If you come into the Primary unit around 11:00am you will see Writer’s Workshop in progress.

We (Carla and Janet) believe that it’s imperative for students to see themselves as readers and writers at the earliest opportunity. In this way, students develop habits of thinking about literacy that will sustain them through later grades. One way to help our primary students view themselves as writers is to have a daily Writer’s Workshop. We can’t stress enough the importance of writing daily.

Children become better writers by practicing often. Students need to write everyday so they can stay interested in their story. Students lose interest if they only write once every few days.

One to one conferencing is also part of our daily writing. Students meet with us and go over their writing. We work together with a student and give suggestions to help them improve as a writer.

The last part of Writer’s Workshop is the Author’s Chair. Two or three students share their writing with the class listening. This gives the Authors the chance to see what their classmates understand and also what they don’t understand about each writer’s story. The students enjoy being the Author and sharing.

If you are not busy between 11:00 and 12:00, stop on in and see great writer’s writing or grab a pencil and paper and start writing with us.

Did you know that tomato juice is the state beverage of Ohio?  The intermediate and upper units of McGuffey know that and much more about the state of Ohio as we explore Ohio History. We have looked back into Ohio’s earliest people, how our area developed and became a state, Ohio’s involvement in the Civil War and what Ohio is now.

The 6th grade is concentrating on developing a resolution for OMUN (Ohio’s Model United Nations). We have discovered some very interesting “problems” facing Montenegro.

In Language Arts we are developing our skills to be better writers. We are learning to “spice up” our words by using dialogue, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, etc. Be on the look out for our “wonderful writers”!

Today we started our three week science unit on the human body. This morning, we investigated the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. We tasted one example of each taste and described it. We also tried to guess what we were tasting, and talked a little bit about how the purpose of taste is to help us figure out what to eat and what not to eat.

Everyone liked the sweet taste of sugar. Most of us liked the pink lemonade mix we tasted for sour, and we also agreed that although the bitter cocoa we tried smelled yummy, it didn’t taste good. Some children loved tasting salt, some didn’t. The Parmesan cheese we tried for umami was a big hit, though. And we thought umami was a fun word to say.

If you (like us) went to school when they taught only four basic tastes, you might not be familiar with umami. It’s the savory, meat-like taste found in soy sauce, tomatoes and cheese, and it helps us detect foods with protein in them.

We’ve got many works around the classroom that children can explore to learn more about the digestive system. In addition, we are talking about the five food groups.

They can brush a set of teeth, or explore what the inside of each tooth looks like. They can sort foods by food group or even set a place for a table. Interested in having your child help set the table in your household? You’ll notice we provided a photo which helps the child know what the place setting should look like. Simply provide a photo of your own, and you’ll have help at meal time!

After months of strategic planning and action, the Board of Trustees is thrilled to announce that the McGuffey Foundation School is being renamed and reborn as The McGuffey Montessori School.

For years we have described ourselves as “Montessori-like”, “similar to Montessori”, “following Montessori principles”, etc. Well, the time is right to take the big leap. We will be officially a Montessori school in August, but we are rolling out the name now. We will continue to be a pre-primary through grade 8 school, and will be holding onto the values and ideas that make McGuffey unique among private schools. In the coming days, you will see promotional materials, banners, and other items carrying our new name.

There is a wealth of information on the Internet about Montessori education, but if you prefer your information in the old fashioned paper format, just ask us for a copy of “What is a Montessori Elementary” or “What is Montessori Preschool”.

Holy cow!

Have you seen all the amazing items that will be part of the silent auction at Trivia Night this year? Make sure you visit the Trivia Night page to peruse the items, and think about what bids you’d like to place. Remember, if you can’t attend, you can always ask a friend to bid for you.

We still have a few spots left at some tables, so buy your tickets soon and join the fun!

“Homework Time!”

Each day during our Extended Day program, the students hear this familiar phrase around 4:00pm. We like to give the students who stay after school the opportunity to do assignments since they will be returning home later in the evening. Staff is available and willing to help out, as long as the students let them know about the assignments. If your student is staying with us in the afternoons, please encourage them to take advantage of this “homework time” opportunity.

Last week in the Preschool we talked about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his significance in history. At this age, we try to find a gentle way to talk about this subject.

We began with a basket of eggs in a variety of colors. We gave each child an egg and asked them describe it—color, size, and shape. Then one at a time, we asked for the eggs back, cracking them into a big bowl. What we noticed was that while the shells of the eggs looked very different, for the most part, the insides of the eggs looked very much the same.

We talked about how this was much like people—we look very different, but on the inside we are very much the same. We told the children that this was the work of Dr. King, to spread the idea that he felt all people should be treated equally, regardless of the differences we might see on the outside. We all deserve love, respect, and a chance to thrive.

McGuffey Students will be using their skills to draw, paint and cartoon midwestern and endangered species of birds. The students will also learn more about the lives of John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson and, still living artist, David Sibley.

The Project coincides with Audubon Miami Valley’s Art Contest for K–12 area students. In February several examples of our students’ work will be chosen for the contest and exhibited in the atrium at Alumni Hall, Miami University, Oxford campus on Saturday, March 3, 2012 and 12–4:00 pm.

All students will have a chance to choose what kind of birds they want to draw; select a media and catagory; and learn how to prepare a artwork for exhibit. We will have our own exhibit in the art room beginning next week until February 15.