Director's Desk 9/24PTO Meeting
Parents of our school held a PTO meeting last Tuesday. See the new link for 'PTO - Parent Committee' on the left side bar under 'Parent Place'. The minutes of this meeting are posted there or click here.Thank you to all the volunteers who joined the meeting.
Gym Class for 3 Years Old - A Quick Poll
A message from Morris Schreim: At last night's PTO meeting, several parents inquired about the possibility of having a class for children under 3 years old at MarVa Tots gym at the same time as the 4-5 year old class which is now scheduled for Mondays at 3:30-4:15 p.m. October 12th through December 14th. The owner of the gym indicated that he could accommodate us. These younger children may participate with one of their parents/guardian. Please send a quick email to Morris Schreim at mailto:muschreim@core.com, if you are interested in participating.
Hershey Park - Private Party During Sukkot, Monday, Oct. 5 (Updated deadline Wednesday Sept. 30) Our school is organizing the purchase of admission tickets for Hershey Park's Private Opening during the Sukkot break. Hershey Park will be open for one day, Monday Oct. 5, from 11 am - 7 pm. Regular admission is $36 at the gate and $32 advance online purchase. However, we are taking orders to purchase tickets at a special group rate of $29 per person. The Private Day at the Hershey Park will feature the full facility, including the amusement park, Hershey's Chocolate World and the Zoo. There will be Sukkahs and Kosher food stands. If you would like to order tickets at the group rate, please send Amanda Boltax an email to amanda@boltax.com, and specify the number of tickets you would like to purchase. Please write a check for the amount at $29 per ticket to the order of Amanda Boltax and deliver them to the school. The deadline for orders is Sept. 30.
"Pizza in the Hut" Oct. 6 @ 7:30 p.m.- Social event for Parents only
Please join us for a wonderful talk with our guest speaker Lori Palatnik, at the Baars' family "Hut". We will sit in the sukkah for some beer and pizza. This is a great oportunity for parents to meet each other socialize. The Baars family lives not very far from the school on 6012 Roseland Drive, Rockville MD 20852. Please RSVP to Janel Herman by Thursday Oct 1. We just need a count for the servings.
Extension 20
If you wish to notify the school that your child is sick and will not be attending, that you will be late, that you would like to talk to the teacher or that you are going out of town, or any other message that you think the teachers should know - please leave us a message on extension 20. Although Ellie would love to talk to each and every one of the parents, please leave the messages on extension 20. We pick up those messages twice a day, morning and afternoon. You can also send a note, and we will be happy to deliver it to the class.
Yom Kippur (Monday 9/28) - No School, Join us at the Marriott Conference Center
This weekend Aish Hatorah is holding Yom Kippur services at the Marriot Hotel in Bethesda. If you have not decided where to go, please join us at the Marriot on Sunday night and Monday day. Lori Palatnik will be one of the speakers. To see her regularly broadcast, inspiring video blog called Lori Almost Live click here or go to www.aishdc.com
Dr. Hanek is Volunteering in Our Primary Classrooms
This week we had a special visitor in our classroom. Dr. Hannock who is 98 years old, and lives near by, has volunteered to read stories to our children in the classroom. He sat in each class and read to our children some nice stories. Slowly the children were drawn to him. With his grace and patience he was a big success. We are looking forward to seeing him again in our class on Tuesday morning.
Wood Carver/ Wood work
If anyone among the parents or anyone you know is a skilled wood worker, who can help us build a small box for the school, we would appreciate if you can let us know. We are looking to build a small wooden diarama box for our Judaic materials.
Interesting Facts about ...
Will Wright - The Multi Billionaire Toy Inventor. Wright's greatest success to date came as the original designer for The Sims games series which, as of 2009, is the best-selling PC game in history. Wright earned many awards for his work. His latest work, Spore, was released in September 2008 and features gameplay based mainly upon the model of evolution and scientific advancement. The game sold 406,000 copies within three weeks of its release. Will Wright credits his ability of innovation, and follows the pedagogical philosophy of - no other but - Maria Montessori click here for a quick read of the article.
