News&NotesAPRIL 2011

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

At DHMC, the love of learning doesn’tend in June. Our summer program pro-

vides consistent, enriched environments tofurther develop students’ innate desire tolearn. Children are surrounded by theirfriends, where it’s safe, fun, and creative. Andwith science as its theme, this year’s programpromises nine weeks of amazing discoveries,culminating in a Summer Science Fair!

Our learning-is-fun program beginsMonday, June 20 and is designed for chil-dren aged 18 months to 12 years. Eachlevel—Toddler, preschool, lower elementary,and upper elementary—offers a broad range of activities designed to meet the children’s academic and developmentalneeds. Each day brings a balanced blend oflearning and play, active and quiet time, andgroup and individual experiences.

Aca demics such as math, language, art,and technology stay exciting and vibrantthanks to hands-on materials and theme-related projects. Weekly themes focused onscience come alive through in-house presen-tations and field trips. Fridays are water days,rounding out the learning with time to splashand have a ball with friends.

The program wraps up in August with aSummer Science Fair. Each level showcasesfavorite displays and experiments, and fami-lies are invited to share the discoveries.

Summer brochures and registration formshave already been sent home (and are avail-able in the Our Programs section of our website, www.dhmontessori.org), so sign uptoday! If you have any questions or needadditional infor ma tion, please con tact sum-mer program director Heidi Gauger.

Summer: Down to a science

Artwork by Aparupa Brahma, 5

Adventuring in the Americas

Get ready to go with us on “Adven tures inthe Americas” at this year’s schoolwide

cultural festival! Please plan to join us onThursday, May 26 for an afternoon andevening of student-created entertainment,educational presentations, and more—allfocused on Mesoamerica and the ancient civ-ilizations of the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans.

The DHMC curriculum includes a six-year cycle in which students from preschoolthrough Middle School explore the ancientcivilizations of the Vikings, Egypt, China,Greece, India, and Mesoamerica. Each yearbrings new challenges for students becauseelements of the featured civilization are incor-porated into all areas of their studies—math,science, geography, language, art, and culture.

Students began preparing for Adventures

in the Americas in March, and their hardwork will culminate in a daylong festival thatincludes theatrical performances, music,dance, and food. In the classrooms, studentswill share with visitors oral pre sentations,reports, dioramas, and many other engagingefforts. On stage in the gym, third-graderswill take on the personae of celestial charac-ters as sixth-graders perform the play Adven -tures in the Americas. Middle Schoolers willhandle tickets, advertising, and technicalsupport for the play. They’ll also operate theMesoamerican Mall, which will offer refresh -ments and a craft market.

Watch for additional information via e-mail and your child’s backpack, and be sureto save the date for our Adventures in theAmericas!

Looking aheadDuring the last week of March, kinder -

gartners had the opportunity to visit

the lower elementary classrooms, and

third-graders were able to check out

upper elementary. The students were

excited to get a preview of the next

level of Montessori here at DHMC!

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

What do we really teach?Montessori schools are known

for their academic excel-lence, and by this point in the year we can view the children’sacademic growth with pride. Ourgoals, however, go beyond theacquisition of specific knowledgeor concepts. I have listed belowsome of the primary objectives ofa Montessori program. These aretruly “life skills”; the child whohas them will always be able tolearn, grow, and adapt.

Develop a positive attitudetoward school and learningMost classroom activities are indi-vidualized, and thus meet eachchild’s level of interest and readi-ness. Children can work at a com-fortable pace, and repeat activitieswhen they wish. The result is ahigh level of success, and a posi-tive attitude toward learning itself.

Develop self-confidenceand independenceIn a Montessori classroom, mate-rials are sequenced so that newlearning builds upon informationthe child has already mastered. Aschildren experience success after

success as they move throughincremental tasks, their confi-dence grows. They don’t fear chal-lenging work. Their good feelingsabout their learning lead them tochoose independently and trust intheir ability to learn.

