SUMMER 2010

Greetings from the sun and the fun of Summer Under the Red Roof at Frederick Country Day!  We are half way through our thematic summer program, gearing up for Pioneer Week, Jungle Week, and  Under the Big Top.  Even with our camps full for each session, we have been able offer daily water play, dramatic plays, yoga, bike day, and a complimentary Friday lunch.  Both the children and staff are having fun with this change of pace scheduling.  After August 6^th, FCD closes for 2 weeks: one week of maintenance: cleaning, polishing floors, painting as needed.  Then on August 16^th our teachers return for a week of In-Service, part of which is to reassemble each environment and have it ready for you for Open House Friday, August 20^th.  The energy and enthusiasm are contagious as we all look forward to the first day of the 2010 -2011 school year on Monday, August 23^rd.

Over the summer, the Md. Dept. of Education has mandated that a parent must initial the sign-in/out roster either upon arrival or dismissal.  We have had success with introducing this change during our summer program, and we are discussing this implementation for the fall since many parents use the carpool drop-off.

Each family will be receiving a welcome letter in early August, detailing everything you need to know prior to the first day of attendance.  Please look over this information carefully and do not hesitate to call should you have any questions.  A yearlong calendar will also be included in this packet.  I have tried to be as detailed as possible regarding all events, parent workshops, professional days, special lunches, etc. so that you can plan accordingly.

During the summer we have continued to reach out to the wider community.  We thank our families for the generous donations to the Ft. Detrick Food Bank and to the St. Jude Trike-a-thon, collecting $179. 14!  We look forward to continuing our monthly connections to the community as world citizens.

“ORTON – GILLINGHAM” LANGUAGE SKILLS CONCEPTS TO BE INTRODUCED THIS FALL

I was very fortunately blessed to complete an intensive Orton-Gillingham course this summer.  Orton-Gillingham is a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading, writing, and spelling.  It meshes beautifully with Montessori and I will be sharing some of the basics of phonological awareness, including activities and games, with staff during our in-service week.  For our Primary classrooms we have purchased a new reading program which is in line with this approach. We are very excited to be able to have the same materials for all three classrooms!  This company, Waseca, is the same company that developed the beautiful Biomes materials we introduced this past year.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!     Ms. Louise, Director

MAY 2010 NEWSLETTER

Greetings and welcome to the wonderful month of May!  There was an exciting close to the month of April as the children gathered on Earth Day to celebrate our newest addition to FCD:  The Children’s Garden: Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers, and a large Compost Bin. We want to thank our families for the many “plant” donations to get this garden started.  Our Kindergartners worked with Ms. Kathleen and Ms. Ashley on the initial planting, and now each classroom has an assigned day to observe and care for the garden.  Each classroom has a composting container, catching scraps from snack and lunch to deposit into the garden bin.  Next week each class will decorate a stepping stone for this area and we can then enjoy watching everything grow!  This year we have been really into mainstream recycling, and the children have been very good about carrying the recycles to the bin for weekly collection.

Appreciation Week, May 3^rd – 7^th at FCD, is in full bloom: Monday we honor our Parents with a Grab n’ Go Breakfast,

Tuesday we provide complimentary lunch for students, Wednesday is the famous Parent Potluck Lunch for Staff, Thursday is Wear Your Favorite T-Shirt Day, while Friday closes the week with a big Make Your Own Ice Cream Cone!

The staff at FCD joins with me in expressing our thanks to each family…..and you are like family!

Mother’s Day brings little handmade treasures to your door, made with much love and care.  There are many end of the year activities planned and you can catch all of this information in your child’s weekly folder and on the easel in the foyer.

Recently a survey went home asking for suggestions for parent education workshops for next year.  (Even if your child is moving on to elementary or to another setting, we welcome, your input, too).  We would like to be able to offer these classes each month throughout the year, hoping to accommodate various days of the week schedules, and a choice of times with morning or evening options.  We hope that all surveys can be in by May 7^th for calendar planning. Thanks!

Our May Family Picnic is scheduled for Friday, May 14^th @ 6PM at FCD – bring the whole family and enjoy fried chicken and all the donated side dishes and desserts. See you there!

Our Summer Under the Red Roof Program is nearly full.  Thank you for your support of this!  Our teachers are looking forward to the change in things:  from Pirates to Princesses, to Chefs, to Circus Masters!  A detailed letter will be going home to these participants later this month.  Ms. Antoinette will be heading up the camp and all staff are from the school year program.

