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Announcements:  

Ms. Kelly

  

Kelly_Andamasaris


Our students experienced many new and exciting things throughout the month of March!   Across our classrooms, students learned about Ancient Rome and Roman Mythology, toured the Art Museum, explored the four layers of the Rain Forest and completed projects inspired by Robinson Crusoe! Some students celebrated the life and works of Dr. Suess and learned about the great state of OH-IO, what makes our state unique and have even mastered the song, "Hang on Sloopy!"  Our teachers do a fantastic job making learning fun here at Absorbent Minds! 

 

Students have now begun to open their passports to travel around the world in preparation of our International Festival. Students will be learning about the seven continents, their countries, culture, climate, landmarks and languages.  They will explore different foods, clothing and traditions, and of course, will be practicing for our anticipated International Festival! Our Elementary students are diligently working on their research projects which focus on a Natural Wonder from each of the seven continents!

 

 

International Festival 

Our International Festival is right around the corner!  Our students are practicing hard at school for this great event. Invite your family and friends to come support your performer!

 

Come visit and share!

We are welcoming parents, family members or friends into our classrooms who would like to come share with our students their heritage, travels or experiences in another country.  In the past, visitors have shared pictures, clothing, souvenirs and even played music for our students. If you, a family member or friend would be interested in sharing with us, please email me at kelly@thesmarterkids.com and we will schedule a time for the visit. 

 

Pre-Order your DVD!

Every year we have our programs professionally recorded, creating an incredible keepsake to enjoy with your family for many years.  Now is your chance to pre-order your DVD. Below are instructions for ordering.

2014 International Festival DVD
Price: $10.00 each

How to order: 

Send and email to:  DVDOrders@thesmarterkids.com  Include the total number of DVDs you would like to order. Your DVD order total will be added to your May/June account statement. Don't forget to order a copy for Grandma and Grandpa!


When to order:
Place your orders now through Friday, April 25th to guarantee your copy! 

 

Festival Rehearsal: (not a dress rehearsal)
Thursday, April 24th at 6:00 pm 
Cuyahoga Falls High School Auditorium

International Festival Performance

Friday, April 25th at 6:30pm
Cuyahoga Falls High School Auditorium

 


Alumni Update

Taylor Koudela is our spotlight Alumni this month. Read about Taylor's experiences at Preston Price Elementary School in the article written by her mother in the column on the right. 

 

 

 

Smarter Heroes SmarterHeros_logo

Be sure to check out our Smarter Heroes section for updates on our Two Cents a Meal collection totals and our latest project information on the Care Package Project!

   
Ms. Brandy's Corner:
  
Brandy FranksThe month of March began with a flurry of art activities. Students added the beautiful finishing touches to their paper mache globes and imaginary islands we had been working on in our geography studies. We also placed the last of our human organs on each student's body tracing project. Origami was a very popular activity as students designed patterns made from 
origami boats, butterflies, and birds. These patterns were framedand part of our auction. Along with several masterpieces constructed in Art class with Ms. Michele, the students proudly displayed their handiwork at our annual Art Extravaganza.

 

 

 

 

We completed the book Robinson Crusoe in

February. Each student chose a final project about the story. Many of them built Crusoe's island or his house, while others wrote their own adventure stories. Crusoe at the end of

 

Each student then presented their project to the class, explaining each detail of their design. It was a great project!

 

 

Geometry has continued to be focus for all of us. Typically geometry is not thought of as a subject of study for children in grades 1-3, but Dr. Montessori wanted to open up the child's mind to the world of mathematics. Along with arithmetic, geometry and algebra are all expressions of the same "mathematical mind" Dr. Montessori desired each child to develop. Geometry is the link in the child's mind between thinking arithmetically (specific quantities) and thinking in algebraic formulae (generalized ideas/rules of solving algebraic problems). 

 

   

This is why geometry is so important in our classroom: geometry made specific becomes arithmetic; geometry made general becomes algebra. This month we focused on the study of lines and angles. Students learned that a line is not just a line, but can go on forever, unless cut, then it is a ray, with a distinct origin. We labeled several parts of lines and built them using our Box of Sticks. Next we discovered relationships between lines that are parallel, convergent and divergent. We made up stories about two friends who were walking on these lines to help us remember that convergent lines come together and divergent lines separate. We even drew little stick people to place on the lines we built.

