A Monthly E-newsletter Providing Useful Information to Caring Parents of Enrolled Students
by Duna Strachan It was four decades ago that I sat in ecology class and heard for the first time about global warming. The professor made predictions which have now all come true. I left the field of Environmental Zoology because I couldn't handle the habitat destruction I had to face day to day whether in the field or when talking to colleagues. Even now I can't read a whole Greenpeace or Sierra Club magazine. The salient point that stayed with me from graduate school was that environmental policies come and go, but education is what makes a difference in the future of our planet. Although the news is depressing, there are more and more success stories. At last global warming is publicly acknowledged and even being planned for. Everyone is recycling, composting, using their own grocery bags and switching to more efficient cars. Park City has adopted a "No Idling" ordinance largely due to the efforts of SWMS mom Mary Jacquin. Disney is making movies about our Earth. A few years ago I got to visit a California condor breeding program that my nephew supervised in Oregon. I was amazed at the advances in technology since I worked in the field. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the condors are on their way back from the brink, but they sure have some talented and dedicated people on their side. While in Portland I also got a personal visit with a black rhino at the zoo as well as two Siberian tigers. Again, I can't say their habitat will be saved in time to repopulate, but they certainly have a strong backing in those who are willing to give them everything they need to breed in captivity. Also while in Oregon I was delighted to see recycling containers on the streets, composting bins in restaurants and low-flow toilets in every public restroom. And back home in Utah it's great to see families outside hiking, biking, skiing, gardening and enjoying the Earth. Environmental education is now an important part of most school programs. I love seeing all the new Earth-friendly ideas in the grocery stores. Although the economic crisis has been trying, it encourages us to downsize our cars and homes and to conserve fuel and energy. At last our culture is noticing that plant-based foods and other products are not only healthier for us, but go a long way toward healing the overgrazing our lands have sustained for centuries. Eagles, wolves, peregrine falcons and bison are making a come back. Foxes, muskrats, ducks, raccoons and cranes are happily creating a ruckus in my backyard in Park Meadows. Although the housing development in Park City has displaced many species, ironically I realized that at least some of the people who have moved in are Sierra Club members, avid bird watchers and have installed dozens of bird feeders and backyard water features. Even Greenpeace newsletters have more and more good news in them. "Recycle", "compost"and "biodegradable" have become household words that even 3-year-olds use adroitly. Our planet is still a wonderful place to live and, just in the nick of time, a public awareness of its needs is growing. It is our job to encourage this appreciation in our children. Incorporated into almost every Montessori curriculum unit is a consideration for the child's place in the ecosystem. We talk about people as animals and our role as caretakers of the Earth. Every day in the classroom we remind the kids to make the most of every piece of paper and use rags instead of paper towels for clean-ups ("Trees died for that paper, you know"), use water sparingly ("Let's leave some water for the plants and animals") and treat everything with care rather than encouraging the "We can always buy another one" attitude that many of us grew up with. At home, try changing from paper napkins to cloth ones, paper towels to cleaning cloths, disposable diapers to cloth or "G diapers". Remember to take your shopping bags to the grocery store with you (have your child remind you). Use only the amount of water you really need for washing, bathing and brushing teeth. Remember to turn off your car engine when waiting to pick up children at school. Help your children to be conscientious of saving paper and picking up litter. Put spiders and bugs somewhere out of the way rather than killing them ("They have their job to do, too"). For your own family Earth Day celebration, sit down and make a list of things you can do differently to help the Earth. You'll find children are often much better at remembering these things and understanding why they should change some of their habits than adults. Even though, individually, these practices don't make much of a difference in the health of our Earth, they will make a big difference in the attitude of your child, in whose little hands the future of our planet lies.