Cooking with Ms. Liz and Ms. Kathleen on Thursday afternoons has been an enjoyable experience for our Primary classes.  This month they cooked from Australia:  they are so cute to watch with their little aprons and utensils, spread around the kitchen table, anticipating the tasty treat they have prepared from scratch.  Another experience, which has been a real crowd pleaser, has been the Toddler Tales Storytime, which Ms. Ashley and Ms. Kathleen have initiated this year.  It is offered twice a month on Thursday mornings to the Frederick Community and we have welcomed many new friends to our school…a few have even joined up!  I speak for Mr. Chris and myself that we are blessed with a talented and dedicated staff.  Thank and visit us at www.frederickcountryday.com for continued information.

Ms. Louise, Director

As we plan the calendar of the 2010 – 2011 school year, one area that we would like to improve is in the area of Montessori Parent Education.  Not only do we want to offer workshops on Montessori theory and practices, but also target other areas of interest, whether it be child development, nutrition, discipline, peace, yoga, transitions,etc.  I have asked the staff to come up with topics of interest.  They very enthusiastically responded and I am including some of their ideas.  What we would like for you to do is to give these ideas some thought as well, and to either check off those that may be of interest to you. (This is just a partial list…)  In addition, I have left room for you to also add your input.  We really want to tailor our yearlong workshops to meet your needs and interests.

For planning purposes I ask that you be kind enough to  return your reponse by Friday, May 14^th to your classroom teacher(s).

Math Night – include Sensorial___

Language Night – include Social Studies____

Montessori Kindergarten Curriculum___

Music:  Songs/Movement in the Montessori Classroom___

Setting Up a Montessori Environment in the Home___

The Importance of the Three Year Cycle in Montessori___

Nutrition – Snacks and Healthy Food Choices___

Volunteer Tips:  Use of Montessori Materials for the Novice___

Peace Education in the Montessori Classroom___

Positive Discipline Strategies___

Moving up to the Primary from the Pre-Primary___

Traditional vs. Montessori Settings___

Understanding/Discussion of Learning Differences___

Ideas for Outdoor Play___

Toilet Training Exchange___

Parent Tip Night: Sharing Ideas for Family Time/Places to Go/Crafts/Cooking___

Spanish/Yoga Experiences___

Understanding the Genius Behind Maria Montessori___

Teaching the Value of Money___

Tell Me About the Montessori Sensitive Periods___

Your Child’s Yearlong Portfolio___

YOUR IDEAS:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NAME_______________________________

April 2010 NEWSLETTER

Dear Parent(s),

With the Spring Break behind us, we can now look to all the wonderful events of April – June! We want you to know that all ten of FCD Staff who attended the Montessori Conference in Boston two weeks ago came away refreshed and excited to be in the company of like-minded educators, but also realized the importance of Montessori parent education and understanding, and a renewed appreciation for your support of Montessori pedagogy. You know that something wonderful is happening with your child, and you have made that choice to inspire life-long love of learning and education of the body, mind, and spirit in your child’s daily experiences at FCD, and in your home. The Staff were able to purchase some new materials for the classrooms, participate in dynamic workshops, and meet some of the most respected and knowledgeable Montessorians in the world.

As Peacemaker, the Puppet, I am always on the lookout for new ideas to bring peacemaking skills into the classroom; a few years ago I introduced a virtues curriculum for the year, with ideals such as being thankful, peaceful, loving, etc. as a part of knowing about feelings and how to deal with them, both positive and negative. While at this year Boston conference, I spent time with a company called “Onionhead” who have put together age appropriate materials for ‘learning what to do with what you feel’……lessons on 26 feelings, one for each letter of the alphabet. In the next few weeks, my staff and myself will be introducing this curriculum during peacemaking lessons.

The premise for the main character, Onionhead, is that he looks different on the outside (an onion) from us, but once you peel away what makes him (us) different, we can see that we are all the same in the inside, regardless of our gender, age, race, or religion. Onionhead, through stories and discussion, reveals his feelings, beginning with A = being accepted, B = being brave, and C = being calm, and so on. So, it will be the ABC’s of feelings, with many opportunities for the children to express how they feel, and how to act upon these feelings. We are excited to add this component to our curriculum, a nice way to add more positive energy to the end of the year activities. We also look forward to any suggestions or ideas you might like to share with us that have been successful for you as the parent.

This week we will have a display table set up in the foyer where you may look over some of the materials we use for our peace education lessons, including Peacemaker, the puppet, Marco the Montessori Mouse, various peace book resources, and the newest Onionhead materials. As your child is introduced to Onionhead, I can imagine the stories will travel back home to you……I can’t wait to see the surprise when each child is presented their very own Onionhead to take home!

(Hopefully, it will find a place to rest peacefully…..remember, it’s real!)

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I had a visitor to FCD last week who spent the day here, and when leaving, she said she missed the calmness and peacefulness of being at FCD. It was a nice moment, something I guess we might take for granted, but, its presence is felt. I hope that you feel it, too.