Build concentrationA good learner must be able tolisten carefully, and focus onwhat is being said, demonstrated,or, later, read. Montessori class-room materials attract the child’sinterest. They are often hands-onmanipulatives, and children areencouraged to repeat activities.This practice builds a longerattention span, and develops theconcentration needed for effec-tive learning.

Foster curiosityOur society is changing rapidly,and today’s children will need tobe lifetime learners. Inherent tothe desire to learn is curi osity,and this quality is developedwonderfully in Montessori class-rooms. There are so many oppor-tunities to explore—to discoverqualities, dimensions, and rela-

tionships. The materials are stim-ulating and open-ended; “let’sfind out” is the attitude.

Learn to discriminate and judgeSorting and matching activitiesencourage the youngest childrento note differences in size, shape,color, texture, sound, smell, andtaste. Older children have muchpractice with concepts such assequencing, classifying, and asso-ciating. They are excellent observ -ers, and have many opportunitiesto experiment and evaluate.

Develop initiative and persistenceBecause the materials are appeal-ing and age-appropriate, childrenquickly learn to choose indepen -dently, thus laying the foundationsfor becoming self-starters. Class -room ground rules encourage taskcompletion, and require that chil-dren put away materials when fin-ished. Self-correcting materials,which help the children to com-plete them successfully withoutadult intervention, aid children indeveloping “stick-to-it-iveness.”

Build inner security and a sense of orderThe enriched and orderly envi-ronment satisfies the child’s needfor order. All Montessori class-rooms are calming places for chil-dren. Each item has a place, theground rules are implementedfairly and consistently—in short,school becomes a dependable,secure place for children.

Develop sensory-motor skillsBoth large and small muscles aredeveloped in a Montessori class-room. The many fine-motor activ-ities—for the youngest children in the Practical Life and Sensorialareas, and for others in academicmanipulatives—encour age the

Montessori

children’s good

feelings about

their learning lead

them to choose

indepen dently

and trust in their

ability to learn.

Why choose Montessori for your child?If you think it’s important for a child to…

n Be vibrantly inquisitive about new thingsn Enjoy the process of learningn Acquire fine motor skillsn Develop an analytical mindn Work independentlyn Work without disrupting othersn Work well with othersn Be able to focus his or her mind on the task at handn Respect othersn Respect his or her own mind and abilitiesn Feel purposeful and valuablen Derive satisfaction from achievementsn Become an independent, confident adult

…then you might wish to choose Montessori for your child.—Lori Bourne, Montessori for Everyone

www.montessoriforeveryone.com

NEWS & NOTES 3

Eight DHMC staff membersattended “Mon tessori Foun -

da tions: Par ents and PracticalLife,” the Mich igan MontessoriSociety’s spring workshop, onSaturday, March 12 at HenryFord Com mu nity College.

Shelley Boatright, Sue Fitz -patrick, Heidi Gauger, RenuLobo, Beth Newberg, PeggyPowers, Laura Springer, andManel Wickremasinghe heard

from presenter Greg MacDonald,AMI (Association MontessoriInter nationale) Elementary Direc -tor of Training at the HersheyMon tessori Training Institutenear Cleveland, Ohio.

The session “Talking to Par -ents” examined the many waysin which Montessori teachersand parents interact, and thebenefits to them and the chil-dren when successful communi-

cations are achieved. The Practical Life session

explored why Maria Montessoriintroduced Practical Life activitiesto children, how to design andpresent the activities, and howPractical Life spans the child’sdevelopment, from infancy tohigh school and beyond.

Attending such workshops isan important part of ongoingstaff profes sional development.

Workshop focuses on parents and Practical Life

effective use of hands and fingers.Free movement throughout theroom and outdoors, the opportu-nity to move the materials around,and specific grace and balanceactivities help children gain con-trol over their bodies.

