Wingspread Septe

In this Issue Page

Class Clips 2 Grassroots 4 Housekeeping 5 Hicks Lake Camping 6 Focus on Staff 7 Parents’ Forum 8 Nutrition 9 The Bigger Picture 10

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Wingspread

Volume XXIX Issue 1 Fall 2014

Don’t pack away all those shorts and sundresses yet; there’s still some warmth in that sky; and the greens will keep yielding for your morning smoothies for a while yet. We have launched our 29th school year with great proof of abundance, from the 30 public school students who joined us in

September to the baskets of gourds and zucchini from the Heritage Home garden and the wagons full of potatoes and baskets of kale and parsley picked this week in Langley, to the plethora of learning going on in every classroom and every centre. Read on to fill your cup to overflowing with gratitude.

Thurs. Oct. 23

12:00 – 2:30 Campbell Valley campus

Everyone welcome!

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Vanessa’s and Behi’s Primaries, Surrey Centre

Roots and Wings Surrey Centre has started its first September Montessori preschool! To begin, grace and courtesy lessons - learning how to get along, communicate & interact with peace and kindness. We practice

safety of self by walking in the class; care of environment by carrying a tray slowly, and putting it in order and back in its place so it is ready for our friends. Also caring for our friends, taking turns, expressing our needs, likes, dislikes or heart's desire. We have discovered that, without land, air & water; we would not be here! That nature takes care of us so it is our job to take care of nature in our world. We are looking forward to new friends and continued studies and discoveries of our new season. Stay tuned for - Stone Soup Celebration of the harvest and hopefully a field trip to the Apple Barn! Thanks for trusting us with your valuables - we think they are gems♥ PS Please help us collect signs of Autumn for our classroom.

Maureen’s and Véronique’s Primaries and Extended Day – Langley

Our wonderful little community of children has settled into the school and classroom routine with amazing

ease and confidence. After an initial period of cautious observation, new and returning children are now working and having fun together. The Extended day are taking at heart their role as model in the classroom. And Maureen and I are watching in awe as new friendships appear every day!

“I’m a little cornstalk … boil me or pop me I’m the best in town!” Learning the parts of an ear of corn was both fun and tasty after we dug out the whole corn plant and brought it into the classroom. Also, in our garden we found a ‘GIANT GROWING’. “It looks like a great big yellow sun. Watching me with its’ big black eye.” Our study of the sunflower will soon lead us to the famous Dutch painter, Vincent Van Gogh, and his famous sunflower paintings. Apples, green, yellow and red. Who knew there were so many kinds of apples and they all taste different?! Now we can name and identify the parts of the apple and know all about the life cycle of an apple tree. We even have a real tree in the classroom to hang our crafty apples on. The Extended Day children have embraced the lunchtime, playtime, and novel time routine incredibly well. Some of our afternoon group times were spent learning about our 5 senses, many body parts, word building, phonetic reading(ers), work with the gold bead math materials, sewing with sequins. The children are enjoying choir with Ms. Tammy on Thursday afternoons. And our week comes to an energetic end on Fridays with “take home day” (for work), and gym with Mr. Michael. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us and for your support!

Maureen & Véronique

Chami’s and Fay’s Primaries – Heritage Home

September has been a busy month with eager returning students and new students. The children have been enjoying the abundance in our garden and all the flowers and vegetables

such as tomatoes, squashes, and cucumbers which they had planted during the summer. We are looking forward to our Thanksgiving celebration together.

Chami and Fay

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Jennifer’s Intermediates– Langley

Abundance is truly a key reflection on the beginnings of our school year. We have had an abundance of activity welcoming public school guests and getting into the rhythm of class routines. We were very sad to say farewell to our new friends and at the same time ready to settle into our regular lessons. Those lessons meant fun times learning about the Big Bang Theory, the Laws of the Universe and our Solar System. Experiments! Interesting stories! Mobiles, puzzles and games!

