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Announcements:
By: Ms. Kelly
Welcome to the 2011/2012 school year! For those of you who are not familiar with our newsletter, this is where we recap the previous month's classroom happenings and keep you informed on upcoming events.
Please feel free to (Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and family friends included) who may be interested in what your son or daughter is learning. This is a great way to keep them in the loop about all the wonderful things your child is doing! They can click here to subscribe to our Newsletter.
Everyday we post comments and pictures on Facebook and Twitter. Our goal is to give our families a glimpse into our time with your child and to strive to make you feel a part of the wonderful moments we have with each of them! (So tell Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Friends too!) We love to hear your feedback, please feel free to post comments! Click these links to join our community on Facebook and Twitter.
BoxTops for Education:
 In September we rolled out our Box Tops Fall Kick Off! Box Tops is a great way to support our school! Just clip from items you already purchase at the store. Keep filling up those collection sheets for your classrooms! Each sheet a student turns in will earn them a sticker, and the class with the most sheets will earn a Pizza Party! The deadline to turn in your Box Tops sheets is Friday, October 21st. Thank you for your support!
Alumni Update:
Calling all proud Moms and Dads! It's time to brag about your "SmarterKids."
New to our Newsletter this year is a section devoted to our wonderful Alumni. We treasured the time we had with our former students and look forward to any opportunity to hear about how they are now!
You can find our Alumni Updates on the right side column of the newsletter. Our first student showcased in this article is Sean McIlroy. We are thrilled to hear about Sean and how well he is doing! Thank you Melinda for sharing this with us!
If you have an Absorbent Minds Alumni Student send us an email telling us about what your child has been doing since graduating from Absorbent Minds. We want to know about all kinds of accomplishments; from school, to extra curricular activities and personal growth displayed in any environment! Please email me at Kelly@thesmarterkids.com and put "Alumni Update" in the subject line. We will do our best to include as many alumni updates as possible. I look forward to hearing from everyone!
The Smarter Heroes:
Absorbent Minds has launched The "Smarter" Heroes Program this year. If you haven't heard about it yet, check out this new section of our newsletter below and see what our "Smarter" Kids are up to!
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Ms. Brandy's Corner:
We are off to great places this year as our returning students began setting the example in the classroom from the very first day.
Kindergarteners, Jade and Kendal were showing our new friends the classroom rules. Returning students Carter, Iselena and Luke has impressed me and Ms. Nikki with their leadership in the classroom. Thank you and keep up the great work everyone!
We began this month learning about respect, friendship and helping others. We defined respect as being kind to others, using things nicely and speaking politely with our manners at all times. Every child has been taught that we respect "teachers, friends and school materials." We learned how to be a friend and talked about sharing. Ms. Nikki and I saw wonderful examples of friendship during the first few weeks of school when some of our friends were sad to see mom or dad leave in the morning. Jonah gave hugs and helped welcome other children into the classroom. We were so proud of him!
After learning the classroom rules we started talking about a favorite topic among children, animals! We first learned that animals are living if they grow and change, breathe, move, reproduce and eat (consume nutrients). Then we introduced the first of 5 large groups of animals, Birds. Birds are fun to watch and we did just that. All of our children can tell you the characteristics of Birds. Birds have a beak or bill, feathers, vertebrae (backbone), they lay eggs and birds don't have any teeth! The students enjoyed learning about the fastest flying Bird, the Falcon. He can fly up to 124 mph and up to 168 mph when swooping! We also learned that not all Birds can fly. There are several birds that only walk, run or swim. We talked about the Ostrich, which is the largest and strongest living Bird. My personal favorite was the Penguin. Dressed for a royal ball the Penguin won the hearts of our students as we learned how fathers care for the eggs until they hatch and the young penguins enjoy cold water and playing on ice burgs. We learned that since Penguins swim, they don't have wings like other Birds. They have flippers instead, but they are still covered in feathers and have all of the characteristics of Birds. We ended our discussion of Birds by talking about how many birds are used as symbols. We learned that some countries and states have a Bird Symbol. The Ohio State Bird is the Cardinal and the national bird of the United States is the Bald Eagle. We found the Bald Eagle on several things in our classroom, such as the quarter, dollar and the Seal of the United States. Children laughed when we read that Ben Franklin wanted the national bird to be a Turkey!
