Sterling Montessori Academy and Charter School
April 3, 2009
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Dear Sterling Montessori Parents,
Our Parent Faculty Association (P.F.A.) has been very active
this month with a number of offerings aimed at enriching our students through
cultural arts. On Tuesday, March 17th, our kindergarten through
upper elementary students enjoyed a performance by an acapella group called
"Almost Recess". The staff and children came back singing and energized. Last
week, the artist in resident program provided our third graders a week with Ms.
Bryant Holsenback, a local artist who helped them create journals out of
recycled materials. The outcome of their work was beautiful.
The week of March 16th, was Staff Appreciation Week. The staff
were treated to a breakfast, a luncheon, numerous gifts, hand treatments and a
15 minute massage. I want to thank all the parents that donated their money and
time for this event and, in particular, Michelle Rapp and Lenora Adams for
coordinating the activities. The staff and myself feel truly appreciated and honored.
Last Thursday, March 26th, was Science Night at
Sterling for the lower and upper elementary students. They were extremely proud
to present their science experiments to the parents. There was a wide array of
projects. I was told this was the largest attendance to date.
If you have a rising 1st grader, a student to
attend 1st grade next year, please don't miss the Moving-Up Night on
Tuesday, April 14th, from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. in B2. Our lower
elementary teachers will discuss the transition from kindergarten to 1st
grade. There will also be a question and answer period.
Please remember the week of April 6th is Spring
Break. The school is closed and childcare is available for parents that have
signed-up and made a prepayment for childcare. Please contact Marie Molin at
919-462-8889 ext. 102.
Also available in the newsletter are developmental tips for
children, birth to 12 months of age, which is The Period of The Absorbent Mind.
Have a wonderful Spring Break!
Bill Zajic
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Focus on creating and
enriching home environment to optimize your child's potential. This period
is characterized by self creation and self determination. Your infant is
programmed to absorb all of his surroundings. (e.g physical, emotional, etc.)
without conscious effort. During your child's first few years of life, he will
go through critical periods of development for all of his cogitative skills and
attributes. The windows of opportunity for developing some of these will be
narrow (e.g., social attachment, vision, and emotional control) while others
will be wide (e.g., language, math and motor development). Experiences during
these early years will permanently shape the circuitry of the child's brain and
affect his long term abilities.
Develop consistent
daily routines and structure. This will allow your child to make sense of
his new and complicated world. His security in the predictability of the day to
day routine (e.g, feeding, sleeping, changing, bathing, etc.) will give your
child trust in himself and his surroundings. Honor your child's internal
rhythms. In particular, try not to wake your sleeping baby. Sleep at this age
is very important to the development of the mind and body.
Aid in self soothing so
that your child can be independent and gain confidence in his own skills.
Your child's ability to self soothe is particularly important at bedtime- when
he is attempting to go to sleep on his own. It is also important when he
awakens at night and must return to sleep (around 18 months of age children
experience sleep disruptions caused by spurts of brain activity) Have your
child go to bed when he is tired but not asleep. If your child cries when you
leave the room, respond immediately but try to promote your child's internal
resources and avoid becoming an emotional crutch. If the crying and discomfort
are not related to hunger or wetness, try least intrusive techniques first.
Progress through actions of greater involvement if the crying does not stop-
make your presence known in his visual field, then talk softly to him, then
gently stroke him, and finally pick him up. Through keen observation you will
come to recognize the meaning of different cries and how to best respond.
Use caution in
introducing pacifiers because they are habit forming and may not be readily
accessible when needed. A child's dependency on an object that is
habitually in the mouth may inhibit language development and keep your child
inwardly focused. Guide your child to his thumb or fingers instead.
Build a secure and
loving relationship with your baby by handling him gently, talking to him as
you move through the day, and responding to his cries in a timely manner.
Repeated interactions between you and your child become "remembered". Behavior,
emotions, perceptions, sensations and models of others are engrained by these
early experiences in life. The young child absorbs your way of not only
interfacing with him, but how to operate in the world. Your kind, caring
community-oriented, courteous behavior will forever shape the emotional
intelligence of your child.
If at all possible,
breastfeed. Children benefit from the close, tactile, emotional bond
created by breastfeeding. It is
important that you make your child the priority during this time. Turn off the
television and telephone and be consistent about the place of feeding. The
connection you develop during feeding will provide your child with optimism and
trust in the world. Breastfeeding also serves to strengthen your child's
immunity system.
Provide "tummy-time"
for your child twice daily for 15 to 20 minutes. Place your child on a
comfortable surface and help him roll onto his stomach. This will strengthen his back, arms, and core
muscles in preparation for future movement (e.g., crawling and walking), It
will also provide your child with another visual perspective of his
surroundings.
Buy toys that are
made of natural materials and aid in sensorial and motor development such as
those that stack, assemble and require interaction (versus just allow passive
observation). It is best to avoid toys with lights and music because the
brain of a young child cannot process more than one sensory experience at a
time. Also, avoid mixing musical instruments with toys. They should be placed
together in their own area or small basket. Children at this age develop
rapidly. As such, provide toys that stimulate further curiosity and can grow
with the child. When a child is able to start using his hands, then integrate
rattles, small balls, and other safe, small objects that can fit into the hands
and can be explored and manipulated. Fill shallow baskets with objects that can
be opened and closed, mystery items and common household products sorted by
room. As your child shows an interest in moving, integrate items that entice
movement such as a ball or walker wagon. Use a ballet bar or steady furniture
(e.g., ottoman) to help your child's balance. These allow your child to have
the aid needed for his growing motor skills while maintaining his need to be
independent. Try to avoid activity saucers. The muscular development in your
child's feet and body may not be able to support this activity thereby causing
him potential harm. Activity saucers also inhibit independence of movement and
may over stimulate your child's senses due to all of the bells and whistles.