Thank you. Ms. Louise, Director

MARCH NEWSLETTER

Greetings! Soon the first day of Spring will be here…we can only hope! The snow is melting and the children are finally able to use the playground and go for occasional neighborhood walks. They have done amazingly well with indoor recess due to the snow….they have become lego and puzzle experts, and we have found a new use for our long hallway as a relay area for physical education classes!

We want to thank everyone who stopped by the welcome table during Montessori Education Week. Our Ms. Lorraine so enjoyed chatting with all of you! We are entertaining the thought of doing this little grab ‘n go once or twice a month….so much fun to talk with each other! We would also like to thank you for contributing to the “Why I Chose Montessori” Parent/Staff Sharing Binder. You can view this binder on the sidecabinet in the foyer. Our Peace Gathering during this week took place with all of the children gathering down the hallway for singing and the peace ceremony. Each person wore a virtues crown, accenting kindness, love, helpfulness, patience, honesty, and happiness. As Montessori espoused, “If we want peace, we must begin with the children.”

We are happy to announce that Frederick Country Day has been nominated for the Frederick County Ethics Award, to be given to one of nine businesses on March 13^th at Hood College. The application process was quite intensive and we had to stop and really examine our mission statement, our code of ethics in regard to the children, staff, and the families whom we work with daily. There were other criteria areas which had to be addressed and after we had submitted the application, we were pleased to be notified that FCD was included in this award nomination, being the first and only school to have applied for recognition in the business arena. You can read the article from the February 27^th issue of the Frederick News Post and view a wonderful FCD interview by going to fredericknewspost.com/fcbea – link to videoplayer.

Toddler Tales: this has become a highly successful introductory literacy experience for anyone in the community on the 2^nd and 3^rd Thursday of each month, 10:15am – 11am. Parents and guardians of children 18 months – 3 years are invited to attend together for a story, songs, a craft, and some physical activity. Tell your friends about this…..we even have some grandmothers bringing their little ones to Toddler Tales. Ms. Ashley and Ms. Kathleen are both facilitating these sessions.

The staff has asked if I would send a gentle reminder to continue sending a piece of fruit or a vegetable each Tuesday. They make various salads with these items and practice those lovely lessons of grace and courtesy in serving each other. Thanks!

P.S. Please keep those flowers coming, which help to beautify the classrooms. (J)

As you may know, we are very excited to be attending the annual American Montessori Conference in Boston on March 25^th – 28^th. Ten of our staff earned vouchers, through the Md. State Office of Credentialing, to cover the cost of the conference, by attending continued educations classes and participating in professional units. Staff also was responsible for air fare, and we are fundraising to help with additional expenses and being able to purchase Montessori materials while there. This conference will have top notch Montessorian facilitators and speakers and offer many hours of workshops in Montessori. I know that the staff are excited and will be recharged after attending this conference. I am so proud of FCD staff for using these vouchers for this purpose, and for making many different family arrangements and sacrifices to attend. We are grateful to you, our parents, for allowing us to refuel and to be better mentors and guides for your children. Thank you!

As mentioned in a previous letter, check out www.frederickcountryday.com as we are updating each month. You will be able to read this newsletter and check the FCD calendar for events, etc. Thanks!

Every Spring we look forward to the Grandparents visiting, just before the Spring Break, when often times, Grandparents are in town for the holidays. We look forward to welcoming these special people March 29^th and March 30^th. Please sign up so that we can cordially welcome each one.

Thank you for returning the Intent to Return Forms, if not returned already. Ms. Debbie will then forward your 2010-11 contract and you are all set up!

Finally, please support our St. Michael’s Bed and Breakfast raffle towards the Montessori conference. This gift comes to us from the Mitchell family (Lucas- Room 3), and includes not only a fabulous weekend stay at a gorgeous location, but also boat cruise tickets, as well as tickets to the Maritime Museum! This package is worth $500 and tickets are ten dollars each. The lucky drawing will be on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17^th. Good luck!

Have a wonderful time easing into Spring….thanks for all you do! Ms. Louise

March Happenings at a Glance…..

Friday March 19 – Mardi Gras Lunch for All -  $5 cash

Friday March 19 - Kindergarten Bowling Trip to Terrace Lanes @ 10:30am

Saturday March 20 – Bunny Breakfast and Egg Hunt 9am – 11am @ FCD

Thursday March 25 – Dismissal at noon; Staff Development in PM

Thursday March 25 – Sunday March 28:  FCD Staff to Boston for the annual American Montessori Conference

Monday March 29 and Tuesday March 30 – Grandparent Visitation 9am – noon

Wednesday March 21 – Monday April 5 – Spring Break – FCD Closed

The staff and administration of Frederick Country Day are committed to modeling and mentoring in Montessori best practices.  We realize that our families are informed and supportive of the Montessori experience, built on a love for learning, while educating the whole child, physically, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite each family to join with us in any, some, or all activities planned for this week.  We will be starting off on Sunday, February 21^st, with a Peace Walk in Baker Park @ 2PM, bringing the whole family of FCD together.  A special 32 foot visitor will be joining in our walk!  We’ll stop by the gazebo for some hot chocolate, too!

