September 30, 2015
The Tall Oak
Leaves Volume 9 Issue 1
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Our Mission:
To provide a Montessori environment that inspires children to
reach their potential through meaningful work.
Megan
Dear Community,
Welcome to the start of the 15-16 school year at Oak Farm. Nearing the middle of our sixth week of school, the
momentum and energy are tremendous, and big work is happening in every square inch of campus! A few highlights:
the infants can daily be spotted wheeling off to an outdoor adventure. The toddlers are digging, walking in the woods,
tricycling, and doing big work in care of self. Primary is taking on new levels of meaningful work with composting and
recycling. Lower Elementary has been launching into study of the universe and solar system, diving deeply into imagina-
tive work. Upper Elementary has already partnered multiple times with both Merry Lea Environmental Center in study
of our prairie and the work of water, as well as Michael Goebert from Deer Run working on communication, collabora-
tion and cooperation. 6th years trained with Andrea Deihl and with Brandt of Experiential Systems on the use of our
new Low Ropes Challenge Course. Middle school has been actively caring for our many animals, solving the problems of
the farm – How CAN we stop the sheep and goats from escaping their pens and wandering on the soccer field?—
selling eggs, planning their fall trip, doing community outreach, and more. Not a moment has been wasted in provid-
ing inspiring experiences that will speak to each child and excite them to learn.
In exciting whole-campus work, all of our faculty and all of our stu-
dents have begun the school year by identifying our three Guiding
Principles at Oak Farm, which are
Take Care of Yourself Take Care of Each Other Take Care of the Environment
Classroom communities from Infants through Middle School as well as
specials have described what these principles look like in each environ-
ment, forming a guide that all can follow to ensure a peaceful, respect-
ful and joyful experience can be had by all in their time spent at
school. Talk with your child about this work and hear what they came up with. Their creativity and understanding of
the principles is impressive. We encourage you to take this work home, as well, and talk about what Guiding Princi-
ples your family most values. Then, talk about what that looks like in your home. See what your children can come
up with.
Welcome, again, to the start of the school year. We are happy you are here, and trust you will find that Oak Farm is
a community like no other, and a wonderful place to be.
Sincerely,
Positive Discipline Session A night with an expert! Understanding the Kid Brain & Motivation with Dina Emser
Thursday, October 15, 2015 6:00-7:30 @ Oak Farm Montessori School—Victorian Farmhouse
In this 90 minute session, Positive Discipline Lead Trainer and Parent Coach, Dina Emser will pro-vide parents with the latest on brain science as it applies to kids and motivation. Be prepared to learn tips you can use right away to turn potential power struggles into cooperation.
Dina and her husband of 37 years, sculptor Bob Emser, have parented their two adult children the Positive Discipline Way. She has directed a Positive Discipline school in Illinois for 10 years and now trains and coaches parents and teachers around the world on leading children and others with mutu-al respect. She is the co-author of Road Map to Success with Steven Covey and Ken Blanchard, and author of Trusting the Fortune Within.
RSVP by 10/9/2015 to Macy @ [email protected]
Limited spaces available for childcare for Oak Farm Toddler—Middle School Students only. $5 per child. Reserve a spot for your child when you RSVP for the event.
Let Your Voice Be Heard! This year, Oak Farm will embark on the creation of a new
Strategic Plan that will guide our growth into the next
several years. We also have begun a new cycle of our
dual accreditation with both the American Montessori
Society (AMS) and the Independent School Association of
the Central States (ISACS).
To prepare for our big work in both of these areas,
we need to hear from YOU!
What do you love about Oak Farm?
What could we be doing better?
Help us plan for the future by taking our Community
Survey that will be launched at Conferences on Oct 29 &
30 and which will run into mid-November. Your opinion
matters! Stay tuned for more details.
The OF Toddlers are adapting to their new classrooms. The weather has allowed for a lot of outdoor time to swing, slide, work in the gardens and sweep the porch. They are becoming acquainted with their teachers and friends. As they learn to trust their new environment, they also learn how to empathize with others. This is one of our favorite characteristics to enhance at this level. "Brain rules for Babies" by Medina explains that empathy is how you develop hard working and high self-esteem children.