 

Research is a wonderful way for children to explore and discover. Children are full of questions and they ask them almost constantly. In our classroom, students are encouraged to look up the answers to their questions, first in a book J, then online. It is rare that I just answer their questions. If I answer them, I become the resource, but if the child discovers the answer themselves, not only will they remember it, but they will become resourceful themselves.

 

This month we began a research project on the Natural Wonders of the World. Each student chose a natural wonder to research and, with a partner, wrote a research paper and skit, as well as designed a display board showcasing their discoveries. The Natural Wonders selected were The Grand Canyon, The Amazon Rainforest, Djavolja Varos (unique rock formations in Serbia), Victoria Falls, Mount Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, and The Aurora Australis (southern lights). The students will present their research skits at our International Festival on April 25th.

 

  

The "Smarter" Difference

Montessori Materials
The Significance of Sensory Education 

"Allow me to discover and I will remember forever." - Maria Montessori

 

Dr. Montessori developed the Montessori materials over 100 years ago. It was her belief that the hand was the direct link to the mind. With the desire to help children truly observe the world around them she worked to develop didactic (manipulative) materials to refine the child's senses. In developing her materials she called upon the studies of Jean-Marc Itard and Edouard Seguin along with her own experience as a scientist and doctor.  In 1907, at her first school, she began experimenting on the effective use of the materials by allowing children to freely explore them while she carefully observed how they responded.  The irrefutable successes resulting from the use of these materials is the reason we implement her methods and use these amazing materials in our classrooms at Absorbent Minds. We strive to go beyond simply teaching a child the memorization of concepts. Instead, our focus is on teaching the whole child by the manipulation of the material with their hands, each one designed to teach a specific concept, using a precise process.

 

The Design of the Material

Each material in our classroom is beautifully designed to attract the learner and invite activity. Made of mainly wood and glass, they are arranged attractively on low open shelves. They are also created to isolate the concept the child is to discover and to utilize the senses. To learn what a pyramid is, the child holds the three dimensional material in both of her hands, and feels it with her eyes closed. To learn what a square is, the child feels the edges of it, instead of merely looking at a two-dimensional shape printed on a piece of paper. When counting and doing mathematical operations the child counts and holds actual objects to feel quantities, instead of trying to touch dots on a page.  The Sensorial area of the classroom also offers a variety of activities that focus on one individual sense at a time, allowing the child to improve their visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile and gustatory senses.  Our students can actually "experience" their learning, guided by their senses, through the use of these amazing materials.

 

The Use of the Material

Though the materials vary for each stage of development, they all possess consistent qualities that are unique to the object regardless of the age.  For instance, each material contains a control of error allowing the child to self correct.  They also progress from simple to complex; having a specific sequential order.  They allow a concrete to abstract method, giving the child the opportunity to work with the concrete, hands-on, material before being presented the abstract concept.  The material also provides an indirect preparation for future learning, subconsciously training their mind to ready itself for the next step.  The Montessori student also develops their character through the treatment of the materials.  Being respectful to not disturb others when working with materials, learning how to wait for a turn with the materials, putting it back correctly for someone else to use, and always respectfully caring for materials which belong to their community-all teach great lessons for life.

 

 

As our students use our materials they refine their sense of order, independence, concentration, and coordination skills. First, to help develop the child's need for order; the lessons follow a specific sequence. A child must master one activity before the next one is presented. Within each lesson is a set of steps that must be followed in precise order. The materials are also placed on the shelf in order of difficulty from top-to-bottom and left-to-right.  Children ages (3-6) have an especially heightened sensitivity for order; they like things the same. When a new work is put into the environment to replace an existing work, it is helpful for the child's sense of order to have that new work go into a "blank" space. Piaget talks about "object permanence", a child is used to seeing the "grasping" work to the left hand side of the top shelf. We have to give the child time to forget what was in the "grasping" space before placing a new material in that spot. If we do not do this, the child will have difficulty remembering where it goes on the shelf, because she remembers "grasping" being in that place.  Our students develop a stronger level of concentration the more they manipulate the materials. Activities are designed to be repeated over and over again. Repetition deepens the child's concentration, thus allowing him to be more receptive to academic learning. The Montessori materials also build coordination skills requiring dexterity on the part of the child. Students often must use the pincer grasp as they carefully lay out the materials. They must use care to treat the materials gently and with respect. This careful manipulation helps the student build coordination skills. The materials also aid in developing independence in our students through their self correcting design. When a piece does not fit or is left over, the child easily perceives the error. There is no need for adult "correction." The learner is able to solve problems independently, building self-confidence, analytical thinking, and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishment. Maria Montessori found when children are "functionally independent" they are happy, well-adjusted and can think for themselves.

