Director’s Desk 11/25/09

Director's Desk 11/20/09

Parent Teacher Conferences are Coming Up 12/1/09
Please check the Sign In Sheet posted on the Door on Monday and sign up for a meeting with your class teacher. Janel will be posting those next week. 

Coffee with the Director
What a vibrant discussion we had this Thursday. The topic was "Tantrums, Discipline and Self Discipline." I will put an outline of our conversation with excerpts of the article by Elizabeth Pantley for everyone to review. Thank you for participating and sharing your thoughts and experiences. 

We will hold another Coffee with the Director on the subject "How to Help Our Children Resolve Conflicts" on December 10. 

On December 10 we are also going to discuss Transition to Primary Class. Please join us. 

Chanuka Party
Our children are preparing songs and rhymes for Chanuka every day  starting at 9 a.m. We are practicing with my guitar the songs and the lyrics each day for 10 minutes. The children also learn about my guitar - ask them.  If your child is late, he is missing that part of the day, and is not familiar with the songs.

Chanuka party is scheduled for 12/13, Sunday at 10:30 and the children will perform their songs at the party. Please have them dressed white top and blue pants for the party. We will be charging $5 per person and $20 cap per family - in order to cover costs.

PTO Phone-a-Thone 
On Dec. 8, the Fundraising Committee, a parent volunteer group will be calling each family and asking for pledges for the school Annual Giving Campaign. Please welcome their call and help them out to raise money for the school. This campaign includes donations from school families and staff. More info to be followed. The PTO Fundraising Committee has just sent out a letter informing our families on the Annual Campaign. Please take a look at it. 

Soccer Last Class
Last class with coach Zeke is on Tuesday November 24.  One more makeup class is scheduled for Nov. 23 (Monday) at 3:15 p.m. Thank you so much for Iris Yachin who volunteered to coordinate it. Iris also volunteered to coordinate a new session starting in the Spring. 

Director Out of Town
I will be out of town starting Monday November 23  through December 4 on a personal trip. While I am out of the office, Janel will be happy to help with any administrative issue, and she is available on extension 18. Please do not hesitate to call our office. If you wish to notify about a sick child or absent, please dial extension 20. 

We are closed for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 and 27. 

Have a wonderful Thanks Giving,

Ellie

Director's Desk 11/13/09

Reminders:

• 11/17 -Tuesday, Noon Dismissal - Professional Day.
• 11/19 - Thursday, "Tantrums, Discipline and Self Discipline" - This important conversation is for all parents, novice and expert. Please join us for a Coffee with the Director at 8:45a.m - 9:45 a.m. 

(Parents who cannot attend a Morning discussion, and would like to have one, please email me and we will be happy to schedule an evening discussion time.)

• December 10 - Thursday, 8:45 a.m. Toddler Community discussion on Transition to Primary - Parent meeting.  
• Chanukah's Party for the School - 12/13, Sunday at 10:30. Save the Date. There will be songs performed by Alef Bet Children, music, candle lighting, a wonderful Balloonist show and lots to eat. Flyers will be out soon.

Open House:

Please invite your friends to join us for our School's Open House next week - on Tuesday, November 17 at 8 p.m. 

This will be an opportunity for new prospective families to visit our school in anticipation of the 2010-2011 school year. 

Invite your friends to join us, meet the teachers, see our materials and look at our facilities. 

We offer programs for children ages 18 months - 5 years of age. A unique program that combines Montessori education with Judaism.

RSVPs are appreciated but not a must. 

We hope you can serve as a reference for our school and forward this message to your friends.

Shabat Shalom,

Ellie

Director's desk 11/6/09

It is Scientifically Proven:

Some of you have asked me for the Science Publication of the analysis of students’ academic and social scores of Montessori schools compared with other elementary school education programs. Click here, for the full article. The gist: 5-year-old and 12 year-old Montessori students achieved higher scores for both academic and behavioral tests. Behavioral means Montessori children were significantly more likely (43% versus 18% of responses) to use a higher level of reasoning by referring to justice or fairness to convince the other child to relinquish the object. Similarly, Montessori children were significantly more likely to be involved in positive shared peer play and significantly less likely to be involved in rough play that was ambiguous in intent. Academically is self explanatory. The outcome - Montessori education has a positive long-term impact. To read more Outcome.

Thank Yous

Last week we held a Shabbaton Friday Night Dinner for our school. The songs were sweet, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was so warm and welcoming. We wanted to thank Rabbi Palatnik and Lori Palatnik for engaging us in a spiritual Shabbat with songs and explanations on the rituals of Shabbat.

 

It would not have been a Shabaton without the unbelievable help of the PTO volunteers:  Iris Yachin, Renana and Assaf Harel, Ngina Shulman, Ximena Dagam, Inbal Bar-Oz, Jackie Mizrachi, Zita Weinstein, Lauren Millner, Ilana Ratner, Jenny Brainin and Stefie Brodsky - who helped in planning the menu, shopping for groceries, coordinating cooking time at Lori's house, cooking the delicious food, setting the tables, preparing the center pieces and more.  What a group of parents! Thank you so much for making a Shabbaton so special. 

Reminders: 

• We are closed next Thursday 11/12 for a professional day.
• Tantrums, Discipline and Self Discipline - Please join us for a Coffee with the Director on Nov 19, Thursday, at 8:45 - 9:45.
• December 10 - Toddler Community discussion on Transition to Primary - Parent meeting.  

Chanukah Party - Save the Date:

Our Chanukah Party will be on  Sunday 12/13 at 10:30 a.m. Flyers will be out soon. We are planning plenty of fun, songs and children singing for the party. Please save the date. 

A Playdate for your child

Play is the the "work" of our children. At the age of 3 and 4 year old our children are working very hard on their social skills. A playdate with a friend from class, will make them feel comfortable in their class social environment. 

 

Invite a child for a playdate and keep some simple guidelines:

• Keep initial playdates short (2 hours). It is much better to end with the participants wanting more. 
• Set up initial playdates when your child is not tired. 
• Include your child during the planning stage.
• Talk about what he would like to share, and how to treat a guest (we share our toys, "guests gets the best", "you get what you get and you don't get upset")
• If there are toys that are hard to share, they need to be put away
• Stay close by - help the children work out disputes.
• 

A new book in our School library: 

Is It a Big Problem or a Little Problem: When to Worry, When not to Worry and What to do?  This book offers simple strategies to head off tantrums or calm a child who is out of control. A great read for parents with toddlers and primary students. You can get it on Amazon or borrow from our library.

 

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