Infant & Toddler Program Toddlers and Empathy by: Candy Slabaugh, Toddler Two
“Free the Child’s potential, and you
will transform the world”
-Maria Montessori
Show empathy to your children. Young children (like
all of us) love to receive empathy. Research shows that par-enting/teaching with empathy and emotional guidance en-courages healthy emotional growth.
Provide simple, clear explanations about how other people feel when they are sad or hurt. This
is especially important if your child has caused these feelings in another. ("It makes Bob feel bad when you push him.") When this happens, be firm with love as you explain how these feelings work.
Be a good role model for empathy. Children are
some of the best observers around, and they are likely to do things the ways they see you treat people.
Show your appreciation for a toddler's early act of empathy -- they are wonderful signs of learning to care
about other people. When your toddler gives up his favorite work/item to a younger sibling who's crying, make sure he knows you appreciate his action.
Don't expect empathy every time -- young children
are still learning how emotions work, and how people get along with others. Encourage empathy -- but don't expect perfection.
Source: Talaris Research Institute
Primary Program
The Student’s Journey
by: Natasha Fillers, Primary One
The new school year is always full of bright smiles,
happy moments of reuniting with old friends, great sto-
ries full of sun, adventure, and joy! It also brings some
tears and moments of sadness for very young students
who just began their journey at Oak Farm. This journey
is big, they are learning to adjust to new routines and
schedules, are meeting new friends, all while developing
and growing into independent problem solvers and
thinkers. No matter what feelings the school year brings,
one thing always remains the same – we all unite in our
effort to feel like we are at home. Returning students are
always eager to help new the friends in their class.
They encourage and guide them through every step of
their journey, making them feel like they belong to the
classroom since the first moments of their journey.
During the first weeks of school we also focus on
creating a peaceful atmosphere that is built on mutual
respect and cooperation. Our students are the ones who
are engaged in creating the rules and guidelines to help
everyone feel safe. We all problem solve the most
important question: “How can we make our classroom
feel like home where everyone can learn, have a sense
of belonging and feel successful?” We also have
discussions and practice activities that help the children
become more self-aware and help them understand how
they each can contribute in creating peace in the
classroom.
Our guidelines are built on three rules: take care of each
other, take care of yourself, and take care of the
environment. Speaking with inside voices, smiling, not
interrupting each other, helping, and giving lessons are
among a few ideas that students helped us brainstorm.
They all know what it takes to make the classroom a
peaceful and respectful place for all, and when given an
opportunity will astonish you with a deep sense of
knowledge and understanding.
Gardening in Primary Oak Farm’s Outdoor Classroom - Sandy Knox, Primary Specialist
The children in Primary have been busy in the gardens and around campus helping with the outdoor environment.
Pumpkins , gourds, watermelon and cantaloupe were a few of the items that had been planted in the big gardens in June during Summer Camp. As a result of the lovely weather that we had over the summer, the children have been enjoying a nice har-vest. You may notice some of the pumpkins and gourds around the Victorian Farmhouse grounds as fall decorations. The mel-ons were used as snack in the after care program. Grown local, very fresh and organic. Nice!
Rock painting is another way that the children enjoy spreading color around campus. This is a work that we can still do on a day that is rainy. Rocks are collected from areas around school, giv-en some beautiful personal touches and returned back to their locations.
Gardening is a work that is done in the primary level on a daily basis. The children help not only on the porches and in the play yard with sweeping, scrubbing, watering and caring for the gar-dens, they also work on the walking paths in the woods, keeping them clear.
Let’s not forget about composting! This is an almost daily work in and outside the classroom. The children save all things com-postable in a bucket in the classroom. When the children go out-side for afternoon gardening, the compost buckets are carried around the building, dumped in our composting area and then scrubbed out and returned back to class. No small work and a great commitment.
Lower Elementary Program Starting Off to a Great Start
by: Ines Oldenburg, Lower Two
In Lower Elementary we are busy collaborating and learning from each other and sometimes we are just having fun! Fun and laughter in school is as important to us as it is to our chil-dren, because we will always remember and cherish the experiences that we enjoy. What a great place to be!
During the first few weeks of school we spent time getting to know each other, learning our likes and dislikes as well as our needs. This consideration for each other then guided us to establish this year’s guidelines and responsibil-ities (jobs).
