Montessori Education

By: Christina Miller: President Millhopper Montessori School, LLC

Montessori, a developmental approach to learning, is a tried-and-tested curriculum. Each Montessori school is independent from the next, however, and should be observed for its unique qualities and differences. The following is an explanation not only of the Montessori philosophy but the particular program found at Millhopper Montessori School. The Montessori philosophy is designed around four planes of development of about equal length from birth to maturity. Each plane identifies special psychological characteristics. Making use of these developmental planes in an educational environment enables a child’s natural tendencies to enhance his potential. A Montessori school is more than a classroom. It is an environment that allows for an appropriate amount of liberty. It is also a micro-society that places children in multi-age class-rooms. This is one of Montessori’s greatest strengths. Multi-age groupings foster team teaching, cooperative learning, less elimination of grade retention, and flexi-ble pacing. Flexible pacing includes any program in which students are taught material that is appropriately challenging for their ability and allows them to move forward in the curriculum as they master content and skills. For able learners, flexible pacing generally means moving the student up to advanced content or by moving advanced content down to the student. This enables all students to progress through school at a pace that provides a steady challenge without frustration or unreasonable pressure. By consciously bringing children together in a group large enough to allow for about half or more of the children to return every year, continuity is promoted along with the development of a very different level of relationship between children and their teachers, as well as children and their peers. In preschool, Montessori education provides the child with the freedom to select what attracts him in his environment and to work without interruption for as long as he likes. This brings about healthy freedom which can only exist in an environment with large uninterrupted time blocks. These large time blocks are compatible with Montessori’s emphasis on the use of carefully de-signed manipulatives. Through the repetitive use of these materials, children learn by discovery. There has been much research in the past thirty years on the importance of manipulat-ive learning tools. Manipulatives refer to objects that can be touched and moved by students to introduce or reinforce a concept. Children learn best through active, hands-on activities with concrete materials. Individuals with different learning styles rely to different degrees on auditory, visual, and kinesthetic cues and spontaneous investiga-tion (close observation, experimentation, and inquiry). In the elementary years at Millhopper Montessori School, structure is adjusted to include required work with built-in choices that encompass different learning styles. Some of the most important lessons take advantage of what Montessori called the “impressionistic” approach; that is, a lesson or demonstration designed through the use of the child’s imagination to make a lasting impression. At this age level, small group instruction oc-curs more often as the students move gradually away from the hands-on materials towards higher imagina-tion and abstraction.

montessori

What’s Inside:

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

PAGE 3

CONFERENCES

PAGES 6-7

MENTAL HEALTH CORNER

PAGE 8-9

CLASS UPDATES

PAGES 10-39

PTO WINE & CHEESE

RECAP

PAGE 42-43

CALENDAR

PAGE 44

QUARTERLY

NEWSLETTER

FROM

MILLHOPPER

MONTESSORI

SCHOOL

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2

Montessori

Education

Continued from pg. 1

By the fourth grade the students are very comfortable to leave the majority of the manipulatives behind although the curriculum is still dynamic. For example, in the studies of ancient civilizations, students are immersed in examples such as how Eratosthenes was able to determine the circumference of the earth (around 200 BC) and how Roemer was able to measure the speed of light by timing the eclipses of Jupiter’s closest moon. This dynamic style of education stimulates and develops the child’s imagination through fact and truth. At MMS in upper elementary, the students are making use of text books and are

placed in a variety of ability level and grade level groups. Subject areas are still taught in small groups between five and fifteen stu-dents. The middle school curriculum offers a broad view of the world in a thematic approach presenting ideas in an interconnected format. The students study in mixed-age groupings using critical thinking skills and cooperative learning that involves real-life experiences as much as possible. Academics are presented through a challenging and rigorous program. The students develop logical reasoning, re-

search skills, and higher-order thinking skills. Socialization develops in our closely knit atmosphere based on kindness, trust and mutual respect. In order to effectively meet the intellectual and physical needs of adolescents, it is vital to create a physically, socially, and emotionally safe learning environment. A safe learning environment is not only necessary for adolescents to learn but also to make a smooth transition from childhood into adult society. This is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of a developmentally based middle school program.

Be sure to purchase your

yearbook today at the reduced rate of $30.

You can obtain a copy of the order form in the front office.

Contact Ms. Martha Horter at mhorter@millhopper.com with

any questions.

Thanks for your support!

2011-2012 YEARBOOK: Now on Sale

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Each year our Drama classes take a detour into the world that is Shakespeare. Reading the plays, speaking the language and acting out various scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. This year the students in first through fifth grades enjoyed reading the “The Fifth Annual Shakespeare Festival,” script written by the middle school. The middle school’s re-writes helped the elementary students understand “The Tempest,” which was re-written by the sev-enth and eighth graders. These re-writes were cleverly sati-rized in various genres. The opening scene of the storm and shipwreck was pre-sented as the sixties sitcom: “Gilligan’s Island,” Other

scenes represented the TV Show: “Lost,” “McHales Navy,” and an LA Starbucks where Rap Artists hang out. This eclectic mix of scenes kept the audience en-gaged and wanting to see more on February 17th at the Thomas Center Spanish Court where the festival is held every year. The festival opened with “Scenes outside of the Globe,” where the audience met a host of characters from the Elizabe-than Era, including: Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlow, and many more.

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5TH ANNUAL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL We are such stuff as dreams are made on … Prospero

Caryss, a sixth grader por-trays Queen

Elizabeth.

