News&NotesAPRIL 2013

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

When the school year ends in June,DHMC students are invited on a

summer-long journey through ancient cul-tures, beginning with ancient Greece! Ourannual summer program will let studentsexplore a number of ancient civilizations—aswell as other academic topics—all withoutleaving the classroom.

Our nine-week learning-is-fun summerprogram begins Monday, June 17 and isdesigned for children aged 18 months to 12years. Each level—toddler, preschool, lowerelementary, and upper elementary—offers abroad range of activities designed to meet the children’s academic and developmentalneeds. Each day brings a balanced blend of learning and play, active and quiet time,and group and individual experiences.

Weekly themes focused on ancient cul-tures—including ancient Egypt, the Vikings,ancient China, and ancient Arabic cultures—come alive through in-house presentationsand field trips. Aca demics such as math, lan-

guage, art, and technology stay exciting andvibrant thanks to hands-on materials andtheme-related projects.

Fridays are water days, rounding out thelearning with time to splash and have a ballwith friends.

The program wraps up with a family cook-out on Friday, August 16. Students, families,and staff are invited to a picnic lunch to shareall the great things that have happened dur-ing the summer.

At DHMC, the love of learning doesn’tend in June. Our summer program providesconsistent, enriched environments to furtherdevelop students’ innate desire to learn.Children are surrounded by their friends,where it’s safe, fun, and creative.

Summer brochures and registration formshave been sent home (and are available on ourwebsite, www.dhmontessori.org, under “OurPrograms”), so sign up today! If you have ques-tions or need more infor ma tion, please con tactsummer program director Heidi Gauger.

This year’s summer camperswill explore ancient cultures

Families of current and prospective stu-dents are invited to our Open House ses-

sions on Tuesday, April 23 from 9 to 11 a.m.and Wednesday, April 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The weekday dates mean school will be in session, giving guests a firsthand look atour Montessori programs in action. This isan excellent opportunity for our DHMCfamilies to check out the next level of Mon -tessori education for their children—fromtoddler to preschool, preschool to Extended

Day, Extended Day to lower elementary,lower el to upper elementary, and upper el toMiddle School.

We hope you will join us—and perhapsinvite a friend or two!

Now in our 41st year of providing stu-dents with an authentic, high-quality Mon - tessori education, DHMC delivers programsthat stay true to Maria Montessori’s vision:the education of the whole child—social,emotional, physical, and intellectual.

Come see our Montessori programs in action during our April Open House

Artwork by Christina Fehme, 5

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Why DHMC?All schools teach children to read, write, and compute. But Montessori goes so much further

It’s enrollment time again, andwith it come mixed emotions

for me. Contributing to the posi-tive side are the many returningchildren who will enjoy the bene-fits of a Montessori education,more specifically a DHMC edu-cation, for the 2013–2014 schoolyear. Also positive is the eighthgrade class of 2013—yet anothercompetent, mature, ready-to-flygroup of solid citizens preparingto move on to their high schoolsof choice. Our eighth grade grad-uation ceremony takes place onThursday, June 11. Plan to joinus if you can!

Emotions on the oppositeside of the emotional scale, how-ever, are prompted by the chil-dren who won’t be returning inthe fall. The past several yearshave presented unusual eco-nomic challenges for families—it’s the main reason for ourtuition assistance program. I

truly understand when financialdifficulties preclude continuing achild’s Mon tessori education.Where I feel frustration and dis-appointment is in cases wherethe choice is arbitrary. I am dis-appointed for the children whowill miss out on somethingextraor dinary, and frustratedbecause I realize that we have notdone an adequate job of educat-ing parents about their children’sprogram. Parents who trulyunder stand and appreciate anauthentic Mon tes sori educationcontinue with us until we runout of grades. They don’t inter-rupt the developmental pro cessthat is under way.

It is particularly troubling tome when students aren’t allowedto finish the three-year cycle (twoyears in the Middle School) theyhave begun. Kindergarten andgrades 3, 6, and 8 are cul minatingyears of a spiral curriculum that

increases in depth and complex ityeach time the children revisit asubject area. A school change robsthem of the lessons they havebeen working toward, and deniesthem the many confidence-build-ing opportunities to display lead-ership that are characteristic of the“senior” students in each divisionof the school.

Parents enroll their children atDHMC for myriad reasons. Notsurprisingly, only a few of ournew families have a deep under-standing of the program, and Iconsider it our responsibility as aschool to provide the informationthey need to best support theirchildren’s experience with us. Montessori is much more

than just a school or a methodof education. It is a philosophyand a way of life—a manner of viewing children’s develop-ment, of appreciating and pro-tecting the natural world, of

Our goal is

to provide an

environment in

which children

can develop both

studentship and

citizenship.

