Dear Great Horned Owls Families -
It was a short month, but the children were busy mastering skills and learning. The third graders were busy in improving skills they’ll need when they move up to upper elementary. The children ended the month with their Scholastic book order arriving just in time to have some books for the long weekend and to acquire new vocabulary. I wish you can be here to see how much excitement they display when they see the unopened box being brought in to the classroom. On another note, I’m sorry the class hike was delayed for a week, but we will make it up in less than two weeks. We prefer to hike when it is still cool in the mornings or on a cloudy day.
****AASA State Testing:
For our third year parents, we are asking that your child go early so he/she may come to school well rested. The other important thing is to assure your child has a good hearty breakfast.
Over night:
We had our overnight presentation this past Tuesday and if you missed it, please contact me and I’ll get you the information you need. If you have a child who is not attending, please make sure they come to school. They’ll be a classroom with staff teaching and helping your child with follow-up work. Also, keep in mind the overnights is one of the important aspects of the Montessori Method. We are guiding the child to be independent in all aspects and going with their classmates out to nature is an important experience in developing this independence. As one Keystone graduate put it, “It was the overnight camps that taught me that I was going to be O.K. without my parents. I am lucky my parents gave me this experience in having me here at Keystone.”
Hikes:
Our next hike is on April 26th, our half day of the month. We are going to try to squeeze another before that date.
Scholastic Books:
The next Scholastic Book order will be placed on Monday, April 15th.
Friendly Reminder:
Don’t forget to make your AZ School Tax Credit donation for Keystone Montessori- receive a dollar per dollar credit on your AZ tax return ($200 single or $400 for joint return on AZ form 321, please ask your tax advisor for details or https://azdor.gov/tax-credits/contributions-qcos-and-qfcos )
Thank you,
Ms. Bahareh and Mr. Jess
March birthdays we celebrated:
26th- Indali
29th - Ms. Bahareh
April Birthdays:
4th - Oliver
6th - Max
Important Upcoming events:
Monday, April 1st - April 5th - AASA Testing (3rd - 8th grades)
Friday, April 5th-7th - Keystone Family Camping Trip
Saturday, April 6th (10am-12pm) - Cooking w/Ms. Danielle
Monday, April 8-9th - AASA Testing Make-ups(3rd - 8th grades)
Monday, April 8th-12th - Keystone Spirit Week
Saturday, April 13th (5:30-9pm) - Keystone Appreciation Day
Tuesday, April 16th (9-10am) - Coffee Talk
Sunday, April 21th (10am-2pm) - Flowers and Mimosas
Wednesday, April 24th (6-7pm) - Board of Directors Meeting
Sunday, April 28th - May 3rd - Upper Elementary Class Trip
Monday, April 29th (6-7pm) - Great Horned Owls Play
MONTHLY REMINDERS:
Games:
Just in case you missed the last update, here is a list of games you might consider playing at home with your child:
Boggle, Scrabble, from the New York Times yearly game subscription - SpellingBee, Connections, Wordle, Crossword puzzle, etc., Rory’s Story Cubes, Headbanz, and Dixit.
Sequence, Yahtzee, MasterMind, chess, Rush Hour, backgammon, battleship, and card games.
Interpreting the large math sheets when they get home:
***If you missed this from prior months…
When your child has taken home math work they did with a partner, it’s important to look at it and ask them questions. To help you decipher some of the short hand symbols, the following will shed some light on what they mean:
When a pair of children have finished their math work, I will check it. If they made a mistake on a problem, I will make a little solid dark circle to indicate it needs to be corrected. If they bring it back for a second check and they still have not gotten the right answer, I’ll place a second round solid circle next to problem. Usually, errors occur if the two children are not paying attention to what their partner is doing and not that they are unable to do the math. If there is a “C” with a circled drawn around it, it means they forgot a comma. If there is an “S”, it means they forgot to show the operation sign. If there is a “L” they forgot the equals line. “C” is a missing comma. If there is a “DS” for fraction work, they forgot the division line. Hopefully this will help out.
Drama, music, and dance:
***This will also stay for all Web updates for your convenience:
An inexpensive way of exposing your child to the arts is through your local universities, junior colleges, and high schools. Below are links to venues you may want to explore:
Chandler Gilbert Community College -
https://www.cgc.edu/news/2023/fall-2023-performing-arts-events
Scottsdale Community College -
https://www.scottsdalecc.edu/calendars/fine-and-performing-arts-calendar
ASU
https://musicdancetheatre.asu.edu/ensembles/music-theatre-and-opera-program/season
https://herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/events#allevents
Phoenix in general free events:
https://www.visitphoenix.com/things-to-do/attractions/free-things-to-do/