Develop social skillsTeachers treat children withrespect, and children learn to dothe same for each other. Workingand playing with other childrenbuilds cooperation and groupspirit. A Montessori classroom is a mini-society in which everyone

has responsibilities to the groupand everyone contributes. Theaim of classroom discipline is toguide children toward self-control, and to help them learnpositive conflict-resolution skills.

Develop creative intelli-gence and imaginationMontessori children are exposedto a world of movement, sound,color, texture, shape, and lan-guage. They have many opportu-nities to explore, to experience, toexperiment, and to practice with-out fear of failure. Large- and

small-muscle activities help themto master their bodies, so they areable to write, to paint, to build—to create.

Children who have been giventhe opportunity of a Mon tessorieducation are very lucky. Theyhave “learned how to learn.”They are free to develop the toolsthey will need for a lifetime ofcreative learning.

Hats on for Art DayChristopher Cadena gets a hug from mom Heatherafter he finished up his paper sculpture hat on Art Day.Preschool/Extended Day children and their familieswere invited to school for a morning of creative proj-ects on Saturday, March 26.

Manel and Laura’s classroom offered the papersculpture hat work along with string art painting andan Eric Carle-inspired tissue-paper project. Artists inHeidi and Renu’s room could create Georgia O’Keeffe-style poppies and orchids, Romare Bearden-inspiredcollages, and Annelise Albers-style weaving. Beth andPam’s room featured giant spring tissue-paper flowers,geometric prints, and “absorbing art” involving glue,salt, and food coloring.

Attendees were invited to try their hand at projectsin each room and then enjoy snacks in the Maria Cafe.

4 NEWS & NOTES

Reading Month brings radio host to schoolIn celebration of March Is Reading Month, Manel and Laura’s morning preschool class welcomed radio personality Dr. Don from 99.5 WYCD on March 15. He read a classroom favorite, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Laura led the Reading Month charge and arranged for guest readers, including parents and staff.

TODDLER

Look what’s cookin’ in our class

Baker for the Day Loriane Nouafo, 3, dusts a board with flour before she rolls out biscuit

dough, as Isaac Perkins (left) and Jesse Westwatch.

Our Toddlers have really enjoyed the honor of being the classroom baker, and have learned somuch about making biscuits: adding water to the mix, stirring (lots of stirring!), dusting aboard with flour, rolling out the dough (this takesa great deal of arm strength!), using a biscuit cut-ter, and placing the cut biscuits on a baking sheet.The baker carries the baking sheet to our school’skitchen, where a teacher places the tray in theoven. When the timer rings, it’s back to thekitchen to remove the pan. The biscuits are placedin a basket for the baker to carry back to the class-room for everyone to enjoy.

The baker passes out a biscuit and a napkin toeach classmate, and the children remember tothank the baker for the delicious treat.

NEWS & NOTES 5

PRESCHOOL & EXTENDED DAY

Practical Life lays a strong foundationAt Moms’ Night in early

March, a guest in Maneland Laura’s preschool classroomnoticed that Konner Kubicawas completely engrossed inscrubbing a chair. Konner hadapproached the Practical Lifework intently, donning an apronand carefully completing each of the 16 steps in the process. Theobserver noted that Konner “wasreally into” the work and that hewas quite pleased when he hadcompleted it.

Practical Life lessons for chil-dren aged 3–6 teach more thanhow to clean a chair. They lay thefoundation for all learning byhelping the children master theskills required for future aca demicgrowth: coordination/refinementof movement, concentration,sense of order, and independence.And like Konner, children achievea sense of sat isfaction at the com-pletion of each activity, whichhelps them build a positive self-image and gives them the confi-dence to try other tasks.

Through Practical Life work,the children are able to practicegrace and courtesy skills, andthey learn to care for their basicneeds as well as those of the envi-ronment. These everyday-livingactivities include such things asspooning, pouring, carrying, eat-ing, greeting, dressing, washing,and cleaning.