The festival ends with Prospero’s final speech. Just sit right back and you’ll

hear a tale .. A Tale of a fateful trip…..

Students in first through fifth grades enjoyed Millhop-per Montessori Middle School’s Fifth Annual Shakespeare Festival.

Ben and Elizabeth portray Ariel and Prospero.

The final MMS PTO Meeting for this year will be held on May 7th at 6:30 p.m. Items on the Agenda include but are not limited to: Election of Officers for 2012-2013 Spirit ‘Knights’ Landscaping of the preschool/

kindergarten playground Teacher & Safety Patrol Appreciation

Weeks As a reminder childcare is provided during the meetings by the PTO at no cost for MMS students three years old and potty trained. If you have anything you would like added to the agenda, please contact Irma Alvarez, MMS PTO President. You can obtain her contact information from the front office. Thank you for your continued support of the MMS PTO!

MMS SPIRIT ‘KNIGHT’: April 16, 2012

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The MMS PTO will be hosting it’s final Spirit ‘Knight’ for this year at both Piesanos locations on Monday, April 16th from 4:00 - 10:00 p.m. When you dine in or take out be sure to let your server know you are representing MMS and 10% of your bill will be donated to the MMS PTO fund. Be sure to come out for family, food & fun all while raising funds for our PTO! Thanks for your support and GO KNIGHTS!

Courtney Carolyn Hrivnak, a graduate of Millhopper Montessori’s 8th grade class of 2011, was invited to compete in the state finals of the Florida Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest, Saturday March 10, 2012 in Tallahassee, FL. A freshman at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Courtney won two levels of poetry recitation contests at the school level. In the first level of competition there were close to 600 students competing in different English classes which were narrowed down to 23 finalists. Courtney won first place out of all the finalists on February 1, 2012 to advance to the statewide competition in Talla-hassee. The contest is a joint effort with participating Florida High School Lan-guage Arts Teachers and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs along with the National Endowment of the Arts. She was actively involved in the MMS Spotlight Kids Drama Club in 7th & 8th grades and had the opportunity to perform in various productions in Summer Drama Camp and the “MMS End of the Year Shows” since 4th grade. She credits her success to the training she received from her won-derful teachers at Millhopper Montessori School and for the opportunities she had in drama, speech and debate under their tutelage, and through the primary and youth programs at her church. She is a volunteer with the MMS Drama Club (Spotlight Kids) this year and enjoys helping Ms. Sylvia and her students. Courtney also enjoys playing the piano, sing-ing and being actively involved her church’s youth program.

Winners from each school received a certificate, a book of poetry and an all-expense paid trip to Tallahassee. About 50 high schools were represented in the competition and the winner at the state level will advance to the National Poetry Out Loud Finals in Washington D.C. in April 2012. The national winner will receive $20,000 in col-

lege scholarships. Although Courtney did not win the state competition, she did an awesome job and had a wonderful ex-perience performing and meeting so many talented high school students at the competition. She enjoyed the visit to Tallahassee as well, and was able to go to the Florida Museum of History, Mclay Gardens, and the Knott House Museum. She is already excited about next year’s competition and is going to get an early start on the selection of her poems so she can begin working on her recitations. Courtney prepared recitations of the following poems for the com-petition: 1. “A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky” by Lewis Carroll 2. [‘Often Rebuked, yet always back returning’] by Emily Jane Bronte 3. “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser

MMS Graduate Courtney Hrivnak Invited to Finals of Florida Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest 2012

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Courtney in Tallahassee, FL at the state finals of the Florida Poetry Out Loud

Recitation Contest.

Courtney sharing her honors with her former teachers Ms. Sylvia Aslanian & Ms. Sherilyn Farris

In February I attended a conference, Proactive Strategies for Managing Challenging Behaviors of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders sponsored by CARD (University of Florida Center for Autism and Related Disabilities). This conference focused on not only behaviors exhibited in children with disabilities related to Autistic Spectrum Disorders but also in children without diagnosed learning disabilities. The strategies and ap-proaches to behaviors that may interfere with students accomplishing social, emotional and academic goals were addressed. These can be implemented not only in the classroom but can be utilized at home to encourage and sup-port skills necessary to help children become happy, healthy and as self-sufficient/independent as possible.

One approach to working with such behaviors is that of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Be-havior analysis is a natural science of behavior that was originally described by B.F. Skinner in the 1930’s. Positive reinforcement has been used to develop a wide range of skills in learners with and without disabilities. Positive reinforcement also helps to build communication, play, so-cial, academic, self-care, work and community living skills and to reduce problem behaviors. ABA supports Montessori philosophy in that skills are broken down into small steps and learners are provided repeated opportunities to learn and practice skills in a variety of tasks, with abun-dant positive reinforcement. The goals of intervention as well as the specific types of instruc-tions and reinforcers used are customized to the strengths and needs of the student. I found it very interesting that throughout this conference many of the strategies and methods were ones that are implemented in the Montessori philosophy. The importance of correctly identifying repetitive behavior through the use of observations and assessments (recognizing antecedents, behavior and consequences) and then systematically applying appropriate man-agement strategies were discussed. Montessori teachers’ careful observations frequently iden-tify the antecedents and we can implement changes to provide a more developmentally appro-priate (DAP) environment for the child(ren). These observations can minimize and target behav-iors that may impede a child’s development; socially, emotionally and academically. This con-ference also supported the Montessori philosophy in that appropriate student behavior is taught as one would think about teaching academic skills. This is accomplished by providing explicit direction, clear expectations, motivating students, providing an appropriate classroom environ-ment and reinforcing desired behaviors. Recommended Resource: Behind the Schoolhouse Door – Managing Chaos with Science, Skills and Strategies by Glenn I. Latham; and for teaching social-emotional skills to children and ado-lescents http://www.skillstreaming.com Ms. Elizabeth Falls PreK-K Lead Teacher

