DHMC NewsDec08 FINAL 12/11/08 4:42 AM Page 1 DEARBORN...

News&NotesDECEMBER 2008

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

Accredited by the National Association

for the Education of Young Children

Extended Dayer Ashtyn Lange and mom Traci use binoculars theymade from paper towel tubes during the preschool and Extended Day“Montessori Goes Green” night onDecember 4. To read more about thisfun family evening, as well as othergreen happenings and recycling facts, please turn to page 6.

Giving the gift of Montessori by Tim Seldin, chair of the International Montessori Council

Having had the gift of a Montessori edu-cation myself through high school, and

having seen my five children blossom inMontessori at the elementary level andbeyond, I want to encourage you to remem-ber that an investment in a fine educationpays the best dividends. In the elementaryMontessori program at your school, yourchildren will have the opportunity to learnabsolutely amazing things!

One of the things that you will see whenyou enter the elementary classrooms is joy,excitement, and enthusiasm. These are notchildren who are given workbooks and sim-plistic assignments to do over and over again.They will normally become deeply engagedin work that they will find interesting, mean-ingful, and often intriguing.

You will find that the elementary Mon-tessori curriculum is highly enriched andchallenging. It is organized into threestreams.

The first stream is the mastery of funda-mental skills and the acquisition of basic, orcore, knowledge. During the elementaryyears, Montessori students study all the basicsfound in a traditional curriculum, such as thememorization of math facts, spelling lessons,

and the study of vocabulary, grammar, sen-tence analysis, creative and expository writ-ing, and library research skills. But there is somuch more to Montessori than the “basics”!

Elementary Montessori students explorethe realm of mathematics, science and tech-nology, the world of myth, great literature, history, world geography, civics, economics,anthropology, and the basic organization ofhuman societies.

In the second stream of the Montessoricurriculum are found what we call the GreatLessons. These are key areas of intercon-nected studies that are traditionally presentedto all elementary Montessori students in theform of inspiring stories and related experi-ences and research projects. The GreatLessons include the story of how the worldcame to be, the development of life on Earth,the story of humankind, the development of our language and writing, and the devel-opment of mathematics and technology.They are intended to give children a “cosmic”perspective of the Earth and humanity’s placewithin the cosmos.

The third area of the Montessori curricu-lum is individually chosen research. As their

continued on page 9

Inclement weather is a fact of life in Mich-igan. When bad weather strikes, DHMC

makes every effort to keep the school open—or at least day care and latchkey. The safety ofour families and staff is our first priority, so weevaluate the weather and announce the schoolclosing decision no later than 6:30 a.m. on theday in question. You can find school closinginformation in the following ways:

� DHMC’s web site: www.dhmontessori.org� Radio stations WWJ (AM 950)

and WJR (AM 760)� Television stations WDIV (Channel 4),

WJBK (Channel 2), and WXYZ(Channel 7)

� Detroit Free Press: www.freep.com� A recorded message on our school’s

answering machine: 313-359-3000

School closing info is at your fingertips

Happy Holidays

to all our families from

your DHMC staff!

DHMC_NewsDec08_FINAL 12/11/08 4:42 AM

2 NEWS & NOTES

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Montessori in the Information AgeNow more than ever, society is concerned about the need to prepare children for a rapidlychanging world. Does a Mon-tessori education accomplish that goal? This is the first in a series of articles.

Montessori preschools arewidely seen as the “Cad-

illac” of early childhood pro-grams. Parents recognize andappreciate the progress their chil-dren make in academic and socialskills, they note growing compe-tence in everyday tasks, and theysee how confident their childrenare becoming as one successbuilds upon another.

As children progress into theelementary and middle schoolyears, however, parents sometimesbegin to doubt whether the Mon-tessori education their childrenare receiving will prepare them for the “real world.” In actuality,extensive research has validatedMontessori methods, and Mon-tessori education is more relevanttoday than ever before in its 100-plus-year history.

Rapidly changing worldThe adult world for today’s chil-dren will be quite different fromthat of their grandparents andparents, and as we pass from theIndustrial Age of the 20th centuryinto the Information Age of the21st, the skills required to succeedwill continue to evolve.

