Annual Fundraising CampaignIt is time for our school’s annual gourmet goodies fundraiser. For the last

few years, parents have been invited to sell frozen gourmet cookie dough and other products, raising between $1,500 & $1,700 each year to pay for things like Montessori equipment, new geographic maps for the classrooms, new nap cots, a laminating machine, etc. This year we are raising money for staff training so that hopefully our staff will be able to attend Montessori conferences.

Products include a variety of gourmet food items, kitchen gadgets, gift wrap, magazines, and more, available from Fundraising Works (www.fundraisingworks.org). Anyone with an internet-connected computer can participate easily and safely. Parents can help their children send e-mails to family or friends with a link to fundraisingworks.org, or they can go the more traditional face-to-face route using the catalog and order form. Even better, sellers can avoid making an extra trip to deliver an order because items purchased via credit card through the Fundraising Works web store will be shipped directly to the purchasers.

We sent out catalogs and order forms on February 25th; completed order forms are due back on March 11th. As with all of our fundraisers, participation is optional.

Happy Bear VisitOn Monday March 11th, from 6:00-7:00pm in our lunchroom, Sarah

from Sunflower House will be at our parent meeting to introduce you to Happy Bear and answer any questions you have about the presentation to the children. Then on Tuesday morning, March 12th and Wednesday morning March 13th, Happy Bear (a well-disguised parent or staff person) will be here to meet the children and teach about appropriate touch, and other important personal safety topics.

Spring Program Coming in MayYour children are busy learning songs and more for our annual Spring Program.

The lyrics and hand motions of one of these songs are on the following page so that you can help your child practice. The dates and times of these performances will be announced in our April newsletter. Performances are typically in the mornings, and refreshments will be served on the playground at the conclusion of each performance.

Summer and Fall Enrollment

Reminders Mark your calendar: the

last day of our regular school year is Thursday, May 30. Our summer session begins Monday, June 3.

Every time your child receives an immunization, be sure to give us a copy of their immunization record. State regulations require us to have up-to-date immunization information on file at all times.

March weather is so unpredictable! Please make sure your child has outerwear for a variety of conditions. He or she will still need a warm coat, hat or a coat’s snug-fitting hood and mittens for when it’s cold in the morning, plus a lighter-weight jacket or sweater if it’s sunny and warm later in the day.

Please label everything your child brings to school and check the lost & found box periodically.

Help us keep our stuff! If you spot a Montessori teaching tool or a toy that looks like it doesn’t belong in the toy box at your house, please return it to your child’s teacher.

For safety’s sake, please do not leave your car running unattended in the parking areas.

Johnson County Montessori Preschool

Parent

Spring may be just around the corner, but it’s not too early for us to begin planning for Summer and Fall. In the next few weeks we will distribute enrollment forms for our Summer Program and the next school year that begins in mid-August. Please submit your forms early to ensure a spot for your child. We hope you’ll continue to refer your friends and neighbors who have preschool-age children, too.

Summer Program Starts June 3 Summer is one of our favorite times of the year, and we love

to make it a special time for all of our children. We evaluated last summer’s calendar at a recent staff meeting and came up with some great ideas to keep the children busy and happy all summer long.

In June and July we are planning to repeat some favorite activities from the last few years, including having an ice cream truck come to our school, setting up the Wacky Banana moon walk on our playground and having Stretch-n-Grow parachute day at our site, walking to the Farmers’ Market in nearby downtown Overland Park, and having the Oogles & Googles

preschool enrichment program come to us. We also plan to continue to have soccer lessons at school for all the children on Fridays. We will offer optional, on-

site summer enrichment classes (Ms. Deja’s Dancin’ with Deja, Mr. Michael’s Kidz in Motion, and Miss Nancy’s Spanish lessons) for an additional fee.

Thank You for Helping us Raise Funds

We would like to thank the three participants in our recent Premier Designs jewelry fundraiser for helping us to raise a $63 profit to benefit our school. For those of you who missed out on this opportunity, we have another Premier Designs fundraiser planned for October of 2013.

