying pledge

(available in Hermosa’s front office):

So many kids’ days are filled with joy

and laughter, but some are filled with

tears and regret. Bullying is causing

this. So many people are put down

because maybe they have braces, or

maybe they have glasses, but really

they are just people living their lives. I

have been bullied and trust me it was

nasty. I do not want a single person to

go through what I did and so that’s

why I am making an anti-bully club.

Come with me, take a hand, and put a

stop to bullying. Sign my “Not on My

Watch” anti-bully pledge today.

My Horrible Past

(Written by an upper elementary student

who chooses anonymity for publication)

The student wrote a note to their

teacher that accompanied their

story.

I wrote this because I wanted to show

you how Hermosa really changed my

life. You should be proud.

I have now moved to a brand new

school, Hermosa Montessori

Charter School. It has honestly

changed my life. I moved to this

school because my old school really

gave me no confidence, at all, and

everyone bullied me. Some

examples are, “You’re stupid, You’re

a loser, Oh my gosh! The freak is

coming, run!!!” And other names I

don’t even want to write, they are

too awful and disgusting. If I even

came close to a popular or cool kid

and their little gang or posse, they

would run away from me and start

laughing.

But the worst of all were the rumors

and the hitting, they got me the most.

They did make rumors, stupid rumors

that I don’t want to say or write; they

are too inappropriate. But, the hitting

was the worst of all. They punched,

and kicked me every day like I was

nothing. I came home and just cried. I

thought, “What did I ever do?” “Why

are they doing this to me?” I was so

lost, until I came to Hermosa.

Everyone is so kind to me. They give

me a chance for once which is so

amazing. Instead of going home and

crying, I just come home and smile.

This school is perfect. I don't know

and I don’t even want to think what I

would have done to myself if I had

stayed at my old school for any

longer. I thank everyone for Hermosa.

p.s. Students at my old school still

send me mean messages through

people that go to softball with me

The theme for Hermosa Summer Art Camp 2012 will be MAKING and MOVING. Information

about classes and registration will be going out soon by email. Registration begins in January.

Children must have completed 1st grade to attend.

Art Department Update

P a g e 4 H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

Center for Talented Youth Update: Hermosa Students Excel

John Hopkins University’s Center for

Talented Youth (CTY) began over 32

years ago when Dr. Julian Stanley, a

psychology professor at John

Hopkins University, introduced the

first Talent Search designed to

identify, challenge, and reward

academically able young people.

CTY has since grown into an

establishment that annually offers

approximately 80,000 students,

encompassing 15,000 schools from

all 50 states and 100 countries, an

opportunity to participate in a talent

search intended to identify, assess

and recognize the academic abilities

of highly able students. More than

24,000 students participate in CTY’s

academic programs and other

services each year. To date more

than 1.3 million students have

participated in various CTY

programs.

CTY’s mission is to inspire young

people by offering distinctive

educational opportunities that

nurture intellectual abilities,

advance academic achievement,

and enhance personal development.

CTY is in its third decade of offering

gifted children a special program

that parallels and complements their

regular school experiences. Through

state test results, CTY is able to

identify top academic students from

grades two through eight and

provide challenging education

programs through 12th grade. To

qualify for the talent search a

student must score in the 95th

percentile or higher on a reasoning

section of a nationally standardized

test (e.g. Stanford 10) or have state

test results categorized at the

highest levels of performance [such

as “Exceeds” on the Arizona

Instrument to Measure Standards

(AIMS)] in either reading, math or

both.

As members of the Hermosa

Montessori community, we can

share in the pleasure of knowing

that 45 out of the 135 children who

participated in the 2011 Stanford 10

and AIMS state tests are eligible to

participate in the 2012 CTY talent

search. While Hermosa does not

participate in this program, it has

notified parents of student

eligibility and has given them basic

information about the talent

search.

Congratulations to all!

For more information about CTY,

visit their website at

http://cty.jhu.edu/

nate to Mobile Meals of Tucson. The

48 ornaments were distributed by

volunteers to homebound adults,

who cannot cook or shop for them-

selves and need the special diet

meals to remain independent and

living on their own.

Hermosa Brownie Troop 439—

members Angeni, Becca, India,

Kayla, Lyndsey, Madison, Olivia, and

Sydney - have been participating in a

journey to discover (themselves and

their values), connect (with others),

and take action (to improve their

communities and the world). And

they are having a lot of FUN along

the way!

In their quest to take action and im-

prove their community, the troop

decided to paint and decorate hand-

made clay ornaments (provided by

Hermosa Pre-K & Lower El) to do-

As Priscilla Altuna, Executive Direc-

tor of Mobile Meals of Tucson, said,

"the recipients were thrilled to re-

ceive these handmade ornaments,

lovingly made by Hermosa's Brownie

Troop. This was a very special treat

for these Tucsonans who often live

alone.”

Hermosa Brownie Troop 439 Helps Elderly Tucson Residents

Lower Elementary Updates

P a g e 5 H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

REPORT: MUSIC

by Sydney

We learned how to play the

glockenspiel. We

also learned new

songs with Mary.

We learned how

to play the

drums. We

learned notes to

songs. We play

circle games. We have a great music

teacher. Everyone seems to like it.

REPORT: LESSONS

by Anna

We learned how to do “Who am I?”

We also learned

about the

Paleozoic. We

have studied two

kind of nautiloids.

We have studied

fossils. We have

done a turtle report and a bird one.

ART WITH CAROL

by Riley

Three weeks ago in art we made

Christmas ornaments. First we rolled

out our clay. Then we picked out the

cookie cutters we wanted. After that

we cut out the shapes in our clay.

Then Carol put them in the kiln.

After they had hardened we took

them out of the

kiln. Finally we

got to paint them

and take them

home.