Practical Life activities takeinto consideration the need fororder, repetition, and successionin movement, all of which pavethe way for children to become

independent learners. Considerthe multiple steps that childrenlike Konner must master in orderto complete chair scrubbing:

1. Find an apron; put it on.2. Find a “dirty” chair; take

it to the work area.3. Fill a pitcher with water

up to the marker. 4. Pour the water from the

pitcher into a bin.5. Dip a scrub brush into

the water.6. Rub the brush across

a bar of soap.7. Scrub the chair, left to

right and top to bottom,until clean. (Working leftto right and top to bottomhelps the children practicethe eye-hand movementnecessary for learning toread and write in English.)

8. Dip a sponge in water andsqueeze out the excesswater.

9. Use the sponge to rinse

and wipe off the soap,wiping from left to rightand top to bottom.

10. Rinse the sponge and putit back.

11. Dry the chair with a towel.12. Fold the towel and put it

back.13. Return the chair to its

place.14. Pour the dirty water from

the bin into a bucket.15. Clean up the work area,

leaving it ready for thenext child.

16. Take off the apron andput it away.

It’s no wonder Konner was so engaged in his work, and soproud when he finished! Andwith results like that, it’s no sur-prise that the children findPractical Life activities to be sofun, attractive, and inviting.

Konner Kubica was intent on chair scrubbing during Moms’Night. This and other Practical Life works foster coordination,concentration, and other skills needed for future learning.

6 NEWS & NOTES

The BlossomA poem by Madeleine Hermann, Grade 3

A seed gently falls from a tree, floating, free.It touches the ground so softly, it does not make a sound.

Days bring rain, and days bring sun, children come out to have fun,but nobody notices the seed, whose changes have begun.

The seed began to split, and out came a green sprout. New things were coming about.

It takes time to grow, but the seed did it at a steady flow. The shoot pushed through the earth, beginning its journey with a steady birth.

Buds began to appear and the color was sheer.The bud was pink, a lovely light pink, which made the sun wink.

Weeks began to pass, with more sprouts shooting out of the grass.Then, something exciting began. It was something that does not happen to man!

The bud opened and out came the pink blossom!

Karren Spatz’s third-graderswrapped up the Mon tes sori

geography key lessons of the sunand Earth by making presenta-tions to their class on March 21.

Libby deVeer, ReemaHaimour, and Michelle Stubbsfocused on the lesson Earth as aSphere and Its Results: perpendi-cular and oblique rays. The stu-dents shone a flashlight perpen-dicularly onto black paper andtraced the small circle of light that

appeared. They then held theflashlight obliquely to the blackpaper, noting the larger circle thatappeared. The oblique rays werespread out and cooler, while theperpendicular rays were moreconcentrated and warmer.

Chayse Carlson, FrankDucu, and Colin Monkkonencreated a spring equinox Bingogame for the class to play.Students studied the equinox aspart of the lesson Tilt of the

Earth and Its Results, which alsocovers the seasons, the solstice, theTropics of Cancer and Capricorn,and the tropic, temperate, andfrigid zones.

Class time ended with a snack of cookies that represented dayand night.

Above is one of the equinoxBingo boards created byChayse Carlson, Frank Ducu,and Colin Monkkonen. At left,third-graders Libby deVeer(left), Reema Haimour, andMichelle Stubbs explain an aspect of the Earth-Sunrelationship.

LOWER ELEMENTARY

Lessons encompass sun and Earth

NEWS & NOTES 7

The subject of peace is an important part of theMon tessori curriculum. Students in Karen

McGraw’s lower elementary class highlighted thetopic during Montessori Education Week (Feb -ruary 28–March 4) by presenting a short playcalled Nelson Mandela: A Man of Peace.

The second- and third-graders presented theplay to Extended Day students from Heidi andRenu’s classroom and Beth and Pam’s classroom.The performers were second-graders BalaArunachalam, Sujit Lakshmikanth, EricNouafo, and Geoffrey Qin, and third-gradersJenna Dabaja, Madeleine Hermann, LydiaMills, Mila Nowlan, and Panos Papadakos.

