Nuts & Bolts
September 2, 2019
Well-deserved R&R
Whoa! Another fantastic week at MMA in the books. Thank you all for working so hard to create a loving and productive learning environment for our students. I know that you sacrifice much of yourselves in this endeavor. Please, please take a moment (or many moments) for yourself this weekend to recharge. You cannot pour from an empty cup.
You are doing great things. I can tell how much you are working with students on grace and courtesy. I have done several tours lately and new families have been impressed. I can tell how you are stressing to students that we need to take care of and restore our environment because I can see it around the building. Thank you for creating fantastic lesson plans and for getting students independently working through their work charts.
I am in awe of your professionalism, dedication, and immense love for our students. I am honored to engage in this work with you each day.
I am also going to take some much needed family time camping this weekend where there is no cell signal - which is why I need to finish this and get it sent out so I can leave :-). Have a marvelous weekend and see you Tuesday,
René
MMA's Day of Service
Please click the link below to sign up for a spot to beautify. Please do not sign your class up to clean up North Shore or any areas outside of the fences if you have any runners, wanderers, or think that anyone in your class could not handle that experience. If your class is outside of the fences, extreme care should be take to supervise your students.
Gates should remain locked at all times during this day of service. Classes will need to use the front doors, and not side gates, to access the outside of the building or fences.
There are several pairs of gloves that would be helpful for weeding in a box in the erd kinder classroom that we will get out and put in the commons area for classes to borrow gloves. I am also including in the MMM for parents to send gardening gloves with their children if possible. Please ensure that the borrowed gloves make it back into the erd kinder bin.
Thank you all for engaging in this service to honor Dr. Maria Montessori.
Specials
State Teacher Funds
- 1st and 2nd year elementary teacher - $250
- 1st and 2nd year secondary teacher - $200
- 3+ year elementary teacher - $175
- 3+ year secondary teacher - $150
You must follow the law when spending these funds. Anything bought with these legislative funds is property of the school and must remain at the school if you depart. I recommend you spending these funds on consumable materials (pencils, glue for example), especially those items you may need and pick up yourself last minute. For accountability purposes, please keep the receipts for these items and submit them to René all in one standard sized envelope before May 1st.
Please email me if you think there is an error or if you have questions.
Library
Students must be accompanied by an adult at all times when visiting the library. Students may check out books from the library as long as the teacher or assistant record which student has borrowed which book, noting this on the school-wide Library Document, which was just shared with you all. We ask that all teachers pick a color of card stock from the work room to create place holders for each student. Please print/write the name of each student as well as the teacher's name on a half sheet of colored card stock. When students check out a book, students will place this colored card stock placeholder where they removed the book.
When students return the book, the teacher or assistant should update the google Library Document and then the child should return the book to the proper place in the library, which they will find by finding the colored card stock with their name.
We have this wonderful library filled with books and want this accessible to all students in the school. Without a librarian overseeing this process, we are putting a lot of trust in every teacher and child in this building to check out and return books properly. Please take this responsibility seriously and exercise respect for these materials and instill this respect in students as well.
Math Vocabulary Cards
Last year MMA made card stock color copies of the UT core math vocabulary cards for every elementary teacher. This was very expensive; and, it was worth the price because these vocabulary cards serve to bridge the gap between Common Core math standard vocabulary and Montessori math works. Please use these materials alongside your Montessori lessons by the end of September.
If you are a new elementary teacher and have no idea what this material is or haven't even seen it in your classroom - Ms. Nicoletta will be working with you to better understand and build these materials.
Display Work/Art in the Hallway
Displaying student work is a wonderful way to bring beauty to our halls and share the love of our students to our community members who visit the halls. If you are showcasing work, please make a label with your class name, grade levels, subject, and theme if possible. Please be mindful that the level of work being demonstrated is the child’s work that is to the best of their ability. For example, if you are displaying writing samples, the work displayed should be a final copy after the child has gone through the revision process, appropriate to the level. You may sign up for a two week time period where your class is in charge of hanging their work for viewing. A sign-up sheet is coming soon.
