Racine
Montessori School is part of a global community that guides the whole
child toward a life-long love of learning. Children develop
independence, confidence, moral responsibility, social purpose and
inner peace through teacher guidance on self-directed work in a
non-competitive atmosphere. Our school strives to offer strong
academics and support in a setting of self-respect, respect for others
and respect for our environment. | |
Calendar of Events
Thursday, February 11
Full Staff Meeting, 7:45 a.m. in
the lounge
Growing Power Market Basket
payment due by 4:00 p.m.
Friday, February 12
Growing Power Market Basket
delivery, 6:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Valentine's Day celebrated in
classrooms
Gently used children's and youth
books and video donations due
Monday, February 15
Order SCRIP by 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 16
Growing Power Market Basket
orders due by 4:00 p.m.
RMS Board of Directors meeting,
6:00 p.m. in the lounge
Wednesday, February 17
Brownies meet after school
Thursday, February 18
No School: Winter Conferences,
CCP reservations available
**Growing Power Market Basket
payment due by noon
Used Media sale to benefit Haiti
Relief
Friday, February 19
No school: Winter Conferences,
CCP reservations available
**Growing Power Market Basket
delivery, 6:30 a.m. - noon
Box Top collection sheets due
Used Media sale to benefit Haiti
Relief
Saturday, February 20
Market Day orders due
Monday, February 22
Order SCRIP by 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 23
Growing Power Market Basket
orders due by 4:00 p.m.
Elementary Information Night,
7:00 p.m. in the Treehouse
Classroom
Wednesday, February 24
Market Day pick-up, 2:30 - 3:30
p.m. in the pole barn
Thursday, February 25
Growing Power Market Basket
payment due by 4:00 p.m.
Extended Day Information Night,
7:00 p.m. in each Primary
Classroom
Friday, February 26
Growing Power Market Basket
delivery, 6:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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Get Involved!
Lakefront Artist Fair
Saturday, May 1st is the date of our 29th annual Lakefront Artist Fair.
Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this, our biggest fundraising effort of the year. We hope to earn a profit of $25,000 which is used to fund our scholarship program.
We still need PRIZES! Can you help us out? Give us a call...
If your child has gently used children's/youth books or videos that they no longer use, please consider donating them (by Friday, February 12) to the Meadow for its sale being held during conferences.
Then come browse the offerings on February 18th & 19th during parent/teacher conferences. Proceeds will go to the relief efforts in Haiti.
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Montessori Quote
"We may say that the great difference (between
traditional and Montessori education) lies in the life, vivacity,
interest, and joy which the child shows doing the work and also in the
facility and precocity with which he learns."
Maria Montessori
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Re-Enrollment for 2010-2011
Re-enrollment forms will be coming to you at the end of February. We allow our current families the month of March to re-enroll for the fall. In April, we fill any vacancies with names from our waiting list. Important: don't forget to enroll your younger child. We give siblings first preference, but we DO need your child's birth date and other information.
If you need a registration form, please stop by the office or give us a call!
Information Nights
Invitations
to Information Night (February 23rd & 25th) have been sent out to
families of current 4-year olds (for Extended Day), current Extended
Day students (for Lower Elementary) and current 3rd level students (for
Upper Elementary). We hope you'll attend this informative program to
learn about the great things RMS has to offer your child(ren) as they continue on their academic journey.
Each of the four primary classrooms will host its own Extended Day Information meeting which will be held in your child's classroom. The Lower Elementary Information meeting will be held in the Tree House classroom (on the main floor, just north of the school office). The Upper Elementary Information meeting will be held in The Meadow classroom (at the very north end of the school). The meetings will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.
Benjamin
Franklin once wrote that an investment in education pays the best
dividends. We couldn't agree more and encourage you to read "Hanging in with Montessori"
to provide a framework for thinking about the many considerations
surrounding the decisions you make each year about your child's
education.
For Tax Purposes
The RMS federal I.D. number is 39-1024012 if you plan to claim child care costs on your income tax.
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Rotary Super Bowl Raffle
Wow! Thanks to your support, RMS earned a profit of nearly $800. This is awesome! We appreciate Jody Muniz, RMS parent and Racine Founders Rotary Club member, for bringing this opportunity to us. Thanks, Jody!