The students closed the play with a descriptionof their definition of the word peaceful.

P – patienceE – encouragementA – acceptanceC – communicationE – empathyF – fairU – understandingL – loving

LOWER ELEMENTARY

Peace message takes center stage

The cast of Nelson Mandela: A Man of Peaceincluded Eric Nouafo (center), PanosPapadakos (left), and Bala Arunachalam.

A knack for snack Children in lower elementary latchkey made hummus for snack recently. Latch key teacher Taghrid Beydoun guides kindergartner Dahlia Abraham in pouringchick peas into the food processor, as kindergartner Julia Franco watches closely. Latch key studentsexperiment with recipes often, sharing the joy of cooking and creating yummy snacks.

8 NEWS & NOTES

Taste of the Town wows again

Special thanks to our sponsors

Platinum ($500 or more)

Kernosek familyMcMaster family

Reever familyRochefort family

Rugiero family

Gold ($250)Haimour family

Silver ($150)Abdullah family

Clements/Watts familyFransen familyKovach family

Mills familyMondalek family

Friends of DHMC ($50)

Kubica family

For the fourth year in a row, the upper elementary Taste

of the Town fundraiser was agreat success! Families gathered at DHMC on the evening ofMarch 24 to socialize, sample avast array of delicious cuisinefrom local restaurants, and vie for prizes through raffles andgiveaways.

Proceeds from Taste of theTown benefit all DHMC pro-grams and students. The upper el would like to thank everyonewho sup ported the fundraiser:guests, sponsors, exhibitors,advertisers, raffle-item donors,and event organizers.

Event vendorsAntonio’s Cucina Italiana Applebee’s Bangkok 96 Buffalo Wild Wings Cheesecake GalleryChocolate Celebrations Co-op Services Credit Union Corporate Travel Cutter’s/Butchers Inn Dearborn Chamber

of Commerce Dearborn Heights Chamber

of Commerce Dearborn Italian Bakery Dearborn Racquet & Health

ClubDearborn Sausage CompanyDel Taco DHMC Robotics Club Eastern Integrative Services:

Acupuncture & ChineseMedicine

English Gardens Entertainment Express The Flower Shop Gordon Food Service Infinity PhotoboothJannie Annie the ClownLaCroix Water and FaygoLa PitaMilan’s on MonroeMizudo Academy of Martial Arts Monroe Bakery Morsels of Traverse City Om Spa

On the Roll LLC P.F. Chang’s Panera Bread Papa Romano’s Park Place Caterers PizzaPapalis & Rio WrapsRed Robin Sally Foster/Entertainment

Publications Senate Coney IslandSinbad Grand Café SoundTraxx DJ – Dennis Paglia Starbucks Subway Tastefully Simple Village Ford/Ford Motor

CompanyVital Skills LLC/PeopleGro

LLC

AdvertisersAllegra Marketing, Design,

PrintAl-SultanThe Bee’s Knees Pottery C. Louise JewelersCheli’s Chili BarCrave Restaurant & Sushi BarCreatopiaDearborn Animal ShelterDearborn Family Pet CareDiscovery Toys, Angela AlfonsiDoug Lloyd & SonsDreamwalker, Paula ByrneEnviroSolutions – Kernosek

familyHenry Ford Health SystemHenry Ford Museum and

Greenfield VillageHines Park LincolnHop’s Barley Bar & GrillIntegrity Home Health CareJimmy John’s Kickers/Joey’s Comedy ClubDr. Bernadette KovachKubica familyKumon of Dearborn HeightsL.J. Griffin Funeral Home Inc.McMaster familyMidway Sports and

EntertainmentOlga’s KitchenOlson’s Party RentalRaymond & Stutzman FarmRodeos Hair Design Inc.