Conferences attended by our faculty

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Florida Educator’s Technology Conference FETC is one of the largest, most successful conferences in the United States devoted to educational technology. The conference program is designed so educators and ad-ministrators have an opportunity to learn how to integrate different technologies across the curriculum – from kindergarten to college – while being exposed to the latest hard-ware, software and successful strategies on student technology use. FETC is designed for teachers, principals and deans, district administrators, curriculum designers, media specialists, technology directors and various other educators. Ms. Sherilyn, Middle School Lead teacher, and Sylvia Aslanian, K-8th grade Technology Specialist, attended the conference in January. Highlights of this year’s conference were: Cloud Computing Technology Integration Tablet Applications Digital textbooks Multimedia and Video Production Google Tools for the Classroom Mobile technologies

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Consistency is usually identified as the most important contributor to parenting success. As children develop, they learn many behaviors through repetition, and consistent responding by parents facilitates the process. Learning theory explains that when a behavior is fol-lowed by a positive consequence (reward), the frequency of the be-havior will increase. For example, if you praise your child for putting away his or her toys, your child will learn to repeat this behavior more often. When followed by a negative consequence (punishment), the frequency of the behavior should decrease. The more consistently the consequence (reward or punishment) is offered, the quicker the learning will occur. Consistency is also very important to children’s sense of safety and well-being. Indeed, many parents find that their children feel most comfortable following daily routines. For example, when parents set up the expectation that dinner is always followed by an opportunity for playing, then bath time, pajamas, brushing teeth, story, and bed-time, the child feels more confident throughout the evening because he knows what to expect next. The child feels less uncertainty and more control. This sense of security encourages children to broaden their exploratoration—knowing they can return to the safety of the fa-miliar if necessary—and enhances opportunities for learning and de-velopment. This same general principle applies to limit-setting. Though it may seem counterintuitive, children appreciate and thrive on having well-defined rules to follow. These boundaries help them to feel secure because they can anticipate the consequences of their behavior. Many parents become discouraged if their child responds negatively when limits are initially set. The child may resist, complain, or refuse to comply at first. However, this is normal and developmentally appro-priate. Children will typically continue to push and “test” the limits until

mms mental health corner Guest Writer: Lisa Merlo Greene, Ph.D., M.P.E. Licensed Psychologist

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they obtain firm, consistent responses. Once the child learns the boundaries that establish acceptable behavior, he or she will feel more comfortable exploring within these parameters. Children who have consistent limits are much less likely to continue testing them. Finally, it is important to remember that children crave their parents’ attention more than anything. When they feel they are not receiving sufficient positive attention, children will do whatever they can to ac-quire attention, even negative attention. For most children, it is actu-ally preferable to be scolded than to be ignored. As a result, many negative behaviors result from children feeling disregarded by their parents. When parents feel overwhelmed—by their jobs, housework, childcare, or other responsibilities—they often crave some silence and “alone time.” They may appreciate a much-needed break when children are entertaining themselves. So, it can be tempting for parents to stay away from the child at these times, in order to avoid disrupting the independent play. Unfortunately, the unin-tended consequence is that children may feel punished for playing quietly, because they feel they are being ignored. Therefore, a very useful technique is to “catch your child being good.” When your child is engaged in good behaviors, try to provide him or her with some positive attention. Try to use specific praise—when you compli-ment your child for a particular behavior (e.g., “Thank you for sitting quietly”), rather than nonspecific praise—when the behavior is not identified (e.g., “Good boy”), as specific praise is most effective in teaching your child which behaviors to repeat. More information on these topics can be found in books on behavior therapy or parent training. In addition, most pediatric mental health specialists can provide additional assistance or training for parents who would appreciate professional help.

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Spring in the Little House is al-ways an exciting and rejuve-nating time. February con-sisted of studying Life Cycles, primarily frogs and butterflies, and celebrating Valentine's Day. The students enjoyed showing off the new lessons they had mastered for Spring Parent Night and sang a few songs for their parents' enjoy-

ment. March is always gardening month in the Little House. The students each bring in six flowering plants and two herbs to plant. During the month of March the students mulch the garden, water their flowers and herbs, complete art projects using the flowers and herbs, and arrange cuttings for the class. We also have a lady bug release each March as part of our learning about beneficial insects and their uses in gardening and pest prevention. Bess beetles also visited our class in March. The Little House has their Family Appreciation Picnic every spring in conjunction with our garden unit. Families come and eat together on the grass and then visit the garden for a flower viewing. The year wraps up each May with fun activities in the classroom and on the playground, culmi-nating in Spirit Week, five days of dress-up fun.

Beginners: Ages 2-4 Ms. Crystal Sorrow Ms. Elizabeth Sheehan Ms. Amy Padgett

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During the month of January, we blasted off into a unit about the solar system. In addi-tion to studying the sun and planets, the students also discovered other wonders in our universe including asteroids, comets, meteors, constellations, moon phases and space travel. A class favorite was definitely the crater formation experiment. Their creativity

was also enhanced as the students constructed their very own constella-tions. In February, the students traveled back in time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. They learned to identify di-nosaurs of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and classified her-bivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. Becoming a “paleontologist” and hunt-ing for fossils was a highlight for the children as they dug up makeshift di-nosaur bones. Our second Parent Night of the year was held on Thursday, February 9th.