News from the Tadpoles and Sunflowers Classes At first glance the Toddler classroom seems very simple. It is designed to be simple. We want the child to walk into her first school experience and see a beautiful, beckoning world of possibilities presented in such a way as to be neither confusing nor over-stimulating. Simple activities are laid out as offerings for the practice of large and fine motor skills, matching, sorting, shape recognition and self-care skills. These are the obvious lessons of the Toddler Class. But the careful observer soon notices that there are subtle lessons too. One of the first subtle lessons is responsibility. The toddler is responsible for taking care of his possessions and dressing himself to the best of his ability. Most of the class is now involved in toiletting independently, so remembering to provide clothing choices that your child can handle by himself is very helpful (avoid overalls and difficult buttons or snaps). He is responsible for putting away his work, cleaning up spills, using careful hands and being respectful of things living and non-living. The teacher engineers the environment so that the child's responsibilities will be simple ones. For instance, if the pegs spill on the floor there are not so many that the child is overwhelmed with the responsibility of picking them up. As he gradually becomes more and more capable in these areas his confidence grows encouraging him to try the next task. Another subtle lesson is making appropriate choices. The child chooses how to spend her day in school. It is often the first time a child has had a lengthy span of time in which to be free to choose her own activities. She discovers that some choices result in satisfying experiences while other choices may result in conflict. Again the teacher engineers the environment so that most choices are simple ones and she is there to guide the child through the more difficult ones. The world of scientific principles is another subtle lesson in the Toddler Class. The teacher does not announce, "Today we will learn physics" to a class of toddlers. But each time an object rolls down the tracking tube (and the children will experiment with many possible objects) they are confirming Isaac Newton's observations. Every time the child practices pouring, sponging, mopping or washing he is discovering the attributes of water. Caring for the classroom pets is a beginning study of zoology. Noticing leaf shapes while on "toddler walks" is an introduction to botany. Matching and sorting activities are precursors to identification and classification. Even watching snow melt is a study of science in the eyes of a toddler. At home notice the subtle lessons your toddler is learning. Your goal may be to walk to the car but your child's goal may be noticing how his boots splash in the puddles and how the water is absorbed into the ground along the way. On the playground your goal may be staying clean, but your toddler's goal may be in discovering the properties of water and dirt. When drawing or painting your child may not be so interested in producing an aesthetically pleasing product as in experimenting with the textures of the media - how the crayon glides across paper differs from how it marks the table, or the wall! Keep your mind open to possibilities and provide appropriate materials with which you and your child can continue a scientific exploration of the world.
News from Cottonwoods, Otters and Turquoise Classes Monday - Music Most of the students can identify a few of the compositions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and know a little about his life. They've progressed in identifying instruments by their sound and recognizing the mood and ideas presented by the various pieces of music. We have begun the study of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky with listening to the "Nutcracker Suite" and how he told the story with music. We will sample "Sleeping Beauty" and "Swan Lake" in April. Tuesday - Seasons Excitement is in the air as the snow melts, the bugs reappear and we find long lost articles on the playground that lay under the snow all winter! At last, the first few signs of spring appear. In your travels this month call your child's attention to the new buds, birds building nests, new calves and lambs and discuss what people do differently in the spring. Wednesday - Geography Maria Montessori saw that we might succeed in evolving toward a more peaceful way of life if children could appreciate other cultures in a sensorial way. Toward this end we conclude our study of each continent throughout the school year with an all-school celebration of that continent's cultures involving food, music, songs, stories, games and costumes. In November we complemented our study of Native Americans with the cultural immersion experience of the Navajo Rug Show taking special gifts for Grandmother Frances. In January every class wrote letters and prepared packets for our friend Reinaldo who lives in Paraguay. January's studies of Sotuh America culminated with our own "Carnaval" celebration including a parade, dancing and South American foods. In February we studied Asia and tied together lessons with an all-school Asian Celebration. In March our studies of Europe centered around our European ancestors as we began our preparations for Earth Day. By now students