 

 

The Montessori materials along with the method allow our students freedom and support to question, to probe deeply, and to make connections. They become confident, enthusiastic, self-directed learners with the ability to think critically, work collaboratively and act boldly- a skill set for the 21st century.

 

Ms. Kate's Corner:

 

  MsKate_newsletter

March was a busy month for us. The children had fun talking about Dr. Seuss, learning about different artists, and exploring the Rain Forest. We also had fun celebrating Saint Patrick's Day.

 

The first week was all about Dr. Seuss. Throughout the week the children came to school dressed in crazy & mismatched socks, hats and backwards clothes! The first few days we concentrated on rhyming activities; the first activity was a rhyming ball game. I placed different words onto a ball and the children had to throw the ball to one another. When a friend caught the ball they were able to pick out a word and identify another word that rhymes with it. The children loved this activity! During the second activity, I wrote out a number of sentences from The Cat in the Hat and placed note cards at the end of every other sentence. The children had to guess what word was under the note card that rhymed with the last word of the sentence. I was super impressed at how well they knew the rhyming word!  We also played a noun game this month.  Students were introduced to the symbol used to label a noun (black triangle). We would begin the game by pulling out our large black triangle. I would ask them to, "find me pencil."  They then went to explore the room for that noun to place on our black triangle.  Throughout that week we went down in the kitchen and cooked green eggs and ham and then had a taste test. We then graphed who liked what better. For the last activity we focused on four sight words, "I, and, the, & that." Four students came up at a time. As I was reading The Cat in the Hat my four friends had to keep a tally on the sight words that we were looking for. At the end of the book we counted up the tally marks to see which sight words were used most in the story. At the end of the week the children made a Cat in the Hat hat to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. It was a very fun week!

 

Some of our students began to take off with our grammar farm this month.  The grammar farm is used to teach parts of speech. Students build a sentence (noun, verb, adjective, article etc) using the objects on the farm. They have really enjoyed working with this new material in the classroom.

The theme for our second week was, Art Appreciation. This week we focused on different artists and their works. The children were able to create their own works from the artists they learned about. The first day we learned all about Claude Monet. We discussed landscapes and why he chose to only draw them. We also learned about oil pastels and how to blend them. The children then created their own landscape while using oil pastels. On the second day, we discussed Pablo Picasso and his different Periods. The children learned about his Blue period and how he was very sad. We also talked about his Rose period where he fell in love and became very happy and all of his paintings were a rosy hue. We then went over his angry period, where all of his paintings were a bit scary. I showed them how he would drew faces in a different way and how all of his drawings were different. The children then drew self-portraits, cut their pictures up and created their own Picasso. The next thing we learned about was Mosaic art. The children learned the history behind the art, why they did art this why, and the different materials people used to make a mosaic. The children then made a mosaic heart out of little colored paper squares. They turned out fantastic! The children also had a lot of fun learning, exploring, and doing different types of Art with Ms. Ashley!



The last week we explored the Rain Forest. The children learned about the four layers of the rain forest which are The Forest Floor, The Understory Layer, The canopy Layer, and the Emergent Layer. The children learned about which animals and creatures lived in which layer. We also went over the insects and animals they would find and why they are becoming extinct. Throughout this lesson we also talked about things that we use that come from the rain forest such as wood for our furniture, fruits, coffee beans, and rubber to make rubber bands. For the preschool lesson, Ms. Ashley did awesome rain forest Art projects! We also had a very special leprechaun visit our room. The children had so much fun going on a shamrock hunt and finding all of his gold coins he left for them!



Mr. John's Corner:

Mr. John

 

Line Time Lessons
Ms. Dana and Ms. Kathleen have never missed a beat and are a great support to me in the classroom; we can't believe we are heading into the home stretch! It has been a great year together and with your children!

To begin this month, we visited the Ancient Romans and found they wore the toga, built the coliseum, and their most famous person was Julius Caesar.   Our students had fun one afternoon building their own Roman Arches from sugar cubes. Our students were very fascinated by Roman Mythology. We learned the Greeks Gods had Roman counterparts. Jupiter was the king of all Gods. The God of the sea was named Neptune and the God of the Underworld was known as Pluto. The God of War was named Mars. Goddesses existed as well. Juno was the queen of all Goddesses. Venus was the Goddess of Love. Minerva was the Goddess of Wisdom. Many students noticed that many of the Gods were named after planets or the planets were named after the Gods. Mythical creatures existed such as the faun. The faun was a creature that was half man/ half goat. The griffin was the most interesting to the students. It was a creature that had a head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. It was known to guard treasures and built their nests out of gold. 



