Thursday, February 2, 2017

February 2017 Newsletter

Klahanie School
February 2017 Newsletter
January 2017 Reflection
Establishing lasting peace is the work of education
~ Dr. Maria Montessori 

January brought us amazing levels of connection, reflection and presence with the core of focus being on Dr. King and Peacemakers.  With the solid base of this unified group making peace everyday within themselves and in friendships, a joyful and magical time of “normalized class” has been created where children move about at independent will, making choices that nurture their inner drive for more learning, more growing and more helping friend interactions.  All your children have shown tremendous levels of kindness and focus of helping one another.  The world at large could take some major lessons from this dynamically loving Klahanie School peacemaker group!  

Hawaiian Poem: Peacemaker (To make Peace) 
Ua kuikahi ke aupuni e haawi e paa I ka lima ke kuike e mamua o ka olelo – alohaloha ua kuikahi ke aupuni  ~ To unite as one and make peace you must give your hands up in agreement that you will ‘try’ to understand one another, speak kindly, entreat gently and go with love, yes, in order to unite as one and make peace
 ~Bonnie Flach, English Translation

Here is our class chant:

Klahanie kids are mighty, mighty kids and mighty, mighty kids they are.
They work for peace.
They work for love.
They work for harmony!
February Curriculum Topics
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”

This is a busy, full and wonderful month we will share together in class.  Neighborhood walks will become more available.  If your child has a birthday this month and you would like to do a little honoring in class, please let me know. 

·      Love: exploring the power of love emotion, how we show love to self and others, how it inspires arts and peace.  This will incorporate arts, movement, spoken word, songs and poetry. 
·      Dr. Maria Montessori and Aline Wolf: Peace Makers.  Our global tour of peacemakers continues and focus on Dr. Montessori’s reasoning for her observation based research of poverty-stricken children and establishing Casa dei Bambini in 1907, Italy.  As well as Aline Wolff, Montessori educator and author who took Dr. Montessori’s work and developed more.

“I think its purpose is to give children an experience of silence in our very noisy world. It lets them see that silence does not occur automatically; one has to make an effort to create silence. The Silence Game gives children the rare opportunity to hear the tiny voice inside them.
I've written a few meditations for children. The one on kindness will be in my new book. I suggest that the children sit very still and close their eyes while the teacher reads the meditation about kindness towards others."
~Interview with Aline Wolf

·      Valentines: Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th we will exchange Valentines (Jordan will help parents distribute Valentines in name labeled envelopes inside cubbies).  We will share a healthy treat we make in class and sing and recite Valentine songs and poems.

·      South America: Because we have beautiful cultural items in class from Peru, we will begin our focus on Peruvian culture and beautiful geographical makeup.  If you or a family/friend have traveled to Peru and wish to share stories, photos, foods, music please contact me to come it!  Our peace-maker unit will expand to South American peace makers into March.

Reminders/Thank You
·      Winter Break: February 20-24, No school

·      Sunday February 5th Thriftway, help sell and support tickets sales to our annual scholarship fundraiser 

·      Saturday February 11th 7-9pm our and Pie Soiree, Camp Sealth/ Rounds Hall!


·      Valentines: help your child make a valentine for each classmate for our little Valentine celebration Monday February 13th (if your child goes to another school Monday, we will have another mini celebration on Tuesday the 14th).