On Monday, it’s thank you to our Parents!  Ms. Lorraine will host a grab n’ go refreshment table for our morning arrivals; don’t forget to pick up your “My child is honored at Frederick Country Day Montessori” sticker!  Beginning Monday, and throughout the week, all classes will be reflecting on Montessori quotes, and bringing each message home to you!

Tuesday we celebrate the children with an ice cream social and a songfest including our school song and various favorite titles.

Wednesday:  Parent surveys of “Why I chose a Montessori Education for my Child” are due. (See attached sheet.) Upon returning the survey, enter the $25 Leaning How Store raffle! (Drawing on Friday!)

Thursday our Kindergartners will be presenting a Reader’s Theatre production on the life and times of Maria Montessori for the Pre Primary.

Friday we gather at the Peace Pole for a closing ceremony at 11am - releasing bubbles and appreciation for 103 years of Montessori!

*Raffle drawing for Learning How! And the winner is……!

On Friday evening, from 6 - 7:30 pm, families are invited to a read-a-thon, bringing your favorite books and pillow for a snuggly evening, complete with hot chocolate!  Peacemaker and Marco the Montessori Mouse visit!

Finally, to tie all things together, we would ask that each child bring in a white t-shirt by Tuesday, February 16^th; Ms. Kathleen has offered to silkscreen a special Montessori message on each so that the children can wear their shirts during Montessori Education Week.

As you can see, much is planned to make this week special for the child, the family, and the staff.  We look forward to your participation, and thank you for making Frederick Country Day your child’s home away from home!

If you have any further thoughts or ideas to add to this week, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Thank you!

Ms. Louise, Director

As promised, we begin in-house registration for the 2010-2011 school year in January. We are very happy to let you know that tuition will remain the same for next year. We realize the sacrifices and commitment you each must make to allow your child to receive a quality education. We hope that this encourages you to continue your child’s Montessori experience, planting the seeds for life-long learning, and especially, a love for learning.

If your child is in the Pre-Primary Program, usually he/she will move up in September to the Primary class. However, not every child is ready at age 3, and some children benefit from spending a longer time in the younger class. Please discuss this with your child’s teachers if you have a preference for this option before returning the Intent Form. They would give you the best advice.

Finally, we have a number of Open Houses planned for January and the coming months. Word of mouth has always been our greatest resource. We thank you for inviting friends to visit FCD and are appreciative of your support.

Please make every effort to return the Intent Form by January 25th, or stop by the office if you would wish to discuss any schedules or concerns/suggestions you might have. Again, thank you and we look forward to a wonderful second semester.

Ms. Louise, Director

Our wonderful Kindergartners are hosting a Bake Sale on Monday, December 7th, to help defray the cost of future Kindergarten field trips. Last year this was a huge success and we hope for the same this year. A special thank you to Elaine Hurt for organizing and communicating these special events. In December another fun activity for our families will be our first Holiday Caroling for Ronald McDonald House on Friday, December 11th at 6PM in our own Dearbought community. Pizza and hot chocolate will be available before caroling, and our voices will lend support to a great cause. Bundle up and join us!

Please join us December 10th or 17th @ 10:15am – 11:00am for Toddler Tales: fingerplays, songs, stories, and movement come alive in our fabulous Rainbow Room. This is for parent and child and you can reserve a place by e-mailing us at fredcoday@mac.com or call 301-694-7000.

On Friday, December 18th, our annual Holiday Cookie Swap takes place at 9am in the FCD kitchen. More information will be going home regarding this fun tradition.

Our last day of classes for 2009 is Tuesday, December 22nd, dismissing at noon. This is followed by an afternoon of staff development, focusing on the January curriculum and planning.

Frederick Country Day will reopen on Monday, January 4th. Information on in-house registration for the 2009-2010 school year will be available that week in the weekly folder.

Finally, we are gearing up for our Saturday, January 30th Open House, for the 2009 – 2010 school year, 10am until noon. We invite you tell your friends and family to attend. Staff will be available to share in the Montessori curriculum and to show you and your child around the environment. It’s a great time to bring the whole family and any prospective families. Look for our ad in Frederick Child Magazine and in the Frederick News Post. Have a wonderful holiday season from all of the staff of Frederick Country Day Montessori School. Ms. Louise, Director