Our children will become partof a fast-moving global economywhere information is outdatedalmost as soon as it is learned. Inthe words of physicist MichioKaku, “Human knowledge isdoubling every 10 years. In thepast decade, more scientificknowledge has been created thanin all of human history. Com-puter power is doubling every 18months. The Internet is doublingevery year. In the wake of this

technological upheaval, entireindustries and lifestyles are beingoverturned, only to give rise toentirely new ones.” (Visions, 1997)

In order to succeed in this rap-idly changing culture, the abilityto acquire new skills will be anecessity. Futurist Alvin Tofflerpredicted, “The illiterate of the21st century will not be thosewho cannot read and write, butthose who cannot learn, unlearn,and relearn.” (Future Shock, 1970)

Learning how to learnNo educational system prepareschildren to “learn how to learn”better than Montessori. The class-rooms are the tangible expressionof a philosophy that has at its core the belief that children areself-educators. Teachers create anenvironment in which childrenare part of a learning community,motivated by their interests andsupported by adults and peers. In this peaceful and nurturingatmosphere, children are free toreach their highest potential.

The traditional educationalmodel has changed little since Dr.Maria Montessori established herfirst school in 1907. Rooted inthe need for a competent indus-trial workforce, a system of masseducation in which the wholegroup learned the same things atthe same time became the norm.The child’s mind was considereda blank slate, with the teacher asthe source of knowledge. Instruc-tion aimed at the majority leftbehind those who learned slowlyor differently, and failed to stimu-late the gifted.

Maria Montessori was a scien-tist—the first female medical doctor to graduate from the Uni-versity of Rome—and through herwork with children, she saw thattraditional methods of instruction,with their emphasis on passivelearning and rote memorization,were stifling. She observed that

hands-on experiences in meaning-ful contexts, some measure ofchoice and control, and the child’skeen interest in a subject led tointense concentration. She saw theconnection between movementand cognition, and realized thatthere was much to be gained whenchildren worked together: “Peoplesometimes fear that if a child giveslessons, this will hold him back inhis own progress. But teachinghelps him to understand what heknows even better than before. Hehas to analyze and rearrange hisstore of knowledge before he canpass it on.” (The Absorbent Mind)

Mastery is the goalMontessori teachers partner withchildren and families to establish aclimate of acceptance and mutualrespect in which each child’sunique gifts are recognized andencouraged. Montessori educa-tion is task-based: Mastery is thegoal. Errors are viewed as a stepalong the path to understanding,not as failures. The result is chil-dren who work at a task until theyaccomplish it, and who willinglytake on new challenges becausethey are not afraid to make mis-takes. They learn how to analyzeerrors, to seek the informationneeded to correct them, and tomove on to mastery. Contrast thisto a traditional performance-based pass-fail mentality—whichchildren do you think will be bestprepared to learn, unlearn, andrelearn in the 21st century?

Sadly, now that standardizedtesting has become the sole yard-stick by which public schools arejudged and financed, teachers inthose settings are being forced tospend more time and resourcestraining children for tests, at theexpense of activities that wouldlead to creative and divergentthinking.

In our Montessori elementaryand Middle School programs, we

All of the skills

children learn in

the Montessori

environment will

translate well to a

fluid global work-

place where flexi-

bility, adaptability,

and innovation

are essential.


NEWS & NOTES 3

administer one standardized testper year, beginning at grade 3. Wefocus our brief pre-test energieson helping children learn thebasics of test-taking—a PracticalLife exercise that they will need intheir future schooling. We do notteach to the test, yet our studentsscore well.

Academics—and beyondMontessori students do learn allof the basics. Our graduates arewell prepared for high school, areaccepted at their schools of choice(among them some of the mostprestigious in the area), and aresuccessful after they leave us.

They carry with them muchmore than strong academic cre-dentials, however. Because chil-dren in Montessori classrooms arelargely responsible for planningtheir own time, the students areself-directed and self-starters.They know how to analyze andsolve problems. Years of experi-ence with group projects and peerteaching have taught them how to work collaboratively, to assumeleadership roles, and to be com-fortable speaking in front of agroup. They have friendships withpeople from diverse back-grounds, and they have workedtogether running the businessesthat finance their class travels. Allof these skills will translate well toa fluid global workplace whereflexibility, adaptability, and inno-vation are essential.

Independent ideas are encour-aged in Montessori classrooms,and it is no surprise to me that the people who started Amazon,AOL, Wikipedia, and Google allattended Montessori schools. Iftheirs isn’t 21st-century thinking,I don’t know what is.

We love our parent volunteers!Preschooler Mahith Kanuri gets a helping hand from LauraFransen (Extended Dayer Jack’s mom) on a project for Heidi’sclass. Parents are welcome at DHMC at any time, and volun-teering in your child’s classroom is a great way to see firsthandhow your child is spending his or her day. If you’d like to helpout in your child’s classroom, simply talk to the teacher aboutthe opportunities available.

Thank you to…� Karen Kobel (Erik, Ryan, and William’s mom), for continu-

ing to serve as our Campbell’s Soup label mom. Over the lastseveral years, we’ve collected more than 18,000 labels, and weare working toward the opportunity to select items from theCampbell’s Soup school catalog for our classrooms. Campbell’sSoup labels can be dropped off in the collection basket locatednear the information center in our school lobby. Also, pleaseremember to clip and save Box Tops for Education, which ourschool can redeem for cash. Each box top is worth 10 cents.

� Tracey Audi (Grace and Jack’s mom), for donating a variety ofchildren’s books for use in our classrooms.

� Tom Johns (Grace’s grandfather), for donating a collection of National Geographic magazines to DHMC.

� George and Madeline Szor (Jade Baretto’s grandparents), for donating encyclopedias to our school.

You’re invited to our Open HouseWe hope you will join us at our next Open House, sched-uled for Tuesday, February 10from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Class-rooms will be open, and ourstaff will be on hand to answerquestions and discuss all levelsof our Montessori program. Thisis an ideal time to explore thenext step up in your child’s education—from preschool toExtended Day, Extended Day to lower elementary, lower el to upper elementary, and upper el to Middle School.If you would like to help with publicity, please contactShelley Boatright at the schoolor via e-mail at [email protected]. Thank you!


4 NEWS & NOTES

Steppin’ lively at the square dance

Winter weather blew in onNovember 20, but that didn’t

stop members of our DHMCcommunity from gathering at

school for our Family SquareDance. Families of students inExtended Day through Middle

School joined staff for a realhoedown, featuring music

teacher Pat Tait’s husband,Jim, as the caller. Everyone

enjoyed this evening of toe-tapping fun, which included a

line dance, the Chicken Dance,and the Hokey Pokey.

How do we help our childrenhave realistic expectations of

what they can expect to receive aswe celebrate the holidays? Howdo parents decide and agree on“how much is enough?”

In their book How Much IsEnough, Jean Illsley Clarke, Con-nie Dawson, and David Brede-hoft talk about overindulgence inchildren. Overindulgence meansgiving so many things or resourcesthat they stifle the child’s growthinstead of supporting it. Parentsoverindulge by giving too manytoys, clothes, privileges, activities,and lessons, and by making surethat children are always enter-tained. They also overindulge bynot expecting children to helpwith chores or give of themselves.

The long-term results, accord-ing to research studies, are thatchildren often have difficultyknowing what enough is, tend todisrespect property and other people, and have a hard time giving up the belief that they arethe center of the universe. These

drawbacks in their adult lives aresurely not the outcomes theirwell-meaning parents intended.

Identifying the fine linebetween enough and too muchcan be a challenge. An abundanceof activities for one child may betoo much for another. Parentshave to take the child and the sit-uation into account to assesswhether a child is getting enoughor too much.

The “test of four” can helpidentify overindulgence:1. Does the situation hinderthe child from learning the tasksthat support his or her develop-ment and learning at this age?2. Does the situation give adisproportionate amount offamily resources to one or moreof the children?3. Does the situation exist tobenefit the adult more than thechild?4. Is the situation potentiallyharmful to others, society, or the planet?

In the book Unplug the Christ-mas Machine, Jo Robinson and

Jean Coppock Staeheli suggestthere are four things that chil-dren really want for Christmas:� A relaxed and loving time

with the family� Realistic expectations

about gifts� An evenly paced holiday

season� Reliable family traditions

When asked, children wouldprobably not verbalize thesedesires, but rather a very long listof toys and things. Children can’tnecessarily decide for themselveswhat they need; the adults in theirlives must take charge. The suc-cess of the holiday season dependson adults making wise decisionsfor children in terms of what istoo much and what is just right.Putting a child’s needs ahead oftheir own wants is the greatest giftparents can give.

Minnell Tralle is a family rela-tions educator with the Universityof Minnesota Extension Service.

How much is enough? by Minnell Tralle, Extension family relations educator


NEWS & NOTES 5

Elementary and Middle Schoolstudents and staff welcomed

grandparents and other specialguests to DHMC for Grand-parents’ Day on November 7.

Students usually look forwardto this annual tradition, and thisyear was no exception. They wereexcited to give their guests a tourof their classrooms and invitethem to share in some of the workthey do. After an in-house lunchcatered by Panera, students andguests wrapped up their visit bysinging “This Land Is Your Land”and the DHMC school song:

Dearborn Heights Montes-sori, we will long rememberyou. From preschool througheighth grade, we have madeour friendships true.We have learned from oneanother, shared our thoughtsand all that’s new. Dearborn Heights Montes-sori, we will long rememberyou.

Grandparents’ Day gives our students the opportunity to rec-

ognize the important role thattheir extended family membersplay in their lives. The studentswere proud to have their grand-parents—or in some cases,moms, dads, aunts, uncles, andother special friends—visitDHMC. And, as many staffmembers observed at this year’s

well-attended event, the visitorswere equally proud of their young hosts.

Preschool and Extended Dayclassrooms will welcome grand-parents and other special gueststo school in the spring, onFriday, May 8.

Students host special visitors

Upper elementary students continue to honetheir teamwork, organizational, and financial

skills by working on fundraisers for their end-of-school-year trips.

Still time to purchase Sally Foster itemsUpper el students would like to remind DHMCfamilies that there is still time to purchase SallyFoster products. Sally Foster offers high-qualitygift wrap, delicious chocolates, gourmet gifts, andpractical items for the home—ideal for gift giving at the holidays as well as for birthdays and

other special occasions. To shop online, simplyvisit www.sallyfoster.com and enter the DHMCschool code, 44042, when making your purchase.DHMC will earn 50 percent of your purchaseprice! Thank you in advance for your support!

Barnes & Noble venture a successUpper el students would like to thank those DHMCfamilies who supported the Barnes & Noblefundraiser on December 3 and 4. There was a won-derful turnout at both the Allen Park and NorthvilleBarnes & Noble locations.

Upper el focuses on fundraisers

Seventh-grader Emily Ward gives grandparents John andCarol Ward a tour of her Middle School classroom.


6 NEWS & NOTES

DHMC keeps getting ‘greener’

Environmental concerns are top of mind these days, and

DHMC students and staff con-tinue to find ways to “go green”at school. Following are a few of our recent green initiatives.

Preschool and ExtendedDay families show how“Montessori Goes Green”Preschool and Extended Daystudents and parents flocked toDHMC on December 4 for“Montessori Goes Green,” a funfamily evening in which all theactivities incorporated recycledmaterials. Teachers prepared ahost of intriguing stations forfamilies to explore, including:� Tin Can Alley, where

participants tested their skill by throwing a ball atstacked tin cans.

� Ring Toss, using water bottlesfilled with colored water.

� Making binoculars usingpaper towel rolls.

� Creating bugs using egg cartons.

� Building cars using small milk cartons.

� Planting seeds using plasticbaby food containers.

� Making water-bottle lavalamps, using small water bottles filled with oil and colored water.

� Creating pen and pencil holders using soup cans andfabric scraps.

� Making gift boxes coveredwith Hershey’s Kisses candywrappers.

� Making gift wrap using paper bags.

� Decorating paper bags to hold all the projects createdthroughout the evening.

One observer noted that every-one had a lot of fun, and thechildren went home with quite a few recycled treasures. Theteachers would like to thank our

DHMC families for contribut-ing the recycled materials for thisevent—the response to theteachers’ request for families tosave items was wonderful!

Upper el dishes up a smart ideaUpper elementary students havetaken responsibility for ourschool’s recycling program. Oncea week, students collect the recycling bins for paper and plastic from each classroom.Paper is deposited in the AbitibiPaper Retriever in our school’sparking lot for collection by that recycling company. For plastic, upper el staff memberseither deliver the materials to aconvenient recycling facility or

take the pieces home to be collected through their weeklyresidential pickup. For cardboardrecycling, students are seekingassistance from parent volun-teers; please contact upper elteacher Margherita Rodriguez ifyou are interested.

Not surprisingly, the upper elstudents are very aware of howmuch paper and plastic ourschool uses. To reduce their own use of such products in theclassroom and during hot lunch,the upper el decided to makereusable plates. They invitedstaff from Creatopia, a paint-it-yourself pottery store inPlymouth, to school on Novem-ber 6 to assist with the project.Creatopia brought unfinished

Preschooler Owen Lukaszek and dad David assemble a pair of binoculars using paper towel tubes during “MontessoriGoes Green” night. DHMC families contributed to the eventby saving paper towel tubes, tin cans, egg cartons, and othermaterials needed for this recycling-themed evening.


NEWS & NOTES 7

pottery plates, and the studentsprovided the creativity—design-ing and painting their own mas-terpieces. The store’s staff tookthe plates back to their studio to fire them in a kiln and thendelivered the finished dishes toDHMC. Students immediatelyput their creations to work,using them for hot lunch andother classroom activities. Stu-dents are responsible for keep-ing their plates clean and readyfor use.

The students thank the fol-lowing parents for their assis-tance with this project: DeniseAbdullah (Adam and Kassim’smom), Laura Kovick (Sarah andChloe Rochefort’s mom), SonyaKowalski (Grace’s mom) andKathleen Ward (Andrew andalumnus Matthew’s mom).

Presenter guides staff in green initiativesOn the day before Thanksgiving,staff from DHMC and ourPlymouth-Canton and Livoniaschools gathered for an informa-

tive professional developmentsession on going green. Ourguest presenter was Phil Moore,head of Upland Hills School in Oxford, an independentschool recognized for exemplify-ing environmental consciousnessand stewardship of the Earth inboth philosophy and practice.

Mr. Moore, who also teachesmath and a variety of science and outdoor courses, led ourstaff in a number of lively dis-cussions about philosophy andgreen concepts, organizing green initiatives, and practical,curriculum-based strategies forimplementing those initiatives.

Facts worth recyclingPreschool and Extended Day French teacher Becky Wattleworthshared with us a recent issue of the Canton FOCUS communitynewsletter that had some interesting facts about recycling:� Recycling one tin can saves enough energy to run a television

for three hours.� Recycling five plastic two-liter bottles produces enough

fiberfill to make a small ski jacket.� For every ton of paper you recycle, you save 17 trees,

464 gallons of oil, 42 gallons of gasoline, 4,210 kilowatt hoursof electricity, and 7,000 gallons of water.

� Recycling 40 aluminum beverage cans has the energy-savingequivalent of one gallon of gasoline. According to the WayneCounty Department of Environment, in 2005 Americans recycled enough aluminum cans to conserve the energyequivalent of more than 15 million barrels of oil.

As you can see, when it comes to recycling, one small effort can make a big difference!

Above left, fourth-levels Micha Nouafo (left) and Balgis Fhasan design and paint pottery plates,items that will reduce the students’ reliance on paper and plastic dishes at school. Above right,fifth-level Grace Kowalski puts her hand-painted plate to use during hot lunch.


8 NEWS & NOTES

“I try to apply colors like wordsthat shape poems, like notes thatshape music.” —Joan Miró, 1893–1983

In the upper elementary art classes, we are concentrating on

our symmetrical portfolio work.Each student brought in a photoof him- or herself, which wecopied. We cut the copy in half,and the students’ challenge is todraw the other half of their faceexactly as they see it. They mea-sure the width of their face, theirnose, and the distance betweentheir eyes—and then try theirbest. The final touch is the appli-

cation of color using Prismacolorpencils to capture their flesh tone,eye, and hair color. The finishedpieces are mounted on paperthat’s of a complementary colorand on which the students havedesigned the letters of their name.This entire work will then be lam-inated and become the cover ofthe portfolios the students use forstoring their work in the art room.

Two other works support thesymmetry theme. A dry eraseboard features the symmetrywork of a former student wherehalf of the face is completed; students must complete the otherhalf. Another work is measuring

and dividing the face into seg-ments and drawing the features inthe correct proportions.

Students will further theirdrawing skills by replicating astill life of three colored-glassvessels of varying sizes andshapes. When they draw, theymust measure the height andadd color according to how thelight affects the object. Anotherlesson is to apply the color sothat the object keeps the shapeof a cylinder or sphere.

We already have many skillsto build upon—and many les-sons ahead!

—Lynn Manwell and Jamie Carlson

UPPER ELEMENTARY ART

Drawing me out

Correction The November issue of News & Notes contained an older version of the upper elementary art article. We apologize for the error. Here is the article as it should have appeared:

U.S. Customs and BorderProtection visits DHMCOfficer Rachael Ankenbauer (left) and Huey the beagle take the floor during an all-school presentation by U.S. Customs andBorder Protection on November 13. Dr. HemaRamanathan (mom of fourth-level Ramana and seventh-grader Rupa) works for the agencyand brought a team of her colleagues to ourschool. They spoke with students about their role in protecting the border between Detroit and Canada and ensuring that harmful agricul-tural pests and products are not brought into the country. Officer Mark Danklefsen used aslide presentation to describe some commonpests, and Officer Ankenbauer showed how Huey helps sniff out such bugs in fruits and vegetables that are brought across the border. In addition, Officer Greg Tucker demonstratedhow Cousteau, a mixed-breed dog, checks luggage and freight for meat products. At theend of the visit, the guests presented each student with a drawstring backpack.


NEWS & NOTES 9

Giving the gift of Montessori continued from page 1

proficiency in reading and com-position grows, elementary Mon-tessori students are encouragedto explore every topic that cap-tures their imagination. Studentsrarely use textbooks. They do agreat deal of independent read-ing and library research. Theygather information; assemblereports, portfolios, and hand-made books of their own; andteach what they have learned totheir friends. Their oral presenta-tions and written research reportsgrow in sophistication and com-plexity over the years.

At the elementary level, learn-ing will continue to be a hands-on experience, as students learnby trial, error, and discovery.

The Montessori materialsbecome more sophisticated. Forexample, in mathematics, theadvanced elementary Montessorimaterials help students achievemore complex and abstract con-cepts, such as long multiplicationand division, operations with simple and decimal fractions,geometry, and pre-algebra.

The learning materials withwhich students work in the ele-mentary program are so exciting,starting with the Great Lessons.For example, the Timeline of Lifetells the story about the historyof the Earth beginning with theBig Bang and the formation ofthe stars, leading down to thegeological eras of Earth’s historyand the emergence of life overthe millennia. The Great Lessonsengage children and then sendthem off to do all kinds ofresearch, which they are allowedto do at their own rate and theirown pace. When students areexcited about something and feelconnected to it in their environ-ment, that’s where real learningtakes place, and that’s whereMontessori shines.

Montessori helps children to be flexible, self-disciplined, independent learners, and self-actualized adults. We all wantour children to be able to say,“Whatever I have to master orlearn, I can figure it out, I canfind the information, I can learnit, I can apply it.” That is essen-

tially what we strive to nurture inthe elementary program.

Think about your Montessorichild as he or she has grown thusfar. Now think ahead. Whatwould you like to see your son ordaughter be like at age 18?

If your dreams include ayoung man or young womanwho truly loves school, thinksoutside of the box, thinks forhim- or herself, and thinks aboutothers, then you’ve certainlydone the right thing by givingyour child the gift of a Mon-tessori education. You’ve laid theright foundation.

Like me, like my family, andlike so many millions of otherparents of Montessori children,you’ve taken the first step. I inviteyou to join us, and let your childreap the benefits of continuinghis or her Montessori education.

The best is yet to come.

Tim Seldin is chair of the Inter-national Montessori Council, aworldwide umbrella organizationof Montessori schools.

We all want our

children to be able

to say, “Whatever

I have to master or

learn, I can figure

it out, I can find

the information, I

can learn it, I can

apply it.”

Fifth-level Vishnu Venkatesen provides a musical interlude for his classmates as well as students in other classrooms by demonstrating his skills on the sitar. Vishnu, who also plays the piano, practices the sitar an hour and a half a day and has performed at the Village Theater in Canton and at the Liberty Festival in Canton.


10 NEWS & NOTES

Thank you to all of our DHMC families whosupported the Parents Association’s fundraising

initiatives in October and November. The Scholas-tic Book Fair, led by association President KirsteMoline (third-grader Aliyah Moline-Freeman’smom) raised more than $1,700. The cookie doughfundraiser, led by association Vice PresidentKathrine Horan (preschooler Sarah’s mom), nettedmore than $2,000. Funds will be used to support in-house presentations and Parents Association-sponsored family events such as Movie Night (scheduled for Friday, February 6—watch for detailson the movie selection).

We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the leadvolunteers as well as the many parents who helpedwith each fundraiser:

Book fair volunteersDenise Abdullah (Adam and Kassim); BelizeAfonso (Arianna and Brian); Inshad Beydoun(Fatima Nasser); Mark Boyak (John and alum-nus Mark); Heather Cadena (Matthew andChristopher); Kim Cascardo (Emilio); MikeDennis (Michael); Mirella Ducu (Frank); Kelly Gallagher (Kelsea, Evan, and alumnusKyle Kernosek); Kalyani Gudimella (AryanChakravarthy); Kolthum Haimour (Reema

and Rashed); Kathy Isgro (Anna and Sara);Mary Jordan-McMaster (Maeve and RoryMcMaster); Laura Kovick (Chloe and SarahRochefort); Shereen and Chris Lind (Cecilia);Lucia Meehan (Maggie and Robbie); RaniaNunu (Michael, Nicholas, and George); Villy Papadakos (Panos); Joan Remski(Sam and Ben Clifford); Pradeepa Sekaran(Rithik Babu); Diana Sisk (Valerie Richards);Mohana Sundararajan (Pranhav); CaseySzymanski (Harry Dembowski); and JenniferThompson (Drew)

Cookie dough volunteersBelize Afonso (Arianna and Brian); MarkBoyak (John and alumnus Mark); MaggieBrennan-Neaton (Megan and alumna ColleenNeaton); Paula Byrne (Patrick and Molly);Mike Dennis (Michael); Kelly Gallagher(Kelsea, Evan, and alumnus Kyle Kernosek);Kolthum Haimour (Reema and Rashed);Bernie and Jerry Horan (Sarah’s grandparents);Kathy Isgro (Anna and Sara); Shereen Lind(Cecilia); Kirste Moline and Lee Freeman(Aliyah Moline-Freeman); Villy Papadakos(Panos); David Petrie (Sally); Pradeepa Sekaran(Rithik Babu); and Jennifer Thomspon (Drew)

PARENTS ASSOCIATION

Your support is making a difference

Elective fosters a close-knit groupEighth-graders (from left)

Megan Neaton, AnneliseNearon, and Martissa Williams

model the scarves they made in the Middle School knitting

and quilting elective, taught byelementary French teacher Joy

Coyle. In addition to knittingscarves, students quilted hot

pads and bags. To furtherexplore the options presented

by this Practical Life elective, Joy and the students visited

The Material Girls quilt shopand Neighborhood Knits, both in Dearborn, earlier

this month.


NEWS & NOTES 11

In late October, our MiddleSchool students visited area high

schools to begin the selectionprocess as they get ready for lifeafter Montessori. In addition, fivealumni returned to DHMC tospeak with seventh- and eighth-graders about their experience atthe University of Detroit JesuitHigh School. Teachers and stu-dents gave a warm welcome to Aaron Rife (class of 2007),Keith Alangaden (2007), DerekBoatright (2008), Patrick Cole(2006), and Scott McCoy(2006). Middle Schoolers wereeager to hear how these formerDHMCers made the transition to high school—and how welltheir DHMC education preparedthem for their future educationalendeavors!

In other alumni news…Erin Fitzpatrick (class of 2006)was recently recognized for heroutstanding writing ability. TheNational Council of Teachers of English sponsors an annualnational achievement award foroutstanding writers who are juniors in high school. Erin is oneof 16 candidates nominated bythe English Department at MercyHigh School in Farmington Hillsto participate in a preliminarywrite-off for the national contest.With the nomination, Erin willbe recommended to hundreds ofcolleges across the country. Con-gratulations, Erin!

For the third year in a row,Duncan Miller and Matt Ippel(class of 2005) were recognizedduring the Catholic High School

League Prep Bowl at Ford Field inDetroit. The Prep Bowl ScholasticAll Catholic Award is presented to top academic students fromeach class at various area Catholichigh schools. Duncan, a senior atDivine Child High School, andMatt, a senior at the University ofDetroit Jesuit High School, arefirst in their classes and have beensince their freshman year. Con-gratulations, Duncan and Matt!

Keep in touchAlumni (or their proud parents)can keep us apprised of note-worthy news by contactingShelley Boatright, Parent & Public Communications, at [email protected] or313-359-3000. We look forwardto hearing from you!

ALUMNI CORNER

High schoolers share their experience with our Middle School students

Grads (from left) Aaron Rife, Keith Alangaden, Derek Boatright, Patrick Cole, and Scott McCoyreturned to DHMC this fall to talk about life at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School.


DATES TO REMEMBERDecember19 Friday Last day of school. Holiday Sing—please join us for this festive celebration:

10:30 a.m. Morning preschool and upper elementary 2:30 p.m. Afternoon preschool, lower elementary, and Middle School Extended Day may attend either session.

22 Monday Holiday vacation through January 4, 2009.NO SCHOOL. NO DAY CARE. NO LATCHKEY.

January5 Monday Welcome back! Return to school.

7 Wednesday Sixth-grade parents visit Middle School. 8:30 a.m.

8 Thursday Parents Association Meeting. 6 p.m. (Complimentary child care provided.)

8 Thursday Middle School Parents’ Night. 6:30 pm.

9 Friday Six Mix. Sixth-graders visit Middle School. 3:30–6 p.m.

15 Thursday Elementary Curriculum Night. 6:30 p.m.

19 Monday Staff Professional Development. NO SCHOOL. NO DAY CARE. NO LATCHKEY.

19 Monday Parent Meeting—all levels. 6:30 p.m. “How to Foster Your Child’s Self-Esteem:Some Practical Strategies That May Surprise You,” presented by P. Donohue Shortridge.

27 Tuesday Time to re-enroll! Re-enrollment begins.

February2 Monday Summer Camp registration begins.

2 Monday Preschool/Extended Day classroom observations begin.

2–6 Monday–Friday Middle School internships and conferences.

5 Thursday Upper Elementary field trip.

6 Friday Movie Night. Brought to you by DHMC’s Parents Association.

9 Monday Middle School report cards issued.

9 Monday Elementary conferences begin.

10 Tuesday Elementary report cards issued.

10 Tuesday Open House for the Community. DHMC families welcome! 5:30–6:30 p.m.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS MONTESSORI CENTER

466 N. John DalyDearborn Heights, MI 48127-3703

313-359-3000

“The land is where our

roots are. The children

must be taught to feel

and live in harmony

with the Earth.”

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Re-enrollment is just around the corner

The New Year is fast approaching, and that means it’s time to think about

re-enrollment. We will be distributing re-enrollment information in January. Ifyou have any questions about the nextstep in your child’s Montessori educa-

tion, we’re here to help! Please ask yourclassroom teacher or Admissions DirectorLaura Springer (313-359-3000). Or come

to our February Open House (see thearticle on page 3 for information).

Artwork by Bala Arunachalam, 5


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