Lower el book sale benefits animal charities Third level lower elementary studentsraised more than $400 during theirused-book sale the week of March 11!The proceeds will be donated to threeanimal-welfare organizations, selected bythe students: the Jane Goodall Institute,the Wolf Education & Research Center,and the Wildlife Recovery Association.

Third graders from all three lower elclasses teamed up to set up and runthe sale. At right, Hannah Fakih andAdam Hammoud take a turn manningthe check-out table.

The students thank all of the DHMC students, families, and staff whodonated books and stopped by to makea purchase. Special thanks to those who helped sort and organize the book donations: staff membersIslam Habhab (Ava and Emma’s mom) and Norm Boguslaw, and parents Heather Cadena(Matthew’s mom) and Christine Juergens (Claire Stephens’ mom).

NEWS & NOTES 3

respecting and caring for others,of taking responsibility.

Any school will teach childrento read, write, and compute—asdo we. But Montessori goes somuch further. The followingpoints are taken from the Amer i -can Montessori Society positionpaper on philosophy and practice.They summarize our approach:n The aim of Montessori edu -cation is to foster competent,responsible, adaptive citizens who are lifelong learners andproblem-solvers.n Learning occurs in an inquir-ing, cooperative, nurturing atmo -s phere. Students increase theirown knowledge through self- andteacher-initiated experiences.n Learning takes place throughthe senses. Students learn bymanipulating materials andinteracting with others. Thesemeaningful experiences are pre-cursors to the abstract under-standing of ideas.n The individual is considered as a whole. The physical, emo-tional, social, aesthetic, spiritual,and cognitive needs and interestsare inseparable and equallyimportant.n Respect and caring attitudesfor oneself, others, the environ-ment, and all life are necessary.

Considerable research and ourown impressive standardized testscores are tangible evidence thatauthentic Montessori works. Aca -demics are clearly strong, butDHMC students benefit from anumber of other things. Amongthem:n Two or three teachers perclassroom, with low student-teacher ratiosn Many supplemental field tripsand/or in-house presenters (andwe are always told how impressive

and well-behaved the students are)n Family-like classroom rela-tionships, where children andteachers get to know each otherwell and provide mutual supportn The opportunity to run realbusinessesn Less rote learning and morequestioning, discussing, analyz-ing, and synthesizing of ideas—i.e., thinkingn Individualized programs thatallow students to progress at theirown raten Supplemental classes in for-eign language, music, art, physi-cal education, and technologyn Experience with self-guidingtools—contracts, goal sheets,planners—that teach organiza-tion and student accountabilityn An integrated, research-basedcurriculum that promotes cul turalunderstanding and a world viewn Continuous opportunities toexperiment and discover (thethings we learn best are those thatwe teach ourselves)n Calm, peaceful classroomswhere kindness and considerationfor others are taught and practiced

What especially sets DHMCapart is the kind of people ourstudents become.

Our upcoming cultural festi-val is an event that brings manyalumni back to DHMC. It’salways fun to see them and tolearn of their successes. We areoften told that they didn’t realizeuntil they were in other settingshow val uable the life skills theylearned at DHMC would be.Uni ver sally, they speak of beingself-starters, of having the ability to organize tasks and work col-laboratively, of being comfort-able speaking before a group, ofknowing how to manage time.These intan gibles develop grad-

ually in the Montessori setting,and by the time students grad -uate, are firmly in place.

Our goal is to provide an environment in which childrencan develop both studentship and citizenship, and the entireDHMC staff is dedicated to thatend. I congratulate families whoshare these values; we look for-ward to working with your chil-dren in September.

“Tree of Life” by Katherine Pavlich, Grade 1, inspired by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. Katherine’s tree features copper-like paint and oil-crayon leaves.

4 NEWS & NOTES

PRESCHOOL & EXTENDED DAY

Families help celebrate Reading Month

Creating crafts, making memories

Our annual preschool and Extended DayArt Day drew lots of children and parents

to DHMC on Saturday, March 23 for a fun-filled morning of hands-on projects.

It’s a lovely way for families to spend timetogether here at school. Above: Noah Pich

and parents Richard Pich and SophiaAlekov create springtime-themed art by

dipping cookie cutters into paint and thendesigning a collage on construction paper.n At right: Ahmad Ahmad and stepmomRanda Saleh use string dipped in paint to

add colorful designs to paper eggs.