Rugiero familyRunning FitSav-Mor Drug Stores/FRD

PharmacyThrifty FloristTrader Joe’sUpstairs Downstairs

RemodelingVillage Picture Framing &

Art Gallery

Raffle donorsAbdullah familyAbracadabra Jewelry/Gem

GalleryAl-SultanAndiamo’s Antonio’s Cucina ItalianaBailey’s Sports GrilleBangkok 96bd’s Mongolian GrillThe Bee’s Knees Pottery Beth and Pam’s classroomBuffalo Wild WingsBuvalic familyByrne familyC. Louise JewelersClements/Watts familyClifford familyCorporate TravelCrave Restaurant & Sushi BarCreatopiaDearborn Racquet & Health

ClubDearborn Sausage CompanyDel TacoDennis familydeVeer familyDHMCDHMC Girl ScoutsDHMC Middle SchoolDHMC Robotics ClubDiscovery Toys, Angela AlfonsiEades familyEnglish GardensEntertainment Express Fakih familyFlo FarkasGarner familyGreat Harvest Bread Co.Greco familyHage familyHeidi & Renu’s classroomHodgins familyGemma Iaquinta

NEWS & NOTES 9

Individual donorsIsgro familyJack’s BikeJason familyJoey’s Comedy ClubGloria JohnsonJungle JavaKobel familyKosiba familyKovach familyKubica familyLaurel ManorManel & Laura’s classroomMargherita & Regina’s

classroomMary Beth’s classroomKaren McGraw’s classroomMcMaster familyMexican FiestaMichigan Academy

of Gymnastics

Milan’s on MonroeMizudo Academy of Martial ArtsMohanty familyMoline-Freeman familyMonroe BakeryMystique Day SpaNouafo familyOm SpaP.F. Chang’sPapa Romano’s PizzaPapalis & Rio WrapsRaymond & Stutzman FarmRed RobinResetar familyRochefort familyRodeos Hair Designs Inc.Rugiero familyRunning FitSally FosterSattva YogaSenate Coney Island

Simms familyKarren Spatz’s classroomStockinger familyThrifty FloristToddler classroomTony’s classroomVillage Picture Framing &

Art GalleryMargo WosKaren Yamin’s classroom

Staff & volunteersThank you to Regina,Margherita, and our upper elstaff for coordinating and exe-cuting Taste of the Town, and to the DHMC staff, alumni,and upper el parent volunteerswho gave their time before, during, and after the event.

A TASTE OF THE FUN: Jannie Annie the Clown romps with (from left) second-grader Brian Afonso, Taste of the Town guest Emma Habhab, fourth-grader Mayseen Meroueh, and third-grader Jenna Dabaja.

10 NEWS & NOTES

Congratulations to the topbakers in Margherita and

Regina’s classroom CupcakeChallenge: fifth-grader CarolinedeVeer, fifth-grader Jack Eades,sixth-grader Dale Garner, andsixth-grader Rashed Haimour.

All students in the class wereinvited to design and bake a cup-cake, as well as come up with ajingle to promote it. They pre-sented their entries (pictured) onMarch 2 to the judges—a panelof lucky staff members who sam-pled and voted. The winningcreations:n Caroline’s Valentine Cup -

cake: strawberry cake batterand pink frosting, topped

with heart sprinkles and acherry

n Jack’s Red Velvet: Red velvetcake and cream cheese frost-ing, topped with sprinklesand a decorative, edible bead

n Dale’s Hurricane Katrina:vanilla and chocolate cake bat-ter swirled together, toppedwith chocolate frosting

n Rashed’s Oreo Addiction:chocolate cake and vanillafrosting, topped with crushedOreo cookies plus a wholeOreo

The top cupcakes were bakedand sold at the Crunch Cart onMarch 11. Proceeds support the upper el end-of-school-yearfield trips.

