Student Community Outreach

"Service to others" - the last words of the Montgomery mission statement, but certainly not the least important. I'm so grateful to Bev Wetzel and Ro Batson and the wonderful work they put into our community service program year after year. Their efforts involve all of our students in service projects that make a difference in the lives of other people - from senior citizens to families at the Ronald McDonald House. The projects empower the students to take action and reach out to help others in need!

I'm always so proud of the students who take "service to others" a step further and actually reach out on their own. Here's a sampling of some of the outreach taking place:

• Two fourth grade students, Naomi P. and Maddie M. raised $212 for breast cancer through a talent show involving both fourth grade classes. Students gathered together on a weekend for the show organized by Naomi and Maddie. This is year two of the event!
• A group of second grade girls call themselves the "Green Club" as they search the campus for trash to clean up. As Belle V. put it, "First the playground, next the world!"
• Kindergarten students raised $370 for UNICEF by collecting contributions for the cause during trick or treating. They are so proud of their efforts!
• Third grade student Marra C. is spending her evenings and weekends making cookies to serve to nursing home patients. Marra plans on visiting six nursing homes over the holidays to bring cheer to others. Marra says, "I think the most important thing is that we can give happiness to others during the holidays, and I encourage you all to do the same."
  

Let's all take Marra's advice and think of ways to give to others in need this holiday season. I wish you all a happy holiday.

Check out this site!!

If you haven't logged on to Denise Kelly's wiki, you really should! Denise is our computer integration teacher at Montgomery. She does amazing work with our students! Denise's wiki is full of fun projects she has been working on with the various grades. You can go onto Denise's web page on our Montgomery School site where she has a link to her wiki, or log onto funwithlearning1.wikispaces.com

Have fun!

Gold Awards for December 2-December 15

PreK:
Ellie M.
Sienna L.
Gavin W.

Kindergarten:
Billy B.
Dylan B. (2)
Jack P.
Morgan K.
Heidi V.
Logan B.
Helen F.
Cooper G.
Matthew R.

First Grade:
Sean N.
Reilly D.
Samuel L.
Ella H. (2)
Grace G. (2)
Emma v.
Isabella L. (2)
Henry L.
Olivia G.
Tyler R.
Michael R.
Tabitha M.
Lexi S.
Abby C.

Second Grade:
Lizzie C.
Billy G.
Aidan W. (2)
Cole C.
Radhir H.
Taylor O.
Bryce E.

Third Grade:
Ryan P.
Danny H.
Matthew F.
Joe S.
Nicole D.
Nick C.
Ethan W.
Sean M.

Fourth Grade:
Sophia M.
Kyle W.
Quin M.
Keefer R.

Fifth Grade:
Myles C.
Brian G.
Michael D.
James P.
Alexandra P.
Grace C.
Julz R.

Gold Awards for November 3- December 1

Hooray! I thank the following students for their gold award moments!

PreK:
Dominic M.

Kindergarten:
Abby G.
Nick H.

First Grade:
Michael R.
Isabella L.
Tabitha M.
Grace G.
Travis C.
Ella H.
Preston H.
Luke B. (2)
Reilly D. (2)

Third Grade:
Ryan P.
Jack P.

Fourth Grade:
Katie C.
Jack T.
Ryan N.
Charlie A.
Kayla N.
Jill K.

Fifth Grade:
Sam R. (2)
Drew C. (3)
Charlie B.
James K. (2)
Maya G. (3)
Ethan S.
Michael D. (2)

Fifth Grade Table Heads for October

Many thanks to the fifth grade table heads who served as wonderful leaders during the month of October. This is a big leadership opportunity, and I am proud of the job that they did leading their peers and the younger students at their tables.

Thank you!
Jackie v.
Michael D.
Maya G.
Josh P.

Gold Awards for October 28 - November 2

Congratulations to the following students! I love how proud the students stand up in Chapel and have their gold award moments acknowledged. Thank you students.

Kindergarten:
Evan H.
Heidi V.

First Grade:
Catherine K.
Sean N. - 2 this week!!
Michael R.
Grace G.
Lexi S.

Second Grade:
Aidan W.