Time for a Play-Date
This is the time of year when our children have transitioned to our school. We have distributed a Contact List of the classes. Please feel free to call another parent and set a play-date for your child. Once a week is good enough, with one child at a time. Ask your teacher for a play-date recommendation. Usually for the first time, an hour and a half - two hours is plenty of time. We do not encourage children to watch TV during a play-date, as it takes away the social part of the interaction. Enjoy!
New pictures from the Apple Picking trip are posted on the left side bar, under Parents Page, just click on Photos, or click here.
Shana Tova (Good Year) and Chatima Tova (May you be Inscribed in the Book of Life) to you and your family. May this year be a year of peace to the world,
Ellie Lichtash and Alef Bet Staff
Director's Desk 9/17/09First PTO Meeting
Please join the School parents for the first PTO Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. We highly encourage parents to participate at this important meeting. This is the parents' chance to get involved, meet other parents and become part of our community. Rachel Frier, the exiting PTO Chair, would like hand over the ropes to the new elected PTO Chair. We hope you can volunteer.
Newsletter
We send our Newsletter home today. It has some wonderful pictures and messages. Hope you enjoy it. A color copy of the Newsletter will be posted on the website by next week.
Apple Picking Field Trip was such a refreshing experience. The rain caught us of guard, but did not spoil the joy. We were able to see the farm animals, go on a Hay Ride and pick fresh apples. Please forward us photos, so that we can share with all the parents.
No school on Friday Sept. 17, and Monday Sept. 28.
We wish you and your family Shana Tova,
Ellie Lichtash and Alef Bet Staff
Director's Desk 9/15/09An Important Announcement - Jim Joseph Foundation We are honored and thrilled to be a school recipient of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s scholarship awards. We are grateful for the Jim Joseph Foundation who is responsible for granting this donation toward tuition fees for families of our school. This announcement is to acknowledge the Federation’s support of preschool scholarship funds. May our community grow in learning and support of each other.
Marva-tots on Monday - Starting Oct 17 A special gymnastic class for our school at Marva Tots. Children ages 3 and up are welcome. On Monday at 3:30. If you need help carpooling, please let us know. Cost is $180. Please email Morris Schreim and ask to join mschreim@core.com. Snack list - given on Friday for the next Monday Each family is responsible to bring a snack to school from time to time. You will be receiving a Snack list from the class staff. Please make sure to bring the snack in by the following Monday. Rosh Hashana Cards for the Primary Students Make sure you have the Rosh Hashana cards ready for your Primary class. Shana Tova,
Ellie Lichtash
Director's Desk 9/10/09Email List I send an email once a week of important messages. If you are not receiving emails from the Director, and would like to be on the list please email me back, and ask to be added. I will do so gladly. Other messages are posted on the web.
Apple Picking Field Trip Please return the permission slip by Monday 11/14/09 for Apple picking field trip on Tuesday Sept. 15, 2009. The form is also available on our website under Parents Page, Forms. Hope you can all join us.
Transition Time at Our School “Why is my Baby crying? Is she not ready for school? What can we do?” the mother asked me. I stand with the mother, listening to her heart racing and see her pain after saying goodbye at the door. All she wanted is to hold her child a little longer, so that she will stop crying. It is so hard. So hard on the mom and the child.
