LEW Newsletter 3/19 A Note of Thanks

Hello, Dear Families,

Erik and I are so grateful to have had the chance to meet with so many of you last week. The both of us look forward to conference time -- to have the chance to reflect about each child, their growth, to laugh about a funny anecdote, to feel touched by challenges overcome, or to move forward and be ready to continue to guide the children to tackle on new challenges. We feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with you and your children.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.  

Dates and Reminders

iRace - Wednesday, March 22

On Wednesday, March 22, we will celebrate our unique iRace (Identity, Race Awareness, Cultural Education) event at Great River.  From 12:00 to 1:00 there will be a potluck lunch, featuring dishes derived from cultures all over the world.  Each year, the event would not happen without generous volunteering from parents and community members like you.  It is a time of celebrating community and being together with good food.

If you are able, please send a healthy dish to share with our community.  A main dish or side is appreciated.  Items could reflect your cultural heritage or be a favorite family recipe.  If you wish for your dish to be returned, please send it to school in a clearly labeled container. Crock pots needing heat are fine...just send heating directions along.

Spring Break - March 27-31 - No School

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend and here's to the beginning of Spring! 

With Gratitude, 

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori    

Reminder: Noon Dismissal today!

Good Morning!

Just a friendly reminder that the students will be dismissed at noon today! Buses will be coming, but no Big Canoe. 

Apologies if this was not clear.

All the best,

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori    

Elementary iRace Potluck - Wednesday, March 22nd

Dear LEW families,

🌎       🌍       🌏

On Wednesday, March 22, we will celebrate our unique iRace (Identity, Race Awareness, Cultural Education) event at Great River.  From 12:00 to 1:00 there will be a potluck lunch, featuring dishes derived from cultures all over the world.  Each year, the event would not happen without generous volunteering from parents and community members like you.  It is a time of celebrating community and being together with good food.

If you are able, please send a healthy dish to share with our community.  A main dish or side is appreciated.  Items could reflect your cultural heritage or be a favorite family recipe.  If you wish for your dish to be returned, please send it to school in a clearly labeled container. Crock pots needing heat are fine...just send heating directions along.

On this day, a few special things will happen.  Adolescents will be coming in to read a story about peace and equity and create a mural with the class.  The third years will eat with upper elementary students...a time to bridge the transition that will occur at the end of this year.  And the first and second years will eat with their same grade level peers as a way to mix things up!  We will end the day with a visit to the park in the same configuration.

We're all looking forward to this day very much and thank you in advance for your support (and delicious food). 🍜

Warm regards,

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori    

LEW Newsletter 3-3-2017

Hello Families!

We just got back from the Ordway and watched a performance called "Dancing Earth." There were themes of the circle of life, birth, nature, conservation, and more. The dancers used hula hoops to carry the circle theme and did incredible choreography. We also got to see aerial silk performers do impossible-looking moves on a line of silk, suspended in the air. When we got back to school, the children journaled and reflected on what they saw and it was wonderful to see the pictures and writing that the children produced.  

On another note, this week was Montessori Education week! The Montessori Network of Minnesota (or MNMN) has loads of resources for guides and parents to use as we reflect and rejoice about the work of Dr. Maria Montessori.  Next week, I hope to show some pictures of Dr. Montessori to the children and have discussions about Montessori education and prompt them about what makes our school different or similar to a traditional school. Something like, "I like Montessori because..." or "Montessori education helps me to..."   If you feel inspired, check on the MNMN website at MNMN.org and have a discussion about Montessori at home :)

This week's lessons

First Years:

- Introduction to number lines and using them for addition and subtraction facts

- Vertebrate Classification

- Prepositions (ask them about the post-its)

- Indigenous Symbols

Second Years:

- Create a Culture Final Project (ask them about this!)

- Triangle Detectives

- Adverb Grammar Box

- Indigenous Symbols

- Trip to Rainforest Exhibit at Como Zoo next Friday 3/10 to follow up on their rainforest study. I will contact chaperones this weekend.

Third Years:

- A Different Way of Life

- How to take notes for research

- Input/Output boxes

- Introduction to Algebra

- Editing special program proposal to work with Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR)

Reminders of Upcoming Dates and Requests

- Parent/Teacher Conferences on March 16-17:  Noon dismissal on Wednesday, March 15th. No school on March 16th & 17th. 