Fourth Grade:
Kayla N.
Gigi H.

Fifth Grade:
Stephen M.

Gold Awards for October 14-21

Congratulations to the following students. I'm so proud of these gold award moments.

PreK
Grace L.
Dominic M.

First Grade
Livvy G.
Abby C.
Sam L.

Second Grade
Bryce E.
Ethan R.

Third Grade
Ryan P.
Marra C.
Claire G.
Madison O.

Fifth Grade
James O.
Jadon D.
Rachel Y.
Reilly P.

Fire Prevention Week, October 5-9

Lower School students were eager to learn more about Fire Prevention Week this week during Lower School Chapel. Mrs. Vessey, Middle School math teacher and Math Department Chair at Montgomery, spoke to the students about fire prevention and safety. Mrs. Vessey's husband is a volunteer firefighter in our area. We enjoyed meeting three area firefighters during Chapel from the Good Will Fire Company and the West Bradford Fire Company:

Ryan Miller
Gerardo Jimenez
Brett Williams

Ask your children the following questions:
How often do you change the batteries in your fire alarm?
How often do you test your fire alarms?
Do you have a fire escape plan in your home?
If your child has trouble answering these questions, visit www.firesafety.gov for more fire safety tips and coloring pages as well!

Gold Awards for September 30-October 6

Many gold award moments this week! Thank you students!

PreK
Maleah M.
Ashlyn P.

Kindergarten
Abby P.

Grade 1
Luke B.
Spencer G.
Ella H.
Millena C.

Grade 2
Aidan W.
Cooper C.
Hunter B. - 2!
Emmy G.
Radhir H.

Grade 3
Nicole V.
Olivia H.
Ethan W.
Laura L.
Georgia D.

Grade 4
Katie C.

Grade 5
Tommy W.

Uniform Reminder

It's getting colder outside! Please remember to wear your warm clothing for recess and gym classes. Parents, please be sure to label jackets, gloves, etc.

Only the Montgomery maroon sweater (available through Flynn and O'Hara and Lands' End) and the Montgomery fleece (available through Flynn and O'Hara) should be worn in the school building. Thank you for your cooperation!

Gold Awards for the Week of September 23-29

Congratulations students! I'm so proud of your gold award moments.

PreK
Ellie M.
David K.

Kindergarten
Helen F.
Jack P.

First Grade
Griffin H.

Third Grade
Matthew F.
Sean M.
Zach H.

Fifth Grade
Julianna R.
Erik K.
Gabby B.

I want to go back to first grade!! Students completed their first writer's workshop in Mrs. Vaughan's class.

Fifth Grade Lunch Table Heads

During the month of September, the following students were chosen to lead a lunch table during our third through fifth grade lunch. The students met with Mrs. Marotta on the first day of school to understand the expectations of the lunch program and their role as table heads. They did an excellent job and set a high precedent for other fifth graders, who may be chosen to lead a table in the future. Thank you students!

Grace C. (missing in photo)
Reilly P.
Rachel Y.
Ethan S.

2009-2010 Fifth Grade Safety Patrol

Beginning last week, you probably noticed a change in the Lower School car line. We are pleased to have many of our fifth graders helping to keep our Lower School students safe and move the line along! Hooray! The fifth grade students wearing a badge of honor are part of our wonderful safety patrol leaders. This is one of the fifth grade leadership privileges that the students don't take lightly. The safeties are sworn in and understand the rules of the duty. Not only does the group help in car line, but safeties also help during our Lower School bus dismissal. Thank you safeties!!

Car Line Safeties:
Monday
Ethan S.
Gabby B.
Josh P.

Tuesday
Emilie F.
Tommy W.
Alexandra P.

Wednesday
Drew C.
Emilie L.

Thursday
Tommy W.
Taylor E.

Friday
Jacob L.
Gabby B.
Maya G.

Bus Line Safeties:
Monday
Sam R.
Emilie L.
Reilly P.

Tuesday
Jackie v.
James O.
Paul K.

Wednesday
Reilly P.
Zach B.

Thursday
Ryanna N.
James O.
Jadon D.

Friday
Ryanna N.
James P.
Michael D.

