|
|
| Joliet Montessori School Newsletter | May 6, 2010 |
|
|
Greetings!
Excitement is mounting as our Adolescent House nears completion! Computers and phones are being installed this week, and, as you can see, landscaping is giving the place a really finished look. The entire "make-over" has been truly amazing! Our thanks to Dave Shea who has directed this entire expansion project, to Meredith Spesia for the many hours of planning and manual labor, and to all the families who contributed their time, talent and treasure to make it happen. Our hired contractors and workers have been phenomenal as well.
On Tuesday, June 1, our parents are invited to tour the Adolescent House after morning carpool. We will also have an official "ribbon-cutting" at 10 a.m. with the mayor of Crest Hill doing the honors. Mark your calendars!
Also, our fourth JMS graduation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 26. Seven eighth-year students will receive their diplomas - our biggest class yet!
And while you're looking over the calendar, flip the pages to August and mark Saturday, August 21, for our second annual Parent Orientation Dinner. Similar to last year, we will have you come to your student's classroom for Orientation, and then join us in a tent outdoors for a social gathering with dinner, introductions of faculty and staff, and an auction of materials created by your children or experiences provided by your child's director.
This is such a fun way for our parents to end the summer and look ahead to the first day of school, which for returning students is Wednesday, August 25.
Sincerely,
Ms. Jan
|
|
Contact Us
1600 Root Street
Crest Hill, IL 60403
(815) 741-4180
(815) 741-9753 fax
Quick Links
Spring Event
|
|
|
|
|
Save the Date! Adolescent House Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Families are invited to tour the new facility on Tue, Jun 1, immediately following carpool.
The official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony celebrating the opening of our new Adolescent House will be held at the house at 10:00 a.m. |
|
FACTS Tuition Management Contracts
FACTS families, your updated 2010 - 2011 tuition contracts are enclosed in the May Communication Envelope. Please sign and return to the office no later than May 21.
Thanks! |
|
| All Play Cast and Crew
We'll be meeting at Bi-Park every day after school next week, Mon - Thu, 3:30 - 6:00 p.m. On Friday, full dress rehearsal is from 3:30 - 7:00 p.m.
If you are not available, contact Lori at (815) 919-4545 or Jamie at (815) 405-6728. |
Spring Play
Parent Volunteer Teams are organizing now! | |
Opportunities to help out are available!
Pre-show:
Set Design team will be meeting next week after school at Bi-Park.
Friday Night Rehearsal team still has availabilities, also.
Prop team is recruiting both parent team members and props for the show.
Costume Design team is still accepting fabric, material and costume donations.
Day of Show:
We are looking for assistance at the Ticket Sales table and for backstage help.
If you would like to join any of these teams, please call the office at (815) 741-4180. |
|
Full Day Primary Field Trip
Full Day Primary children will be touring the Shedd Aquarium on Wed, May 26. Permission slips are included in the May Communication Envelope. Please return signed permission slips no later than Fri, May 21. Chaperone opportunities are available; please indicate your interest on the space indicated. Bus will begin loading at 9 a.m. and will return by 3 p.m. carpool. |
 |
| Home and School Association
End of Year Picnic
 It's hard to believe the annual End of the Year picnic is less than a month away. Mark your calendars for Fri, Jun 4 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Inwood Park, just off the corner of Jefferson and Essington. We are in need of volunteers to help make this an enjoyable evening for everyone. If you are interested in helping, please contact Vicki Hartmann through email v_hartmann@yahoo.com by Fri, May 14.
Opportunities available are: 3 families to help set up the picnic area. You would be responsible for picking up the supplies at the school and delivering them to the picnic location, starting the grills, hanging a JMS banner, and setting the tables up for our potluck. We ask that you arrive 30 - 45 minutes early. 3 families to help clean up the picnic area. You would be responsible for packing up the supplies and returning them to the school, making sure the grills are out, and clearing the picnic area. 2 families to be greeters at the event. You would be responsible for setting up an area to greet JMS families to the event and help with name tags. We ask that you arrive 15 minutes early. Not able to volunteer? We also are in need of some donations of paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins, plastic cups, and charcoal. Please contact Vicki Hartmann through email v_hartmann@yahoo.com if you are able to donate items to the picnic. |
| |
Spring Planting
will begin soon. Please see the enclosed list of opportunities to donate and to help! If you have questions or would like to volunteer your skill set to this worthy cause :) please call Jeni White at (815) 573-4132. |
| Summer Music Lessons
Registration forms are included in today's Communication Envelope. Questions can be directed to Ms. Paulette Velazquez at jmsmusic@att.net. |
| |
JMS Adolescent House
As many of you have seen, the JMS Adolescent House is very close to completion. Many of you have asked how you can help or if any supplies are needed for the house. Below is a list of items that would help add finishing touches to the house, primarily the kitchen. If you have any of these gently used items that you are willing to donate or if you would consider purchasing one or two, we would be most grateful.