Camping at Hicks Lake was a great success. The children were active, happy and learning about themselves in a natural setting. We did art with

natural materials, fire building and cooking, tying knots and a sling. Of course the campfire was a favourite time with S'mores and the excitement of being close to an ancient evening rite. The garden continues to provide an abundance of learning and excitement when we find more beans, herbs and cucumbers amongst the dying vegetation. For a few children, its a new experience to confidently get their hands dirty by pulling up weeds and discovering fat, juicing worms. The goats and llama always welcome the extra greens the children feed them each playtime and any other opportunity they find. It was a surprise to a few of the children to discover they could run 6 to 9 laps around the field. We can credit much of the inspiration to Terry Fox and the people who carry on his legacy.

This has been a great start to what promises to be an eventful year of learning through personal experiences and stimulating opportunities. Who's ready to join us?

Jennifer

Kristin’s Upper Elementary – Langley So far over the year we all went camping. There were some ups and downs but there were more ups. The Intermediates had fun for the day. The camp site was amazing. It was Hicks Lake, up near Harrison. When we went for the hike it was so much fun. The lake was enjoyable and had a great view. As a Senior I know what we’ve been doing. We started learning about the music time line. It’s all so cool. Making hot lunch is so fun this week we made a tasty apple cake. The JH’s have been doing a Friday store with yummy baked goods and popcorn.

by Jade Stephenson We continue to grow in development and numbers! Welcome Eleyen from Chile! It’s rewarding to see the rich variety of individuality in our group this year. I am humbled by their extra-ordinary abilities, their cohesive teamwork, their independence, enthusiasm for learning, respect for each other and overall joyfulness. amazing for so early in the year, and promise of abundance of growth to come!

Kristin

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Eric’s Junior Highs (JH’s) – Langley The JH class has been busy! The first couple of Friday stores have been quite a success. Have you been by to grab a snack from 11:30-12:30 on Fridays yet? Max is the store manager and Katie is the store's accountant. The students will use the funds that they raise for several

activities: objects (books, science materials, lamps...) to supplement our classroom; field trips; big trips; taking care of our farm; and, buying materials to help us build (?) something later this year.

The farm is off and running with Katie and Nathan sharing farm manager duties. The class is learning how to identify the plants in our garden so that we can learn how to collect seeds and save them for next year.

We have two healthy goats and a happy llama. The compost system is undergoing setup and organization after the summer. And, the chickens (all hens!) are very docile and seem to enjoy spending time in the arms and laps of students of all ages.

The class completed individual novel studies, learned about Terry Fox (and helped the school to collaboratively run several marathons), started learning about science lab safety, is in the middle of a rather long numbers unit in math, and has been refreshing their knowledge in Canadian studies. Did we mention that they are working hard and that they are a joy to teach?

Eric and Michael I am very thankful for the abundance of work that Roots and Wings has provided for me. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to work with such an amazing group of students and staff.

Michael

Arceli’s Sullivan Daycare

It’s Fall! Time for leaf crafts, jumping through leaf piles, sensing textures and colours… then harvest time, Stone Soup on Friday, lots to say “thank you” for!

CHOIR, CHOIR, CHOIR! By Tammy Hummel We’ve starting to work on singing pieces for our upcoming Diwali celebration as well as looking ahead to our Remembrance Day ceremony. And then very soon we’ll have to start thinking about preparing for our Winter Concert/Warmth Party on the last day of the term…oh, my! I encourage all families to sing! Let’s fill our homes and hallways with music - look at all of the health benefits!!

E

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Volunteer Parents

A big thank you to all the parents who have already contributed their skills in one way or another to the school! Teachers are immensely grateful for your help! Make sure to record your volunteer hours in the log book at the location you’re working.

Have you joined Lyoness yet?

Many of our parents have now joined Lyoness, the program that is growing exponentially across Canada as people are signing on to the benefits of receiving cash back for all their groceries, gas and many other suppliers. It supports schools for

children all over the world, initiates “greenfinity” projects internationally, and was one of the rare systems endorsed by Nelson Mandela. It is also a fundraiser for the school that requires little effort on the part of the fundraising committee and benefits everyone involved. Join staff and parents who are benefiting from this brilliant grassroots effort. If you’d like more information check out this link: http://www.lyoness.net/ca-en/wie-funktioniert-lyoness.aspx#tab-1 or call Vanessa at 604-377-6778.