Provide a rich
language environment. Talk in a clear, kind tone with your child as you
interact throughout the day. It is important that you look at your child when
talking. When your child begins to babble, it is important to be responsive to
his language but please refrain from using baby talk. Babies with parents who
are linguistically responsive to their children's babbling, keep talking. They
become more confident and exercise their language skills. Studies show babies
with unresponsive parents or caregivers limit their attempts at communication.
Babies benefit from singing, early reading (board books) and playing games that
resemble the give and take of conversations such as peek-a-boo. Labeling
objects in the environment by referencing them by name is also important to
your child's growing understanding of the world and language. It is best for an
object to be labeled in the environment before introducing a picture of the
object in a book as the picture is merely another symbol the child needs to
decode.
Expose your child to
several languages. A baby's brain is constructed to learn all 10,000+ of
the world's languages in order to adapt to his birth place. After your baby is
born, his brain will begin ridding itself of this overabundance of language
potential so as to dedicate more resources to other needed functions. This
neurological paring process is in full swing during the first seven years of
life- the critical period for language development. During this time, your
child can learn languages much more readily than at any other time in his life.
What he absorbs will also have a lasting influence on his future linguistic
abilities. Second languages enhance cognitive development by making the
linguistic area of the brain more efficient and better developed. When
introducing your child to another language: (a) have parents, caretakers,
teachers, and others speak in their mother tongue and maintain consistency in
doing so (i.e., not mix speech between languages); (b) teach the language
orally and on the same manner as the first language (based on everyday
communication); and (c) do not insist that your child learn the rules of grammar.
Learning a second language should be useful, fun and natural- not a stressful
exercise. A note of caution: if your child has linguistic deficits (i.e., he is
behind in reaching language milestones), wait until your child has made
substantial progress in his native tongue before introducing other languages.
Provide a small
chair, preferably a low slatted or cube chair, and table for eating when your
child is able to sit up. Eating at the table is one of the first steps of
independence and the start of the ritual of family meals. Provide only nutritious
food options. Children are born with internal regulation regarding daily food
intake which may be negatively impacted by coercive efforts. Take a caring and
respectful approach to your child's eating choices (i.e., how he eats and what
he eats).
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3-6 Section News
By: Jill Stansbury
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
3-6 Section
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Earth Day Pep Rally
This month on Earth Day, April 22, the Recycling Committee
will sponsor an Earth Day Pep Rally for elementary studentsto celebrate Sterling's focus on
environmental stewardship.
3 to 6 Section News
This month, classes will be engaging in activities that will
teach them about environmental stewardship.
There is a seven-week positive discipline class starting
again. Kellie Cross will be facilitating it. If you have not had an opportunity
to sign up for this yet, I strongly recommend it. It's a great opportunity to
get some new ideas for your parenting tool kit, support what's going on in Sterling classrooms, and meet some new people in the
school community.
For those of you with students that are going into
elementary next year, there is an event on Tuesday, April 14 where you can
learn more about the elementary program. I strongly encourage your attendance
so you are prepared for what is to come!
Don't forget about the event on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 pm
in A Building where you can come in and learn more about Montessori math and
language.
Thanks to all families that came to school for conferences.
Your participation in your child's education has a direct impact on their
achievement at school.
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6-12 Section News
By: Carrie Smith
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
6-12 Section
Way to go Sterling Students! This year our school raised $4678.95 for St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital by participating in the Math-A-Thon. We had 51
students participate. Thank you so much for participating in this event and
helping the children who are at St. Jude's. We will be doing this event again
next year around the same time.
On Thursday, April 16, all 4th and 7th graders
will be taking the Second On-Demand Writing Assessment. Please let your child's
teacher know as soon as possible if your child will not be at school on this
day. There will be a makeup day.
If your child is starting our lower elementary
program in August, please join us on Tuesday, April 14 from 6:30-7:30 to learn
more about this program. Teachers will be sharing about the philosophy, planes
of development, subjects, work plans, and classroom management style of this
level. We will be meeting in Room B2.
Thanks to all of our families that attended
Family Science Night. We had a great turn out in spite of the pouring rain.
All of the classrooms did a fantastic job and there were many cool experiments
performed. |
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Summer Camps
Registration Deadline is May 1, 2009
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Registration for summer enrichments will end on May 1, 2009. We have several camps for you to choose from. There is a minimum of 8 children in order for a camp to operate.
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Spring Break
Sterling's Spring Break will be the week of April 6-10. Child care is available. If you have a current Academy (preschool) contract, you are eligible to leave your child in child care at no additional cost for the same contracted hours. (Early drop off/late pick up charges will apply.) Drop off is 8:30 and pick up is 3:10.
If you are a Charter (Kindergarten-8th grade) and do not have a current "Before and After" school care contract, there is a charge of $48.00 per child/per day. Again, you must be in both the before and after care in order for no charges to apply.
Make all payments prior to care in the main office.
Lunch is not provided this week, provide a bagged lunch for your child.
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