Weekly Newsletter

The Week of August 27th 

Calling all volunteers!

Do you have special talents that you would like to share with our community? Do you sew, knit, paint, draw, cook, write, do woodworking, garden...? Or, would you like to come in regularly to read with children or work on Fry words? Please send us an email, because we would love to have your help! Any parent or family member that intends to volunteer needs to register with the district. If you would like to help with Fall Festival, Culture Fest, Festival of Lights, or attend field trips, you need to fill out a volunteer application. The following is a link to instructions on how to get the the volunteer application for Operation Beacon. If you want to volunteer, in any capacity, you will have to do this. The sooner the better! 

http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/district/PR/Pages/OperationBeacon.aspx

Field Trip

We will be going on our first field trip Friday. Please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate shoes for walking. Apply bug spray and sunscreen at home.

PE 

Your child has PE on Monday or Tuesday. Please have your child wear tennis shoes on those days.

Reading Logs

Reading logs, for the month of September, will go home this week. Please make sure your child is reading and filling in the log nightly!
Follow the link below if you have lost your copy of the reading log and need another!
https://www.scribd.com/document/357330489/Monthly-Reading-Log-Calendar-Rubric-Genre-Code-Guide

Eureka! Math 

The district has implemented a new math curriculum called Eureka! Math. They have sent packets of every module for each child. We will be sending home packets as an option for homework to complement the Montessori curriculum. They do not need to be returned unless there is a specific question that we can answer for your child. The pacing of the Montessori curriculum does not align with the Eureka! Math, however the packets contain lessons from which your child may benefit.

Charles Ellis Spirit Night!

We have our first Spirit Night at Sisters of the New South on Wednesday, September 13th, 4-9pm. They will give 20% of profits to the Charles Ellis PTA, just tell them that you're with Charles Ellis. It's a delicious way to support a good cause! Here is the link to commit/sign up. 

https://www.groupraise.com/events/34153

PTA

Last Thursday, we had our first PTA meeting of the school year. If you are able to volunteer, there are several committees that still need to chaired! If you cannot chair a committee, please join the Charles Ellis PTA and become a member! 

Charles Ellis Family Handbook

Please follow the link to the Charles Ellis Family Handbook. You were given the purple district handbook, but this handbook is specific to Charles Ellis.

http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/schools/Ellis/2017%20%202018/Family%20Handbook,%202017.pdf

Supplies
guinea pig food and bedding

If you have not done so already, please send in $8 for your child's writing journal.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Thursday, August 31: Summer and August Birthday Celebrations

Thursday, August 31: Maria Montessori's Birthday
Friday, September 1: Field Trip
Monday, September 4: Labor Day-No School
Friday, September 15: Field Trip Packet and Money 

Weekly Newsletter

The Week of August 20th 

The Solar Eclipse

Our community is wonderfully excited about the upcoming solar event on Monday! WTOC came to Charles Ellis and filmed some of the children in our class on Friday morning. If you didn't catch it, here is the link:

http://m.wtoc.com/wtoc/db_350145/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=XTdh8Z4q

*We are sorry about any confusion regarding the solar eclipse viewing glasses.Teachers were told that WTOC would be supplying Charles Ellis students with 700 glasses on Monday, August 21st when they were originally set to film our children viewing the eclipse live. After school was cancelled for students on that day, we were informed that WTOC would be coming in on Friday to film. On Friday, WTOC brought only 300 pairs of glasses and teachers in lower elementary classrooms were asked to pass out glasses to students who didn't already have them at home. 

Birthday Celebrations

As is customary in the Montessori classroom, our students celebrate their birthdays by “walking around the sun” for each year they have been alive. Parents and families are invited to come and tell their story, one year at a time and photos of each year are welcomed as well, or the child may tell their story. This can be done on their actual birthday. As far as treats go, we prefer healthier treats such as fruits cups etc, but if you would like to send in something on the sugary side we do ask that they are mini cupcakes or perhaps a cookie per student etc. Please do not send in goody bags. Because we will have 48-50 students in our community we will have to hold a monthly walk around the sun for the birthdays for that month. We will do this on the last Thursday of each month, unless something comes up that would necessitate a change in day. On this day we ask that if parents wish to send in a treat that they send in 25 treats (rather than 48 or 50), and the students will choose one or two treats depending on how many birthdays we have.

Personal Timelines

We would love for students to share their personal timelines when we celebrate their birthdays on the day of their birth.