To celebrate National Reading Month in March,the families of Renu and Heidi’s students were

invited to come in at the end of the day to read afavorite story. We welcomed Sawson Berro (Jawad’smom), Zeina Chehab (Mohammad Tal’s mom),Andrea Colfescu (Marta Meehan’s nanny), BeatrizDhruna (Cristian’s mom), Zeena Hourani (Claire’smom), Nesrin Issa (Ali Kheirbek’s mom), MelissaKhalil (AJ’s mom), Jennifer Kraft (Gabriel’s mom),

Lucia Meehan (Marta’s mom), Sabrina Rugiero(Attilio’s mom), Sabrina Safiedine (Naima’s mom),Dima Sukari (Tarek Younes’ mom), Peter Sutton(Mia’s dad), and Kehly Syrkett (Lillian Harvell’smom). The children enjoyed sharing favorite stories, and we loved all the visitors coming in andreading. We want to thank all the participatingfamilies for taking the time to provide an enrichingexperience for everyone.

NEWS & NOTES 5

PRESCHOOL & EXTENDED DAY

EXPLORING ASIA: Heidi and Renu’s students recently made a collage of Asia by gluing images of people, food, and places onto a shape of the continent. Above, from left, Keller Abbott,Zein Tanana, and Jawad Berro hone their fine motor skills while learning all about Asia.

Pin-punch bird by Rami Hassan, 5 Paper-cut bird by Salina Tyra, 5

Save the date: Grandparents’ Day is May 3Toddler, preschool-kindergarten, and Extended Day students will invite their grandparents (or otherspecial guests) to school on Friday, May 3. Grandparents’ Day gives the children a wonderful oppor-tunity to show their classrooms and Montessori work to special people in their lives.n Morning classes: Grandparents visit 9–10:30 a.m.n Afternoon classes: Grandparents visit 1–2:30 p.m.n Extended Day grandparents may visit at either time.

6 NEWS & NOTES

We love our moms!Toddler, preschool-kindergarten, Extended Day,and elementary students were excited to sharetheir classrooms and Montes sori work with theirmoms or other special guests during Moms’Night on Wednesday, March 6. We offered daycare and latchkey for siblings so that each childcould have one-on-one time with his or herspecial guest. Clock wise from above left: Thirdgrader Ben Clifford and mom Joan Remskin Second grader Joshua Cross and momMandisa n Preschooler Sarah Reeves and mom Roslyn n Pre schooler Oliver Kurtzand mom Lauren Newton n Fourth graderEmilio Cascardo and mom Kim n Toddler Leah Betisistas and mom Jennifer

NEWS & NOTES 7

Drama students take a trip to Mechanical IslandStudents in the DHMC Drama Program presented Mechanical Island to families and friends on theevening of Thursday, March 21. The play, written specifically for our students by program directorAric Liljegren (Maya’s dad), featured a cast of students in elementary through Middle School, aswell as a production crew made up of Middle Schoolers, DHMC staff, and parents. Above is the caston stage during dress rehearsal. Photo by Rick Miller (Dixon’s dad)

Sleeping creation

“Although even when I am being idle I have plenty of food for thought both early and late—thoughts both about and not about art.” —Gustav Klimt

Inspired by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt,lower elementary students have beendesigning works in his style for art class.Shown here is a “sleeping creation” byZharia Hunter, Grade 1. For this project,students first took pictures of oneanother in a sleeping position. Theyused foil to create the blanket, and thenadded a selection of decorative scraps(such as patterned paper and sequins) to complete their designs.

8 NEWS & NOTES

Serving up math for Pi Day

Upper elementary students celebrated National Pi Day—March 14—with a variety of

mathematical activities, includ-ing measuring the circumfer-

ence of a real pie! Top photo:George Nunu (foreground)

takes a measurement of a realapple pie using a piece of

string during a group projectwith fellow fourth graders

(from left) Emilio Cascardo,Geoffrey Qin, and Ben Johns.

n Bottom photo: Fourthgraders Brian Afonso (left) andJoaquin Martinez use ribbon

to outline the sections of adivided circle.

By the way, pi represents the relationship between a

circle’s diameter (its width) andits circumference (the distance

around the circle). Pi equalsapproximately 3.14 (its deci -

mal representation never endsand never repeats), which iswhy National Pi Day is cele-

brated on March 14.

Many thanks to everyone who supported thePasta Dinner fund raiser hosted by upper ele-

mentary families on Friday, March 8. The dinnerraised about $3,400, which will help offset the costof the class field trips to Chicago (fifth levels) andWashington, D.C. (sixth levels), this spring.Special thanks go to: n The Rugiero family, for providing pasta, salad,

and bread from their restaurant Antonio’sCucina Italiana in Dearborn Heights.

n The Kibbey family, for donating beverages.

n Everyone who donated gift baskets for the raffleand baked goods.

n The event volunteers.n The hard-working committee members who

made it all possible: Denise Abdullah (Adamand Kassim’s mom), Tracey Audi (Jack andGrace’s mom), Tracy Buvalic (Zachary’s mom),Islam Habhab (Ava and Emma’s mom), JenniferKibbey (Hayden and David’s mom), andSabrina Rugiero (Adrianna, Antonio, Attilio,and Vanessa’s mom).

