From the Principal…
Welcome to the second term. The weather has turned cooler and the days are growing shorter, it will take me a few years to come to grips with autumn in May.
At the school we are gearing up for our Open Day on May 15 and our Parent Information Evening on May 18th. Both occasions will provide us with an opportunity to showcase the great work that goes on at CMS every day.
Still, it is always challenging to share the beauty of Montessori education in a venue where the children are not present. For in my opinion the fundamental difference in a Montessori School is that we treat education not as something to be “done” to children but rather an activity that we do “with” them.
One of those activities we will do with a few of the children next week is the NAPLAN testing, which we see as a good practical life activity for future studies. If your child is sitting the NAPLAN next week, please reassure them it is only a small part of the day and that we will approach the tests simply as an activity and one without judgment.
SHAPE
Before I arrived at the school, a decision was made to outsource our physical education program to an organization that designs activities specifically for younger children. The results have been excellent. I have enjoyed watching the instructors working with the children in the afternoons. I believe the thought was that by having physical education specialists come to the school it would lessen the need for sports excursions, tennis etc. that were used to augment our facilities. In the past parents paid for such excursions as field trips. In order to budget for the SHAPE program, a user fee was instituted which would take the place of the excursions which occurred in the past. My understanding is that this arrangement was not communicated to parents. The school decided on a fee of $30 per term per child for the SHAPE program. This does not cover the full cost of the program but we felt it was a reasonable amount to pass on to parents. In term 2 the surcharge will be $25 and we will levy $20 in each of the final two terms. Our hope is that by the end of the year we will have found a way to incorporate the full cost of the SHAPE program into the school’s operational budget. Either way I will commit to families that the office will communicate our intentions to the families in a timely manner for next year.
Peace
Jack Rice
Principal, CMS
Upcoming Dates
TERM 2 2010
Apr 26 Public Holiday – Anzac Day
Apr 27 Children return to school
Apr 28 Cycles 2/3 Musica Viva Concert 1.20pm
May 5 NEW Learnscapes Committee meeting 7.00pm
May 9 NEW Working Bee
May 11-13 NAPLAN Testing
May 15 Open Day 10am-2pm
May 18 Montessori Information Evening
May 19 NEW Kindy Health Screening
May 21 NEW Spiky Hair Day
May 24-28 Open Sessions
May 27 NEW Fundraising Committee meeting
Jun 2 NEW Learnscapes Committee meeting
Jun 3 Parent Education Evening 7pm
Jun 11 Pupil Free Day – Montessori Conference
Jun 14 Public Holiday – Queen’s Birthday
Jun 16 NEW Fundraising Committee meeting
Jun 26 NEW Trivia Night
Jun 29 NEW Healthy Bones Breakfast
Jun 30 Canteen Day
July 2 Last day of Term 2
Please check the Bulletin regularly for changes to published events.
Term Dates for 2010
Term 1: 3 February – 9 April
Term 2: 27 April – 2 July
Term 3: 20 July – 24 September
Term 4: 12 October – 15 December
Parent Helpers Needed for
Open Day
There are still 10 more spaces on the signup sheet (please sign up at the office).
Goodbye and Hello
This week we sadly said farewell to Rachel Douglas our Admin. Assistant who did a fantastic job whilst she was here. Unfortunately family demands required that she spend more time at home. On the bright side, Shannon Rice (Jack’s wife) was able to step in at short notice and will be with us on an interim basis. Please make her very welcome.
Fees
A reminder that fees for Term 2 were due on the Friday of the last week of Term 1. If you have not already completed payment for this term’s fees please see our Business Manager, Bob Dent.
Working Bee
Thank you to all those families who attended the recent working bee and to Charlie Blumer in particular for his unstinting efforts and the many hours he regularly puts in digging, spreading, planting, organising... The grounds are looking better than ever. For those who were unable to attend, you have another opportunity to help make our school look beautiful (and to make up your community hours for the term) at the working bee on this Sunday, 9th May 9am-12pm.
Three excellent Canberra nurseries deserve special mention and thanks for donating plants, & also providing additional native plants at wholesale prices to the school. 'Heritage Nursery' in Yarralumla donated a rare, wonderful (and expensive) Wollemi pine for the school’s use in the planned dinosaur garden. In addition 'Seeds and Plants Australia' in Piallago (behind Stonehenge landscaping supplies & Bison pottery) donated a large tray of native daisies to the school & also provided at wholesale prices a large order of local grassland species - native grasses, daisies and shrubs.
Lastly (but not least) the territory government’s 'Yarralumla Nursery' also provided highly discounted native plants to the school for its use in the landscaping works being conducted by the school volunteer parents and teachers.
The school community, and friends, are encouraged to frequent these nurseries if chasing plants for any gardening projects to reflect our appreciation. The professional help and assistance is recommended. Thanks again to all three wonderful establishments.