We are in a transition period. It is hard for a child to say Goodbye. It is difficult for the child to understand that you will always come back for her. There is no way to explain to a small child that in 2 1/2 hours mommy will be back. Children ages 18-months to 5-years-old are not capable of understanding the concept of TIME as we do. Only in the Elementary class do they start realizing how short a minute is in comparison to an hour. There is a little switch in the brain that kicks in at the Elementary level. But before that, children cannot tell what is one minute to 7 minutes to 2 hours. They can only sense it through the rhythms of the people and activities around them. What can we do then? How do we transition? There is no shortcuts, no free rides. Transitions are always difficult: • Talk to your child at home. Say that you are going to school, and Mommy will always come back. • Assure them that you are confident – as their little sensors can tell when you are lying about it. Believe in your heart that they are in a good place. • Have a leap of faith in the school – talk to the teacher, send her a note, call the office to check about your child. Keep the communication with us at all time. • Once in school, a child will become accustomed to the activities in the class. This way, she learns a routine. The routine helps her understand the following: first we sing, then we read, then we play, then we eat, then we go outside, then we sing again and then MOMMY COMES BACK! The assurance that mommy comes back at the end of each day is the key to success. Here is a sweet song that the mommy shared with me. The tune can be found at www.cdbaby.com Mommy comes back She always comes back She always comes back to get me Mommy comes back She always comes back She never would forget me
Hershey Park - Private Party During Sukkot, Monday, Oct. 5 (deadline Sept. 20) Our school is organizing the purchase of admission tickets for Hershey Park's Private Opening during the Sukkot break. Hershey Park will be open for one day, Monday Oct. 5, from 11 am - 7 pm. Regular admission is $36 at the gate and $32 advance online purchase. However, we are taking orders to purchase tickets at a special group rate of $29 per person. The Private Day at the Hershey Park will feature the full facility, including the amusement park, Hershey's Chocolate World and the Zoo. There will be Sukkahs and Kosher food stands. If you would like to order tickets at the group rate, please send Amanda Boltax an email to amanda@boltax.com, and specify the number of tickets you would like to purchase. Please write a check for the amount at $29 per ticket to the order of Amanda Boltax and deliver them to the school. The deadline for orders is Sept. 20.
A message on behalf of Jaime Slavin: Do you have a child with ADHD, Sensory Processing, or other related Issues? If you have a child diagnosed with Anxiety, ADHD, Sensory Processing, or other types of related issues OR you have concerns about your child and are confused because they don’t necessarily fall into a "list of criteria", you are invited to join For Our Kids, For Ourselves, a new Jewish community Parent Support group. As parents of children who have inherited these neurological disorders, we may find ourselves confused, frustrated, sad, embarrassed and/or angry at them and towards ourselves. For Our Kids, For Ourselves serves as a community resource - a support system in which we can vent and be heard, listen, exchange information, and feel that we are not alone in our quest for raising an emotionally healthy child. Our next Parent Support Group meeting will be held on Sunday, Sept 13 at 7:30pm in Kemp Mill, in the home of Jill Katz. For location address or additional information, please email me at jaimeselvin@aol.com.
Director's Desk 9/4/2009Dear parents,
My staff and I are very excited to begin another school year. Here you will find my latest weekly Director's Desk message. I strongly urge every parent to check these postings every Thursday for important messages and announcements about the school.
If you miss a week, all my postings will be archived and you can click on the month to the right to find any that you may have missed.
We wanted to share some of the important highlights, for those of you who missed our Back to School Night. Here is a short recap:
Our School’s Philosophy: It is our school’s philosophy that education is not mere academic exercise. Education has a very strong social and behavioral component. We do not send our children to a Montessori school because they learn faster. We send them to a Montessori school because we believe we can · Increase their confidence; · Allow them to make choices; · Allow them to take responsibility; · Reach sense of accomplishment; · Empower them; · Trust them with items we do not necessarily trust at home; · We do not push or pull – we simply nurture, and the love of learning flourishes. These are some of conclusions that parents reached thanks to a short exercise we conducted on that evening called “Silent Discovery”. We also introduced Rabbi Palatnik and invited the school for High Holidays services at the Marriott hotel. Check www.aishdc.com. And see flyer that was sent home on Friday. Introduced Alessansdra (‘Ale’) the violin teacher for Music Kids. Private violin lessons and group lessons are available from