Fri. Oct. 10 Stone Soup Mon. Oct. 13 Thanksgiving – School and daycares

closed Wed. Oct. 22 Aldor Acres Farm field trip – Primaries only Thurs. Oct. 23 Diwali celebration, Langley Fri. Oct. 24 Province wide Professional Day – no school, daycares open

Outdoor Clothing As we’ve reconnected with our typical west coast, rainforest weather, it is important that

each child has available outdoor clothing for whatever our weather is.

(Remember there’s no such thing as bad weather, just

improper clothing!).

Children go outside not only at play time, but also for nature

walks, gardening, and ecology lessons. Complete raingear includes waterproof jacket, rain hat, rain pants (muddy buddies) and high boots. You may choose to leave this clothing at school or to bring it each day, as long as it is always there for a rainy day. Elementary children without raingear need to stand under the supervisor’s umbrella during playtime.

If you haven’t sent it yet, please ensure we have an earthquake kit and a passport size photo of your child.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

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Your children’s guides and care-givers are the “cream of the

crop”, dedicated, passionate, hard-working, caring, knowledgeable and experienced. Our support staff are equally well-suited to the goals at Roots & Wings. This month we introduce you to …

Gayle Dieleman

Many of you have met our gracious new registrar, who is quickly familiarizing herself with the widely varied elements of her role and bringing welcome new efficiency and innovative thinking to our office administration.

Gayle has been involved with our school for several years, as her twin daughters graduated from the Senior Class before they moved to Mexico a couple of years ago. Gayle has many years of experience in yoga, training yoga teachers in Boston and Winnipeg and running her own yoga school. We are already very much blessed by Gayle’s expertise and serenity in the office.

We’re delighted the Dielemans have returned and look forward to even greater benefits from Gayle’s gifts! ________________________________________________________________________________

Coming up on Friday: Stone Soup!

Have your child

tell you the story.

Being happy doesn't mean everything is

perfect. It means you've decided to see

beyond the imperfection

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This question comes up every year, so I’m repeating this

response for our many new elementary/secondary parents.

Question: With all these amazing extra activities the children are doing, the camping and

cooking and outdoor explorations and biking and gardening and ….how can we be sure our elementary children are covering all the required academics? With so much freedom, how do I know my child will learn all (s)he should. Answer: Good question, and one our teachers consider carefully. The short answer is that, as a Class 1 independent school, we are scrutinized regularly by gov’t inspectors (inspection is actually coming up this month) and must ensure we are covering the provincial curriculum. They have always been impressed by our system that connects the child’s individualized experience with the requirements for the masses. Each student has checklists that include the entire curriculum (see sample below). Working sometimes in small groups, sometimes individually, they focus on a particular skill and practice it until they master it. Most of the materials are self-teaching, designed through Montessori’s genius to be appealing and satisfying, so that the children are really enjoying their learning. Plus, they are all “A” students, as they don’t move past a skill until it is mastered! Because they are working from inner “flow”, (See Finding Flow: The Psychology Of Engagement With Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – available in our parent library.), that is from an inner drive to know, they learn much faster than if they were following someone else’s (a teacher’s) interests and they are always working at their level, not held up by those who aren’t there yet or rushed through skills for which they are not yet ready. Of course there is also much on their checklists that is not included in the provincial curriculum, particularly in the areas of earth stewardship, practical life skills and leadership skills. This is because we are preparing our children for life, not for exams, for a peaceful world, not just for school or career success. And they love what they’re learning! In how many schools do you find children begging thei\r teacher to be allowed to come on a professional day?! Many wonderful public school teachers bemoan the system in which they are working, recognizing that it is broken and largely irrelevant, out of their control. I know because I tried to work in this system for ten years before discovering Montessori. I would never go back!

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Do you Know What You’re Feeding Your Children?