UPPER ELEMENTARY

Pasta Dinner raises funds for upper el trips

NEWS & NOTES 9

Wearin’ o’ the green Students in Regina’s upper elementary class decided that the best way to say “Top o’ the mornin’”on St. Patrick’s Day was with a holiday breakfast! In true Montessori fashion, the students plannedthe menu, did the shopping, cooked the food, and had a fine time doing so. Above left: Sixthgrader Zachary Buvalic whips up a batch of green pancakes for the class to share. n Above right:Fifth graders (from back to front) Suha Qashou, Molly Byrne, Chloe Rochefort, and Lydia Mills getinto the spirit of the day by donning green clothing and accessories. Check out the festive tabletoptree, with its shiny green shamrocks hanging from gold ribbons.

KNITTING TIME: Sixth grader Cara Dunn (left), fourth graderHanna Khor, and sixth grader Arianna Hernandez put their timein latchkey to good use this winter by learning to knit. Led bylatchkey assistant Christina Iaquinta, the girls made a number ofwearables, including scarves, hats, and fingerless gloves.

Middle School welcomesupper el visitorsUpper elementary students andfamilies are invited to the MiddleSchool for the following visits:n Wednesday, April 24—MiddleSchool Morning: Parents, come see the Middle School in action!Arrive at 8:30 a.m. and stay untillunchtime.n Monday, May 20—Once More in May: Incoming parents and stu-dents come to the Middle School at 5 p.m. to take a look at our pro -cedures and protocols. Summerschool packets are distributed.

Parents, you are welcome to visitanytime! Please call the MiddleSchool at 313-359-6943 with anyquestions or to arrange a visit thatworks with your schedule. We lookforward to seeing you soon!

UPPER ELEMENTARY

10 NEWS & NOTES

Electives open doors to new topicsMiddle School electives give

students one more way toexplore the world and to delvedeeper into areas that interestthem. Students have had a widevariety of elective topics tochoose from this school year.Special thanks to those parentswho have volunteered their timeto teach classes.

Arabic LanguageLed by Rania Nunu (George,Michael, and alumnus Nick’smom). This class introduces stu -dents to Ara bic through reading,writing, and speaking. Studentslearn the alphabet, numbers, sea-sons, months, days, and colors, aswell as about food and traditions.They put their new skills to workduring lunch at an Arabic res -taurant and a guided visit of theArab Ameri can National Museumin Dearborn.

Art StudioLed by art teacher Lynn Manwell.Students choose an artist or style,pre sent a research paper on theirchoice, and then complete apainting or piece of work à la theartist or style. (Read more aboutthis elec tive on page 43 of theMarch issue of News & Notes.)

Basic Web DesignLed by Kirste Moline (Aliyah andOwen Moline-Freeman’s mom).Students learn the building blocksof website design and how towrite HTML code. Each studentcreates his or her own website andengages in usability and acces -sibility testing.

Cooking Led by Bernadette Kovach (Ian’smom). Students gather in theMiddle School kitchen to learnthe basics of food prepar ation.Topics include accurate mea -suring, pre sentation methods,nutrition, and shopping recom-mendations.

Environmental StudiesLed by Kelly Gallagher (Kelseaand Evan Kernosek’s mom). Stu -dents learn practical ways to carefor and improve the environ-ment. They look at changingenvironmental-preservationneeds as the population grows,and they study environmentalissues that they as Middle Schoolstudents can address.

KnittingLed by French teacher Joy Coyle.Students explore the history of

knitting and examine differentfibers to see how they were madein earlier times as well as today.Each student studies knittingterms, learns how to read a basicpattern, and completes a project.The class also visits a knit shop.

MediaLed by Middle School teacher AnnDeVore. Media students have theopportunity to learn how tooperate the sound, lighting, andvideo recording equipment usedfor various DHMC productions,including the annual CulturalFestival in May.

Music AppreciationLed by music teacher Pat Tait.Students journey through musicalhistory via discussions, presenta-tions, and of course listening tomusic. This year’s class spans fromthe Romantic period in the 1820sto Beatlemania in the 1960s.(Read more about this elective onpage 42 of the March issue ofNews & Notes.)