know songs in many different languages. They prepare for the Earth Day Celebration by drawing a flag, a map and possibly a story or report from the country of their ancestors. Thank you in advance for your help with the costumes and dishes that make our Earth Day Celebration so satisfying. In April we will look at Africa. So many countries in so little time! As always, anything from Africa that you have to share would be most appreciated.We'll send packets to Soureya of Niger and Assitan of Mali and plan an African Celebration. Soureya and Assitan are five and six years old, respectively, and live with large families in very small homes. We write letters from the students and can include any small gifts that will fit in an envelope such as coloring books, stickers or picture books. If you or your child would like to add a picture of your family or a small gift to the packet for Soureya or Assitan, please send them in to class in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for your support. Our relationship with these children makes our geography curriculum come alive and adds to our cultural immersion lessons. Special thanks to Julie Sotelo who contributed to our European Celebration with stories and songs from her childhood in France. Thursday - Poetry The children enjoyed the Robert Louis Stevenson poems we read in class. We talked about how, as a little boy, Stevenson was sick in bed quite a bit so he made up imaginary friends and games which he later used in his poetry as an adult. In April we will study the modern poet Shel Silverstein. His books include The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and The Missing Piece. If you have a Silverstein favorite you'd like to share, please send it in. Friday - Biology We enjoyed class visits with Macanuda the box turtle, Eric the corn snake, Puffy the bearded dragon and Peanut Butter and Minny Reeces the water turtles. Eric eats frozen baby mice and Puffy chases crickets around her cage which always addsexcitement to class zoology studies (see Turquoise Class quotes below). Most of the children know that reptiles usually live on land, have scales, breathe air, lay eggs and can be snakes, lizards or turtles. Snakes and turtles make clean, relatively care-free, sturdy and personable pets. (Lizards are okay, too, but they are harder to handle and don't do much.) If you are looking for a new responsibility for your child, consider adopting a reptile. Birds are the topic for April. We will be watching for birds as they come back from their southern vacation spots. If you have a feathered friend who can visit the classroom, please talk to your child's teacher. We will wait to visit the Tracy Aviary until May so that we can catch the bird show.
Monday - History Our study of History continues in April, with work on the history of our school year as it will be recorded in this year's yearbook. We are assembling the best photos of the year. Please send us any you may have and let us know if you'd like to help.We conclude the year by compiling our own personal history books. Tuesday - Geography We begin a study of Africa this month including topography, endemic plants and animals and cultures. If you have something African to share, please send it in. This unit culminates in our all-school African Celebration including native foods, music, dancing, costumes and stories. Wednesday - Art/Music As set-builders for the Earth Day play we are crafting sets and props to convert our stage into a scene from the mountain tops of Machu Picchu. We also continue with recorder practice. Eagle's Nest students will perform selected pieces during the play. Thursday - Zoology With spring on its way we look forward to studying returning birds through April. Friday - Field Trips, Etc. This month we are headed to the Kimball Art Center to admire our entries in the annual Wasatch Back Student Art Show. Be sure to check them out! On the 26th we invite you to come along to Recycle Utah's Annual Water Festival at St. Mary's Church. Let us know if you'd like to help drive. Later this month we will make our annual field trip to El Restaurante as the culmination of our year's Spanish studies. With our River Trip coming up May 10th and 11th we'll begin planning soon. Yearbook As we begin working on the yearbook everyone will have a job to do, whether creating artwork, laying out photos or organizing sales and advertisements. We like the children to take responsibility for their yearbook, but we can also use any photos or time you may have to contribute. Please send photos to class by April 18th. Give Peace a Chance We'll spend lots of time before Spring Break on our Earth Day play, "Give Peace a Chance". We have scripts to memorize, sets to build and props to figure out as well as leading the younger students around the world in song. This year's play was inspired by the idea of all of the world's peace makers, past and resent, coming together for and "Earth Peace Summit". Thank you for your help in figuring out costumes for all of your little peace makers. It will be lots of fun! Through the Magnifying Glass In April we are preparing presentations for our Open House on the 24th.This year's theme is a child's look at science, "Through the Magnifying Glass". Elementary classes will present a Science Fair featuring student presentations. Details will come home soon.