Preschool: Ages 3-5 Ms. Christina Eckstein Ms. Martha Dolan

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Crater Formation Experiment Creative Constellation Construction

Digging for fossils

The second parent night is always an amazing time for the parents to watch the children work in the classroom and to see how much they have progressed since the beginning of the year. At the end of the evening, everyone partici-pated in one of our favorite circle time songs, Stop and Go, which develops lis-tening skills, steady beat, melodic awareness and body control. This year we had two wonderful interns from our seventh grade class here at Millhopper Montessori, Soren Bender and Trent Phillips. The children love be-ing mentored by the “new teachers” in the room. Mr. Soren and Mr. Trent as-sisted the children during work cycle time, helped them with art projects and monitored their behavior during recess. It won’t be long before our preschoolers are interns themselves!

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A daughter shows her dad how she does addition work

Circle time learning and fun at Parent Night!

Art with Mr. Soren

Yea spring! This season we are planting a garden. We have planted herbs and vegetables that we will use to treat our parents to a special lunch in apprecia-tion for all they do for us. In the process we are learning about seeds, germination,

plant types and the parts of plants. We are also learning about soil, nutrients, sunlight, water and insects and how these things are important for healthy plants.

On the last day of February we made kites and flew them in the field behind the school. The children had a lot of fun! Spring time is awe-some!

Preschool: Ages 3-5 Ms. Renee Brohamer Ms. Lily Tajalli

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Happy Spring!

We would like to welcome a new student and her family to MMS; Miss Lia Raetz! We are happy to have her in our class! Her family has just recently moved here from Switzerland!

In January, we celebrated the 100th day of school! We started this special day with our traditional 100th day breakfast! After breakfast, the children worked on the number 100 all day (i.e., 100 board work, writing to 100, creat-ing a 100 bead necklace, counting by tens, etc.!). The children also brought in their collection of 100 items and presented them to the class. Everyone en-joyed looking at all the different collections! It hardly seems that we have been in school for that many days!

In February, we had our final Parent Night of the 2011-2012 school year. The children have grown so much not only academically but socially and emotion-ally since our first Parent Night! Thank you all for making our last Parent Night so special!

After our Parent Night, we were able to relax a little bit by cele-brating Valentine's Day. The children made special Valen-tine's Day cards for the resi-dents of The Village!

Each year the students work on and present to the class a mini research project. This is the be-ginning of learning basic re-search skills and helps the chil-dren to become more comfort-able with "public speaking".

This year's research focused on the study of Penguins. The children did a beautiful job on their projects! A big “THANK YOU” goes out to the parents

Preschool/Kindergarten Ms. Elizabeth Falls Ms. Widline Senecharles

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for helping your child with their pro-ject! We learned so much from all the in-formation the chil-dren presented to the class.

We are going to miss our Antarctica and Penguin Unit Study but the chil-dren are excited to move on to new unit studies for the months of March, April and May. We will be focusing on the Ocean and Vertebrates and Invertebrates (including Butterflies), and some Botany (flowers).

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at our Parent Appreciation Brunch, Tues-day, May 8th at 10:00 a.m.! (more details to follow)

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This is always a great time of year. Ms. Kathleen and I get to bear witness to some incredible growth among the students. The children are learning deeply, making con-nections, showing greater social and aca-demic responsibility, making wonderful art and having a lot of fun! We began the year with a short unit on earth science. The children learned about the layers of the earth, some plate tectonics and how volcanoes form. This included learning about the internal parts of volca-

noes and their associated terminology (e.g. magma chamber, vent, ash, lava and crater). The children were also introduced to classify-ing rocks as igneous, sedimentary, metamor-phic and minerals based on their formation. The highlights of that unit included erupting models of volcanoes and breaking geodes. For literature we read Charlie and the Choco-late factory and ended the book with the original movie and popcorn. We are now reading the BFG also written by Roald Dahl. The children love his books! At this time of year we have a master story-teller read to Ms. Crystal’s class. Once a week, a child is chosen to be master story-teller. That student practices reading a book to our class (and showing pictures to the group) and then reads to Ms. Crystal’s class in the little house (2-4 year olds). Her class seems to really enjoy it, and it is very em-

Preschool/Kindergarten Ms. Jackie Johnson Ms. Kathleen Bastien

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Play dough fun!

Division with the Division Board.

powering for our students as well. Shortly after our earth science unit, we began our study of South America. We did a focused study of Peru, and learned a lot about the people and customs of that country. The children were able to enjoy a lot of Peruvian art and artifacts many on loan from Glo bal Alterna-tives. The remaining study of South America will touch on other countries his-tory and culture, but will primarily focus on the land: rivers, mountain ranges, and rainforests. We will end our year learn-

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about the rainforest and putting on a program for the parents about the rainforest with dance, songs, and poetry. The children are already enjoy-ing practicing for this performance.

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Cup Printing.

Cracking Geodes!

Matching words to pictures.

Our Montessori students say, “Learning is fun!” When we got back from the Winter Holiday we went full steam ahead. Here, we reflect on all of the incredible accom-

plishments the children have made this quarter: At the beginning of our school year we studied the farm. Our activities in-cluded incubating eggs and raising chicks until they were old enough to live on the farm. In Social Studies our children were very interested in the rich history of the 1800’s so we booked a trip to Dudley Farm and they experi-enced first-hand what life was like in the day Laura Ingles Wilder writes about in the Little House on the Prairie books. Poetry is abounding. Every first through eighth grader will have written

or illustrated in the upcoming interactive Literary Maga-zine. The middle school is busy laying out feature pages for each classroom. Children honed in on their baking and measuring skills when Ms. Mindy (Maddie’s mom) came into our class to help celebrate Ms. Susie’s favorite holiday.” Can you guess? It’s Mardi Gras!” Everyone shared a homemade King Cake and made some gorgeous masks for a keepsake.