Learn the Words to “One Light, One Sun”(from Raffi’s album of the same name)

One light, one sun (arms arching over the head, finger tips touching)One sun lighting everyone (bringing arms down and out to the side)One world turning (same arm shape as in first line, only held out in front of body)One world turning everyone (turn body 360 degrees)

One world, one home (arms above head forming a triangular roof line)One world home for everyone (arms coming down and out to the side)One dream, one song (lay head to one side on hands that form a pillow)One song heard by everyone (fingers to lips, then extend arms away from body, then touch ears, then extend arms again)

One love, one heart (cross arms over chest, then fingertips touch middle of chest over heart)One heart warming everyone (cross arms over chest again, and gently rock whole body in a lateral motion)One hope, one joy (extend arms in front of body with palms facing inward at about eye level, then extend arms over head and out

to the side with head thrown back and eyes looking skyward)One love filling everyone (cross arms over chest with rocking movement)

Winter Memories

Ms. Deja gives a lesson on the beauty of diversity

A hygienist from the office of Ned Smith DDS demonstrates proper brushing technique

Outdoor winter play time!

The Worm Workshop

Schaefer Wright, Jackson Horn, and Paija Walker are hard at work in Classroom 3

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday4Hot Dogs on BunVeggie SticksFresh FruitMilk

5Chef Salad w/meat, cheese, & eggsWheat RollsPearsMilk

6Chicken & Rice Soup

w/veggiesCrackersGreen BeansPeachesMilk

7*NEW MENU ITEM*Hashbrown & Egg

Casserole w/veggiesOrange SlicesCerealMilk

8Soy Butter & Jelly

on WheatApple SlicesFresh Veggie SticksMilk

11BBQ ChickenGreen BeansHomemade Apple CobblerMilk

12Broccoli, Ham, & Cheese

PocketsVeggie SticksFresh Seasonal FruitMilk

13Strawberry Quinoa SaladCrackersCarrot SticksPearsMilk

14Minestrone Soup w/beans,

meat, veggies, & pastaGarlic BreadPeachesMilk

15Taco SaladCornPineappleMilk

18St. Patrick’s Day LunchGreen SaladGreen ApplesauceSpinach Garlic BreadGreen Milk

19Vegetable SoupCrackersPeasPearsMilk

20Tuna Noodle Casserole

w/vegetablesCornPeachesMilk

21Pasta Salad w/veggies &

yogurt dressingGarlic BreadVeggie SticksApplesauceMilk

22Hard Boiled Eggs HummusFresh VeggiesMelonMilk

25Pasta w/veggie tomato

sauceGreen BeansPearsMilk

26Tortellini Soup w/veggiesCrackersPeasApplesauceMilk

27Turkey & Veggie Roll-ups

on Wheat TortillasCarrot SticksOrangesMilk

28*NEW MENU ITEM*Veggie Biscuit PizzasVeggie SticksMelonMilk

29Bean SaladGarlic BreadOrangesMilk

St. Patrick’s Day Fun FactsIn Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.

Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. The Leprechauns spend all their time busily making shoes, and store away all their coins in a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If ever captured by a human, the Leprechaun has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for their release.

Classroom Happenings

Menu for March

From Deja & Angie in Classroom #2:We will start March with Winter, but will finish with Spring, so we will be talking about Spring and looking for signs

of its arrival this month. We will celebrate children’s author Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 4th with a special lunch of green eggs and ham, and your child may bring their favorite Dr. Seuss books to school to share with friends in class during the month. Also in March we will start learning about plants (what a thing needs to be a plant, why we depend on them so much, etc.), and take a look at farm animals.

We will be starting our Numbers Club this month, too. Your child can become a member of this club when she or he can write the numerals 1-100 with very little help from a teacher.

Our St. Patrick’s Day party will be on March 15th. Please look for a sign-up sheet on our clip board. Last but not least, thank you, parents, for the many items you get for our classroom to make life easier for us. We appreciate you!