- Donations for school supplies: if you are willing and/or able, the LEW community would greatly appreciate the following items:

1. Packs of pink, pearl erasers
2. Table wipes
3. Child-sized scissors
4. 4 x 7 Notecards (need lots of these)
5. Black sharpies
6. Scotch tape refills

If you are interested in donating something to our class, just let Jessy know and Thank You in advance :)

Enjoy your weekend!

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori    

LEW Newsletter 2-18-2017

Hello all on this sunny Saturday!

We had an incredible time at Dodge on Thursday. All the children got to explore the grounds and they spotted tracks, a deer, coyote remains, golden rod galls, and muskrat lodges.  Some students jumped in hay, made homemade butter, kissed horses, dissected owl pellets... it was a wonderful way to cap off the week and the first and second graders are already looking forward to returning next year. Huge thank you to our chaperones for joining us! If you happen to have any photos from the trip, please share them with me and I can share them with all of the families :)  

Lessons this week

First Years

- Measuring animal tracks

- Stamp game subtraction of four-digit numbers, without borrowing.

- Writing about a favorite gift (these were great stories)

Second Years

- Seven triangles of reality (there are seriously only seven! Ask them if they can remember which types of triangles are impossible to make)

- Bar graph word problems

- Writing about a favorite gift

Third Years

- The commutative property of multiplication

- Owl study writing

- Classifying invertebrates

Volunteer opportunities

1. Flowers: Bringing in fresh flowers weekly or biweekly for the month of April and/or May.

2. Food for Gex: we're looking for volunteers to bring in food biweekly for our bearded dragon for March, April, May and June.

If you're interested, please sign up here.

We truly hope you all get the chance to enjoy your long weekend together. It was a gift to be able to spend quality time outside with all of your children at the Nature Center, and just so you know, Dodge is open to the public! If you are interested in taking your family (I highly recommend it), then just check out their website and schedule a visit! 

http://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/

All the best and more,

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori    

Information for Field Trip to Dodge TOMORROW

Hello Families!

We're all very excited for our trip to Dodge Nature Center tomorrow. Here's what I told the students (I just missed the bussers and Big Canoe Kids, so this will be the first time they hear this):

*Please bring appropriate outdoor clothing - boots, snow pants (more for mud and slush rather than snow), jackets, gloves, and hats.

* NO BACKPACKS necessary tomorrow. 

* Bring a lunch. Please only pack foods that don't need to be microwaved.  

* It should be a short ride to Dodge, so the students will not need activities or books for the ride. 

If you could help prepare your child for tomorrow and go through this list with them, we would greatly appreciate it.

Should be a fantastic trip. Have a wonderful night. 

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori    

LEW Newsletter 2-10-2017

Hello LEW Families!

It was nice to have a full week. It feels like it has been a while. This gave us time to meet with all of our specialists in the afternoon for art, music, and handwork. Detailed portraits, guitar playing, drum beats, and knitting ... beautiful things to witness the children practicing and mastering.  

Also, next week on Thursday, February 16th, Lower Elementary will be taking a field trip to Dodge Nature Center. We've been preparing the children by studying and focusing on topics they will be exploring further at the center. Each group will get to do 2 activities. Here's what they'll be doing at Dodge:

- First years will be focusing on reptiles and amphibians and studying animal tracks and signs. 

- Second years will be focusing on milk makers and animal adaptations.

- Third years will be dissecting owl pellets and learning about winter survival.  

We started the tradition of going to Dodge Nature Center last year and the children that attended are very much looking forward to returning.  

Lessons from the week

First Years

- Constructive Triangles

- Animal tracks work session

- Verb Grammar Box

- Mammal Study

- Rocket Math +

Second Years

- 7 Triangles of Reality

- Animal Adaptations work session

- Preposition Grammar Box

- Platyhelmithes (flatworm study) 

- Rocket Math +

Third Years

- Owl Study

- Our connected waterways models (ask them to present this to you!)

- Invertebrate Classification

- Skip counting practice by 2, 3, 4, and 5 (it would be great if you could help them practice this at home - just up to x 10)

Reminders and Announcements

We hope that you will all make it to the Soiree tomorrow night at Como Dockside from 7:00pm-10:00pm.  Thank you all so much for your generous donations for our homeless shelter basket. It's getting packed and ready for the event. It promises to be a fun time! A parent and occasional substitute teacher, Heidi Grayden-Kangas, wanted me to put the following Great Gathering on your radar. You can sign up at the Soiree - event likely to sell out. Click below for more details...

Hair Braiding and Hair Do Party

Enjoy your weekend!

Warm regards,

--

Jessy Eaton Fabel

Lower Elementary Guide

"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori