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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 CALENDAR  
 
  • Tuesday, January 26th: Fire Drill
  • hursday, January 28th from 6:15pm-8pm: Parent/Child in the Classroom Meeting TBH in your child's classroom
  • Monday, February 1st beginning at 7am: In-House Registration for the 2016-17 School Year (first come/first serve)
  • Monday, February 1st: Asia Cultural Unit begins
  • Tuesday, February 2nd: Groundhog Day
  • Monday, February 8th at 7am: Waitlist Registration for the 2016-17 School Year
  • Wednesday, February 10th: Earthquake Drill
  • Friday & Monday, February 12th & 15th: SCHOOL CLOSED/NO DAYCARE for Lincoln's Birthday & President's Day 
  • Tuesday, February 16th: 2016-17 School Year Registration open to the public
Our Schools
In This Issue
:: Taylor Campus
:: Encinal Campus
:: Music with Mr. Steve
:: MESA
From Cindy's Desk

 "I remember setting foot in that Montessori classroom. I sat down on a chair ... near the door. I had just stepped into someone's living room. Or was it a science laboratory? Or maybe an office building. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was different at first, but this was unlike any classroom I had ever seen. It felt different too. Peaceful. Purposeful".  - Trevor Eissler

"An elementary Montessori classroom is a warm community: a multi-age, stimulating environment with highly trained teachers and materials that invite exploration and research. Children learn to face challenges with confidence, and begin to find their own place in the world around them".

I participated in a ceremony in early January called the Burning Bowl at a church in Novato.  As human beings, we can be hard on ourselves and unforgiving of the things within us that are not meaningful.   The Burning Bowl is an exercise which almost literally allows one to make visible the things that have not worked for us, and to 'burn them up' - release them, and thus releasing the pictures of ourselves that we carry in our head.  We are often our most difficult challenge, our hardest measuring rod, and therefore our most difficult student and teacher.  Interestingly, a week later at the same place, I was a panelist for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, speaking about some of the challenges of my life, situations confronting those challenges and people who assisted me to move through them.  The right to an education - an education of quality, an education which equitably allows one to be taught in the manner in which one learns, and an education which propels one forward and encourages one to succeed is the right of all children.  Even "a right delayed," Martin Luther King Jr. said, "is a right denied."
              
The trajectory of the outworking of my educational rights involved the lives of some whom I haven't seen since childhood but whose hand impacted my work.  I am a San Francisco native and  entered kindergarten as an already avid reader.  I've mentioned before in newsletters that my father was illiterate - my fondest memory of him was holding newspaper, asking my opinion of different articles that he pointed to, but could not read.  My mother was born in Topeka, Kansas, the home of and during the time of Brown vs the Board of Education, and I was encouraged by my parents to somehow move forward in an academic system in which they were unsuccessful and didn't understand.  My family had a janitorial service. I worked with my parents, doing homework and reading in the back of the van.  My parents never let on that there were limits that they encountered, or that I might encounter in the future.  As a young child, I knew nothing about segregation, lack of educational access for people of color or how my parents' lives were different. 
              
I grew up thinking that my parents completed school and that they too were avid readers.  I was shepherded by teachers in elementary school who saw my academic potential, and they set up academic systems geared toward my fast paced deep learning.  When I was accepted into Lowell High School, I was one of very few African American students and I lost the support that I had at the elementary level.  Although at 16, I was one of the youngest students at the time to graduate from Lowell, I was not counseled by an adult about my academic future, as the other students of Asian and European American descent.  My parents knew nothing about counseling, nothing about how to advocate for me or that there was anything to advocate for, as they knew nothing about college, and I didn't know how to tread that path.  So, at 16, I graduated, and went to work to help support my family.  My high school peers graduated, most of them attending colleges and receiving scholarships. 
"A right delayed," Martin Luther King Jr. said, "is a right denied."

Although I worked full-time at the age of 16, yet I loved and missed school. So, for years, I took college classes of my choice at different colleges, paying full fee and working two jobs.  I signed up, ran into class, ran out, worked, studied, and never spent the time in a college that might have afforded me the knowledge that I needed to obtain a degree. 

My mother was an emergency foster parent (definition: care of children who were removed suddenly from their parents -kept them for 2 days to 2 weeks, while the court determined longer term foster care or reunification).  She cared for two young African American boys, who fell through the system and were never picked back up.  By the time my mother was contacted, it was determined that they were not adoptable - too old, too dark, too many disabilities, and so my mother adopted them. 