We then learned a little about pollution. Pollution is something that is harmful to our environment. Some students used the word "toxic" to the environment. We learned that "ground pollution" was known as litter. We know not just to toss a plastic bottle or a candy wrapper on the ground but instead put it in a trash can or recycle. Water pollution can come from oil spills or factories dumping their toxic waste into the water. Fish and other water creatures such as ducks do not like this. Air pollution is caused by factories and cars. We all agreed any kind of pollution is gross, disgusting, and probably smells. And no one thought noise pollution was good for the environment. 
 
 
Students have also been talking about what it means to be a friend with Ms. Dana and Ms. Kathleen in the afternoon and enjoyed working together to build a friendship web. This is a group activity that teaches our students how to communicate their feelings, and pick out positive characteristics in people. 

We then dove into the ocean and found the oceans are all salt water and have some pretty cool animals. We all knew there were water mammals such as dolphins, and whales. There are also some invertebrates such as the octopus, squid and seahorse. We know that the oceans and any water forms are very important to the Earth. We get our water, food and oxygen from our water forms.

We also took a field trip to the Art Museum this month!  Thank you to all of our parents who volunteered to drive and help us at our visit.  It was a great trip!

Our classroom was visited this month by some very mischievous leprechauns. We were greeted by tipped tables, stacked chairs, and paper strewn across the room. Although the room was a mess the cheeky little leprechauns did leave gold coin candy for the children to take home!


Cultural Subjects
The class has been counting to 10 in twenty-eight different languages, English (that is our native language), Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Arabic w/Lebanese dialect, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Hebrew, Swedish, Korean, Polish, Hungarian, Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean, Polish, Irish, Kiswahili, Welsh, Dutch/Flemish, Serbo-Croatian, Cebuano, Malay, and Hindi.

Kindergarten Lesson
We ended our math unit by learning more shapes such as the quatrefoil, oval, and ellipse. We looked at some three dimensional shapes such as the ovoid, ellipsoid, rectangular and triangular prisms, square and triangle based pyramids.

We began our grammar unit by learning our five vowels and what isn't a vowel is a consonant. Then we looked at the noun and verb. Nouns are people, places, and things. Verbs are action words or something you can do. Even if you sleep..... Sleep is a verb!

The Kindergartners now can count to 10 in twenty-eight languages...English (that is our native language), Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Japanese, Greek, Arabic w/Lebanese dialect, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Hebrew, Swedish, Korean, Polish, Hungarian, Tagalog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Polish, Irish, Kiswahili, Welsh, Dutch/Flemish, Serbo-Croatian, Cebuano, Malay, Hindi.

Ms. Kristen's Corner:   

 

 

This month was a busy month in our classroom! We have been learning a lot (myself included) and the children are working very hard!

 

We started off the month of March by learning about Dr. Seuss and his life. We learned that his real name was Theodore Seuss Giesel. We also learned that he became good at rhyming because he and his mother played rhyming games and made up silly words together when he was a child. We also read some of his famous stories such as "The Cat In The Hat", "And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street", "The Lorax", and "The Sneeches".  We even had fun in class making our own "Dr. Seuss" book. Ms. Kim brought in some "rhyming words" cards with different pictures on them. I then asked the children one by one to come up and find two cards with pictures of objects that rhymed. Next, the children came up with a rhyming sentence using those two words. We then turned those sentences into a book and drew pictures to illustrate the sentences. The children had so much fun making their own book!