First & Second Grades Ms. Anita Bender Ms. Susie Long

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“What? No running water, a bed pan?, Outhouse?, Eww!” the children squealed. Everyone from class got a turn pumping the water from the well. Today it runs into a trough for the horses but in the 1800's the water had to be carried into the house with a pail.

Thank you Ms. Mindy for helping us make a home made Mardi Gras King Cake.

Learning about life on Dudley Farm (Outhouse building)

The study of Endangered Animals went very well. The children’s projects were very impres-sive. We’ve had the ability to truly integrate this study into many different subjects: Sci-ence, Geography, Spanish, Technology web quests, Writing, Math graphs and coordinates along with some beginning research lessons. Thank you TNT Nurseries (Delena’s family) for donating plants kicking off our Spring Garden planting. The children take turns caring and tending the garden. Everyone will pick beauti-

ful flowers during our Flower Harvest and save some for decorating our tables at the Mother’s Tea event in May. We plan garden time most Thursdays. We still have room for a few herbs and a tomato plant or two. As a natural transition, we are studying anything to do with the basic outdoors: bot-any, insects, weather, and science experiments about our earth, sun, water and the way we fit into the natural world. Hiking, canoeing, biking and walking are all great activities this time of year. The children are ready to open their eyes and leave the camera at home but don’t forget the sketchbook and pencil.

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Sienna presents Endangered Animal report in Spanish.

Teya sewing with Ms. Susie. Sixty bears were sewn and donated from first and sec-ond grade to Shand's Pediatric Emergency Room.

Decoupage for Valentine's Day with Ms. Anita.

Venumadhava ready for the Mardi Gras events!

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End of the Year Show Friday, June 1 - 5:30 p.m

PK Yonge Performing Arts Center

ALL MMS Families are invited!!!!

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We have been quite busy since returning from Holiday break and the days have flown by quickly. Our studies in Geography are taking us to Europe. We have visited England, Ire-land and Spain. We will be working our way through many of the countries and are hoping to have many guests come in for presentations. We are also preparing for our first ever Geography Bee which will be on April 27.

In Science we have begun studying the Hu-man Body. We have already discussed the skeletal and circulatory systems and are looking forward to learning so much more about the amazing human!! We also each created a project on an endangered animal. This project helped to raise awareness of some of these animals among the students. The students gave a presentation to their peers in class, and the posters were hung outside the classroom for others school members to see.

In History, we have spent some time learning about famous African-Americans and their contributions to our lives, as well as, famous women of History. These discussions allow us to become more aware of the people who helped to shape our world and made an important difference in soci-ety. In Social Studies we continue to learn about communi-ties and responsibilities of citizens.

We had a great time pre-paring for the special events during this term. We were very inspired to create something nice for the Wine and Cheese Si-lent Auction Fundraiser.

Second & Third Grades Mr. Richard Aslanian Ms. Suzi Rumsey

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Rissa shows her project on the Endan-gered Animal, The Purple Toad.

Lorelei as Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and Brennan as a bus rider in “The Mont-gomery Bus Boycott”.

The student created birdbath was a hit. We were also very happy to have dads (or special someones) come spend some time with us for Field Day. We had a great time and no one got too injured.

Finally, we would like to thank former students, Ben Brandt and Austin Petty, for spending their internship week in our class. These two young men worked hard grading papers, teaching lessons, making copies and doing many jobs around our classroom. We appreciate their dedication and positive attitude during the week and we very happy to have them back in our class again.

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Ms. Suzi and Ben show Artharva how to place a tile into the bird-bath mosaic.

The Campbell Family spending quality time before the events begin.

Jasmine and her dad enjoying Father’s Day Field Day.

During the 3rd quarter, 4th and 5th stu-dents enjoyed many special events and activities. Students spent several weeks preparing for their field trip to Cumber-land Island by learning about the history and environment of the area. On the trip they had a great time exploring the his-toric sites and identifying the characteris-tics of its biomes. 4th graders recently finished their study of the Civil War and Reconstruction pe-riod. During mid-March we were visited by Civil War re-enactor and UF Entomology professor, Dr. Tom Fasulo. Through his captivating stories of the Civil War, demonstration of soldiers’ drills, and the ex-amination of each item from his pack, students got a real sense of what life was like for a Union soldier in battle.

Father’s Field Day took place Friday, March 16th. Thanks to all fathers and family members who came out to have fun and support our students. Even at this age, it still means a lot to them!

Our 4th/5th grade literature class was deli-cious this past 6 weeks! We munched our way through the wonderful chapters of Roald Dahl’s classic book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Along with read-ing the book, the students completed

many extension activities to help further their understanding of the book. They in-vented their own candies, wrote newspaper articles, completed a webquest to learn about how chocolate is made, designed a candy factory and discovered the perils of watching too much television. Some students even made homemade candies and brought delicious chocolate and Wonka sweets. It was a SWEET class!!