Timelines are used in the Montessori classroom extensively in the cultural and cosmic curriculum, first seen in the Great Lessons. This preparatory activity of creating their personal timeline readies the students to work with the extensive timelines that are presented throughout elementary.

Personal Timeline:

1. A timeline can be as short as one page or as long as a wall.

2. To make a short time line, draw a vertical line down the middle of a sheet of paper.

3. Write your child’s birth date on the left side of the line at the top of the page. On the right side of the line, write the corresponding event. (“I was born!”)

4. Add other important dates and events, such as when your child started to walk and talk, when siblings were born, when your child started preschool, when you took family trips, and so on, in chronological order.

5. To make a long time line, cut a length of paper from a large roll or tape several sheets of paper together. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the banner.
6. Write the dates and events of your child’s life from left to right.

7. Glue on photos or let your child illustrate each event. 

Investigating Nature

Golden Beads Work

Supplies

If you have not done so already, please send in $8 for your child's writing journal.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, August 21: Solar Eclipse-no school for students

Tuesday, August 22: PTA Board Meeting

Thursday, August 24: PTA (6:30)

Friday, August 25: Fall Picture Day-free dress up for students

*Thursday, August 31: Summer and August Birthday Celebrations

Weekly Newsletter

The Week of August 13th  

Supplies

Thank you to the families who sent in supplies. If you have not done so already, please send in $8 for your child's writing journal. Each child should have earbuds in a small plastic bag that remains in their bookbag.

Snack

Thank you to all that have sent in donations for snack! 

In order to enhance our practical life opportunities and also reduce waste for our community, we are asking for  grocery store gift cards/monetary donations so we may purchase specific snack options for each child, each day. Our goal is to provide nutritious, and whenever possible, organic snacks, that require preparation from students. Some examples may be slicing cheese to be eaten with cracker,, cutting vegetables and fruit, boiling and peeling an egg, etc. These types of snacks also create less waste than individually packed items. This helps us in the endeavor of developing sentient beings that are natural caretakers of their environment. In the past we have asked families to donate snack a week at a time for the entire community. We believe that a $20 gift card or monetary donation from each student shall be sufficient. We also understand that not all families are in a position to donate, and with that in mind we ask that if you are able to donate more that you please do. All funds/gift cards will be used for food for your children throughout the school year. Thank you to the families that have already made donations for healthy snacks. 

Uniform Reminders:

On Friday, students may wear Uniform bottoms such as; pants, shorts, skirts, or skorts with an Ellis Spirit T- shirt.

This Week 

Children will have small group lessons in Arithmetic, Language, Cultural, and Cosmic studies. Our focus will be on Maria Montessori's First Great Lesson, which will lead to the following studies: 

Astronomy: solar system, stars, galaxies, comets, constellations

Meteorology: wind, currents, weather, fronts, erosion, water cycle, clouds, glaciers

Chemistry: states of matter, changes, mixtures, reactions, elements, atoms, periodic table, compounds, molecules, chemical formulas, equations, lab work, experimentation

Physics: magnetism, electricity, gravity, energy, light, sound, heat, friction, motion, experimentation

Geology: types of rocks, minerals, land forms, volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, ice ages, eras of the earth

Geography: maps, globes, latitude/longitude, climates, land/water form names, continent and country research

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday, August 18th: Ellis School Council Meeting
Monday, August 21th: Solar Eclipse-no school for students
Tuesday, August 22nd: PTA Board Meeting
Thursday, August 24th: PTA (6:30)
Thursday, August 24: Summer and August Birthday Celebrations
Friday, August 25: Fall Picture Day-free dress up for students

Weekly Newsletter

The Week of August 6th  

Welcome Back to Charles Ellis.

What a week! This is a picture of the room when we were finally allowed to enter the building last Monday. 

The children came to school on Thursday and were very eager to get right to work. As a class, we had lessons on classroom procedures, practical life, and grace and courtesy. 

Snack
In order to enhance our practical life opportunities and also reduce waste for our community, we are asking for  grocery store gift cards/monetary donations so we may purchase specific snack options for each child, each day. Our goal is to provide nutritious, and whenever possible, organic snacks, that require preparation from students. Some examples may be slicing cheese to be eaten with cracker,, cutting vegetables and fruit, boiling and peeling an egg, etc. These types of snacks also create less waste than individually packed items. This helps us in the endeavor of developing sentient beings that are natural caretakers of their environment. In the past we have asked families to donate snack a week at a time for the entire community. We believe that a $20 gift card or monetary donation from each student shall be sufficient. We also understand that not all families are in a position to donate, and with that in mind we ask that if you are able to donate more that you please do. All funds/gift cards will be used for food for your children throughout the school year. Thank you to the families that have already made donations for healthy snacks. 