 

 

The second week in March, we began discussing our world. Going from biggest to smallest, we discussed how we all live on the planet Earth, on the continent of North America, and how we all live in the United States. Next, we all live in Ohio, and then many of us live in Cuyahoga Falls (or in the surrounding cities), and how all of us go to Absorbent Minds Montessori School! We then learned about the continent of North America. I started the week off by introducing the North American puzzle map to the children during our morning line time. We put each country back in place one at a time and went over the names of the countries. We also discussed that English and Spanish are the main languages spoken in North America, the exceptions being Haiti, where they speak Creole, and parts of Canada, where they speak French. Also, in learning about North America, we learned about Ohio and that it is the state where we live. We learned that the Cardinal is our state bird. Ms. Kim also did a fun craft with the children where we made Cardinals out of paper plates. Next, we learned there are many people who farm or who work in factories in Ohio as well. We also learned that the Buckeye Tree is our state tree. We also found out that there is also a famous astronaut from Ohio, John Glenn! We then "traveled" to Mexico. We learned that people in Mexico speak Spanish and often eat rice and beans and beef and vegetables. We also learned that flour tortillas are often place on the table at meal times in Mexico. Students enjoyed eating tortilla chips and salsa while listening to authentic Mariachi music!  We also enjoyed reading about the ancient Aztec and Mayan peoples, who were the ancient native people of Mexico. We also learned that they built pyramids in Mexico. Students were taught a pyramid is a square based triangle.

 

 

During the third week of March, we focused on the continent of South America. We learned about the countries of Peru and Brazil. We discussed how Brazilians speak Portuguese, which is a language similar to Spanish and how they celebrate "Carnival." This is where the Brazilian people wear brightly colored costumes and decorate beautiful, colorful parade floats. We also learned about the Amazon Rainforest and the different kinds of animals that live there, such as the tapirs, the jaguar, and the spider monkey. We also learned that the Llama lives in the Andes Mountains in Peru, and people in Peru often raise them as livestock!

 

 

I encourage you as parents to take time with your child this month and ask them about what they have learned about the countries and continents. Maybe take time and cook a traditional Mexican dish as a family. Go to the library and find books to read with your child about animals that live in the Amazon, or go to the Zoo now that the weather is becoming warmer and find animals from the continents we have learned about.

 

As always, it is a pleasure and a joy teaching your children! We have fun every day learning from each other in our classroom!

 

Ms. Courtney's Corner:  

 

We started off the month of March talking about Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. The children loved coming to school dressed crazy with their hats and silly socks (and teachers did too)! We read the book I Wish I Had Duck Feet and discussed animal parts and why different animals need certain parts. Students had a blast drawing themselves with a particular animal part and sharing with the rest of us why they chose that part. After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, students created their own caterpillars using cups and forks. We enjoyed reading Green Eggs and Ham and watching the students cringe as they tried that first bite of their green eggs and ham. For science we listened to a reading of Bartholomew and the Oobleck and made our own Ooblecks out of cornstarch and water.
 
 
The second week of March we learned all about insects. The children learned how to identify animals belonging in the insect category and those that do not. They learned the main parts of an insect with the help of our own version of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. The students crafted insects out of their names making sure to include all the main parts (head, thorax and abdomen). They turned out great! We also enjoyed creating insects using pipe cleaners. It was amazing to watch their imaginations go wild! Science was a special time this week because we divided students down into two teams. We had team cold water and team hot water and we learned about solutions. We began by experimenting with sugar cubes. Students learned if you add more and more sugar cubes to different temperatures of water, you can only dissolve a certain amount. This varies depending on the temperature of the water.
 
 
For the third week of March we talked about plants and flowers. The children discovered the four elements needed to grow a plant soil, seeds, sun and water. They also learned the word photosynthesis! Before planting flowers to take home students helped draw a diagram with the sun in the upper corner of the poster board with plenty of "rays' extending down, and soil on the bottom of the poster board with a lot of seeds planted and some rain drops flowing from the sky. We also gained a new class pet "Polka Dot 2", our very own Venus Fly Trap! Students are excited to observe this throughout the year! 
 


Events  
by Dana Dawson

  

This year's Art Extravaganza was quite an event! Walking into the gymnasium and seeing all of the student's artistic skills at their best was a real treat! Each classroom worked together to donate an item to be auctioned, and in addition, each Art Class worked on an entry for the big event!  There were about 15 items for families and friends to bid on! We also had a photo booth set up with many unique props for our families to capture a fun moment of getting their "silly" on!  Students could also get their face painted and work on a creative project with their families to have as a keepsake of this year's Art Extravaganza event.

 



As families walked through the building the artwork the children have been working on all year with our extremely gifted Art Teacher, Ms Michelle, was on display. Each project was accompanied with descriptions of the various projects completed in Art class and in their classrooms since the start of this school year. One of the favorite projects on display was the imaginary creatures. It was amazing to see the student's creativity. Their imagination has no limits; this was very evident in all of their creations!