Sometime after that, she developed pancreatic cancer, passed away and the boys were raised by me, along with my three children.  My brothers attended schools in Ingleside and Hunters Point when they were with my mother.  They had poor grades, academic deficiencies and were told by their teachers that a D was sufficient to pass classes.  I had to meet with a team at their high school, requesting that they not pass onto the next grade and graduation, because they did not have the skills needed, and again - there was no counselor advocating for their best success.  I was told that they would not be successful.  I argued that they would not be successful if their right to success was removed before they could even taste it.  And they didn't. One fell victim to the justice system, and the other to the streets.

"A right delayed," Martin Luther King Jr. said, "is a right denied."

For me, I finally assumed that surely I had attended college long enough to be close to some kind of degree, and went to College of Alameda, where an African American counselor looked at my 7 transcripts, told me that I was so close to several degrees, but hadn't taken the required classes that I now clearly know to be a part of the GE/matriculation requirements for degrees.  He told me to leave there and go to a four year university, seek out a department head, let them know my story and ask for help to apply there.

I went to CSUEB where a man of European-American descent - Xeno Rasmussen,  heard my story and said that my journey of confusion would end with him.  I enrolled, and over time filled in gaps of what I was missing in my areas of focus: political science, music, human development, education and educational leadership.  I obtained 4 degrees and entered the doctoral program at UC Berkeley for a terminal degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in equity - a degree that I could have attained by 22 - but took until 58. 

"A right delayed," Martin Luther King Jr. said, "is a right denied."

My mother's town struggled over the right to equal education for people of color - I submit that the process inherent within that right is just as critical - and that equity involves the pathway with full access and information for each of us.  For my parents, who didn't fully experience the doorway of knowledge (reading), for those like me - who took too long to find out what was needed, for those others who did not even gain the access that I did, and for those who had their ability to succeed predetermined and squashed. 

I love the work of educators who struggle for what is the best pathway for the students to learn.  It is inherent within the philosophy of Montessori education - one wonders, when observing - "How are those children so quiet? How are they already reading? How are they so excited about what they are learning? How are they so different? Where am I?" As Trevor Eissler said when observing his first Montessori environment.  "Is it (the gentleness of) someone's living room. Or was it (the robustness and excitement of) a science laboratory?" This year marks a time when we have so many children who are being enrolled because parents are discovering that the spirit of education, the pathway of learning and the fascination of discovery will keep children thirsting for knowledge.  Additionally, the cultural underpinnings of this pedagogy will bring children to an understanding of the need to create a world that is changing and diversifying.

There is a great video, created by basketball star, Stephen Curry, about the importance Montessori education played in his life: http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education.

"Montessori has helped me become the person that I am today," says the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, the best 3-point shooter in a single season in NBA history. In a video just released by the American Montessori Society, Living Montessori: The Curry Family, the NBA standout reflects on the impact of his early Montessori education.
Filmed on location at Curry's alma mater, the Christian Montessori School at Lake Normanin Charlotte, NC, the video also features an interview with his mother, Sonya Curry, who has captured the attention of fans nationwide with her buoyant courtside support of all of her children's spectacular athletics. Sonya Curry is also the school's founder and director.
"Montessori for my family has really been the staple of everything," she says. "I love Montessori for the fundamental aspects that it affords children ... independence, the intrinsic love for learning, responsibility, respect for yourself, for other people."
Stephen Curry credits Montessori with instilling in him the skills to learn at his own pace as well as to harness his strengths, work on his weaknesses, and develop a sense that he could achieve anything.
"Montessori gave me a lot of confidence at a young age," says Curry. "I used to love it when I'd come to school because there was something new I was going to learn every single day."
               
And another great video about the importance of Montessori preschool in the lives of Google founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin here:  Google Talks Montessori. 

It makes me happy to see how blessed our children are to have parents who have the access and knowledge to ponder and guide their educational rights.

Cindy
PACIFIC CAMPUS 

Toddler 1 Class
Ms. Verise & Ms. Merle

Dear Toddler 1 Parents,

Welcome back from Winter Recess. This month the children have been learning all about the continent of Asia. They have learned about the various species of animals and the languages spoken in the different countries of Asia, as well as all of the different people that live there too!