Radio: WDHM-FM 89.7Led by Middle School teacher Ann DeVore. Students learn tooperate the radio equipment inthe Middle School media room.Each week students gather infor-mation regarding upcomingschool events, write the scripts,and do the broadcasts. Studentsalso have the opportunity to hostspecial radio events. Students areresponsible for marketing theradio station to DHMC families.

RoboticsLed by technology teacher TonyLombardo. LEGO Robot ics(known as Mindstorms) allowsstudents to combine LEGOswith robotic programming tocreate different machines. EachMind storms kit includes a vari-ety of motors, sensors, and

Members of the Middle School Peace and Serviceeconomics group continue to bring their positiveinfluence to our school community.

Several times a month, Peace and Service stu-dents visit the preschool and lower elementaryclassrooms to perform skits on dealing with emo-tions and getting along. Skits are based on theJoy Wilt Berry “Let’s Talk About” series of books.Two recent topics were being patient and whatto do when you are afraid.

The group has also been working as PeacePals, mentoring lower elementary classes duringoutdoor recess three times a week. Identified bythe brightly colored armbands they sewed them-

selves, Peace Pals are available to the youngerchildren to help resolve playground conflicts. AllPeace Pals have had lessons in conflict resolutionto help them mediate as playground mentors.

Another ongoing activity is the Empty Bowlsfundraising project. Students make and sell claybowls to raise money to support organizationsthat feed the hungry in the community.

Peace and Service economics group membersare Arianna Afonso, Patrick Byrne, NahlaHammoud, Zane Hammoud, Monica Iyer,Reem Rizk, Sarah Rochefort, and DavidVanzant. The group is led by Middle Schoolteacher Ann DeVore.

Peace and Service group has positive influence

MIDDLE SCHOOL

NEWS & NOTES 11

LEGO pieces that are used tobuild robots, which students further program in differentways. Stu dents employ creativityand logic to come up withrobots that can be used to solveproblems, many of which arerooted in real-world applica-tions. This year students havecreated a mining robot and asecurity robot dog.

Speech CommunicationLed by Middle School teacher KimDavidson. Speech Com muni ca -tion helps students develop theskills necessary to be an effectivecommunicator. Fundamentals ofpublic speaking are discussed,and students have the opportu -nity to explore and practice vari-ous types of speaking, includingthose that form the basics forspeech tournaments (forensics).This group competes on theregional level with other Mich -igan middle schools.

Stocks and InvestingLed by Lee Freeman (Aliyah andOwen Moline-Freeman’s dad).Students are taught about stocks,investing, and finance. Each stu-dent has the opportunity to conduct a simulation of stockpurchases on the trading roomfloor. This elective is taught incollaboration with BELL (Busi -ness Experi ential Learning Labo -ra tory), the financial learninglaboratory at the University ofMichi gan–Dearborn College ofBusi ness. BELL simulates a real-world trading floor.

YearbookLed by Middle School teacherJohn Bagley. In the first session ofthe yearbook elective, studentsfocus on gathering photographs.In the second session, they work on assembling the DHMCyearbook.

A system of scientific studyCycle Four of the Middle School curriculum focused onSystems. In science, we studied the classification and the sys-tems of vertebrates and invertebrates. We closely examined thecharacteristics of animals from the simplest life forms such assponges and jellyfish all the way up to mammals. We went indepth on the animals’ circulatory, respiratory, digestive/excre-tory, nervous, skeletal, muscular, and reproductive systems. Thestudents analyzed and discussed the qualities that define allthese animals, as well as how their systems have evolved andadapted to their environment and needs. For example, why isit advantageous for a bird to have a four-chambered heart, asopposed to a reptile that has a three-chambered heart?

A culminating activity for this unit was to dissect an earth-worm and a frog, to see firsthand how their systems work.Although some students began this activity with trepidation,many were fascinated by the process and what they learned,and plan to do more dissections. (Crayfish and grasshopperspecimens are available for those students.) Read more aboutthe Montessori science curriculum beginning on page 12.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Seventh graders Luma Qashou (left) and Sarah Rochefortdissect a frog during the Middle School’s recent study ofthe characteristics of animals.

12 NEWS & NOTES

Ascientific mind has intensecuriosity and the ability to

observe, is willing to make mul-tiple trials, can accept outcomesas informative rather than as fail-ure, and examines the environ-ment for interesting patterns.Scientists want to explore anddiscover, make connections, andtry to understand the worldaround them. They use priorknowledge to make new hypoth -eses, and they aren’t afraid of get-ting messy in the process.

Does this remind you of anystudents you know?!

Children are naturally curi-ous. They can observe a bug oran animal for long periods oftime. They love to touch, to trythings, and to see what thingsdo. Children build on what theyknow, and most do not careabout getting messy unless they

are afraid of an adult’s reaction.Children’s minds are the originalscientific minds!