Montessori Spotlight
Dr. Maria Montessori's ideas about education emerged during a dynamic time in global education. At the turn of the 20th century, schools around the world were being reformed. The world economy was shifting to industrialization and people were moving off the farms and into cities and factories. People were looking for educational models to address this phenomenon. The traditional model of education, as we know it currently, came about at this time. It was based on the popular business practices and management principles of efficiency, expansion and conformity. Not much attention was paid to the needs of the students; the attention was on how to export education to the masses. Schools were referred to as "plants" and students as "raw materials". As the Dean of Stanford University's School of Education put it, schools are "factories in which the raw products (children) are to be shaped and fashioned into products to meet the various demands of life." Interestingly, it was right about this time that Dr. Montessori published her first work, "The Discovery of the Child".As traditional schools made the transition to the factory model, the role of teachers was adjusted. Administrators dictated how and what teachers taught. Educators believed that teaching children was best achieved by controlling the students and imparting them with information, usually through memorization and repeated drills (i.e., empty vessel model). Education was broken down into small, bite-sized pieces and students and the use of reward and punishment was used to drive behavior and learning.Dr. Montessori took a different view on education, based on her own scientific observation. She said that the student, not the institution (and considerations of convenience and efficiency), should be the center of education. She believed that education must prepare an individual for the "unforeseen" and provide the tools and qualities necessary to thrive in the face of constant change. She said, "Adaptability - this is the most essential quality; for the progress of the world is continually opening new careers, and at the same time, closing or revolutionizing the traditional types of employment." |
Lakefront Artist Fair Volunteer Sign-Up
Volunteer Sign-Up Sheets will be posted in the main hallway during conference time next week. Now is the time to sign up for the times/areas that most interest YOU! Please stop by and sign up. We count on the help of all our families on the day of the Lakefront Artist Fair.
RMS Bookstore Online
Check out the newest offerings from our online bookstore, www.rmsbooktore.com. This issue's special features include RMS primary teacher, Jan Cramer, talking about her favorite books and about one of her hobbies, quilting! Jan has chosen a few books to highlight, both for children and adults, and they are great selections! Jan is, as you may know, a gifted quilter. She made the two beautiful quilted wall hangings that are hung in the stairwells of our entrance. You'll enjoy Jan's interview at the online bookstore.
Florence Parry Heide is our featured author, and we are very excited to announce that Florence will be with us during our Spring Open House! We hope that you will plan to stop by and chat with her at that time. She'll be delighted to sign copies of her books or just enjoy a conversation with you and your children. It is always such a pleasure to talk with Florence - it can't be done without a smile on your face! If you are not familiar with the children's books that Florence Parry Heide has written, come to our RMS bookstore to check them out. She is well known for her "Shrinking of Treehorn", and has written some excellent books recently that you will really love!
Once again, our thanks to Lisa Holewa for all of her work on the RMS bookstore site - it's great!
Winter ConferencesRemember to sign up for the winter parent/ teacher conferences scheduled for Thursday & Friday, February 18th & 19th. Our Child Care Program is available on those days only if you pre-register and if there is room. Don't wait!Valentine's Day
Just in case this has totally slipped your mind, our Valentine celebration is tomorrow!
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Parking Lot Etiquette
Drop-off (8:20 - 8:40 a.m.) and pick-up times (11:30, 2:30 & 3:30) at RMS are busy, to say in the least! While we encourage parents to use the drop-off/pick-up line whenever possible (to build independence and self-confidence in the children), some parents will park their car and walk through the parking lot to fetch their kids. Either way, because there is so much activity coming from all directions, for the safety of our students and families, if you are using the drop-off/pick-up line, please patiently wait for the car in front of you to leave and do not try to pass cars that may, for a variety of reasons, be taking longer to unload or board children.
In all cases, please be diligent in watching for pedestrians!
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Caffeine and Your Child
from KidsHealth.Org
Most parents wouldn't dream of giving their kids a mug of coffee, but might routinely serve soft drinks containing caffeine. Foods and drinks with caffeine are everywhere, but it's wise to keep caffeine consumption to a minimum, especially in younger kids. The United States hasn't developed guidelines for caffeine intake and kids, but Canadian guidelines recommend that preschoolers get no more than 45 milligrams of caffeine a day.
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Did you know...
...by giving your kids a snack before going out in the cold, the calories will give their bodies energy in the cold weather? Did you also know that you can get sunburn in winter? While it seems odd, since snow can reflect up to 85% of the sun's ultraviolet rays, it's important to protect their faces with sunscreen year round.
Excerpted from www.kidshealth.org
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