UPPER ELEMENTARY

Rising to the Cupcake Challenge

Science experiment ignites curiosityFourth-grader Carrie Kosiba uses an empty tea bag and a lighter toconduct an experiment on air den -sity, convection currents, and force.Students in Mary Beth’s class pon-dered the question, “What will hap-pen when I empty a tea bag, form it into a hollow cylinder, place it on a plate, and set it on fire?” Theylearned that as the flame burned thetea bag, it created hot, less dense airinside the cylinder. As this air rose to the top, the denser air outsidepushed up from the bottom, creat-ing a thermal, or convection, cur-rent. As the bag burned, it turnedinto ash and smoke; the force of therising hot air lifted the ash into theair. This hands-on experiment was a big hit with students!

NEWS & NOTES 11

LITERARY LESSONS: Above, members of the Middle School advanced language grouparrive at DHMC ready for the dress rehearsal of Malice in Wonderland, a short play theywrote. From left are Tasia Gabriel, Camilla Cascardo, Kirby Rocha, and Salwa Hammoud.Students performed the play twice on April 8—first in the afternoon for elementary stu-dents, and again in the evening for family and friends.

BIOLOGY BASICS: Below, students gather round as Middle School teacher Ann DeVoredemonstrates the fine art of dissecting a frog. As part of Cycle Four–Systems of the curricu-lum, the class studied plants and animals, how certain animals developed over time, andthe systems that make a species “work.” Dissecting a frog enables students to see firsthandthe kind of systems that are in place, including the nervous, muscular, digestive, respiratory,and integumentary systems. Students truly demonstrate a profound interest in the work. (If on occasion a student is not ready for such work, he or she may dissect a frog on one of the many computer models available.) From left are Ritsuma Inaba, Zayd Odeh, JadeBarreto, Fatima Awn, Seeneen Meroueh, teacher Ann DeVore, and Sally Khazaal.

Middle School Snapshots

DATES TO REMEMBERApril14 Thursday Toddler, Preschool/Extended Day, and Elementary Dads’ Night. 5:30–7 p.m.

15 Friday Make-up achievement testing begins.

19 Tuesday Parent Perks morning parent discussion. 8:30 a.m. All levels invited!Complimentary child care available.

19 Tuesday Relay For Life All-School Walk and Assembly. Students walk in shifts from 9 a.m.to 2:45 p.m. Assembly at 2:45 p.m.

19 Tuesday Preschool/Extended Day Music Programs. 6 and 7:15 p.m.

20 Wednesday Sixth-grade parents visit Middle School. 8:30 a.m.

21 Thursday All-school Earth Day Celebration (during school hours).

22 Friday Spring vacation through Sunday, May 1, 2011. NO SCHOOL. NO DAY CARE. NO LATCHKEY.

May2 Monday Welcome back! Return to school.

2 Monday Preschool/Extended Day conferences begin.

3 Tuesday Parent Perks morning parent discussion. 8:30 a.m. All levels invited!Complimentary child care available.

5 Thursday Lower elementary Music Program. 7 p.m.

6 Friday Upper elementary Senior Project presentations. 5 p.m.

6 Friday Toddler and Preschool/Extended Day Grandparents’ Day:n Morning classes: Grandparents (or a substitute) visit 9–10:30 a.m.n Afternoon classes: Grandparents (or a substitute) visit 1–2:30 p.m.Note: Extended Day students’ grandparents may visit at either time.

12 Thursday Upper elementary Music Program. 7 p.m.

13 Friday Theater Program performance: Elementary students stage The Raven Knight.

16 Monday Middle School yearbook sale begins (with delivery on Friday, June 3).

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

466 N. John DalyDearborn Heights, MI 48127-3703

313-359-3000www.dhmontessori.org

“It is necessary, then,

to give the child the

possibility of developing

according to the laws of

his nature, so that he can

become strong, and, hav-

ing become strong, can

do even more than we

dared hope for him.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Still life artwork by Amber Stockinger, Grade 5