The Montessori science cur-riculum was designed to develop

a child’s scientific mind; after all,its creator, Maria Montessori, was a scientist and a doctor. Sheexperimented with educationalmaterials over time, observing scientifically which ones childrenwere most drawn to, which theywere most successful with, andwhat topics fascinated children atcertain ages. She noticed that evenwhen she included beautiful toysin her classrooms, the childrenpassed them by in order to workwith the materials she designed!

Here’s a look at how eachlevel of our Mon tessori curricu-lum helps cultivate your child’sscientific mind.

ToddlerThe toddlers in our Montessoriprogram experience science as anorganic part of their day. The lit-tle ones learn by exploring theircarefully prepared environmentand by working on specially pre-pared activities.

For example, by helping tocare for plants in the classroomor garden, toddlers learn that aplant needs leaves, that its rootsare in the ground, and that water

keeps it healthy. Toddlers learn about birds by

watching the birdfeeder outsidetheir classroom window and byworking with beau ti ful card

materials that introduce them toa variety of birds. They learn cor-rect scientific names, such asYellow Shafted Flicker. What funto pronounce real names and tofeel important knowing them!

Our youngest Montessoriansalso observe insects and learnproper names such as GreenDarner Dragonfly. Ani malmatching cards inspire questionsand begin the exchange of factswith the teacher.

Our toddler teachers areadept at creating focused ques-tions that both model an appreciation for curiosity andencourage careful observationand thinking on the part of thechild. For instance, when dis-cussing weather, teachers mayask: What is happening? Whatdoes the rain do? How does itfeel? What happens to theground? What do you think willhappen when…?

Toddlers explore food sciencethrough tastings (raw andcooked) and the process of bak-ing biscuits (see story at left).This is an early experience inchemistry: How do the ingredi-

CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT

Cultivating scientific minds

Food science is fun to explore!Children in our toddler program have been experiencing a fewscience basics through a recent food activity: baking biscuits!

The toddlers are seeing firsthand how the biscuit ingredientschange when combined and how heat from the oven transformsraw dough into edible biscuits. There are many steps in their bak-

ing process: donning a chef’shat and apron, adding milk tothe biscuit mix, stirring (lots ofstirring!), dusting the table withflour, rolling out the dough,using a small cup to cut thedough into circles, placing thecircles in a baking pan, takingthe pan to the kitchen to bake(the teachers handle the pansgoing in and out of the oven),and finally bringing the freshlybaked biscuits back to the class-room to share with friends.

Each day, one student hasthe honor of being the class-room baker. Shown here is Ali Dabaja, who’s en route from the kitchen to the class-room with a basket of warm,yummy biscuits!

“I do not believe there is a method

better than Montessori for making

children sensitive to the beauties of the

world and awakening their curiosity

regarding the secrets of life.”

—Gabriel García Márquez,Nobel Prize-winning author and

former Montessori student

NEWS & NOTES 13

ents change when combined?How do they react to heat?

All of this work at the toddlerlevel is designed to foster scien-tific skills such as careful observa-tion, questioning, and prediction.

PreschoolIn a Montessori preschool class-room, science concepts are pre-sented with materials that appealto the children’s senses. The cur-riculum cultivates their fascina-tion with the world around themand lays a foundation for lifelongcuriosity and interest in observa-tion, experimentation, research,and differing experiences.Life science in the Montes -

sori preschool classroom beginswith the foundational concept ofliving and non-living. Once thestudent has mastered this funda-mental difference, the curricu-lum then branches out intobotany and zoology.

Our botany area teachesabout seasons, trees, and otherplants. Plant parts such as leaves,flowers, and roots are identified,and varieties are explored.Children are able to care forclassroom plants by watering,dusting, and trimming them.

In zoology, pre school ersstudy vertebrate families (mam-mals, reptiles, amphibians, etc.)and life cycles. Whenever possi-ble, animals are part of the class-room environment, and childrenare involved in their care. Physical science concepts are

explored by experimentation inboth the Sensorial and scienceareas of the classroom. Pre -school ers are able to experiencehow things work, and abstractrelationships are shown throughsensory representation. Childrenbuild experiential knowledge byconducting experi ments such as“Sink and Float” and “Magneticand Non-Magnetic” and byworking with materials such as

gears or a balance scale. Childrenhave ample opportunities formanipulating the geometricSensorial materials, which helpslay a foundation for understand-ing the physical world.Earth science encompasses

areas such as geology, geography,and meteorology, through whichthe children study the origin,composition, and physical featuresof Earth. Hands-on activitiesexpose the children to materialsfrom nature and to conceptssuch as the weather. Activitiessuch as rock and mineral identi-fication or use of the land andwater forms pique the children’sinterest and invite them toexplore. There is an ever-chang-ing array of natural items andobjects brought in for the chil-dren to touch, examine, andlearn fascinating names.

