Important dates and reminders for FCMA families. No Images? Click here Please scroll down for the list of important dates. A huge THANK YOU to all the Heart Hero's that worked so hard to raise money for the American Heart Association! FCMA's Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart events raised upwards of $3,500! Thanks also to the volunteers that showed up on Wednesday to help run a successful event! Friday, May 25th Endangered Species Sponsorship 2018 Every year the Parent Guild coordinates an endangered species campaign. This event helps achieve FCMA’s Michigan Green School status. It will run the whole month of May to educate students on species whose habitats are endangered and threatened. This year’s nominees are native to Michigan and to Oakland County. Students will choose from the following species: Snuffbox and Rayed Bean (two freshwater mussels), Poweshiek Skipperling (prairie butterfly), and Eastern Massasauga (rattlesnake). Please check out the posters located by the drinking fountains to learn more about these special organisms. The Detroit Zoo has an Eastern Massasauga in their reptile house if students are interested in seeing one closeup! We are asking for everyone to bring in loose change to raise funds for conservation efforts for the ‘winning species’. Collection jars are located in each classroom, the Middle School Commons, and in the main office. Please note that bringing in change is not required for a vote. Every student gets one vote regardless of any financial contribution. Classrooms will vote the 30th or 31st of May. Thank you for your continued support with this annual initiative!
Mark Your Calendar! Field Day at Four Corners Montessori is all about fun! Help is needed for ALL grade levels to make the events run smoothly. Parents can work one shift, or multiple shifts or stay the whole day! Dear FCMA families, As we head into the last few weeks of school, the music is not dying down in FCMA classrooms! While we continue to develop our singing and listening skills in preprimary and early elementary classes, we are also focused on games and lots of movement to keep everyone engaged right to the end! Our lower elementary students are playing Orff (classroom xylophone/pitched percussion) arrangements and practicing some fun games we might try at home this summer. In upper elementary classes, students are having "Music Workshop" days, which allow individuals and small groups to practice/write songs on their ukuleles, or create digital projects using school computers. Our middle school students continue to create self-initiated projects in solos and small groups. Many students are enjoying the wonderful web-based application soundtrap.com which allows them to create multi-track compositions and collaborate in song-writing across studios. Programs like Soundtrap are wonderful in part because they can be used outside of the classroom, and at home throughout the summer. I encourage everyone to consider how you might include music in your summer plans. There are many opportunities for outdoor concerts and festivals. Children love to make music at campfires and as they play in the water on hot days. Ask younger children to create a song on the spot about just about a favorite memory (we often improvise like this in class), or encourage older children to use instruments, voices, or digital applications as an expressive outlet for emotions and experiences. Simply ask your child to create a playlist of some of their favorite songs and have it ready. Or, on car trips, take turns choosing your favorite songs to listen to. Take some time to learn about music created in our state, or check out books from the library about your child's favorite musician or genre. I'm sure there are music options I've left out, but however you do it, I hope you find a way to deepen your family connections through music. Even if you're a tentative music-maker, your children will join in if you initiate, stay positive, and have a sense of humor! I'm extremely biased, but I think there is nothing quite as beautiful as a family enjoying, creating, and sharing music together. Wishing all our FCMA families a safe and restful summer! Shannan Hibbard, Ph.D. Montessori Vocabulary Made Clear "Normalization, absorbent mind, sensitive periods... if you sometimes wonder whether your child's Montessori teacher is talking about science or children, the answer is yes! Here are 12 key terms defined by experienced Montessori parent, teacher, school founder, school director, and columnist Maren Schmidt M. Ed."
Uniform Buyout/Dress Down Day: Volunteer Breakfast : |