"Music is the space between the notes". Claude Debussy
The world is so full of a number of things I am sure we should all be as happy as kings.
Peace Maker by Jordan McBroom Eagle's Nest Student When I grow up I only want to do this one thing. I want everyone together just as family. I want to be a peace maker and carry all the love. I want everyone to be happy, every single one. The girls, the boys, the babies, even moms and dads should all be having fun together on sunny days like these. But in the busy city it's hard to make peace. So many people fight out there. They don't care about these things. And that is why I, Jordi McBroom, will become a peace maker and change the world. Happy Spring!
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April 1st April 4th & 5th Park Avenue students: normal schedules Jeremy Ranch students: Leah's Sunflowers Toddler Classes will meet on the playground on 12th Street from 9:00 until 9:15 am. Pick up will be on the 3rd floor from 11:45 until noon. Kim, Anne & Stevie's Cottonwoods EC Classes will meet at the front doors between 9:00 and 9:15 am. Pick up will be on the playground on 12th Street at regular times. April 6th Park Avenue students: Lynn and Tama's Tadpoles Toddler Class will meet in class in costume at 10:30. All Early Childhood and Elementary students will meet in class by 9:15 am in costume for dress rehearsal. Jeremy Ranch students: Leah's Sunflower Toddler students will meet on the 2nd floor at 10:30 in costume. All Early Childhood will meet at the front doors by 9:15 am in costume. All parents please bring family and friends to the Santy Auditorium at 11:00 am for our play, "Give Peace a Chance". You can drop off your dish for the International Buffet lunch at that time as well. Please remember extension cords and serving utensils! Dismissal will follow the play and lunch at approximately 12:30. See classroom sign-ups for needed items. Please contact any teacher if you have not yet received a costume notice. Thank you in advance for your help with this unique school community celebration! April 9th - 13th April 17th April 18th April 23rd April 24th M-Th Toddler, MWF Toddler and Elementary families, please arrive at 5:30 p.m. M-F Toddler, T&Th Toddler and morning Early Childhood families, please arrive at 6:00 p.m. Families with multiple students, pick a time that's good for you! May 3rd - 9th May 7th - 11th May 10th
Ah, Spring! It's that time of year again, when the pace picks up and doesn't slow down again until the Fair is over on June 3rd! With our Earth Day Celebration, Open House, Mothers' Teas, Children's Fair (including a Dads' Day celebration), yearbook, Elementary River Trip and fun field trips coming up we will be constantly asking for your help. But it all pays off in the confidence your child has gained in being on stage, showing off his best work at Open House, confirming classroom learning with real world experiences and in the thoughtfulness he shows in knowing he can make a difference in the world. Fasten your seat belt, get out your calendar and peruse the upcoming events. Earth Day Celebration This celebration began 25 years ago with outdoor festivities including planting trees and maypole dances and just enough rain, sleet and snow that we moved the event indoors and developed the cultural diversity aspect into a play. This year's play, "Give Peace a Chance" features the Toddlers as the "Flying Colors" of the flags of the world, Early Childhood representing the children of the world while dressed as their own ancestors and Elementary acting out the story with a message about caring for our planet and each other. Toddlers have been practicing their dance. EC students have researched their ancestors in order to prepare flags, maps, reports, costumes, songs and dishes from a country of their own origin. And Elementary students are learning about real peace makers of history, memorizing lines and creating the set and props. Rehearsals have already begun. On April 4th and 5th Jeremy Ranch students will join Park Avenue students for rehearsals in the Santy Auditorium. Schedules will remain the same. (Jeremy Ranch students: See the "Mark Your Calendar" section above for details.) You should by now have received a costume notice with information about your child's role in the play. Costumes can be as simple or elaborate as you wish - Grandpa's real lederhosen or a tunic made from a paper bag. Girls often look classically European in a dress, tea towel for an apron and wreath of flowers in their hair. Boys in shorts with knee socks and suspenders evoke a similar effect. Ask any teacher if you need ideas. Check the classroom sign-up sheets for needed items for our International Buffet lunch. Remember extension cords and serving utensils! And plan to bring your family and friends to the Santy Auditorium at 11:00 am on Friday April 6th for the play and lunch to follow. This is always a favorite school event. Open House Open House will be held Tuesday, April 24th from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at both campuses. This is your child's opportunity to show off some of the things she has been working on this