Supplies
Thank you to the families who sent in supplies last week. If you have not yet sent in supplies, please make sure to send in a binder with 5 divider tabs, and 4 composition books. If you have not done so already, please send in $8 for your child's writing journal. 

Student Information Sheet
If you were unable to attend Open House, we sent home a student information sheet with your child on Friday. Please fill it out and return it to school with your student on Monday.

This Week 
We will be assessing children and starting lessons that correlate to their needs. Students will also begin small group lessons this week.

Supply List

       

1st Year

• 4 composition notebooks
• 1 1” 3-Ring  Binder
• 1 pack of 5 tab dividers
• 4 packs of (20) Ticonderoga pencils
• 2 packs of lined loose leaf paper
• 3 boxes of Kleenex
• 4 rolls of paper towels
• Distilled Vinegar
• $8 for teacher purchased writing tools. Feel free to donate an additional amount for those that may not be able to purchase.

2nd and 3rd  Year

• 4 composition notebooks
• 1 1” 3-Ring  Binder
• 1 pack of 5 tab dividers
• 4 packs of (20) Ticonderoga pencils
• 2 packs of lined loose leaf paper
• 1 bottle liquid school glue
• 3 boxes of Kleenex
• 4 rolls of paper towels
• $8 for teacher purchased writing tools. Feel free to donate an additional amount for those that may not be able to purchase.

* Earbuds for Technology class and classroom use for ALL STUDENTS

As for the fee on the supply list; we are purchasing writing journals that have organizers, prompts, etc. to facilitate students’ writing in the classroom via lessons with their guide.

Welcome!

Dear Families,

Time is moving on, our summer is coming to a close. It is time to begin to think about the opening of the 2017-2018 school year. We would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your child into our 6-9 Lower Elementary classroom, grades 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, whether they are brand new or returning. Throughout this school year, each first, second, and third year student will be experiencing many new and different avenues in their education with the Montessori philosophy leading the way .

Welcome to Ms. Jazmin and Ms. Marianne’s classroom community! We are beyond thrilled to announce our new partnership! First, we want to help you understand our goals for our community. Our hope is to build one cohesive classroom with two Montessori certified and trained lead guides, Ms. Marianne Howze and Ms. Jazmin Corbell, and one Montessori trained teachers’ assistant, Ms. Marion Rockett. Ms. Marianne will focus on the English/Language Arts and Cultural curriculum, while Ms. Jazmin will focus on Arithmetic, Geometry, and Cosmic curriculum. Departmentalizing the curriculum will allow us the ability to guide the students into deeper understanding of the curriculum.  

While each of us have a set number of students on each of our rosters in an official capacity, we will treat our 48-50 students as a community. We plan on holding parent teacher conferences in tandem so that we may better communicate your child’s needs and tendencies in each area.

Our field trips will function in a different manner than they have in the past. Now, rather than the entire grade level or even developmental levels going on different days, we will go on field trips in pods. Our pod consists of our classroom community with the inclusion of Ms. Kirsten’s community. This allows us greater flexibility on the types of field trips we go on etc. because of the greatly reduced numbers.

Our main mode of communication is via our classroom blog, as well as email. Because we are functioning as a unit, we will send all emails with either teacher copied on the email. Generally speaking you will receive the original email from the teacher that has your child on their roster.

We realize that guiding and teaching your child is a privilege, as well as a tremendous responsibility. We will do our best this year to ensure that each student has a motivating and safe learning experience in the classroom. However, we cannot do this alone: we need your help. The four of us; teachers, parent, student, need to be partners in the learning process. We need families to encourage your child at home by helping to ensure that they are making the best choices they can make in the classroom; whether it be academic choices or social choices.

       

We look forward to meeting each of you during Open House as well as welcoming familiar faces. Please join us in rooms 27 and 29, Tuesday, August
1st 3:00 – 4:00 PM – Lower Elementary Grades 1-3 – Light Refreshments. We also look forward to having a very positive year.  Enjoy your last days of vacation. Ready or not, here we go!

We thank you,

Montessori Lead Guides-Ms. Marianne and Ms. Jazmin

Montessori Teachers’ Assistant- Ms. Marion

Rooms 29 and 27