Greetings,
We hope you had a wonderful winter break and are ready to come back to school! The next few months traditionally show lots of academic growth. It is exciting to watch. The Kindergartners are well on their way to becoming first graders. Please stop by for a visit and see the kinds of things your kids are doing. Now is a good time to visit and see how the Montessori 3 year curriculum comes together! |
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Upcoming Events |
 School for Steele Creek Montessori will resume on January 3.
Barker Creek Montessori is adding two days to make up some of the lost school days due to the storm. BCM will resume school on January 2 and add school on Friday, January 4.
Monday January 21 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School
MSCK January Calendar |
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2008 - 2009 School Year |
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It is admissions season again and enrollment is open for next year! Please let your teacher know as soon as possible if your child plans to return next year and if you prefer AM or PM. The phone calls pour in in January and we want to be sure to save spots for our returning students and their siblings. Tuition next year will be $220 for the 4-day classes and $240 for the 5-day classes. We are also considering offering an all day kindergarten program. The charge for all day would be $450 (4 day program) or $470 (4 days in the morning and 5 days in the afternoon).
There is no registration fee for returning students or for their siblings, however, we do charge a nonrefundable deposit in order to save your child's spot. This fee will be deducted from your September 2008 tuition. The deposit is $100= and is due on June 1. (Your tuition, then, in September will reduced by $100=.)
Please call me if you have any questions at 698-0706. |
| Montessori Elementary School |
 Kindergarten parents that are considering Montessori education for their child (1st - 6th grades), have two very fine options: 1) The Central Kitsap School District Montessori program that is housed at Jackson Park Elementary School and 2) Silverwood School, a private independent school. Our teachers are familiar with both of these programs. Feel free to call them with questions. Please note on your calendars that both programs will be having open houses soon:
CKSD Montessori Program - Tuesday, February 5 @ 6:30 - 8:00 PM or Wednesday, February 20 @ 6:30 - 8:00 PM. To be considered for this program you must attend one of the information nights. The meetings will be held in the Jackson Park Elementary School library.
Silverwood School invites you to attend an open house/information night at the school (14000 Central Valley Rd NE, Poulsbo) on: Tuesday, January 29, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
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| Snow Day Review |
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 Our snow policy is the same as the Central Kitsap School District. If CKSD closes school for the day, we will also have no school. This enables us to spread the news through radio, TV, and online. If CK schools are delayed by 2 hours, there will be no morning school. If CK schools are delayed by 1 hour, come if and when you can. Please do not take unnecessary risks. If there are more than 4 snow days during this school year, we will make them up in June. Click on the link below to see school reports.
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| Sign Language |
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During the month of December we learned the signs for several animals. We put this together with the colors we learned last month and together we signed along with the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" By Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle. The kids really enjoyed this. If you have the book at home give it a try with them.
December Sign Language Words:
- Bear
- Bird
- Duck
- Horse
- Frog
- Cat
- Dog
- Sheep *
- Fish
- Teacher
- Children
* Note the sign for Sheep is not in the online dictionary. It is signed with one hand doing a "scissors" motion upside-down on the fore-arm of the other arm.
American Sign Language Browser |
| Scholastic Book Order |
Don't forget to check out this month's book order. Remember, you can give the order form and check to your teacher or do it yourself online with a credit card. (User Name: MSCK, Password: bookorder)
Scholastic Parent Ordering Online | |
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Parent Education |
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Stress
Stress is an important part of every person's life. It is what motivates us and keeps us going. There is eustress ("good" stress) and distress ("bad" stress). Learning to arrange stress, cope with stress, and plan for stress are three vital factors in coping with stress. Adults who cope well with stress learned how to do it as children. It is not particularly healthy for the adults to protect children totally from stress; our role is to give them the skills with which to cope. Children need a broad range of experiences and positive influences in their lives to develop the skills necessary to succeed.
Here are some proven ways of helping children learn to cope with stressors in life:
* Respect the child and be polite to him/her. (This is a big one in the Montessori environment!)
* Model appropriate lifestyle management and means of coping. (Get enough sleep, watch the caffeine, etc.)
* Be honest with your child.
* Limit after-school activities, for your child and yourself.
* Provide for the basic needs of your child (good nutrition, sleep, etc.)
* Forgive yourself for your mistakes and ask your child for forgiveness.
* Slow down your lifestyle.
* Love your child enough to say NO when it is appropriate, and do not let guilt enter into your decisions.
* Play with your child. |
| Kid Quote of the Month |
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Aww... my tummy's getting a headache!
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Curriculum for January |
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Barker Creek Montessori
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Stems & Vegetables
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Insect Intro & Ants
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Asia
Steele Creek Montessori
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Fish & Sea Life
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Australia
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Antarctica |
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| BCM Storm Damage |
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If you are curious about what happened at Barker Creek during the storm click on the following link to read the news:
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