LOWER EL NEWS

by Torie

In Don’s class we are starting to

study the Presidents of the United

States.

Don

showed us

pictures of

the White

House

that is

trans-

formed

into a cal-

endar. The presidents live in the

White House. The White House is in

Washington, D.C. There have been

forty four presidents of the United

States. The first president was

ART WITH CAROL

by Riley and Amaya

This week in art we did owls. First we

draw a branch and a bunch of little

branches. Then we color it in. Then

we rip paper and glue it on the owl.

Then finally we glued real feathers

on it

and

glued

stars in

the sky.

named

George

Washington.

Do you know

which presi-

dent died on

the fourth of

July? Ask

anyone in

Don’s class. We are very thankful for

the presidents of the United States.

P a g e 6 H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

Upper Elementary Updates

horses, donkeys, burrows, and a Ho-

hokam pit house on his property

filled with artifacts. As for the gar-

den railroads, he has replicas of Mt.

Lemmon, The battle of Picacho

Peak, and the Chicago Suburbs. By

visiting Ken’s place, we obtained

valuable information as to our own

garden railroad that we are planning

on building in the future. Afterward

we walked to Agua Caliente Park,

just across the street, where we ob-

served nature and enjoyed the rest

of the afternoon. This trip

6TH YEAR FIELD TRIP

by Jennifer and Katie

On December 8th, the sixth year stu-

dents went on a trip to Double K

Ranch. We walked there at nine

thirty in the morning, and left at two

in the afternoon. We met dogs,

horses, and especially trains. Ken

Karrel has been collecting trains for a

very long time and has a property

filled with cabooses, hand carts, and

garden railroads; not to mention

turned out to be fun and educa-

tional.

addition of a snake or a ladybug on

the side of our bowl. These delicate

bowls are made of

clay, with leaf

prints on them. We

also have painted

them and hope for

them to come out

as we wanted.

These beautiful artworks may even

show up in the Chinese New-Year

Parade. Here is what a student says

5TH YEAR ART ELECTIVE

by Kendra

Everyone loves doing art, and so

does the second session of art

elective! The second session started

in mid-November and has had two

to three weeks of creating, shaping

and painting. We are doing the same

thing the first group did, but with

totally different ideas. Right now we

are making leaf bowls with an

art elective is like “I love art elective.

It is cool to make the leaf bowls.”

Nicole F.

We hope all you art-loving

Montessori children join art elective

in 5th, and 6th levels.

ears, completely ignoring the noise

around him, outside, angry crowds

storming the doors, angry police

with badges ready to shoot. The very

next day, it will all start again, but

nobody knows, he’s the greasy-

tasteless-chef, making his slop, serv-

APPRENTICE TEXT

by Maya

He is the greasy-tasteless-chef mak-

ing his slop, standing in front of a pot

throwing random things in, pouring

in spices and rotten fruit. Customers

at their tables shouting, what is that!

just what is that! He continues

dumping in veggies-lettuce scream-

ing in terror, coffee smells of month

old milk. The waitress, leave-it-and-

run, standing by the counter, tray

and towel, shouting hurry up! He’s

looking through the fridge, digging

around for the forever-wanted-glass-

of-water. Customers, at their tables,

take it back! they shout, just take it

back! He’s back to cooking, plugged

ing it to the unsuspecting customers,

leaving with sickly faces, asking each

other, what were we thinking?

As part of their language arts curriculum, the middle school students analyze the writing of published authors and

then craft pieces of their own using the "apprentice" text as a model. These are some examples from their most re-

cent unit of study, focusing on the rules of sentence structure and when authors purposely break those rules for effect.

P a g e 7

Upper Elementary Updates (continued)

THE MOST FUN ARIZONA

DAYS

by Gloria, Olivia, and Kelly

In school we had Arizona Days.

Everyone liked it. We even got to eat

food. On Tuesday

we got to eat

some food that

some students

cooked. They

made the most

delicious apple crisp. We ate the

apple crisp with whipped cream.

Everyone was making animals out of

felt. It was so cute. We also made

bags with a sewing machine. Also

everyone got to make corn husk

dolls. They were very fun. Then

everyone got to do feather painting

by just using feathers and ink. Also

we got to color pictures. And that is

our Arizona Days.

Middle School Updates

H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

Middle School Updates (continued)

P a g e 8 H e r m o s a M o n t e s s o r i

SKY

by Madeline She wanted to fly. She wanted the

swing to let go and then to feel the

trees soft leaves on her toes and to

surrender

herself to

the deep

blue sky

and ex-

perience

the cool

winds

tossing

her hair

and float above all else and feel the

pure undisturbed sunlight on her

face and travel with the breeze and

tame the stars and know the birds’

joy and learn to dance from the

graceful moon and twirl the sunset

streaks and fall asleep on the damp

clouds waking as she fell down from

her day dream like the shining rain

and then she opened her eyes back

onto reality and was still just swing-

ing.

BRAIN

by Joey

We are people. Human. Special like

that with a brain that consists of 3

parts: Reptilian, Limbic and Neocor-

tex. Not enough people staying in

the Neocortex. Letting us know that

we are still competing. A huge world

of us-thinking and planning.

Dates to Remember Dec. 14 UE Potluck 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Dec. 16 H.O.P.E. Meeting 3:15 in the middle school - CANCELLED

Dec. 19-Jan 2 Winter Break NO SCHOOL

Jan. 3 School Resumes

Jan. 9-13 Spirit Week

Jan. 10 Sally’s class Open House 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 10 Rebecca’s class Open House 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 12 Mary’s class Open House 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 16 Civil Rights Day NO SCHOOL

Jan. 17-18 1st – 8th grade Conferences (NO SCHOOL for 1st – 8th grades only)