Our next group of animals is near and dear to our hearts. We learned about Mammals. There are so many Mammals and a very wide variety! We began by talking about what makes a Mammal a mammal. We read a book called "Animals Called Mammals" and found out that all Mammals have hair or fur, they have a vertebrae, they feed their babies milk, Mammals are warm-blooded (ask your children what this means, it's cute! They will say "if they are in the cold, their body tried to stay warm. If they are too hot, their body tries to cool down,") and they breathe air with their lungs. We learned that the largest Mammal is the Blue Whale! It was surprising to the students that a whale is a Mammal since it lives under water. They thought is would be a Fish. But as we studied more, we learned that whales do breathe air through a blow hole on the top of their bodies. We also learned that dolphins, porpoises and manatees are Mammals too. After learning about the largest Mammal, students were curious about the smallest Mammal. It was difficult to find, but we learned that the Pygmy Shrew is the smallest Mammal. It is only the size of a dime and weighs only 2.5 grams! All of the students thought it was very cute. Next, we learned that not all Mammals walk on land or swim in the ocean; one Mammal flies, usually at night! We learned that the only flying Mammal is the Bat. We enjoyed learning how bats see with sound, sleep hanging up-side-down and enjoy playing outside at night. In preschool lesson, Ms. Nikki helped us make bat masks! We ended our week of learning about Mammals by everyone bringing in and sharing a picture of their favorite Mammal. We had elephants, cats, cheetahs, dolphins and even a baby brother! We laughed as we acted out our favorite Mammal in a game of Mammal Charades. Ainsley and Cailin both love cats!
Scales, shells and slimy jumpers fascinated us all as we began our discussion of Reptiles and Amphibians. We learned that Reptiles have vertebrae, are covered in scales, lay eggs and are cold-blooded. Our week was filled with special visitors. Our first visit was with Ms. Dawn and her turtles.
She brought in four turtles for us see, a mommy and daddy box turtle, a little baby box turtle and a leaf turtle from Asia. We learned that male turtles usually have orange or red coloring on their head, legs and even their eyes! The female turtles are mostly brown and black, to blend in to their surroundings. The baby turtle was a big hit; he was adorable! The Leaf Turtle from Asia was very interesting with its unique shaped shell. It really looked like a leaf. Later in the week, three frogs and three fire belly toads were found in our room! The students walked in and immediately noticed the addition. This led us right into our discussion of Amphibians. We learned that the frogs and toads need to live near water in order to keep their skin moist. We learned that Amphibians are similar to Reptiles in that they are cold-blooded, have vertebrae and most lay eggs, however, Amphibians do something very special. They go through something called Metamorphis. Amphibian babies usually live under water when they first hatch. As they grow into adults, they develop lungs and then they live on land. Our frog and toad visitors have shown us more about being cold-blooded as they either swim in the water or sit high on the rocks to be near the heat lamp. The students have enjoyed watching them jump around!
We ended our month learning about Fish. We learned that Fish have scales, vertebrae lay eggs and are cold-blooded like Reptiles, but Fish breathe through gills under water. We learned that the largest Fish is called a Whale Shark and they eat plankton, a small fish. We made the connection with Finding Nemo that this was the whale Nemo's dad and Dory rode inside. We learned that three of the smallest fish are the Dwarf Goby, Common Goldfish & Clownfish. In preschool lesson Ms. Nikki helped us create a beautiful ocean scene full of Rainbow Fish! We also painted a paper plate fish in class. Check out our ocean scene hanging in the hallway! |
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Mr. John's Corner:
Welcoming our new friends and saying hello to our old friends!