year, with a focus on science with this year's theme, "Through the Magnifying Glass". See times in "Mark Your Calendar" above. See you there! Congratulations, Paul and Julie! Big hugs to Paul Buchanan, our Adminstrative Assistant at Park Avenue, and his fiance', Julie Sotelo, Lucie's nanny and part-time substitute teacher, on their engagement. A Soaring Wings romance in full bloom! We wish you a lifetime of happiness, Paul and Julie! Congratulations, Servick Family! Warm hugs to Brady Servick and his family on the birth of his new little brother, Charles. Transitions With classes filling for fall we are looking forward to the new school year and already feeling nostalgic for the the one that is quickly drawing to a close. Libby Bailey, talented teacher, connisoseur of music, fashion icon, perpetual student and good friend has decided to dedicate herself to her graduate studies at the University of Utah and is taking a leave of absence to commit herself to this endeavor. We've gotta admire this kid's ambition, but we will miss her dearly. We hope to keep her in the mix with frequent visits as her schedule allows. Remember us, Libby - the little people. Literally. Your students will miss you, too! Anne Weinrauch, another good and long time friend and amazingly talented teacher will come back to Park Avenue Campus from our Jeremy Ranch Campus to take over the Otters Class next year.She has already begun the transition, working with the Otters twice each week. Anne has been with us for years, starting out as an assitant in the toddler class, completing her training in Early Childhood and leading the Chickadees and Cottonwoods Classes. She has also taught in an international school in France and is fluent in French. Lindsay Kavanagh has also made her mark at both campuses, assisting the Sunflowers at Jeremy Ranch and working as adminstrative assistant at Park Avenue on Fridays. Lindsay will also follow her graduate school ambition to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she will study Library Science. Best wishes, Lindsay - please keep in touch! Leah Morisi, Sunflower Class assistant, quickly made an impression with her sunny enthusiasm and natural talent with children as demonstrated in the toddler class this year. She will attend the Infant/Toddler teacher training program this summer in the San Francisco Bay Area and return to complete her internship with Leah Linebarger in the fall. Lina Singleton, School Director, is also enrolled in the Infant/Toddler training this summer. Lina holds an AMS credential at the Early Childhood level and is inspired to add another credential, her attention having been drawn to this period of development by her rapidly developing daughter, Finley. As Duna followed her daughter, Lina, down the Montessori path 29 years ago, now Lina follows her own daughter along this enthralling learning journey. Erin Martin, Eagle's Nest teacher, will round out our party of practicum candidates headed to the SF Bay this summer as she completes her Upper Elementary training. Erin is also completing a circular path, having been discovered by our old friends and teachers past, Sara Harrigan and Tara Stafford who left Soaring Wings to establish their own school, Growing Light Montessori School in Midway. Erin worked in the Early Childhood and Elementary classes at Growing Light before coming to us. Since Montessori talent is a rare thing in Utah we are fortunate to have this wealth of talent circulating back to us. Congratulations is due to Tama D'Angelo as she nears completion of her internship. She will co-teach with Lynn chadderdon in the Tadpoles Class in the fall. You've probably noticed a new face at Jeremy Ranch Campus - Mary Leticia Burns, or simply Leti, has joined our faculty as classroom assistant in the Cottonwood Class. Leti is from Paraguay, holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, loves the outdoors and family and is a natural with children. She bubbles with enthusiasm and is eager to learn more about Montessori. Please join us in welcoming Leti and her husband, Kerry, to our Soaring Wings family. Our Spanish program continues to grow in strength with all classes now using a smattering of Spanish throughout the day and elementary classes now completing whole lessons in Spanish. We will add another native speaker or two to our faculty as we continue to build upon this foundation. Shoes to Choose When choosing those new spring shoes, stick to Velcro, buckles and slip-ons until your child can tie laces independently. This adds greatly to your child's confidence and her teacher's peace of mind. And remember that the school grounds will continue to be wet throughout the spring months. Don't put those boots away yet! And keep a clean set of clothes in the car for those days when your child enjoys sand, paint and/or science experiments in a "sensorial" way. Idle-free Remember to turn off your car engine when you are waiting to drop off or pick up your student. '12/'13 Enrollment By now you should have received confirmation of your child's enrollment and class assignment for next school year. If not, contact Bruce at 649.3626 or bruce@soaringwings.org.