We have eaten lots of good food of course and learned how to count from 1 to 5 in Vietnamese. This month, our letter sounds are "g," "s" and "t." Your child can bring in anything to share from home that begins with those letter sounds - maybe a goat? Or some gum? Or a gate? Haha. And don't forget that Wednesdays is sharing day and a good day for your child to bring in their favorite book from home to share with their classmates. 

I (Verise) am really looking forward to being a part of this classroom for the remainder of the year and working with Ms. Merle and the toddler children and their families! 

If you would like to donate any CD's of children's songs and movement or dance and/or a CD player for our classroom, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Ms. Verise & Ms. Merle

Pre-Primary Class
Ms. Mari & Ms. Zoe 
  
Dear Pre-Primary Families,

Welcome back! After the Winter Recess, we have all returned to school eager to learn and spend time with each other again!

We have been focusing on the continent of Asia this month and the children have been learning about and tracing Chinese characters and the Komodo Dragon. During this cultural unit we have also been focusing and learning about bamboo and Panda's. We have been reading some of our favorite stories "Tiki Tiki Tembo" and "The Five Chinese Brothers."


Last week, we were excited to walk to the Encinal campus and meet the "Reptile Man." During his presentation, he showed us many different types of reptiles like a large monitor lizard. We also saw a scorpion and got the chance to touch turtles, lizards and snakes. One of our very own classmates, Virginia, got to hold an actually snake all by herself. Brave!

Our time spent together in class has also been focusing on learning about the calendar, which we added to our classroom decor. With the calendar present in the classroom we are starting to remember the order of the days of the week and what happens on certain days in the classroom. There are many special days like: Sharing Day, Library Day and Park Day. Along with learning about the calendar, we have had the chance to learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and why he has a special day this past Monday.

We look forward to a happy 2016 together!

Thank you,
Ms. Mari and Ms. Zoe
TAYLOR CAMPUS
  
Toddler 2 Class 
Ms. Porshia & Ms. Sara 
    
Dear Toddler Parents, 

Happy 2016 to everyone! Along with the new year, we are welcoming many new families to our classroom: the Edwards family, the Solarz family, the Vallin family and the Matuska family.

Children worked with the Sensorial color sequence pattern wheel where they match the pattern on the display sheet and attach the matching colored clothes pins. This job helps to build up the children's eye hand coordination as well as assisting them to recognize the different colors. The brown stairs were reintroduced into the classroom environment with review lessons and extensions lessons. We also have started an extension lesson with the knob cylinders and colored knobless cylinder.
 
Children are beginning to measure objects and things inside the classroom with small colored cubes. Once the measurements are complete the children then use a ruler to figure out the numeric inch for the length for the object chosen. We are also reviewing the numbers 0 through 38 and introducing the numbers 39 through 47.

This month we learned about the continent of Asia. We looked at pictures of and discussed amazing places like Mount Himalaya, the Three Gorges Dam, the Yangtze river, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpar, Macau, and Tianjin. Children learned how to write simple phrases in Chinese characters, like: a person, eight, and mouth. We also prepared a number of special dishes together, such as cauliflower pakoda, mango lassi, garlic rice with turkey, and sushi. Yum!

The students really enjoy a new work called magnetic obstacle course. Using a magnetic horse shoe children pick up colored disks and move them through a zigzag course.

We were so excited to meet the "Reptile Man" and his many creature friends. Children pet and held lizards, snakes, gecko, frogs (eyes only) and a tortoise.


Art is just so much fun. Together, we mixed different colors to find out what new colors (if any) we can create. The students are also improving their fine motor skills by using various sizes of crayons and colored pencils to create their art work. A presentation on how to use glue with a paint brush was very sticky and messy but the children loved the process and made beautiful collages.

We have had a few group discussions about the animals of Asia, like tigers, pandas, camels and cobras.  We talk about where you can find them and what foods they love to eat. Children also colored, cut out and made a panda mask.

The letter sounds of the month are j,w and n so look around your house for words that begin with those letter sounds.

Children love the Practical Life works. likethe button work, zipper work, and tong work to improve their small muscle movements. A new work like this is how to pick up sushi with chop sticks, table setting, trying on various pieces of jewelry and kimonos.

A big "Thank You" goes out to the Malick-Rich family for donating pumpkin bread for snack and to the Edwards family for donating spices for our cooking project.
   
Thank you,  
Ms. Porshia & Ms. Sara  
 
Primary 3 Class 
Ms. Nina & Ms. Nicole
 
Greetings Primary 3 Families,

Happy New Year! We would like to welcome the Edwards family to the Primary 3 classroom. We hope that everyone had a great fun during the holidays!
 
The children are continuing to learn to transfer water using different kinds of water works. They are also learning how to transfer things using a chopstick which is related to our Asian cultural unit. The children are continuing to learn how to care for themselves by practicing how to wear their jackets. We are also going to talk about how to take care of ourselves especially during the rainy season, to help prevent us from getting sick.
 
The children are continuing to explore new extensions and variations of Sensorial materials like colored cylinders, pink cubes and brown prisms. The newest design that the children really like is the pyramid making job, using the red rods and number rods.
  

Students continue to learn about the ten boards, number formation using the beads, simple addition, decimal system number lay out and decimal system quantity and quality. Many of the children are also enjoying some small group lessons. Some older children have been very helpful in teaching their younger friends how to do different Math activities. 
 
The students love to learn about word building and some children are even starting to learn about sentence building. And of course, they are also enjoying making different designs using the metal insets. 
We have been reading a lot of  new books everyday. These new books are from the parents who donated to our classroom during last book fair. The children are all loving it, so THANK YOU to the Siv, Rogers and Biggs families!
 
During our study about Asia this month Jayden's mom brought a special potatoe dish for our food tasting. She taught us how to say Hello (Namaste) and Thank you (dhanyabad) and she sang songs in Nepali and showed us some beautiful pictures. On the last day, Jayden's dad brought a drum and a trumpet from Nepal. We all got to bang on the drum. Jayden's dad played the trumpet, it was really loud and perfectly wonderful.


 
We are learning about the weather everyday. We talked about the temperature (52 degrees Fahrenheit is cold and 79 Fahrenheit is hot). We enjoy checking the weather every morning in Alameda and in the continent of Asia. The children are enjoying tasting different kinds of food from different countries in Asia, such as Nepal, Japan, China and Philippines.
 
Please remember to come and join us in the classroom on January 28th for the "Parent Child Night in the Classroom" evening meeting.
 
Thank you and stay dry everyone,
Ms. Nina and Ms. Nicole
ENCINAL CAMPUS 
  
Primary 1 Class
Ms. Alondra & Ms. Kwang  
   
Dear Primary 1 Parents, 
 
The students of P1 were not missing a beat after the long break.  They returned just as exuberant as ever.  We are now studying the continent of Asia.  If you have items or books related to Asia please share them with our class. It will make our class discussions more fruitful.  Ms. Kwang brought in traditional clothing from her native county of Thailand for children to try on and take a keepsake picture.  We are also studying mammals with an emphasis being placed on the tiger and horse.  Children are learning the body parts of both animals and will soon make their own books. 
Students were all a buzz when the reptile show made a stop at the Encinal campus.  Children got to see, touch, and hold various creatures including a snakes, spiders, and toad. Thank you parents for your cooperation and flexibility on such short notice. 
 
This month kicks off our weekly "Grace and Courtesy" lesson.  Ms. Kwang and I presented a lesson on how to make a new friend and it was a big hit.  The Role Play is as follows: "Hi my name is Ms. Alondra. What's your name?" Response: "Ms. Kwang." " Nice to meet you Ms. Kwang (handshake).  Can we be friends?" Please practice with your little one at home.
 
P1 is still in need of a Room Parent.  If you have the time ask Ms. Alondra for details.  P1 has a wish list above the sign-in sheet outside our classroom, so please look and help if you can. Thank you to Natasha Andrade for providing coffee for the sleepover and to the Manjhi family for taking care of our classroom fish over the Winter Recess.  

Ms Kwang had expressed an interest in attending the annual AMS Conference in Chicago. please support her.  Details on how you can help to follow soon.
 
Thank you,
Ms. Alondra & Ms. Kwang 
 
Primary 2 Class
Mr. Joseph & Ms. Isabella 

Ni hao, we have been exploring the Eastern territories of Asia like China, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. The Primary 2 class has been decorating the classroom with pictures of different countries in Asia. We have been making flags from different countries and have been learning Chinese calligraphy known as Pinyin. Mr. Joseph has taken beginner level Mandarin and will be teaching the children greetings and counting in Mandarin.
 
Practical Life works this month, are focusing more on our small motor skills, organization, and care of materials in the classroom. The children have been enjoying the color mixing work which has been teaching them the mixture of colors with the three primary colors. Ms. Isabel has recently created a button sorting work that the students have been organizing by size and color. Chopsticks are a new tool the students have been using in order to transfer various objects. The students have been showing great care for the classroom materials through the wood polishing work as well.
 