The beginning of school always brings excitement to the classroom. It was good seeing returning students and a pleasure meeting new students. Of course, hearing all the stories of vacations and summer adventures never gets old. I want to welcome my two assistants Ms. Danielle and Ms. Becca. The first few weeks are always set aside for going over ground rules and basic presentations such as rolling a mat. A mat is a small rug on which the children work on the floor. Each child has their own "work space" on the mat. They learned how to carry a tray carefully. We use trays to carry materials from the shelves to the work space. This was a good review for those who have heard it all before; and a perfect time to introduce these things to the new kids on the block.
The older students have taken the new students under their wing by showing them how to work with materials, demonstrating to younger students how to follow our 4 basic ground rules (no running, have listening ears, keep your hands to yourself, and respect others and the materials) and setting the example of how to walk the line. "Walking the Line" begins at the end of "work time" when the teacher rings the bell. The children "stop, look, and listen." They then have 5 minutes to put away their works and they walk on a circle made of tape that is on the floor. Classical music is played in the background, which is 5 minutes long. The children walk the line calmly, slowly, and silently. Then sit down for circle time lessons when the music stops.
Our nature corner has changed a bit. Syd and Toby have been replaced by Blixa the gecko who is a reptile and we added Ivy and Exene our ring neck doves. We still have Darby and Stiv our toads that are amphibians, Charlotte the tarantula who is an arachnid, our worm farm, and our long time friends who live in the aquarium.
After the basic ground rules were established we went into "Healthy Habits." We learned many healthy habits such as washing our hands, brushing our teeth, how to cover our coughs and sneezes correctly. We read the book Germs are Not for Sharing to help remember why it is important to develop these healthy habits. We talked about different ways of exercising, and eating healthy.
Eating healthy led into our next week's topic of "The Food Pyramid." We learned about the grains (bread, pasta, and rice) and we should have 6-10 servings a day; vegetables (eggplant(my favorite), broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes) which we should have 3-5 servings daily; fruits (strawberries, bananas and mangos(also my favorite) which we should have 2-4 servings daily; dairy (milk from cows, goats and sometimes horses, yogurt, and cheese) which we should have 2-3 servings daily; protein (meat from cows which is called beef, chicken, fish, and meat from pigs called pork) which we should have 2-3 servings daily; and sweets, oils and fats that should we use sparingly.
The next week we discovered the characteristics of Living Things. We discussed that living things eat breath/exchange gases, reproduce and grow. We came to the conclusion that humans, cats, dogs and even the fish in our aquarium are alive. We also came to the conclusion that my walkie talkie and shoe were non-living things since they don't breathe, eat, have babies or grow. :o) I posed the 64 thousand dollar question: "Are plants, trees and flowers living?" Most gave a resounding "yes" because they meet the characteristics of living things we discussed. During the week of learning about Living and Non-Living a matching work was added to the classroom. The words "living" and "non-living" are placed at the top of the mat and there are pictures of a car, pencils, rocks, a chair, a television, and a boot which are to be placed under the word "non-living" and pictures of a frog, a turtle, bear, a spider, a day lily, and a butterfly which are to be placed under the word "living." The students had a lot of fun doing that activity to practice what they learned about Living and Non-Living.
We are counting to "10" in different languages on line time. Thus far we count in English, Spanish, Sign Language, German, French, Greek, and Japanese.
Kindergarten Lesson
The Kindergarten year started off with Geography. The Kindergarten students learned where the seven continents were located and a few facts about each continent. We talked about 3 countries in each continent and learned that Central America is NOT a continent but is part of North America. The students are now familiar with the directions of east, west, south, and north. Also, they can identify the bodies of water that surround North America. To the north is the Hudson Bay, to the east is the Atlantic Ocean, to the south is the Gulf of Mexico, and to the west is the Pacific Ocean. We learned about our home state of OH - IO and ask your Kindergarten kids what the state rock and roll song is, the state bird, the state drink, the state fossil, the state mammal, the state flower, and the state nickname. They may even be able to identify the states that surround Ohio and what those state nickname's are.
This has been a great beginning to a great school year.
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Ms. Courtney's Corner:
A,B,C,D,E,F,G....... Ms. Courtney's class is a fun place to be!
H,I,J,K,L,M,N......... I am making lots of friends!
O,P,Q,R,S and T..... Absorbent Minds is the school for me!
U,V,W,X,Y,Z............ I am as smart as I can be!
Now I know my ABC's......Look what learning has done for me!
These are the chanted sounds coming from Ms. Courtney's room! We had a perfect start to another fabulous school year. It was great to meet all of my new students and their families as well as welcome back my returning students. The children have filled me in on their fun summer break events including all of the exciting vacations, play dates at the park and trips to the swimming pool! I also enjoyed the summer break, however I am excited to be back and have been anticipating an exciting 2011-2012 school year with my class!
For the first few weeks, Mr. C and I spent a lot of time reviewing and teaching our classroom rules and introducing the kids to some of the Montessori materials. We took a tour of the school and the children had the opportunity to meet rest of the staff at Absorbent Minds. It is amazing how quickly each of the students became acclimated with the classroom procedures and have settled right in!
After taking time getting know our school, we started to get know ourselves and our classmates. We spent a week learning all about what makes us special and unique. We learned that all of us have something that makes us different from one another. In our class we shared a few of those differences: Madison has a new puppy named Daisy, Zach is able to dance and sing like a superstar, Savannah has a brand new baby sister, Lily loves and collects owls and Cole takes karate classes.
We also discussed how each of us looks different on the outside but have the same features on the inside. For instance Allie has blue eyes while Isabelle has brown eyes. Chas has blonde hair and Victoria has dark brown hair. We tried to compare ourselves to our parents to figure out where some of our physical and personal traits came from!
The next week we talked all about manners. We shared how using our good manners makes us a better person. All the children have been using their manners in the classroom and I hope that their kind words and helping hands are being used at home, too!
We discussed what manners to use in specific situations. For example Zach decided that he would "offer a hand" to the little, old lady that dropped her groceries in the street and Leona would hold open a door for a Mommy that was trying to bring her stroller through the entrance of a store.
The students also learned that there are also manners that need to be used while they are eating. We talked about how to act at the dinner table at their home or when they are out to eat at either a restaurant or as a guest in someone else's home. We practiced setting the table and talked about some special table manners that we could demonstrate while seated which include elbows off the table, setting your drinking glass at the top of your plate to avoid accidentally spilling it, politely asking to pass something and not eating until everyone has been served.
After learning about manners we transitioned right into our friend theme. This was a fun week that we spent celebrating friendship. We learned how to meet, make and treat friends. To illustrate our lasting friendship with our classmates we spent time together making friendship bracelets and necklaces.
Our last week of the month we discussed emotions and feelings. We learned there are many different types of feelings we can experience. We also learned that everyone expresses their feelings in different ways. When Gavin gets mad when his dirt bike breaks down he makes an angry face and when Ivan's brother wrecks his puzzle Ivan expresses his anger by stomping his feet. William told the class when he is at the park playing with his Hot Wheels he is happy and you can tell by the big smile on his face! We also talked about facial expressions and made them for all the emotions we could!
While we were discussing feelings we started Dr. Masaru Emoto's rice experiment to test the power of words. We have one container filled with cooked, white rice and it is labeled "thank you."
We also have another container of the same cooked, white rice labeled "you fool." Each day we look at the rice and speak the words on each container. We are anxiously awaiting the results and expect for the rice in the container marked "you fool" to start turning brown and beginning to rot. The goal of this experiment is for the children to realize the power of our words. Feel free to stop in the classroom anytime to check out the containers.
We have also been learning our letter of the week. To assist in learning the sound the letter of the week makes, each student is invited to bring in one item from home that starts with that letter. Mr. C and I have really been enjoying what our friends have been bringing in.
This month we also celebrated birthdays for Jackson, Jack, Gavin and Cole! Happy birthday, boys! We are so happy that we were able to celebrate your special day with you!
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Enrichment Programs:
Art Class
Ms. Danielle
For our first Art Class in September, Ms. Michele taught our students about all the colors in the world by singing a song called "Pour it in the Pot." She showed them pictures of fruit in different colors and in the end they made a rainbow of colors! Ms. Michele also read the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" by Eric Carle who was the Author and Illustrator of that book. They discussed what an Illustrator is and learned all about Eric Carle and his style of art.
For the first art project of the year, students got to bring in an object from home that was their favorite color. Ms. Michele brought in a handmade color wheel where she had the children place their objects on the correct color. Each child got to paint a piece of the color wheel and assemble it all together!
Next, Ms. Michele taught the children about "Pop" art and told them about the artist, Mondrian. Mondrain created abstract paintings using black, white and primary colors. They each used the three primary colors and painted on a white block of wood to recreate his work. Ms. Michele will assemble the art pieces together to complete the project! We can't wait to see this at the Art Extravaganza this year!
The following week Ms. Michele introduced secondary colors created by mixing primary colors. This week they read, "Harold and the Purple Crayon." Next, she had them take the 2 of the primary colors, squeeze them into a bag, and mix them all together to see what secondary color they would get. This was a lot of fun!
The next lesson focused on tints, shades and secondary colors. Students learned about Claude Monet. Together they viewed and talked about his most famous artwork. Next, they tried to pick out what tints and shades were in each picture and what colors were mixed to create each tint or shade. Tints are made by mixing white with the color and shades are made by mixing black with the color.
Students look forward all week to Art Class! I can't wait to see what Ms. Michele has in store for the month of October!
Music Class
Ms. Becca
Music class with Ms. Lisa is off to a great start this school year. Every class begins with Ms. Lisa singing the name of each student. Then each student returns by singing their very own solo "hello" back to Ms. Lisa. The children learn to watch her as she resembles the conductor of the choir when they all sing "hello" and end at the same time. The children use not only their voices but also different instruments such as shakers and tambourines to shake to the rhythm of the music. The use of rhythm sticks is another fun activity in music class where the students hit or rub them to the beat of the music.
Students also learned the terms adagio, andante, and allegro meaning slow, medium and fast tempos in music. Ms. Lisa taught the students the meaning of the whole, half, quarter and eighth notes. The students have learned so much already and enjoy all of the singing and fun that Ms. Lisa brings to every music class. The class always ends with the "goodbye" song. Every time this song starts all of the students are sad to leave, but look forward to the next week of music class. Science Class Ms. Nikki  Mr. John began his first science class with an introduction to the rules and expectations we use as fellow scientists when conducting experiments during class! One experiment Mr. John introduced used baking soda, vinegar and balloons. Each student had the chance to make a hypothesis about what would happen when Mr. John placed the balloon on top of the bottle filled with baking soda and vinegar. When those two substances mixed they blew up the balloon with carbon dioxide. The hypothesis was used as an introduction to the scientific method. Students got to take home a balloon filled with carbon dioxide created from the reaction of the baking soda and vinegar.
Mr. John once again used the scientific method to help the students create a hypothesis on what would happen with two equal pieces of clay shaped in different ways. Students had a blast dropping the clay into the glasses of water. As each piece of clay floated or sank, we were all left wondering what made the difference in reactions when dropped in the water. Mr. John explained the concept of water displacement and buoyancy. Water displacement and buoyancy will be studied closer throughout the next 3 weeks during science. We look forward to our students becoming even better scientists!