Marketers are skilled at hiding ingredients that increase flavor and therefore desirability of their products, yet are detrimental to health. Because of their skill, we must educate ourselves so that we don’t contribute to the current national health crisis in N America. It’s no coincidence that the huge increase in diabetes, obesity and heart disease have come since the replacement, in the 1970’s, of cane sugar with high fructose corn syrup. Over 90% of the products in most supermarkets contain corn syrup! There is now plenty of information to help you avoid the consequences of eating so much sugar. To learn of its harmful effects, watch the Fifth Estate episode on the Secrets of Sugar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaYa0AB8T

Q Or check out this website: http://www.divinecaroline.com/self/wellness/sticky-truth-about-high-fructose-corn-syrup

Is your child really prepared for the day after eating a bowl of sugared cereal? At school we are learning to eat fresh vegetables (especially out of our garden), avoid prepared and instant foods, and drink unflavoured water. Educating the children as to the effects of their food intake helps them take responsibility for their own diets, and reduces the battles that can occur when parents attempt to counter media indoctrination with healthy choices.

Breakfast

It would actually be fairly simple and inexpensive to provide a protein smoothie to our students in the mornings. If we can find a parent volunteer to help with set up and clean up, I foresee this as a relief for parents who worry their children haven’t had time to eat in the mornings. A morning smoothie can contain organic homemade yogurt from milk or rice milk, fresh local fruit from our freezer (blueberries, raspberries), organic bananas and other fruit that may be available, hemp seed and eggs. The ingredients can be set up in the hallway, with a blender. They can drop in a toonie, then make themselves a shake that will last them all morning (It does me anyway). Would anyone like to help with this? Do you have a favourite nutritious recipe, a great lunch box item or a tip for our village? Send it in and we’ll print it in our Nutrition Nuggets feature.

There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example, I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt...

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The Bigger Picture

Mission

To create a community to enable children to honour and reflect their innate goodness, their joy in learning and

their responsibility as caring global citizens and stewards of the earth.

Purpose Roots & Wings Montessori Place is dedicated to providing an optimum school environment based on Montessori’s philosophy of individualized education of the whole child, ethically, socially, academically, physically, spiritually and artistically, thus enabling each to become a self-reliant, satisfied, confident and productive citizen.

On the Same Page Kristin Cassie

We are daily grateful for the privilege of working with your children! Our goals at Roots & Wings go way beyond classroom academics as we work together to guide them to their best futures. So our gratitude extends to the fact that you recognize the value of consistency in approach. The better you understand the Montessori principles and philosophy, the more your children benefit. It is for this reason we take a Saturday each September to hold a parent orientation, and we thank those who attended. What we learned is that there is a bigger picture. As Montessori said,

It is not enough to love and comprehend the child; we must love and comprehend the universe.

Brian Swimme, author of that amazing film, “Journey of the Universe” (available on line and in our parent library – watch it!), spoke of replacing the Big Bang theory with that of the “Great Flaring Forth” of light. This light included all the elements of our universe, and Lynne Lawrence, Director of AMI in the US, noted that

every child needs to learn the simple truth that she is the energy of the sun so she should shine with the same radiant joy!

The cosmic sense pervades all of Montessori’s work – this is how the children will understand

what is needed to enhance rather than decimate the planet. To do this, they must be in touch with nature from the very beginning, experiencing its colours, textures, shapes, sounds and forms, discovering its majesty and mystery. As a scientist, Maria Montessori studied children through observation, discovering universally applicable laws of development. Children, like all living systems, have the power to continually construct themselves; we do not have the power to construct them. We serve, facilitate, support, wonder at and are awed as we try to understand the universal, natural laws that will allow each unique trajectory that is the child, to fulfill its destiny. We need enabling adults and supportive environments for this to be realized. We need to understand the specific levels of development and empower children to take responsibility for themselves and others, to work together for the common good, to fall in love with learning, to become builders of a better and brighter future. Children are developing at exactly their right rate to fulfill their purpose in the cosmos. We are not their creators, but it is our task to trust their process and ensure we place no obstacles in their path.