Gold Awards for September 9-22

Students will continue to receive gold awards this school year for kind acts that go above and beyond our daily expectations. The “trick” of the gold award is to get “caught” by any school professional doing a deed that is beyond good manners. Let me give you an example.

Last week, I was outside at the kindergarten through second grade recess. A kindergarten student hit her head on some of the recess equipment and needed to go to the nurse for ice. I quickly looked around to have someone walk her to the nurse when a first grade boy, who happens to be new to the school, came over to ask the girl, "Do you know where the nurse is? I can walk you there if you want me to." A gold award moment indeed! I didn't have to ask and he didn't offer help to receive a gold award - he didn't even know they existed! He was just acting from the kindness in his heart.

The students celebrate gold award moments together. These are teachable moments we can all learn from. While the natural reaction might be, “I wish I had received that,” instead I’m hearing, “Good job!” Focusing on the positive – that is what this is all about.

I am proud to announce the first gold award recipients for this 2009-2010 school year:

PreK
Lily H.

Kindergarten
Julia C.
Morgan K.

First Grade
Emma v.
Tabitha M.
Ella S.

Second Grade
Faith M.
Aiden M.
Ethan R.
Radhir H.
Mario S.
Aidan W.

Third Grade
Matthew F.

Fourth Grade
Charlie A.
Kyle W.
Lauren H.
Tres M.

Fifth Grade
Brian G.
Jacob L.

Susan's Summer Reading Review

I hope your summer days were happy and safe. I found some time to read, even during crazy summer days! I thought I would share four of the titles that were on my own personal summer reading list:

The Hurried Child, Gowing Up Too Fast Too Soon by David Elkind, Ph. D.
The approach on this book is to show parents that if we expect too much too son, we force our kids to grow up too fast. He is very perscriptive in his writing, but as a parent of a young child, I found his advice to be helpful.


Too Much of a Good Thing by Dan Kindlon, Ph. D.
"It's ok to say no," is part of the sound advice that is given in this book. Kindlon argues that not only are parents giving too much as far as material objects in this what he refers to as the "indulgent age", but often parents emotionally indulge their children as well.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
After attending Chris Gorycki's parent education evening highlighting Malcolm Gladwell during the last school year, I wanted to read this. This was a fun read with many "aha!" moments for me. Gladwell wants the reader to understand success by reading stories about many who are successful.

Montgomery Staff Summer Reading - Best Friends, Worst Enemies by Michael Thompson, Ph. D.
For parents who want to learn more about their child's psychological development as it relates to relations with peers, this is a good read. There is one section about a child having a problem with another child one day with the parent asking the child about the problem the next day. The child, meanwhile, had forgotten all about the problem, but the parent's comment caused a "come to think of it..." reaction, causing the child to continue to think about the negative. Good advice for the mom in me, who always tends to want to do "follow-up" in an effort to fix things!

Gold Awards May - June

PreK
Evan M. - Ms. Getz
Colin C. - Ms. Janney
Nick H. - Ms. Janney
Cooper G. - Ms. Getz
Billy B. - Ms. Getz
Annette D. - Ms. Janney
Dylan B. - Ms. Janney

Kindergarten
Jillian S. - Mrs. Knauss
Ella H. - 2 - Mrs. Knauss
Emma v. - Mrs. Oakes
Ella S. - Mrs. Oakes
Ryan K. - Mrs. Oakes
Shane L. - Mrs. Oakes
Grace G. - Mrs. Oakes
Sam L. - Mrs. Oakes
Paulina P. - Mrs. Oakes
Luke B. - Mrs. Knauss
Reilly D.- Mrs. Knauss
Abby C. - Mrs. Knauss

First Grade
Connor P. - Mrs. Vaughan
Jackson S. - Mrs. Vaughan
Allison H. - Mrs. Vaughan
Becky R. - Mrs. Rex
Emily G. - Mrs. Rex
Cole C. - Mrs. Vaughan
Anjali B. - Mrs. Vaughan
Hunter B. - Mrs. Rex
Lizzie C. - Mrs. Vaughan
Raven M. - Mrs. Rex
Belle V. - Mrs. Vaughan