Thank you so much to the parents who took time out of their busy schedules to help organize the art work, and help prepare for this event.  A very special THANK YOU to Margie Seibert and Melinda Philips for all their hard work in the photo booth and in preparing some of our beautiful auction items! We couldn't have done it with out you!

Enrichment Programs:
 
Music Class  
by Faith Weihe 
 
During the month of March Ms. Lisa brought in many fun activities for the students. To start off each class, she reviewed the musical terms piano, which means soft and forte, which means loud. The students then get a turn to sing hello either in a piano or forte voice to one of Ms. Lisa's puppet friends. We then practice following direction on when to start and to stop singing. The students are doing such a great job following Ms. Lisa's lead to help them sound like a choir. The next musical terms reviewed with the class were, adagio (slow pace), allegro (fast pace), and andante (medium or walking pace). Ms. Lisa would move her puppet at one of these paces and the students had to tell her at which pace it was moving. To practice these musical concepts, the students got to use either castanets or egg shakers and would walk around the room to the tempo of the song playing.

 
Students have also been working on learning different musical notes (whole, quarter, half, and eighth) and how many beats each receive per measure. Students get to see pictures of the notes and name them. Then, they clap out the beats each note gets. For example, a whole note gets four beats per measure, so the students clap once and hold their hands together for four counts. To practice this concept, the class uses tambourines and rhythm sticks to different songs such as, Yankee Doodle. When Ms. Lisa hands out different instruments, she reviews the rules of how to use them properly and safely. The students have been working hard at not touching the instruments until they are told and have shown excellent self-control. 
 
 

Science Class

by Ashley Ely

 

As always it was a fun month in Science class!  The students favorite experiment this month was  the "Dancing Raisins!"   The question was posed: "What are the bubbles in soda and what will happen when we put fresh raisins in a fresh glass of ginger ale?" The children had some great ideas and gave their hypothesis. Myla said, "The soda will turn a different color."  Cailin said, "The raisins will float to the top." After the hypotheses were recorded, we then poured a glass of Ginger Ale into a bottle and we dropped several raisins into the fizzy soda. Then we recorded our data. Students found the raisins sink to the bottom of the ginger ale and after a few moments the raisins are covered with bubbles and they rise to the top. 

 

 

They then repeat over and over till the bubbles pop away. So our conclusion is: The raisins are heavier than the ginger ale. Then the carbonated bubbles attach themselves to the raisins. When enough bubbles attach themselves to the raisins they become lighter than the Ginger Ale. The carbonated bubbles lift the raisins to the top. When the bubbles reach the surface the bubbles break dropping to the bottom again. The kids really enjoyed seeing the silly raisins dancing away in the soda. Please go ahead and try this experiment with your child at home and you can enjoy the, "dancing raisins" too!

  

 
Art Class
by Michele Hayden

March was a busy month in Art.We had our Art Extravaganza and Art Auction. I am so proud of all my blossoming artists! I was so proud to show off how hard you have all worked in Art class this year. 
 

This month we have focused on observational drawing skills. We started this unit with gestural drawing. These are quick drawings used to develop proportion and form. Students took turns being the model and posing in different poses. We also are using different mediums. Every new figure we changed colors and types of drawing utensils. The following week students were asked to bring in a toy for a still life. Still life's have be a huge part of Art for many years. This helps the artist to pay attention to details without the constant movement of a live subject. Many still life's in art are of flowers and fruit. At the end of this unit students studied the beautiful works of Georgia O'Keeffe. She creates enlarged images of flowers, paying attention to the intricate center. Students were to select a flower from a book and draw it to fill the page. Their flower was to touch all the sides of the paper. Then we used markers, oil pastels, and watercolor pencils to add color and details.

Students have grown so very much and I cannot wait to see where the remainder of the year takes us!


Gym Class
by Brian Martinelli

We kicked off the month of March with one aim in mind; to score a goal in floor hockey. Despite a solid effort from the children no goals were scored the first time I introduced floor hockey to the kids. So now we were on a mission. With only seven minutes left into our second day of hockey there is still no goal...but out of nowhere Annika takes a shot and scores. GOAL!!! I don't know what it is about this game but the children absolutely love it. I think they would be content with playing floor hockey every week.

Next, the students enjoyed a day filled with obstacles...an obstacle course, that is. It went like this; balance beam, jump over four sticks, crawl under the table, make a basket, do a hand stand (I think Ryan might live on his hands, so he was particularly fond of this part), hop scotch, make a hockey goal. To encourage camaraderie we did the obstacle course individually and then broke out into teams. I really enjoy watching the children cheer for their classmates.