Clubs
We are very excited at the great response we have received to the clubs started this term. All of the clubs are full except for one or two places left in the second session of ‘Making Wind Chimes’ starting May 31st (book in at the office). We will let you know about clubs for Term 3 later in June.
Play structures
It is always a pleasure to watch children enjoying our property, even before and after school. We must insist however that Cycle 2 and 3 age children not use the play structure in the Cycle 1 playground. All of our play equipment is designed for children of a particular age and it is too great a risk to have children playing on inappropriate equipment. I have asked the teachers to give families a gentle reminder if they observe an older child on the Cycle 1 play equipment. Your co-operation is appreciated.
Emergency Procedures
The recent police investigation at a residence in Holder, has brought to light our school’s emergency procedures. In this instance, the school did not find out about the incident until after 3 p.m. Later that evening, as events continued to unfold, we were in contact with the Department of Education; had the drama escalated there was a possibility of having to close the school, in which case we would not have been in a position to contact each parent individually. In such cases the best place for information regarding the school is ABC radio a.m. 666 or the Canberra Connect website. As with any emergency, preparation is vital, and therefore we will use this incident as a timely opportunity to review our emergency procedures with the staff.
Musica Viva "Tigramuna"
On Wednesday 28th of April, Cycle 2 & 3 students were treated to a performance by the award-winning Latin American group Tigramuna, in our new Jacaranda building. The group performed as a quintet, introducing the students to the art of music making through the ancient musical traditions of the Bolivian Andes, Chilean urban and Southern folklore, Uruguayan African chants and Afro Cuban/European dance styles such as the cha-cha-cha.
Students were encouraged to interact with the performers by way of questioning, responding to the different instruments they heard being played, performing or discussing musical observations.
Banksia News
Banksia is doing a frog study this term and we will be reading and discussing this poem:
Changes
I haven’t felt so funny
Since the day we left our eggs.
Some bumps are growing near my tail,
They really look like legs
Well, legs are good for swimming
And flippers have their charms,
But what’s this coming through my chest?
This time I’m getting arms.
I’m a funny sort of tadpole,
My tail is hardly there.
I used to gulp the water,
But now I’m breathing air.
It makes me feel like croaking
As I sit upon this log.
I’m not a tadpole any more –
I’ve turned into a frog!
Red Gum News
Sausage Sizzle – Bunnings Tuggeranong
Congratulations to the Red Gum Parents for their fantastic effot - $1561 was raised. All donations were given by our families and a great community day was had by all.
Gardening Group
If you would like an easy, child-friendly way to earn your community hours, come along to our weekly gardening groups. Monday 12pm-12.30pm with Holly and Wednesday 3-3.30pm with Laura. Students and siblings welcome. Please bring gloves and hand tools if you have them.
For the last 5 years Canberra Montessori School
has been proud to support
Camp Quality
Starting on Monday 17th May we are holding a
week long 2010 fun-fundraiser.
We are starting the week with
The Money Snake
which will “grow” from the Casuarina Grove gates leading to the Cycle 1 playground and outside Karri classroom and by the end of the week it will have “slithered” around the school.
We want to have the snake slither outside each class, but it will only grow with money, so bring lots of change to school and place it on the snake!
We will keep you informed of the snake’s progress. Any questions or queries please see Acacia Class.
Camp Quality is a local & international charity. It is a non-profit organization that is committed to bringing hope and happiness to every child living with cancer, their families and communities through on-going quality recreational, educational and financial support. They are there for the whole journey, from diagnosis, through treatment and remission. They meet you in hospital, they take you away from it all on camps, and sometimes if your family needs help with other things, your local CQ office can step in to create a burst of sunshine when it is needed most!
A laugh is a smile that bursts. - Mary H.Waldrip
At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.
- Jean Houston
Laughter is an instant vacation. - Milton Berle
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. - Victor Borge
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. - E. E. Cummings
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - A Schweitzer
Whoever is happy will make others happy too. - Anne Frank
All statistics in the world can't measure the warmth of a smile C Hart
The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. - Allan K. Chalmers
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - Helen Keller
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. - Marcel Proust
In 2005 we raised $190,
2006 we raised $500,
2007 our total was $404
2008 our total was $505.
2009 our total was $510.
2010 will be the biggest year yet!
Let’s see what can we achieve this year?
Our week long fundraiser will include on Friday 21st May - SPIKY HAIR DAY - which we will be holding for ALL classes. Spike up your hair, or tie it up with ribbons or bows. Bring a gold coin donation and place in containers provided outside each classroom.
Friday 21st MAY is also PYJAMA DAY for children in Grevillea, Melaleuca, Karri & Eucaplytus! Wear your pyjamas to school!
Make them warm ones & make sure you bring your usual clothes & shoes in your school bag so you can change or add warm clothes if you need to during school.
Bring a gold coin donation.