Second Grade
Ainsley V. - Mrs. Baumeister
Grace H. - Mrs. Baumeister
Ella G. - Mrs. Clay
Nicole V. - Mrs. Clay
Claire G. - Mrs. Clay
Georgia D. - Mrs. Clay
Nick C. - Mrs. Clay

Third Grade
Holly B. - Ms. Miles
Charlotte G. - Ms. Miles
Gigi H. - 2 - Mrs. Wetzel
Kyle W. - 2- Mrs. Wetzel
Kayla N. - 2 - Mrs. Wetzel
Quin M. - Mrs Wetzel
Bryan Y. - Mrs. Wetzel
Amy R. - Mrs. Wetzel
Katie C. - Mrs. Wetzel

Fourth Grade
Taylor E. - Mrs. London
Maya G. - Mrs. London
Emilie F. - Mr. Guidotti
Reilly P. - 2 - Mr. Guidotti
Jadon D. - 2 - Mr. Guidotti
Mark C. - Mr. Guidotti
Rachel Y. - Mr. Guidotti
Drew C. - Mr. Guidotti

Fifth Grade
Olivia K. - Mrs. Batson
Joe Meyer - Mrs. Batson
Kevin S. - Mrs. Barker
Caitlin K. - Mrs. Barker
Katie O. - Mrs. Batson
Courtney C. - Mrs. Batson
Emily L. - Mrs. Batson
Carly D. - Mrs. Barker
Chris R. - Mrs. Barker
Gannon R. - Mrs. Batson

Gold Award for March 25 - April 28

My apologies for not posting our fabulous gold award winners within the past few weeks. I certainly hope I'm not missing anyone. Please email me if you have received a gold award and you don't see it posted here. Many thanks.

PreK
Lily H. - Ms. Getz
Helen F. - Ms. Janney
Sydnie B. - Ms. Janney

Kindergarten
Mrs. Oakes' Class!!
Mrs. Knauss' Class!!
Preston H. - Mrs. Oakes
Grace G. - Mrs. Oakes

First Grade
Lizzie C. (2) - Mrs. Vaughan
Sophia H. - Mrs. Vaughan
Anjali B. - Mrs. Vaughan
Paige M. - Mrs. Vaughan
Mario S. - Mrs. Vaughan
Faith M. - Mrs. Rex

Second Grade
Ella G. - Mrs. Clay
Ryan P. - Mrs. Clay
Madiosn O. - Mrs. Baumeister
Sammie B. - Mrs. Baumeister
Connor S. - Mrs. Baumeister
Liam B. - Mrs. Baumeister

Third Grade
Ms. Miles' Class!!

Fourth Grade
Cali M. - Mrs. London
Jack C. - Mr. Guidotti
Jadon D. - Mr. Guidotti
Erik K. - Mr. Guidotti
Grace C. - Mrs. London
Alexandra P. - Mrs. London
Abbe H. - Mrs. London

Fifth Grade
Dan K. - Mrs. Barker
Joe M. - Mrs. Barker
Westley M. - Mrs. Barker
Sara S. - Mrs. Batson
Arielle L. - Mrs. Barker
Jill B. - Mrs. Barker
Fourth Grade

Gold Awards for February 26 - March 24

Congratulations to the following students!

PreK
Grace J. - Ms. Getz
Andrew N. - Ms. Getz
Max R. - Ms. Janney
Ashley G. - Ms. Getz
Julia C. - Ms. Getz
Alexis H. - Ms. Janney
Evan H. - Ms. Getz

Kindergarten
Catherine K. - Mrs. Knauss
Ella S. - Mrs. Oakes
Paulina P. - Mrs. Oakes
Shane L. - Mrs. Oakes
Tyler R. - Mrs. Oakes
Ryan K. - Mrs. Oakes
Emma v. - Mrs. Oakes
Henry L. - Mrs. Oakes
Joe C. - Mrs. Knauss
Lexi S. - Mrs. Knauss
Millena C. - Mrs. Oakes

First Grade
Lizzie C. - Mrs. Vaughan
Mackenzie K. - Mrs. Rex
Mario S. - Mrs. Vaughan
Bryce E. - Mrs. Vaughan (2)
Belle V. - Mrs. Vaughan
Faith M. - Mrs. Rex