Park City Children's Fair The last big event of the school year is the 19th Annual Park City Children's Fair, Sunday June 3rd, 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at City Park. Fair Chair Lina Singleton and her committee have plans well underway for another fun day in the park. Volunteers Jenny Samuelson, Sandy Geldhof, Rachel McHenry, Jennifer Martin, Karen Sigler-Mertens, Rob Judge, Joan Card, Leah Linebarger, Michelle Aldrich, Libby Bailey, Lynn Chadderdon and Sally Lutzker are working on lining up our old favorites like pony rides, magic shows, story telling, the bounce house and the giant inflatable slide plus games, food by Sammy's Bistro and Nature's Wraps and possibly a "Water Park"!In the weeks ahead we'll be asking for your help collecting sponsorships, donations for the class basket auction and distributing fliers and posters. All proceeds go to our Children's Planet Fund which supports several local and global student chosen organizations as well as our Student/Teacher Enrichment Fund. The next Fair planning meeting is Wednesday April 17th at 2:00 pm at Park Avenue Campus. Come share your ideas! Yearbooks Michelle Aldrich and Kim Norman are already at work organizing this year's school yearbook with a staff of parents, teachers and students. The sales team will be giving you their pitch later on this month. They will again be selling family or business ads. The books will be delivered to school by the end of May so children can sign them in class. Children and families cherish these hand-made books of memories. Please place your order early to help the staff plan quantities and costs more efficiently. Please send any photos you may have to contribute to school by April 18th. Thanks for your support!
Out of the Mouths... "Spring showers bring...? Asked in the Jeremy Ranch Cottonwoods Early Childhood Class Elsa - ...fall. Haydenne - ...flowers blooming. Wesley - ...puddles for jumping in. Sophie - ...rain. Daisy - ...trees grow higher. Liam - ...snow. Julian - ...flowers. Keira - ...water. Maddie - ...dandelions. Georgia - ...wet puddles. Aidan - ...rain. Van - ...flowers. Penelope - ...mud and water. Rudger - ..sparkles. Pierce - ...toys. Zoe - ...rainbows. "What is your favorite thing about school? Asked in the Park Avenue Turquoise Early Childhood Class Allie - Painting. Bobby - Foot washing. Brody - Watching the birds and lizard eat their food. Cloe - Feeding Puffy the lizard. Jack - Playing outside with snow pants. Grace - Art. Ian - My workbook. Sierra - Watching the birds. Braden - Playing. Manon - Painting. Matthew - Blocks. Ella - Feeding Puffy the lizard. Matty - Being Line Leader. Oliver - Painting. Payten - Feeding the birds. Reid - Playing on the playground. Zander - Being Line Leader. Connor - Lunch. |
The Child and the Environment 