From Emilie & Molly in Classroom #3: The children are ready for Spring! Even though they enjoyed playing in the snow for a little bit, they are anxious to get out more and enjoy playing outdoors with their friends. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately as the weather is unpredictable this time of year. In addition to learning Montessori work, the children are working on weekly letters and numbers. After the fourth letter/number in a set, we review all four letters and numbers in the set. We will be finishing w, g, i, l and the 20's-50's. Our last set of letters will be k, q, j, v, y and z and numbers 60's-100. In February, we learned about groundhogs and how they help in forecasting our next season. Will Spring be here early or in 6 weeks? We also learned about eating healthy foods (the food plate), taking care of our teeth, the Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, and President's Day (with a focus on Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Obama). Our Valentine's Day celebration was lovely as the children enjoyed their Valentine snacks and patiently waited to deliver their cards. It was amazing to watch the children enjoy seeing their friend's card enter their mailbox and hear each child say 'thank you.' Thank you all for your contributions for this event and for everything that you do! In March, we will be talking about Dr. Seuss, St. Patrick's Day, farm animals, the life cycle (butterflies/ladybugs), and the new season, SPRING!

From Tammy & Nancy in Classroom #4:

During February we covered the topics of: Groundhog Day (the groundhog didn’t see his shadow- here’s to an early Spring!), friends (we made a friendship quilt), Valentine’s Day (thanks for the wonderful cards and gifts!), Chinese New Year (the year of the snake), President’s Day, and Dental Week.

The month of March will include the topics of: Dr. Seuss’s birthday, farm animals, St. Patrick’s Day, Spring, flowers, Easter, and insects.

I will be on vacation from March 15-24th. My son, Jon, will be getting married on St. Patrick’s Day (yes, we’re Irish) then off to Florida for vacation!

Please remember the weather will be getting warmer in the afternoons, but we do go out to recess in the mornings and it’s still chilly- dress appropriately- layers are good!

From Cassie in Classroom #5: Even though February was a short month, we were very busy, fitting in tons of new work and crafts. Our room was

beautifully decorated with help from my funny little Valentines. It is always a little sad to have to put all of the love away until next year, but the children are already anticipating the next holiday and new season of Spring. We are so excited for more outside play time and seeing the environment around us change into Spring! New growth will be seen all over and will give us a lot to discuss and learn.

I am changing out the work on our shelves to items with St. Patrick’s Day and Spring themes. Of our four seasons, Spring is my personal favorite. There is so much beauty to be seen and taught. We are also working hard with Ms. Ann in music class for our Spring Program. You may have already been hearing snippets from the songs at home!

The past month I was able to go on my first week-long vacation in over 5 years. I went to Ft. Meyers Beach, Florida, with my boyfriend, and we had an amazing time- lots of sun and tons of fun! My mind was set at ease, for my little darlings were in the care of Ms. Molly. It was wonderful to know that they would be comfortable and would continue to receive lessons in Montessori work. She talked to the children about what it is to be a peaceful person and taught them tools they can use when dealing with problems with situations and people. BIG BIG thanks to the Great and Talented Ms. Molly!

In the Montessori learning environment, language is not only a distinct area in the classroom, it also runs parallel with other activity areas. The whole environment is designed so that all activities lead naturally toward the development of the skills required for reading and writing.

Spotlight on Language

Classroom preparation for language exploration starts with Practical Life activities. Through activities like pouring rice, scrubbing tables, polishing objects, the button frame, etc., the child develops control of his or her movements and eye-hand coordination, which are necessary skills for writing. Practical Life activities also help the child develop a span of concentration, an understanding of process and order, and inner discipline.

Prerequisite skills are also honed through Sensorial activities, which develop perceptual abilities, auditory and visual discrimination, and ability to compare and classify. Sensorial activities also develop muscular refinement, lightness of touch, and left-to-right movement, all of which are necessary for reading and writing.

METAL INSETS Develop free wrist movement Develop control of a pencil, firmness and

lightness of touch to prepare for writing Develop appreciation of design

SANDPAPER LETTERS Develop auditory perception of initial, final and medial

sounds in words. Develop auditory perception of sounds of specific

written symbols Develop visual and tactile perception of letters Help develop visual memory Prepare the child for reading and writing

BLENDING MATERIAL Starting with sandpaper letters on which the child has had lessons (e.g., s, m, a, t), the child learns to blend the sounds s/he has studied. When the sounds are blended, the child starts to hear words being formed.