Second Grade
Marra C. - Mrs. Clay
Madison O. - Mrs. Baumeister
Anna G. - Mrs. Clay
Georgia D. - Mrs. Clay
Laura L. - Mrs. Clay
Jack P. - Mrs. Clay
Ryan P. - Mrs. Clay

Third Grade
Julius G. - Mrs. Wetzel
Tres M. - Ms. Miles
Cara G. - Ms. Miles
Alexis M. - Mrs. Wetzel
Katie C. - Mrs. Wetzel

Fourth Grade
Michael D. - Mrs. London
Emilie L. - Mr. Guidotti
Drew C. - Mr. Guidotti
Jackie v. - Mrs. London
Gabrielle B. - Mr. Guidotti

Fifth Grade
Arianna P. - Mrs. Barker (2)
Chris M. - Mrs. Barker
Caitlin K. - Mrs. Barker (2)
Anjali K. - Mrs. Batson
Gannon R. - Mrs. Batson
Sam C. - Mrs. Barker
Megan R. - Mrs. Barker

Gold Awards for February 18 - 25

PreK
Grace J. - Ms. Janney

First Grade
Bryce E. - Mrs. Vaughan

Third Grade
Kyle W. - Mrs. Wetzel
Sofia R. - Mrs. Wetzel

Fifth Grade
Joe M. - Mrs. Batson

Gold Awards for February 11-13

PreK
Maddie H. - Ms. Getz

Second Grade
Amanda W. - Mrs. Clay
Nick C. - Mrs. Clay
Ciara M. - Mrs. Clay

Thirs Grade
Naomi P. - Ms. Miles

Fifth Grade
Chris G. - Mrs. Batson
Joe M. - Mrs. Batson
Connor R. - Mrs. Barker

Web Sites for February/March

http://www.blogger.com/www.edhelper.com
A great review site for students to sharpen their skills.

www.internet4classrooms.com
A fun site for young children to practice mouse skills on the computer – the bubble wrap page is my personal favorite on a stressful day!!

www.togethergreen.org
Help with conservation efforts across the US on this site. Wonderful ideas!

www.parentsconnect.com
On the home page, check out the area on the right where you can choose a city (or “what’s near you”) and read about suggestions of fun family friendly spots to visit.

www.askdrsears.com
A great site to get some good practical medical advice!

Gold Awards for January 15 - February 10

With the fun snow days these past two weeks, we have not had a Lower School Chapel to recognize gold award recipients. The weather is warmer this week, and it is my pleasure to congratulate the following students for receiving the gold award!

PreK
Will C. - Ms. Janney

Kindergarten
Henry L. - Mrs. Knauss
Joe C. - Mrs. Knauss
Lexi S. - Mrs. Knauss
Millena C. - Mrs. Oakes
Paulina P. - Mrs. Oakes
Catherine K. - Mrs. Knauss

First Grade
Cooper C. - Mrs. Rex
Lizzie C. - Mrs. Vaughan
Mackenzie K. - Mrs. Rex
Mario S. - Mrs. Vaughan
Bryce E. - Mrs. Vaughan - Bryce received 2 awards this period!
Belle V. - Mrs. Vaughan

Second Grade
Ciara M. - Mrs. Clay
Anna G. - Mrs. Clay
Georgia D. - Mrs. Clay
Laura L. - Mrs. Clay

Third Grade
Tres M. - Ms. Miles

Fourth Grade
Emilie L. - Mr. Guidotti
Drew C. - Mr. Guidotti

Fifth Grade
Arianna P. - Mrs. Batson
Chris M. - Mrs. Barker
Caitlin K. - Mrs. Barker

Cultural Connections!

What a wonderful event on Friday for all students!

The day was a lovely success, thanks to all the many community members coming together to celebrate the different cultures that make up Montgomery School. Coming together as buddies is always a fun time for our students, and this day definitely gave the students an opportunity to bond!

Many thanks especially to:
Sam R. and Sasha R. for a very special Russian display in Bell Hall.