Lower elementaryStudents in the lower elementaryMontessori classes build on theknowledge they gained in pre-school to approach the threeareas of science in much moredepth and detail.Life science in a Montessori

lower elementary classroom isstructured to give the student ameans of classification so that heor she can relate the facts of biol-ogy. The ultimate goal is an eco-logical view of life on Earth, witheach person serving the good ofthe whole. Montes sorians callthis goal the Cosmic Plan.

Zoology and botany are partof life science. Zoology materialsgive students an overview of theanimal kingdom, includinganatomy, physiology, classifica-tion, and needs. Plants are one ofthe key components that sustain

Third grader Drew Thompson completed this illustrated report on the bald eagle as part of a lower elementary zoology study on birds of prey.

14 NEWS & NOTES

animal life on Earth. Botanymaterials teach the structure ofthe organism, plant physiology,plant geography, plant indus-tries, and horticulture.In physical science, lower

elementary students performexperiments that help thembecome aware of scientific phe-nomena and explore their discoveries in extended ways.Students are exposed to conceptssuch as states of matter; simplemachines; the properties ofsound and light; gravity; andmotion.Earth science, which is

embedded in Montessori geog-raphy, helps to foster an appre-ciation of, and responsibilityfor, the Earth on which we live.The students use beautifulcharts and materials to learnabout the Earth’s landforms,the layers of the Earth, weather,the water cycle, and other con-cepts related to the origin,structure, and physical featuresof our planet.

Upper ElementaryScience is an integral and excit-ing part of the upper elementarycurriculum. Hands-on learningat this level is the key to scientificinquiry and discovery. Studentstouch, feel, see, and absorbimportant chemistry and physicsconcepts such as states of matter,chemical reactions, properties ofgasses, food science, force,motion, density, and energy.

One of the many purposes of science education is to foster anattitude of appreciation andresponsibility for the Earth onwhich we live. The Montessoriscience curriculum includes a richstudy of botany, zoology, humananatomy, chemistry, phys ics, geol-ogy, and astronomy. In fourthgrade the curriculum focuses onbotany and geology; in fifthgrade, on zoology; and in sixthgrade, on human anatomy. TheMontessori approach cultivatesthe students’ fascination with theuniverse and helps them develop alifelong interest in observing

nature and discovering moreabout the world in which we live.

The scientific discipline repre-sents a clear thinking approach togathering information and prob-lem solving. Upper elementarystudents approach scientificinvestigations as authentic scien-tists, using the scientific methodfor each experiment. This meansforming a thoughtful andinformed question, stating ahypothesis, testing ideas throughexperimentation, honing criticalthinking skills, observing, anddocumenting conclusions.

Our upper elementary scienceexperiments demonstrate laws ofnature, create explosions (theseare often favorites—explodingpumpkins anyone?!), grow bacte-ria, explore surface tension, andcreate slime substances that areboth liquid and solid. Otherhighly anticipated science activi-ties involve using dry ice, making“Elephant Toothpaste,” andusing milk, soap, and food color-ing to make “Exploding Colors”on a dish. Often students designexperiments based on their owncuriosity. We encourage them toquestion and not take things atface value or believe everythingthey hear.

Middle SchoolEvery other year, the MiddleSchool science curriculum alter -nates between the life sciencesand physical sciences. Earth sci-ence is included in each area.This year, seventh and eighthgraders are studying life sciences.Specific topics include:n Characteristics of a living

thing.n Patterns of living things.n Needs of living things.n Cell structures, functions,

and processes.n Study of Protista, fungus,

bacteria, and virus.n History of genetics and

human inheritance.n Study of Phyla.n Study of classes.

“Digestive System of a Snake,” illustrated and labeled by Chayse Carlson, Grade 5

NEWS & NOTES 15

n Study of parts of the ecosystems.

n Study of the interdepen dencyof the Earth’s resources.

Next year, Middle Schoolerswill be studying physical sci-ences. Topics include:n The nature of science,

structure of matter, and theperiodic table.

n Motion and four fundamen-tal forces (electromagnetism,weak nuclear, strong nuclear,and gravity).

n Energy, longitudinal waves,and transverse waves.

n Work and the six simplemachines (wheel and axle,pulley, inclined power, level,screw, and wedge).

n Chemical equations and thereactions of elements (com-bustion, single-displacement,double-displacement,decomposi tion, synthesis, and acid-base).