The list includes... 2 - 9x13 pyrex pans 1 - set of pots & pans 1 set of 12 drinking glasses 2 - sets of wooden spoons 1 - spatula 1 - cheese grater 2 - serving platters 1 - set of steak knives 1 - set of culinary knives 1 - set of mixing bowls cookie sheets 1 - set of 12 soup/chili bowls 1 - set of 12 white catering napkins 1 - wire whisk 1 - rubber baking spatula and... 1 Flat Screen TV (32" - 42")
Thank you for your consideration. Please contact Mr. Brandon Kuczma at bkuczma@gmail.com for any questions. He will be keeping track of items that come in, so please send to his attention. Thanks again! |
| |
| A Word from Ms. Sue
our Development and Marketing Coordinator
The JMS T-Shirts, designed by this year's Adolescent class, are still available. We have run out of the Adult Black shirts and almost out of the Youth Black and the Adult White shirts. However we have a quite a few of the Youth White shirts left. Please consider purchasing these shirts before the end of the school year. Cost is $15 for youth and $20 for adult. Order forms are available on the website or by contacting Mr. Brandon at bkuczma@gmail.com. Thank you!
Thanks to the Joliet Pottery Lounge on Essington Road for their donation of dishware, tiles and paint for our Parent Orientation Dinner project. We are very grateful to them and encourage our families to solicit those that have been so helpful to us. It also is a great gift to give to someone with your child's own personal touch. Just tell them we sent ya!
Thanks also to the families that helped with the Glass Classroom Open House this past Saturday. The families that attended were truly amazed at the abilities of our children. Comments like... "I can't believe all these children are working and they are so quiet"; "The 7 year old we were talking to just taught us long division, and it was easy"; "I love that you encourage children to work at their own pace and at the level they are at, not what the rest of the class is at"; and finally "The children here are so polite"!
Also, thanks to Eileen Kozlowski and the BOT members who attended: Heather Bonacorda, Soniya Dani and Jason Rausch. You each added wonderful insight to the classroom culture. |
| |
Thank You
to the Byrne Family for faithfully collating and preparing all the Scholastic Book orders this year. May is the last order of the school year.
to Marina Kostyra for helping with the Communication Envelopes all year!
to the Londergon family for the donation of the guinea pig bedding and hay for Mrs. Fisher's classroom.
to Brian at The Baseball Card King, Plainfield, for hosting the April Cub Scout Meeting. The Scouts really enjoyed learning about Baseball Card Collecting and the complimentary starter kits were much appreciated. Thanks also to Tom Novotny for chaperoning the trip.
to the staff at Wild Birds Unlimited in Joliet, and owners Bill and Denise Allaway, for their expertise and donation of bird feeding equipment. The Allaways have a JMS connection; their granddaughter attended JMS 15 years ago. The Allaways have graciously offered JMS discounts on future birding purchases as well. |
| |
| A View of the Montessori Classroom
The Adolescent Environment
Today, Montessori middle school programs incorporate various aspects of Dr. Montessori's "Erdkinder" model. These include guest instructors providing interdisciplinary thematic instruction, discovery based learning, individual and small group learning projects, community service and land-based studies (ie., Nature's Classroom). This month we'll be looking at specific program elements unique to the Montessori Adolescent classroom:
** The curriculum is developmentally based and appropriate to meet the growing intellectual, social, emotional and physical needs of adolescents.
** Students are provided with ample opportunities for self-expression as they construct personal meaning about their studies and themselves.
** Students should solve meaningful problems and develop logical reasoning, research skills and higher-order "formal" thinking skills rather than just memorize predigested concepts, theories and information presented in lectures and textbooks. The curriculum will allow students to learn through experience and practical "hands on" application.
excerpted from "The Montessori Way" by Tim Seldin and Paul Epstein |
| |
JMS Book of the Month
"Being Adolescent: Conflict and Growth in the Teenage Years" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Reed Larson To find out what teenagers' lives are like, two psychologists gave beepers to seventy-five adolescents, signalled them at random, and asked them to record their thoughts and feelings as they sat in classrooms, socialized with friends, and ate dinner with their families. The result is a unique and detailed portrait of the day-to-day world of the "average" teenager that offers valuable new insights for parents, psychologists and educators. |
|
|
|
|
Sincerely, The Faculty and Staff of JMS |
|
|
|
|
|