Fourth & Fifth Grades Ms. Christina (Tina) Miller Ms. Susan Salvatore Ms. Erin Sorel Ms. Martha Horter

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Our 5th grade composition class embarked on a writing adventure this quarter. Each student created their own fic-tional narratives. They began by designing cartoons of the main story elements, includ-ing; setting, characters, intro-duction, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusion. Next, the students wrote rough drafts and final drafts. The last step of the process involved recreating the narra-tive in story book format complete with illustrations. Our culminating activ-ity allowed the young authors to read their stories to Ms. Crystal’s class and then to eat a picnic lunch with them. You can read their stories on-line from the link on Millhoppertech.com

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Internships Middle school internships were completed during March 5th – 9th. The seventh grade students completed their internships in one of the MMS Kindergarten or Elementary classes. Our eighth grade student completed her internship in a community business of her choice. Seventh grade interns were responsible for various classroom assignments, such as reading to students, or having students read to them, helping with math questions, or overseeing Spring craft projects. Classroom teachers appreciated the help during the hurried holiday season and interning student experienced the role of “assistant” for the week.

Ashley, our eighth grade student, completed her internship with the US Geological Sur-vey office in South Florida. She took part in several “turtle round-up” to measure tagged Diamond Terrapin turtles in the Ev-erglades Another assignment she partici-pated in was tracking tagged pythons to monitor their locations. She also observed an operation to tag a 16 foot, 165 lb Bur-mese Python for release. Ashley wrote two articles that were published for the USGA’s website “Soundwaves.” Ashley’s supervisor was very positive in her evaluation, espe-cially pointing out Ashley’s writing skills and her high level of responsibility Overall, internships were very successful.

All of the middle school students made positive contributions to their internship sites and, in return, gained a sense of what will be expected of them when they enter the working environment. Cumberland Island Trip The 4th – 8th grade spent Friday, March 2nd at Cumberland Island National Sea-shore. Cumberland Island is located on a barrier island 45 minutes off the coast of St.

Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grades Ms. Sherilyn Farris Ms. Susan Hansen

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Ashley internship with USGS in the Everglades. This Burmese Python is 17 feet long and weighed in at 165 lbs!

Mary’s, GA. The island has a long history, from a population center for Timucuans Indians around 4000 B.C. to a winter home for the rich industrialist family of the Carnegies. It has been left relatively untouched by development. It is a beautiful island containing long, uninterrupted stretches of beach, sea oat laden sand dunes, forests of majestic live oak, freshwater ponds that are home and water-hole to various wildlife, and marsh lands that protect numerous forms of aquatic life. Prior to the field trip, the students learned about the three main biomes on the island: marsh, maritime forest and dune/beach. They also studied the history of the island. Everyone had a great time!

M3S Roxx the Bard

We have hearkened back to days of yore during Literature. Both the 6th graders and the 7th/8th graders studied William Shakespeare in a variety of different ways. Sixth graders read a historical fiction novel, The King of Shadows and read an abbreviated version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Seventh and eighth grad-ers were introduced to one of Shake-speare’s final plays, The Tempest. As a culminating project, students presented

their work to the community in the 5th an-nual Shakespeare Festival.

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4th - 8th grade students on the beach at Cumberland Island, GA

Middle School Students at the Thomas Center after their Shakespeare Performance

Hello Millhopper Montessori students and parents, The students have been busy this quarter! Through the month of February we studied environmental aspects and historical facts about the Cumberland Barrier Island in Geor-gia. Cumberland Island is Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island and today a national seashore. The Island is a complex ecological system of interdependent animal and plant communities. On March 2nd we took a bus to St. Mary’s, Georgia . Once there, we took a ferry to the island. The salt marshes were the first to come into sight. This is the area where salt and fresh water mix. The tides bring in microscopic or-ganisms and much needed oxygen. The marshes buffer the landward side of the island from the twice-daily tide, and some of the impact of storms. It con-

sists of tall grasses and tidal creeks containing birds such as oystercatchers, terns, peregrine falcons, herons, Ibis and egrets, among others. Also fiddler crabs, raccoons, deer, horses and other wildlife. Once on the barrier island we proceeded to walk through the maritime forest, which appears, at first glance to be like any other live oak hammock with saw palmettos. However, if you look at the live oaks you’ll notice a bend to the trees caused by winds carrying salt sheer which blow over the is-land. Over time, the trees, trying to avoid the sheer, grow at an extremely bent angle. Spanish moss and Resurrection fern grow on the trees. In the woods live owls, pileated woodpeckers, wrens, war-blers, tanagers, raccoons, deer and armadillos.

Science Ms. Renee Gaskin 4th through 8th Grades

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And, of course, there are the dunes and beach. As we walked out of the forest we noticed large dunes covering shrubs and trees in their path. Barrier islands appear to be permanent but they are constantly changing. Although quite fragile, the plants that grow on the dunes help prevent erosion. On the beach you might see feral horses graz-ing on grasses, or Sandpipers, gulls, and Ospreys diving into the water to fish. Unfortunately, we were not able to see any Loggerhead turtles. During hatching season, it is possible to see the hatchlings emerge from the sand and make a dash for the surf. Unfortunately, not all of them make it. Cumberland Island is an International Biosphere Reserve. It has 8,840 acres set aside as a National Wilderness Area. “This is an area left in its natural state where there are no conveniences and humans are only visitors. The motto: TAKE ONLY PICTURES. KILL ONLY

TIME. LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS…” is a saying that all the 4th-8th graders learned. We are all stewards of these fragile environments and it is up to us to protect them for generations to come.