The children have been learning the art of Tangram, a puzzle consisting of seven shapes that must be place together in a certain areas in order to create larger shapes. This is a fascinating Sensorial job. As of now the children are learning to create a house and a crane with the Tangram.
 
Students are expanding their mathematical minds through various activities. We have been learning our tens through matching the quantities to symbols. Small groups of students are practicing addition through the Bank Game, in which students gather math beads to and add their numbers together.
 
The children are staring to create their very own story books with illustrations and writing what the illustrations represent. To help practice our writing abilities we have been tracing different line patterns and the alphabet.     
This month, the children learned the names of the colors in Spanish during a fun game at circle time. Miss Isabel would ask "Quien me puede traer un objecto de color rojo que este en el salon?" Who can bring me a red object that is in the class room? While the child was looking for the object; all the children counted in Spanish until the child found the color. They learned to count to fifty, sixty and sometimes eighty.

Students are also practicing how greetings and introductions now that we have new students. "Hola, mi nombre es ..., mucho gusto." (Hello my name is ...., nice to meet you). They are also learning "las partes del dia" 'parts of the day" and how to identify the correct moment to say "Buenos dias, buenas tardes" or "buenas noches". In step with the cultural unit of the month the children has been learning how to pronounce the following countries and words in Spanish as well: China, Japan, Panda Bear, rice, bamboo, house boat, fan, elephant and tiger.  

Thank you,
Ms. Isabel and Mr. Joseph
Music with Mr. Steve
    

After the break we received two eager new students in the MESA classroom. The students are working hard on getting the new students up to speed on the Ukulele as well as helping them to read and write music notes. 

We will be starting to learn a new song called "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" by The New Seekers. This song is more challenging than the last one so the students will need to work hard on listening, playing and singing. 

The last music demo was a blast at all the campuses. Jenn Ekman came to talk about vocal harmonies and techniques. The students learned how singers add vibrato to their voices. They also had a chance to sing along with us, in "perfect" harmony. 

Thanks,
Steve
www.stevesdrum.com 
MESA (Montessori Elementary School of Alameda)
 
Ms. Fatma
 
Dear MESA Parents,

Practical Life works allowed the children to have a great time before the Winterfest Performance, preparing posters for the occasion that included opportunities for cutting, pasting, drawing and coloring. They also had a chance to decorate the auditorium and set it up for the parents. They loved putting up lights and decorations, as well as arranging one hundred and twenty chairs! Two of the students were the MC's for the celebration. They also did great. We are so proud of them!

The practice for math operations continues with all the students. Older ones are working on addition and subtraction word problems. Young ones are practicing their bead materials as it provides further opportunity to develop their counting skills and number recognition. These jobs assist in developing their ability to figure out what comes next in transitions from 29 to 30 and so on.
 
Children are working on nomenclatures for the fish as vertebrate and we hope to get a good microscope where they can see the information they read about concerning scales. It would also be great if we could get a real pet fish for the classroom. Anyone have a fish and tank to spare? 
 
Students showed great enthusiasm during our visit to the Asian Art Museum and they did a great job researching the types of art in Asia and the most famous Asian art around the world. We are working on learning the map of the continent of Asia by naming countries and drawing flags and finding out more about the famous landmarks. We also had a discussion about folklore and dance from Egypt, specifically the Tanoura dance. The children were surprised to see how the dancers are actually able to spin around for a long time without getting dizzy. LOL

Children can watch more here using this link .
 
We are working on learning the names and meanings of the various parts of speech, as well as the phonograms. This helps the little ones in their reading skills. Children continue to practice cursive writing and I am seeing a lot of progress in the children's writing and reading. We started working on having a reading log for each child to be able to read and record their reading at home with their parents.
 
The stitching work is just one of many improvements in the Sensorial area and now we have one of our parents volunteering to arrange more activities to share with the children each week. Yay! Also children played their Ukulele very well during the Winterfest Performance. They are currently learning new music for the Spring Performance.
 
We recently received a book of from Ms. Judy of classic poems, compiled and illustrated by Jackie Morris. The children are enjoying it. I also came across a book in cursive about Native Americans called "The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle." The children will get a chance to practice reading cursive now too.
 