I'm looking forward to the rock-wall climbing field trip we have planned for April.


 
Latin Class- Elementary

by Tom McCaffrey

 
In Latin the students have been learning how to pronounce the language by looking at common classroom terms. Already the class has a vocabulary of about forty words!  In addition, the students have learned about the culture of the ancient Romans, particularly education, writing materials, and household items. 
 
Whenever possible, the class interacts with facsimiles of ancient Roman artifacts. For example, one of the students, Mason, got a chance to light a model of a Roman oil lamp. 

  Smarter_Heroes_Logo_H_blue

We at Absorbent Minds have been very blessed in so many ways. We want to share our blessings and become a blessing to others. In this light, we have created The Smarter Heroes.

 

Smarter Heroes are ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things. Only through our willingness to do the "extra" do we become extraordinary. We are proud to see our children, parents and staff, have a willingness to do the "extra" in the spirit of serving others. The Smarter Heroes recognizes and celebrates that serving spirit, while providing children an opportunity to learn about our community and our world. The Smarter Heroes allows children to embark on various educational opportunities and service projects for our local and world-wide communities.

  

Two Cents a Meal2-Cents

Our Smarter Heroes took turns dropping the pennies they have been collecting since January into their large classroom bucket in March. All pennies were turned in and counted!  We will be donating all proceeds to the Akron Food Bank (Harvest for Hunger) and to the Free Community Lunch program put on by Pilgrim United Church of Christ. Both community outreach programs provide meals for those in need.   

 

Total money collected:  $443.72!

 

Thank you so much for your support with our Two Cents a Meal Project!  Through these projects and your effort we are able to have a positive effect in our Community. 

 

 

Care Package Project

 

Ms. Courtney's (Early Childhood Directress at the Tallmadge Campus) brother, Andrew Jenkins, is deployed and serving in harm's way on our behalf. Andrew is a 2nd Lieutenant serving as a United States Army Infantry Officer with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Battalion 12th Infantry Regiment, Charlie Company, and he is the Headquarters Platoon Leader. They are a 'light infantry' group, which means they have no tanks or heavy artillery and they travel mostly in humvees or by walking. The mission is to deter and destroy the Taliban in the Kandaharregion, create relationships with tribal leaders, and assist in the transition to the Afghan military and police. Andrew will spend most of his time planning missions and operations, going out on patrols in the local areas, meeting with tribal elders, and teaching the Afghan army the correct methods of operations and security.

 
As we go about our daily lives Andrew is protecting us and defending our liberties. Andrew is not only a member of the United States Army; he is a sibling, a child, a spouse, a friend, and fellow American.  We would like to begin collecting items for a care package to send to Andrew from our Absorbent Minds family.  We will collect items throughout the month of April.  There is a box in the hallway marked "Care Package Project."  There was also a list of items that can be collected sent home.  If you need this information again please email kelly@thesmarterkids.com
 

 

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Good Friday 4/18 Easter Monday 4/21 
NO SCHOOL 
School Resumes
Tuesday, April 22n
d



International Festival 
Rehearsal 
Thursday, April 25th 
6:00-7:00pm


International Festival 
Friday, April 25th
6:30pm  
 
 
Hero Night
Friday, May 2nd
6:00-10:00pm
 
 
Moms N Muffins
Friday, May 9th
7:00am
 
 
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Alumni Update: 
Every month we devote a section of our newsletter to spotlight an alumni student.  This month we heard about Taylor Koudela who attended Absorbent Minds for 2 years.  Below is a message from Carrie, her mother.
 
"Taylor came home today with a letter from her school and I couldn't wait to share it with you all!  Taylor received a Terrific Tiger Award for her model behavior, how she treats others and her quality work. We are so proud of this award and know that a big part of her success in school is thanks to her teachers and the school leadership. I jsut can't express how grateful we are for the foundation that our shy Taylor received at AMMS. Particularly because she is an only child, Taylor benefited from her two years with you in more ways than we could have imagined.
 
Thank you again!"
 
-Carrie Koudela  
 

Absorbent Minds Montessori School
Cuyahoga Falls Campus:
130 Broad Blvd.
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221
330.922.8299
Tallmadge Campus:
158 North Ave.
Tallmadge, Ohio 44278
330.633.8299