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Spanish Ms. Jeanne-Marie Clune-Hrivnak Beginners through 8th Grades

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Above: Our Study of Peru

Left: Dos hispanohablantes importantes: Benito Juarez y

Cesar Chavez…

Above: Vamos al Mar

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Above: La Primavera: Las Flores y Las Hierbas

Left: Los Juegos y Los Proyectos

This quarter in Technology the Kindergarteners have been concentrating on several themes, President’s Day, Women’s History, Oceans, Butter-flies and much more. They visited UEN on Millhopper Tech, and utilized Brain Pop and the Brain Pop quizzes. Some of the kindergarteners are having trouble with mouse manipula-tion. It is very important for continued success in Technology class for the students to practice at home. All of our lessons are located on : www. millhoppertech.com. In addition to lessons on President’s Day and Women’s History, Ms. Anita’s students spent several weeks working on an Endangered Spe-cies Web Quest. Mr. Richard’s class worked on the web quest as well and are now work-ing on a Web Quest on the recognizing important symbols of England. They will use their research to create a Power Point. Ms. Tina’s tech savvy students have created Willy Wonka Voki’s, and Glogsters, located Longitude and Latitudes in Google Earth, learned how to create charts in Excel and the Fifth grade had a presentation spon-sored by NetSmartz.org, discussing topics such as, Being Safe on So-cial Networks, Profile Pages, Texting and Cyber bullying. Check out the Fifth Grade Stories they wrote in Literature Class at: www.millhoppertech.com. Click: Fifth Grade then Click: Fifth Grade Sto-ries M3S has been working on creating music videos using green screen technology with routines they choreographed in P.E. Check out their vid-eos at www.millhoppertech.com, Click: M3S, then Click: Music Videos

Technology Ms. Sylvia Aslanian Kindergarten through 8th Grade

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The Green Screen

Bryan and Trent pose, in their “Mr. Saxobeats”

persona.

M3S Roxx Video Production!

How about this weather? Coach Cam has loved the cool morn-ings and sunny afternoons as it has greatly cut down the inside days due to poor weather. As we enter spring the annual throwing and catching unit pre-ceded the ever popular jump rope unit. Students in middle school were required to produce a two minute routine and younger students either created a routine or simply worked on their jumping motor skills. This culminated in The Show, our yearly showcase for the stu-dents’ creativity and vertical propensity. Sports Leagues:

First off let us congratulate our M3S basketball team for winning their league over at the YMCA. A 47-30 victory ended a great season for our mid-dle school Knights. A big thank you to Mr. Rich-ard for coaching this promising group. We are proud to have two teams participating in the spring volleyball season at The Girl’s Place. Both the 5th-6th grade team and the 2nd-4th grade team practice on Tuesdays from 4:40-5:30 at The Girls Place. The popularity in the sport has ex-ploded, exclusively due to the energy of a few Lady Knights that ventured out on their own. Having two MMS teams is AWESOME! Flag football practice has also begun. Games will begin after spring break. MMS has one team in each division, K-1st, 2nd-3rd and 4th-5th. Big props to Jeff Reynolds, Phil Dodds, and Bobby and Deeta Adkins for volunteering their time to coach. Go Knights!

Physical Education Coach Cam Kindergarten through 8th Grades

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DARK KNIGHT JERSEY’S FOR SALE

Since we KNOW you’re going to head out to all these sporting events to show your support, why not have a customized “Dark Knight” jersey to wear while you go? Jerseys are available in youth sizes only. Just the jersey can be yours for a $10 donation, while $20 gets you the jersey with a name across the shoul-ders and a big number on

back! They jerseys are a quality dry-fit material that will be great for every day wear. Your child does not have to be participating in the sports league to have one of these spirit-wear jerseys. We do have a very limited supply, so order yours with coach today! If you are interested in the jerseys or have questions about any of the above, email Coach Cam at cparker@millhopper.com

Go Knights!!

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For the past two years the Spotlight Kids attended the National Performing Arts Festival in Walt Disney World, competing against top Performing Arts Schools, including Atlanta’s Broadway Kids. Both years the thespians were awarded trophies for Excellent Rat-ings and the first year they were also awarded a Special Judges Trophy for their re-writes and real life under-standing of three of Shakespeare’s plays. In addition five of the thes-pians earned Outstanding Perform-ance Medals. “Not bad for a small troupe from Gainesville, Florida meet-ing only once a week!”

This year the thespians competed against other Junior Thespian troupes in Florida. At the district level there were 400 in at-tendance. There, they earned Superiors and Excellents that earned them a spot to compete at the State Competition in Mel-bourne, Florida. It was held at the Mel-bourne IB High School. The competition was the largest Junior Thespian State Competition, with 2400 thespians and directors in attendance. “We beat Georgia’s State Competition by 600”, shouted Rodney Savickis, Junior Thespian State Director at the closing ceremonies.

Spotlight Kids Performing Arts Junior Thespian Troupe # 88928 Ms. Sylvia Aslanian All For One, One For All, Together the Spotlight Shines Brighter

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Waiting for our results in front of the West side of Melbourne High School.

On the school’s football field waiting for the next thespian to compete.

The Spotlight Kids came home with all Excellent and one Good ratings. An impressive feat to say the least at a very strict competition. They rate each performance on: Character Develop-ment/Consistency, Deliv-ery/Style/Expression, Vocal Production/Technique, Pitch/Intonation/Form, Staging and Choreography, Staging/Blocking, Devel-oped Relationships/Characters, Focus, En-ergy/Concentration, Emotional Commitment, and Overall Performance. “Going to competition was a great experience because we got to see other performers our age all across the state that loved to be on stage. I am very glad that I was given the opportunity to go,” com-mented Ben, seventh grader and this years Treasurer.