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September Spotlight:
Ice Cream Social  by Ms. Kelly
There is nothing better than cool ice cream on a hot summer day! To kick off our school year, we hosted an Ice Cream Social at Waterworks Park. Absorbent Minds families enjoyed the beautiful playground, eating lots of ice cream and everything the park had to offer. Our teachers were excited for the opportunity to spend more time with all of our families. It was a treat to see our students and evern some parents swinging on the swings, playing in the sand and exploring the creek!
We hope everyone's tummies were full of ice cream, and had tons of fun! Thank you to all of our families who support our school and for sharing your children with us! 
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We at Absorbent Minds have been very blessed in so many ways. We want to share our blessings and become a blessing to others. In this light, we have created The Smarter Heroes.
Smarter Heroes are ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things. Only through our willingness to do the "extra" do we become extraordinary. We are proud to see our children, parents and staff, have a willingness to do the "extra" in the spirit of serving others. The Smarter Heroes recognizes and celebrates that serving spirit, while providing children an opportunity to learn about our community and our world. The Smarter Heroes allows children to embark on various educational opportunities and service projects for our local and world-wide communities.
Absorbent Minds has "adopted" a  child through World Vision. His name is Luis and he is from the Dominican Republic. Millions of children around the world need help to break the cycle of poverty. Hunger weakens them. Unsafe drinking water makes them sick. Missing out on education keeps them from reaching their potential.
In a partnership with World Vision we can provide Luis with sustainable access to appropriate life-changing basics like nutritious food, clean water, health care, and education. The biggest impact of child sponsorship is helping families and communities lift themselves out of poverty by providing job training and business education, along with guidance to help farmers learn new ways to irrigate and grow crops.
Each classroom will have the opportunity to communicate with Luis throughout the year. Every month one classroom will exchange pictures, letters, gifts, etc. This month Ms. Brandy's class sent him a package. The package included a letter explaining a few things her students learned this month. They chose to tell Luis about Fish. They made fish for him and send him a fish, crayons and glue to make his own fish like theirs. They also sent him the book Rainbow Fish (in Spanish) so he could read one of their favorite fish books. Ms. Brandy's class hopes Luis likes fish as much as they do!
We would love for you and your family to get involved too! Please let us know if you would like to participate in sending letters, pictures or gifts from home. We welcome your ideas of ways to be a blessing to Luis!
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Upcoming Events
Classroom
Halloween Parties
Tuesday, October 25th
8:30am-12:00pm
Field Trip to
Rufener Hilltop Farm
Tuesday, October 20th
In Service Day NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 28th
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Alumni Update:
Sean McIlroy attended Absorbent Minds, in Mr. John's classroom for two years and is now in Kindergarten. Annie, his older sister, attended Absorbent Minds and is now in second grade. Sean's younger sister Erin is in her second year in Ms. Courtney's classroom. This is what Sean's Mother, Melinda, shared with us:
"The first week of Kindergarten I met with Sean's teacher to discuss mastocytosis (a skin disorder Sean has) with her. During that conversation, she said she saw that Sean was noticing things around the room and wondered if he was reading. Sure enough, Sean was able to read what she showed him so she started sending home books for him to read. I asked if any other students in his class could read and she said Sean was the first one she knows of.
A few weeks after that, Sean came home saying that he was selected to be a student host. Every classroom at Woodridge Primary has a girl and a boy student host, selected by the teacher, based on friendliness, leadership, good behavior, etc. In this role they can serve as hosts for school visitors and help out with school concerts and programs. I get choked up just thinking about it because a year and a half ago I NEVER would have believed that Sean would be picked for such a role. He started preschool very shy and moody. After two years of attending Absorbent Minds, particularly with the help of Mr. John and his daily handshakes and other teachings that I never even saw, Sean has come out of his shell and continues to blossom. I am so incredibly proud of Sean, so happy for him and so grateful for the work your school does (and continues to do) with all my children.
Annie was also chosen to be a student host when she started Kindergarten after two years at Absorbent Minds. I am convinced that the Montessori Method instills curiosity, confidence and accountability and I couldn't be happier about that!"
~Melinda McIlroy
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