Music Kids on Thursday. Check our website for more info or musickids.com. Parent Social Committee – Introduced Rachel Frier, Chairperson of our Parents’ Committee. The Parents’ Committee will have a meeting within the next week or so (TBA), to elect new Chairperson, and take on Soccer and other activities. Flyer for Volunteers was sent last week. Class structure and staff: Our classes are named after the Seven Species that we identify as the symbols of Israel. ‘Rimon’ = pomegranate, ‘Dvash’ = honey dates, ‘Gefen’ = grape vine. ‘Morah’ in Hebrew means Teacher. We address our teacher as Morah Farhana, and Morah Miriam and Morah Sharmaleen. We introduced our staff member of the classes: Rimon Primary class (Morah Miriam and Adi), Dvash Primary class (Morah Farhana and Efi), Gefen Toddler class (with Morah Sharmaleen and Orna). Calendar Changes (Please see Blue copy of updated Calendar sent home on Friday) : · We have added a day of school to the calendar (176 days). The Dept. of Education’s requirements are for 170 days. · Apple picking field trip for parents and children is on 9/15 at 4 p.m. · We also added a professional day for 11/12. School will be closed on that day. 11/18 is a half day. · Mark the date – October 17, 8:30 p.m.. All parents are required to attend this evening program, or Parents Book Club. We will have a guest speaker, Trevor Eissler. Mr. Eissler will discuss his book Montessori Madness. You can purchase it with the school at reduced price of $10. see Flyer - Forms. · Two additional Parent Educational Nights (TBA) on the topics: Montessori at Home, Discipline and the Will, Our Math Curricula. Arrival and Dismissal: Please note - in order to accommodate the number cars on the driveway, parents have 2 options – Kiss and Ride Carpool Line or Park your Car and say Goodbye at the Door. If you choose Kiss and Ride, please do not get out of your car. If you need to take your time, please park your car. Morning time and dismissal are the busiest time for the teachers. Please try to avoid those times to have conversations with them. Parents are asked not to enter the classroom in the morning – but say Goodbye at the Door. Most important phone number – Please leave a message for your child's teacher on Extension 20. This is also the extension to check on inclement weather and the emergency line. Please do not leave messages on the Directors’ line if they are for the teachers (such as: your child is late, he forgot lunch, you wanted to check if you need to bring diapers, etc. Suggested Items for the Primary classes: · Indoor Shoes/Outdoor Boots: please send your child with “indoor shoes” (slippers or comfortable shoes), make sure to have rain boots and winter snow boots at school. Children will change their shoes in school. · Apple Notes: We sent home a page of Apple Notes. Also under Forms on website. Those notes are for you, the parents, to write the good deeds that your child do : dressed up all by herself, brushed her teeth, and so forth. Please send them back to school. You can find extra forms online. A form was sent home on Friday. · Make sure to label your child’s clothing and shoes. · Rosh Hashana Cards: Our first project for Rosh Hashana is preparing Rosh Hashana cards. Each child needs to prepare one card for each member of the class and their staff (3). The cards can be very small and do not need to have any writings except for your child’s own name. You can simply use a drawing of your child and cut it to the number of pieces (as the number of children and staff) and put your child’s name on it. Please bring it to class no later than Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. Judaic/Hebrew Program: Miriam Singer, the teacher of Rimon Primary class is our Judaic Director. Rimon class starts the day with a ‘Parasha Story’ (weekly biblical portion of the Torah reading) at 9 a.m. Dvash class, of Morah Farhana, has a Parasha circle time with Mora Miriam Singer at 1:00 p.m (children who leave at noon join Rimon class for morning Parasha at 9 a.m.). Both classes work on Judaic projects and Hebrew language with Mora Ety. Parents should be aware, that working on art projects for the Judaic program is optional. Some children choose to do it, and other might chose not to work on it. We can encourage them, but not force the child. That is the reason why some parents will see the Parasha art projects and some will probably not see them this year. Afternoon Activities on alternate weeks (please note that these programs are subject to changes): · Music lessons are on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. · Yoga lessons are usually on Wednesday at 2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Parents are invited in our classroom: · Come and observe our classroom after the first Month, in October – Please call to schedule time. · To join us at Shabbat party, every Friday at 11 a.m. (avoid the first week) · To join us for the Birthday party of your child (talk to the teacher how to do so) · Meet with the teacher every Wednesday at 2 p.m. – 2:30 in the library for the first month. And every first Wednesday of the month from November till June. · Coffee with the Director, every Thursday at 8:45 – 9:30 a.m. for the first month, and every first Thursday of the month from November till June. We look forward for a wonderful year together,
Ellie |