Maria Montessori described the work of the six to nine year old child as being a search for his “Cosmic Task.” The children of this age are often thinking: “How can I make a difference on the world?” The Lower Elementary children find joy and take pride in making a contribution to the community while meeting their own needs. Each year we also start with the Great Lessons
that become the springboard for all other les-
sons in Lower Elementary. They introduce cre-
ation of earth, coming of life, the arrival of hu-
mans and history of language and numbers.
Our lessons are filled with activities to stimulate
the imagination and create excitement.
Lower Elementary is an exciting place to spend
our days. You can see it in the faces of all who
spend time in our buildings.
“While the younger child seeks comforts, the older child is now eager to encounter
challenges. But these challenges must have an aim. The passage to the second level of
education (age 6-12) is the passage from the sensorial, material level to the abstract. A
turning toward the intellectual and moral sides of life occurs at the age of seven.”
— Maria Montessori
Upper Elementary Program
The Upper Elementary classes spent the first few weeks of school establishing community. Establishing community within a learning environment allows students to feel valued as a individual member of a group realizing that each member of the community plays an important role in its success. Students have had the unique oppor-tunity to work with trained facilitators. They spent time in small and large groups implementing "the three C's"
Communication, Cooperation, Collaboration
Students progressed through a series of challenges that encouraged them to work together and support one another. Then, students are able to apply skills learned on the traversing wall or low ropes course to their classroom environments. Whether working a difficult math problem within a small group or completing their daily chores, students refer to the "three C's" and confidently complete their task.
Building Community
by: Jamie Worman, Upper One
The Upper Elementary students
are embracing their new outdoor
environment and are eager to apply
newly learned skills in their
day-to-day work in the
Prairie House.
Spanish Class for Upper Elementary - Susan Dieli, Spanish Specialist
Upper Elementary Spanish is getting into the
swing of things after a summer off. During this
first week everyone has been bright-eyed and
bushy-tailed as we searched our memory
banks for previously learned information: Let’s
list how many different ways we can greet
someone. We sang a song about greetings,
salutations and introductions which was greatly
entertaining because the refrain contains the
memorable “fum, fum, fum”. Next topic – the
Hispanic World: How many Spanish speaking
countries are there in the world? (The U.S. is
not one of them). Guesses ranged from 6 to
100. Ask your student what the correct answer
is! Students were then asked: Since we speak
English like the British, are our countries the
same? We discussed the many ways that we
differ despite speaking the same language.
The same is true for all the Spanish speaking
countries of the world; all unique with their own
cultures, foods, music, etc. Finally, we finished
our class with two rounds of Spanish Twister
which produced lots of laughter, slipping and
sliding.
Going Even “GREENER” at the Middle School - Megan O’Sullivan
As incredible as our Middle School program is, our Erkinder, or
“Children of the Earth” vision is not yet complete! We have begun
Phase III of our middle school renovation, which is an addition of a
greenhouse. Planned uses for the greenhouse include a medicinal
garden for study in conjunction with the study of medieval history,
genetics experiments, the growth and sale of vegetables, herbs and
flowers for the student microeconomy, as well as composting and
hydroponics work. All of these opportunities are meant to provide
students with meaningful work in agroeconomy, which forms the
basis for our modern civilization. We are currently in the design
phase of our project, and are considering such things as solar
exposure, proximity to classroom space, access to utilities, size
and footprint, and aesthetic. Stay tuned for updates on the pro-
ject, which is expected to be completed by next summer.
Middle School Program #Erdkinder Learning Rocks - Student Tweets
Middle School students at Oak Farm practice digital citizenship using technology in our academic classes. This is part of modern practical life for the adolescent. For this month’s newsletter, our students chose to challenge themselves to use Twitter’s format of 140 characters and hash tags (#) to share highlights from our year so far.
#Hanging out with our 4 legged friends Animal Care-
who knew the smell of a barn could be so inviting? @ClaireW
#Creative Expression Wednesday mornings MS students
can express themselves through many forms of art, music,
photography, STEAM, wood shop is amazing @EmmaC
#Write 4 life Writer’s Workshop is a fun, creative way to
learn technique & style as an author @ LouieF
#Learning from Elders Groups of young scientists travel
to Sacred Heart Nursing Home to meet and do Montessori
Practical Life activities with dementia patients @ElyseN
#I love strawberries Strawberry homemade jam for Fall
Festival (YUM!) Our pigs and chicks loved the scraps
@LindseyS
#Monarchs fly free In agri-economy, a specialist taught us
about butterflies. We got to tag and release them with Lower
kids @TatumM
#Buildingcommunity Adventuring from the MS to the
lower campus as mentors helping younger kids grow in their
academic skills @lyndseyk
#RunitliveitloveitMSPE Getting active, building trust, &
creating a positive community @korala
At Oak Farm, we split the scrip benefits with the families - 50% goes to the school, and
50% is given back to you at the end of each school year.