Acadience Training
Injury Reports
Please ensure that all parts of the form are filled in completely. This include the child's last name and grade. These get filed eventually and it can be very difficult if this key information is missing. If we notice, we try to tell you right away as you submit the form.
Volunteers!
Governor's Mansion Tours
As we begin this new school year, I wanted to make you aware of the ongoing opportunity for student groups to tour the Governor's Mansion. If you have a group already planning to visit the State Capitol, they could also visit the Mansion at the same time. Capitol Preservation has some funding for school groups to cover transportation costs if groups visit both the Capitol and the Mansion.
Liz at Preservation Utah arranges the tours and the docents. Her number is 801-533-0858, extension 107. If she is unavailable, please reach out to Lynda Horne, Mansion Manager, at 801-538-1649 for assistance. We love sharing the beautiful Governor's Mansion with Utah students, thank you for giving us the opportunity.
I hope the school year is shaping up to be excellent!
Karen Peterson
Deputy Education Advisor
Office of Governor Gary R. Herbert
Utah State Capitol, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
Office: 801-538-1342
UMC Fall Workshop
Math PD from UT State Board of Ed
We are excited to offer four online Professional Learning courses in Elementary Mathematics this fall. Registration has moved from UEN to MIDAS and courses will now be offered through USBE Canvas rather than UEN Canvas. Please use the links below to register.
Course Dates: September 11- December 4, 2019
Registration Ends: September 4, 2019
All courses offered for 1 USBE credit
Working with Numbers in the Early Grades:Click here to register
Course Code: 54357
A solid understanding of numbers is crucial for success in mathematics. This course is specifically designed to help teachers of preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade children navigate the nuance of number sense. In this course we will explore researched-based pedagogy, counting principles, and the composing and decomposing of number which leads to strong understandings of addition and subtraction. All course work is intended to enable teachers to support and challenge the young mathematicians in their classroom.
Progressions in Place Value for Teachers Grades K–2: Click here to register
Course Code: 39405
Place value is an essential foundation in mathematics. Young mathematicians build understanding through counting, familiarity with the base-ten system, and applying their understanding to the operations of addition and subtraction. This course, specifically designed for the kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers offers this essential place value content in addition to research-based pedagogy, and a compilation of valuable resources.
Progressions in Multiplication and Division for Teachers Grades 3-5: Click here to register
Course Code: 54390
This course highlights the progression of multiplication and division standards in grades 3-5. Participants will build from a foundation of how a student develops from the operations of addition and subtraction in K-2 to multiplication and division in 3-5. The course will focus on building a strong conceptual and representational understanding in grades 3-5. Through engaging in reading research, mathematical tasks, discussion posts, and viewing videos of teaching practice, participants will revisit their current operational understanding of multiplication and division and solidify their understanding of strategies and models within these operations. Participants will deepen their passion for math, mathematical pedagogy, and develop ways to promote a growth mindset with students.
Progressions in Fractions for Teachers Grades 3-5: Click here to register
Course Code: 46959
This course highlights the progression of fraction standards in grades 3-5. Participants will build from a foundation of how a student's development of fractional thinking in grades K-2 leads the way to building a strong conceptual and representational understanding in grades 3-5. Through engaging in reading research, mathematical tasks, discussion posts, and viewing videos of teaching practice, participants will link operation sense within whole numbers to fractions and solidify their understanding of visual fraction models. Participants will deepen their passion for math and develop ways to promote a growth mindset with students.
Back to School Documents
Maria Montessori Academy
Email: info@mariamontessoriacademy.org
Website: www.mariamontessoriacademy.org
Location: 2505 N 200 E, North Ogden, UT, United States
Phone: 801.827.0150
Facebook: facebook.com/MMAofUT
Twitter: @MMAofUT