A Peek at Our Week | Elementary | Week of October 15 - Absorbent Minds Montessori School

“It is our choices that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

As we have discussed in conferences, Parent Education Nights, and in our blog, the Elementary aged child is in a new stage of development where social connections are extremely important. When a child is just beginning to navigate these waters of what is fair or unfair, right or wrong, socially acceptable or not, there are plenty of times when they make the wrong decision and need guided through the proper way to handle situations.

This week in our classroom we discussed “The Four Agreements.” These are four standards we have all agreed to hold ourselves to in the Elementary classroom to help us be kind, caring, and productive members of our classroom and of society. We discussed what each agreement means and that we would continue to practice them together every day. Please take some time this weekend to discuss them with your child!

The Four Agreements:

Mutual Respect – We recognize and appreciate our differences and similarities. We consider and honor all values, beliefs, and needs of others. We respect individual skills, talents, and contributions. We offer feedback to each other that encourages growth.
Attentive Listening – We pay close attention to others and let them know they have been heard. We maintain eye contact, withhold our own comments, and paraphrase key words to show we’ve been listening. We listen with our ears, eyes, and our hearts.
Appreciation/No Put Downs – We show kindness and respect. We avoid negativity, name calling, and hateful gestures or behaviors. We treat each other kindly. We state appreciation for all individuals.
Right to Pass – We have the right to share or pass while still participating. Choosing the right to pass means that the person prefers not to share personal information or feelings or to actively participate in the group at a particular moment. Being a silent observer is still a form of participation and can lead to greater learning.

This week we had our first “Bring Your Parents to ‘Work Time’!” Take a peek below at the fun we had!

Ms. Kelley is giving a handwriting lesson to these students and two of our parent visitors! In our classroom, we use a handwriting approach that appeals to all learning styles. Throughout each lesson we air trace each letter with our arms, trace over Ms. Kelley’s example, and write our own examples, all while repeating key phrases to help us remember the proper formation of the cursive letters!

This fourth grade student and his dad are writing and reading Chinese words together. This student asked for a list of beginning Chinese symbols and pronunciations. They wrote sentences together and listened to examples with Ms. Marlee!

This student and his mom are helping create our Halloween decorations for our party next week! They made different pumpkins and creations to make our room spooky for the party!

This first grader and his dad are working together to learn about Stellar Evolution. They drew examples and discussed what each stage was!

This student and her dad are working on her “Word of the Week.” Each week, Upper Elementary students choose a word that they think no one else will know. Next, they design a poster that illustrates their word, without giving away the definition – like a movie poster. On Monday, during Community Meeting, these students perform a skit to show what their word means. At the end of each skit, the Lower Elementary students guess what the word may mean. The Upper Elementary students share their definition and part of speech at the end.

This third grader and his mom worked on multiplication equations and came to an equivalence lesson during their time together. Later, she was able to see the work this third grader did with making molecular compounds!

Thank you to all of our parents that were able to make it! Your students really love showing you what they do each day and we love having you!

A Peek at Next Week

Next week, we will have our two “Caps for Sale” performances. Make sure you check your email for the details!

Lower Elementary students will study adjectives, constructive triangles, nutrition, and weather. Upper Elementary students will discuss decimals, greatest common factors, etymologies of words, the adverb, and the structure of the Earth!

REMINDERS:

“Caps for Sale” Parent Performance – Wednesday, October 24, at 8:30 in the gym.
“Caps for Sale” Cuyahoga Falls Student Performance – Friday, October 26. Drop off at 8:15
Halloween Party – STUDENTS ONLY – Friday, October 26 – Afternoon

“It is our choices that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

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