If you aren't currently using the scrip program and want to,
please contact Lauren Moyer via email at: [email protected] to get the in-
formation to set up your account.
Easy
way
s to sup
port YOU
R scho
ol!
Please remember that the community rewards programs are NOT part of the scrip program and cannot be designated to a specific student or family.
AmazonSmile - Follow this link:
smile.amazon.com/ch/35-2089006
Kroger & Scotts - If you already use the Kroger
Plus Shopper's Card, follow this link:
www.kroger.com/communityrewards
and select Oak Farm School.
Meijer - If you already use a Meijer credit card,
follow the instructions on the meijer.com web-
site to add an organization under your account
for the Meijer Community Rewards Pro-
gram. Oak Farm's # is 103207.
Target - If you already use the Target RED-
card, add Oak Farm School to your RED-
card account.
COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAMS Oak Farm is set up in the community rewards programs with AmazonSmile,
Kroger/Scotts, Meijer, and Target. All of these programs will make a dona-
tion to Oak Farm that is based upon your shopping history and will not cost
you at all.
This is an EASY way to help support Oak Farm!
Just clip the Box Tops for Education and send them
in with your child. Each classroom has a spot to
collect these, and then they are all brought to the
Victorian Farmhouse where a parent volunteer
(Thank you Teri!) sends them in for the cash!
Swallowdale Lane… where does it lead? Oak Farm is a large campus, with many turns and beautiful distractions. Because of the nature
of our campus, we needed to name the roads to help visitors feel comfortable. The names
also allow us to show our school spirit and personality. The road leading to the Victorian
Farmhouse, Lorene’s Way, is named in honor of our Founder—we truly do want to do it her
“way.” The roads that lead off Lemper to the various buildings were named by the students in
2013; to Lower - Acorn Trial, to Upper - Oak Avenue, and to the Middle School - Falcon
Road.
There are two internal drives (that are marked with brown signs rather than green) each hav-
ing names that change every two years. The rights to naming these internal drives are auc-
tioned off each year at the Tall Oak Gala. On the south
campus you will see Liberta Lane which was named 1.5
years ago in honor of a family’s matriarch. Last year,
the Hill family was the highest bidder and won the
rights to naming the drive between the Upper and Mid-
dle School buildings.
The process for naming the drive involved a lot of fami-
ly brainstorming. Birk, a 5th grader in Upper, shared
that his parents came home from the Gala last year and
told him and his sister, June, a 7th grader, that their
family gets to name the road. Both he and June were
surprised by this purchase, but they all started to share
ideas on their family chalk wall. Some of the ideas were
“The Yellow Brick Road” and “The Amazon” - but they
finally decided upon “Swallowdale Lane.”
We hope that this new road will not only get you
around the campus safely, but will also introduce you to
a book series that is exciting and interesting for all ages. Scott, Birk & June’s father, has been
reading the books during their family read-alouds. And from the joy on Birk’s face as he shared
the plot line of the story, we are sure that others will enjoy the tale too!
After School Club! We are excited to announce an afterschool option for the Primary & Lower students that is new to Oak
Farm. Soccer Shots is an organization that teaches the fundamentals of Soccer while incorporating the life
skills of confidence, sportsmanship and character. The coaches will be on campus Friday, October 2 for a
short demonstration for all Primary & Lower students. You then have the opportunity to register your child
for the club online until the deadline which is October 10, 2015.
SOCCER SHOTS will begin the week of October 12 and run into
mid November. All registration and payment must be done through
their website: www.fortwayne.ssreg.org
PRIMARY—Mondays @ 3:30-4:10
LOWER—Tuesdays @ 3:45-4:25
Please contact the school if you have questions about this program.
Would you like to offer an after school club to the Oak Farm students?
These could be anything from gardening, board games, fitness, arts & crafts, chess…
the sky is the limit!
Contact Macy — [email protected] or call: 260.897.4270 ext:1560