Fifth grade students Sara S. and Emily L. for speaking to us in Chinese and Korean as a kick off to the day!

Mrs. Pumphrey transformed our library into a fabulous Parisian cafe! Thanks to all the parent volunteers who helped us in this busy area: Beth Brake, Leelee Conklin, Pamela Locke and Christine Roussey!

Mrs. Mulzet and Ms. Kolesar taught our students how to write haikus, a form of Japenese poetry.

Ms. Vinueza and Mrs. Schmidt staged a wonderful Venezuelan art project for students to complete with models wearing beautiful Venezuelan costumes. Thank you to current parent Jane Blake for arranging our use of the ethnic attire. Thanks also to the other parent volunteers who helped in this area - Erin Downes and Traci Mellinger.

Writing names in Hindi was also a fun experience thanks to Jim Karustis and Suman Devas. Thanks to Mrs. Dattilo, Jennifer Volatille and Deeawn Roundtree who helped with this particular session.

Looking at Africa on our SMART boards and making origami African tree frogs was a big hit thanks to Mrs. London and Mr. Hamilton. Thanks also to Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Brown and well as parent Patty Dahm who helped make this session run smoothly.

Mr. Bireley and Mrs. Blair had a busy day in the gym teaching our students how to play games from other cultures!

Students also enjoyed a special lunch from Sweden –the Swedish meatballs were delicious! Thank you to Caroline Gustaffson for providing a lovely Swedish display and a special thank you to Gloria Satriale for our wonderful dessert from Italy! The Cafe Montgomery Italiano was full of yummy treats - gelato, pizzelles, tortoni and cannolis. Graze Mrs. Satriale!

The end of the festival was full of information, beautiful attire and smiling faces as Montgomery students and faculty members hit the fashion runway. Thank you to Mrs. Walton and Mrs. Baumeister for the hard work that went behind making our International Fashion Show a huge success! What a treat to view other cultures and hear the beautiful music representing each country (thanks to Mrs. Lim)! What a perfect way to end a delightful day.

Gold Awards for January 8-14

A Big Week for Fifth Grade!!
Congratulations to all of the following students.

Kindergarten:
Samuel L. - Mrs. Oakes

Third Grade:
Katie C. - Mrs. Wetzel

Fifth Grade:
Sara S. - Mrs. Batson
Makenzie D. - Mrs. Batson
Cat C. - Mrs. Barker
Katie O. - Mrs. Barker
Olivia K. - Mrs. Batson - 2 this week!
Courtney C. - Mrs. Batson
Sam C. - Mrs. Barker

Cultural Connections Festival

Friday, January 16 is the big day for our first Cultural Connections Festival! The day will kick off Cultural Arts Week, taking place January 20 -23.

The day begins with Chapel in Bell Hall honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., followed by a day full of fun with grade buddies (Half day PreK students are invited to attend school for the full day to participate in all of the fun.):
• Experience the sights and sounds of Paris in the Library (admission: 1 canned good, which will be collected and distributed to The Lords Pantry of Downingtown)
• Write Haiku, a form of Japanese poetry
• Art Center focusing on an activity representing another culture
• Play games from around the globe
• Sample foods from Sweden and Italy on Friday and from India, Greece, Korea, and Germany throughout Cultural Arts week, January 20th - 23rd.
• Write your name in Hindi

At 2:00 PM we will gather in the gymnasium for an international fashion show to celebrate our individual cultures and heritage.

At 2:30, the day concludes with a special pep rally to excite our Montgomery basketball teams as they prepare for their "Friday Night Ligts" game against Benchmark School.

The day will be full of learning and excitement.

Cold Weather Reminder

As temperatures are getting colder and colder, please remember to send students to school with a warm coat, hat and gloves. Please make sure these items are labeled with your child's name. Girls wearing the kilt or jumper may bring boots and/or sweatpants to school to change into for recess for added warmth.

Ugg boots are a Middle School privilege. The boots may be worn during recess but school shoes need to be worn during the school day. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Gold Awards for January 5-7

First Grade
Bryce E. - Mrs. Vaughan

Second Grade
Ryan P. - Mrs. Clay

Third Grade
Katie C. - Mrs. Wetzel