Two principles guide ourMiddle School science curricu-lum: (1) The goal of science is to understand our world, and (2) the work of the scientist is toobserve, measure, and record.

To aid in this work, MiddleSchoolers follow the scientificmethod: stating the problem,gathering information, formu-lating a hypothesis, conductingan experiment, recording andanalyzing, drawing a conclusion,and repeating the process (totest/verify results).

Each student is required tocomplete individual and groupassignments aimed at answering aguiding question. Guiding ques-tions are designed to help studentsfocus on larger scientific concepts.For example, during Cycle Four–Systems, guiding questionsfocused on the characteristics ofvertebrates’ and invertebrates’ sys-tems, which required students toexplore an animal’s skeletal, circu-latory, digestive/excretory, repro-ductive, and nervous systems (seepage 11 for more details).

Guiding questions are pre-sented in the form of “Spark theImagination” lessons, which helpstudents understand the largerconcept. Stu dents are encouragedto look for patterns in science andits integration with other aca-demic disciplines. Individual andgroup projects culminate in pre-sentations to classmates, creatingan atmosphere of shared learning.

Each scientific “theme” isworked into one of five academiccycles every school year. Near theconclusion of the cycle, in thefifth week, students take a the-matic test. The entire process fos-ters long-term organizational,decision-making, and time-man-agement skills. It’s great prepara-tion for high school—and for life!

Scientific minds fortoday—and tomorrowAs our students move througheach level of the Montessori sci-ence curriculum, we strive to cul-tivate their scientific minds. Byfanning the flame of curiosity, weare giving students the tools topursue answers to their ques-tions, and are creating tomor-row’s caretakers of the Earth.

Science matters toour Middle SchoolersIn Science Matters, one of our Middle School students’favorite science books, RobertHazen and James Trefil write:

“Humans are a doggedly curious species, and scienceprovides our most powerfulmeans for understanding thephysical universe. Science is agreat human adventure, withformidable challenges andpriceless rewards, unimaginedopportunities and unparalleledresponsibilities. Science lets usview the world with new eyes,exploring backward in time,looking outward throughspace, and discovering unity in the workings of the cosmos.Armed with that knowledgewe can combat disease, createnew materials, and shape ourenvironment in marvelousways. Science also gives us the means to predict the consequences of our actionsand perhaps, with wisdom, to save us from ourselves.”

Dissecting a frog was a culminating activity of the MiddleSchool study of animal systems. Here, seventh gradersMichael Nunu (left) and Zane Hammoud get a firsthand look at the frog’s skeletal, circulatory, digestive/excretory,reproductive, and nervous systems. Read more about this work on page 11.

DATES TO REMEMBERApril22 Monday All-school Earth Day activities. During school hours.

23–24 Tuesday–Wednesday Open house for the community—DHMC families welcome!n April 23: 9–11 a.m.n April 24: 1–3 p.m.

24 Wednesday Middle School Morning: Upper elementary parents invited! 8:30 a.m.

25 Thursday Preschool and Extended Day Music Programs. 6 and 7:15 p.m.

May2 Thursday Lower elementary Music Program. 7 p.m.

3 Friday Grandparents’ Day. Toddler, preschool–kindergarten, and Extended Day.n Morning classes: Grandparents (or a substitute) visit 9–10:30 a.mn Afternoon classes: Grandparents (or a substitute) visit 1–2:30 p.m.Note: Extended Day grandparents may visit at either time.

7 Tuesday Parent Perks meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

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

15 Wednesday Parents Association meeting. 6 p.m. Complimentary child care provided.

20 Monday Middle School: Once More in May. 5 p.m. Incoming Middle School studentsand parents review pro cedures and protocols and receive summer school packets.

21 Tuesday Parent Perks meeting. 8:30 a.m. Complimentary child care provided.

23 Thursday Cultural Festival: Vikings (all levels). 3:30–8:30 p.m. (No day care or latchkey 3:15–6 p.m.)

24 Friday Staff professional development. NO SCHOOL. Day care and latchkey available.

27 Monday Memorial Day. NO SCHOOL. NO DAY CARE. NO LATCHKEY.

28–31 Tuesday–Friday Spirit Week. All levels, during school hours. Culminates on Fridaywith Field Day!

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

466 N. John DalyDearborn Heights, MI 48127-3703

313-359-3000www.dhmontessori.org

“Peace is what

every human being

is craving for, and it

can be brought about

by humanity through

the child.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Elephant colored by Elissa Hadla, 3, as a follow-up activity in day care. Mrs. Pamread the DavidMcKee book Elmer,about an elephantwho instead of beinggray is covered in apatchwork of brightcolors. The childrenwere then invited to create their own

colorful pachyderms.