Cristina, seventh grader and this years Junior Thespian President said, “Next year I want to win the trophy for Best in Show, and I want our troupe to do what it takes to win, but I am proud of what we ac-complished this year!”

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Ms. Liz Nelson, Spotlight Kids Vocal Coach, works with the vocal competitors to exercise their voices and practice breathing before their performances.

MMS mother publishes book, Arcadia

In the fields and forests of western New York State in the late 1960s, several dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding what becomes a famous commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this lyrical, rol-licking, tragic, and exquisite utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday and beyond.

The School Lunchbox: Fresh and Green, As in Healthy Not Eco. Eat Me! Guest Writer: Danielle Downey

If dinner is a never-ending thought, school lunch can be too. I feel satisfied when Evelyn enjoys a healthy lunch, and her little lunchbox comes home empty. Here are a few successful lunch ideas and tips gathered from Ev and pals' lunchbox hits:

Pasta and pesto: Whip up a pesto with that fresh basil from the market, choose a pasta shape, and the lunchbox is nearly at week’s end. Ev munches pasta at least three lunches a week! Consistency with a few favorite recipes means eaten! For variety, eat seasonally. Wraps: From tortillas to flat bread, Ev likes them rolled with melted cheese, spread with pureed beans, or, like our little friend eats, with cheese and thinly-sliced ham. Steamed Veggie Bites: My friend steams broccoli florets for her kids' lunch. They eat them all up. A few drops of olive oil, drops of lemon (just a few!) and a pinch of salt make an empty container every time. Try carrots, green beans or your child's favorite veggie (don't forget the pinch of salt!). Carrots, Celery & Dip: These classics go from yuck to crunch with a little preparation (nothing like a grainy mouth full of stalks and roots!). Peel the outer layer of celery to lose the strings. Cut both thin and short, especially for little mouths. A tasty hummus will dip nicely. Try new food ideas at home first! Evelyn’s Mom http://evreaches.wordpress.com

Lauren is the mother of Beckett Kallman in Ms. Christina Eckstein’s pre-school class. Lauren writes short stories which have appeared in a num-ber of journals, including the New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Plough-shares, Glimmer Train, One Story, and Subtropics, and in the antholo-gies Best American Short Stories 2007 and Best American Short Stories 2010, Pushcart Prize XXXII, and Best New American Voices 2008. A story will be included in the 2012 edition of PEN/ O. Henry Prize Stories. Lauren's first novel, The Monsters of Templeton, published in February 2008, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection and bestseller and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Writers. Her second book, Delicate Edible Birds, is a collection of stories. Her second novel, Arcadia, was published on March 13, 2012.

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On Friday, March 16th dads, granddads, uncles and even some moms took to the East Field for an afternoon full of food and fun. This was the sixteenth annual Fa-ther’s Field Day at MMS where 100 students along with their family member flexed their muscles with a water balloon toss, marshmallow river, hula-hoop races and more! While the competitive edges came out this was a great day for dads to get the chance to bond with their child in a school setting, while mingling with their friends and teachers. Thanks to all of the families that participated! We love our Dad’s (and mom’s too)!

FATHER’S FIELD DAY: Thanks to Dear ‘Ol Dad!

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On Saturday, March 10, 2012 the PTO held its third annual Wine & Cheese Fundraiser at the new Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall. Over $4000 was raised for the PTO fund.

We would like to thank the following individu-als for their hard work in making this year’s event a success!

Jessica & Ernest Milian Ana Moros-Hanley

Irma Alvarez Erin Jaszczak

Richard & Sylvia Aslanian Bill Black

This event would not have been successful without your valuable time and dedication! THANK YOU!

The PTO agreed at its March meeting to purchase a mobile interactive white board for all of the classrooms to be able to use when teaching our children. Ms. Sylvia is in the process of research-ing a variety of boards and will be placing the or-der in the next month or so! We are excited to be able to add this tool for our teachers to use start-ing next school year!

Be sure to attend the next PTO meeting on May 1st to help decide where additional funds raised will be allocated.

2012 Wine & Cheese PTO FUNraiser

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Jessica & Ernest Milian share a good laugh dancing together!

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Kim Mitrook shows off her “golden ticket” good for one month

of tuition!

Mr. Richard having FUN! Ms. Suzi & Ana Moros-Hanley sell-ing chocolate bars...one of which holds “THE GOLDEN TICKET”!

Erin Jaszczak, Jessica Milian & Ms. Suzi Rumsey ponder over a birdbath made by the children in Mr. Richard’s class. It sold in the silent auction for

$145!!!

After the silent auction concluded the dancing started!

Jill Goslinga places her bid for a handmade basket made by the children in Ms. Anita’s class. It

sold in the silent auction for $100!!!

calendar mms

Friday, March 30 No School Monday, April 2 - Friday, April 6 Spring Holidays - No School Tuesday, April 10 Teacher Work Afternoon 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12 Ms. Crystal Sorrow’s Parent Appreciation Picnic - 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 16 Piesanos Spirit ‘Knight’ - both locations 4:00 - 10:00 p.m. Monday, April 16 - Friday, April 20 Presidential Physical Fitness Testing (1st - 8th grades) Tuesday, April 17 Report Cards mailed home Monday, April 23 Internet Safety Presentation - Middle School Students Monday, April 23 - Friday, April 27 ITBS Testing (1st - 8th grade students)