Special thanks to Sheri Smith, Darnell Bussey and Paul Liotsakis for all of their help. Special thanks to all my students for being so positive and active participants during the Winterfest. We are happy to announce that two students are joining our classroom: Esmeralda and Dayne. Welcome!

We still need help connecting our classroom printer to the computer are also in need of speakers for it. We also need this set of simple machines.
 
Thank you,
Ms. Fatma
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The results of the raffle are in and the winners are: 
1st Prize (Apple Watch):  Josh Allen
2nd Prize (Fitbit): Nicole Pratt
3rd Prize (Go Pro): lan Patel 
In total, the raffle raised $1,745.  
Thank you for your support!
 
Winter Break Lost and Found: 
A few items were left at the Taylor campus over winter break.  Please stop by the lobby at the Taylor campus, or give us a call, if you are missing an item. Did your child accidentally bring home a different sweatshirt?  A child is missing a sweatshirt and it may have gone home with someone else.  If you find an unfamiliar item, please return it to the school office. Reminder!  Please label your child's clothing to make it easier to reunite lost items with their owners.  
 
Thursday, January 28th is Parent/Child Night in the Classroom, from 6:15-8pm 
To be held at your child's campus. Come and see what your child is busy doing in class every day.  Please sign up at your school if you are interested in attending. There will be another Parent/Child Night on February 25th.
 
In-House Registration for the upcoming 2016-17 Year is coming up in February
Please contact the office or your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding your child's enrollment for the next school year.
Monday, February 1st at 7am: In-House Registration for the 2015-16 School Year at your child's campus.
Monday, February 8th at 7am: Wait List Registration for the 2015-16 School Year
Tuesday, February 16th: Registration is open to the public
 
Fundraising announcements 
*TCU sweatshirts have arrived!   Please email the office if you'd like one or mark it on the sign-in sheet at drop-off or pick-up so that we can contact you. $20 for children, $25 for adults.
 *E-SCRIP - an easy way of fundraising for our school!   Have you registered for e-Scrip yet?  It's easy to do and costs you nothing! Through e-Scrip, merchants donate money to the school whenever you patronize their business, and use an identifying card (Safeway card, credit card, etc.)  Just go to   www.escrip.com. Sign up takes just a minute or two of your time.  It is painless and secure.  Note: Safeway users - if you don't have one, get a physical Safeway card and present it rather than giving your telephone number. 

 Good News Regarding Credit Card tuition payments:
Wells Fargo has offered us an excellent deal for credit card or ATM transactions (.6% rather than 2.9% for swiped transactions), and we now have a new machine in the office for credit card transactions, which will not carry a fee to the parent (although it does still carry a fee for the school).  We will make it available to parents between the 25th and the 2nd of each month. It will not be available after the 2nd.  Parents who wish to take advantage of the credit card transaction through our machine, must come in to the Encinal office. Phone transactions carry a higher fee and in order to avoid those higher fees, we will no longer accept payments by phone. 
Thank you!
 
Volunteer opportunities
If you would like to volunteer, please email the office or sign up on the bulletin board.
 
The Cultural Committee really really needs your help this year. If you are on the Cultural Committee and you have yet to help, it is time to start. Or, if you are not on the Cultural Committee but you would like to be or you can even help for one day, please contact erinterrell@gmail.com. We really need help taking down and setting up the campuses cultural unit. It is lots of fun and can be completed in a snap with just a few more people.

**Bead Cabinet Repair: Are you handy and detail oriented? The elementary classroom needs their bead cabinet repaired.  Some of the 's' chains connecting the beads are missing, and we cannot seem to get replacement parts for this cabinet anymore.  The chains need to hang properly, but need matching connectors to do that and look good.  A link to a similar bead cabinet is below:

NOTE: Repair of the cabinet requires changing out the 's' hooks and/or chains so that they all match nicely.   The cabinet is at the Taylor campus.  Please let us know if you are interested.  It can be taken home.

We still need these things
 Fruit, crackers and baked breads!
 Someone to research/pick up a duplicate refrigerator for the Encinal campus.
 Additional parents to serve on the Fundraising Committee (email Cindy)
The Child Unique Montessori School & The Montessori Elementary School of Alameda (MESA)

Main Office:
2226 Encinal St./Alameda/CA 94501
(510) 521- 9227 /
(510) 521-9246 fax

Taylor Office:
1400 6th St./Alameda/CA 94501
(510)521-0595

thechildunique@yahoo.com