Revised Denali Calendar
•• Revised Denali Spring 2012 Calendar with Idita-read.
Denali Montessori Calendar Events:
January 27: Chinese New Year Parade 9:30
January 27: Math Olympiad 12:15
February 3: Kindergarten 100th Day
February 4: Alternative School Fair 10-3
February 6: 5-6 Battle of the Books
February 8: 3-4 Battle of the Books
February 8: PTA 6:30PM
February 15-16: Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 15-16: Book Fair
February 17: AM SEL In-Service
February 18: Barnes & Noble MAC Fundraiser
February 20: Presidents’ Day Holiday
February 23: Science Night/No Staff Meeting
February 24: Cheeto Fest
March 2-8: Idita-Read
March 7: PTA 6:30
March 13-16: Spring Break
March 15-18: AMS Conference
March 19-23: Science Project Share
March 22: Literature Night
March 23: State Science Fair
March 29: 4th Grade Science SBA
April 3-5: 3-6 Grade SBA
April 19: Peace Concert
May 2: Kindergarten Zoo Trip
May 3: 6th Grade Seward Trip
May 9: PTA 6:30PM
May 14: Field Day
May 16: Kindergarten Picnic
May 16: 6th Grade Recognition 6:30PM
May 17: Last Student Day
X-C Skiing in PE
Denali students in grades 1st – 6th will be cross country skiing in physical education class weather permitting for the next three weeks. Students are provided with ski boots and skis. Skiing will take place on the “A” Street baseball field next to Denali. The schedule has been altered in the primary grades to provide an hour block of time. Check with your child’s teacher for their altered PE time. Please be sure that your child comes to class prepared for winter weather. Hats, gloves, coat, and snowpants are a must! Now that we have the snow let’s hope for mild temperatures!
Thanks,
Mr. Horning
Chinese New Year Parade
It is time once again for the annual kindergarten Chinese New Year Parade. It will take place on Friday morning January 27th. The parade will start in the Multi-Purpose room at 9:30 a.m.
We hope you can join us.
The K team
Student Government Service Project
Student Government Service Project
Supplies for the Anchorage Animal shelter are greatly needed due to their recent increase of Animals needing care in the past few days.
Specifically Seeking:
• Non-clumping cat litter
• Parakeet food
• Small, clean blankets and towels
• Canned dog and cat food
• Dry Science Diet brand dog food for small breeds
If you are able to bring in any of these supplies, it would be greatly appreciated. There will be a box in the lobby for you to drop off supplies anytime beginning Monday, January 23rd. Ms. Banta will deliver them to the Animal Shelter.
Thank you all for your support!
Denali Montessori Calendar Events
Denali Montessori Calendar of Events for the rest of the school year.
January 25: Spelling Bee 9:15
January 27: Chinese New Year Parade 9:30
January 27: Math Olympiad 12:15
February 3: Kindergarten 100th Day
February 4: Alternative School Fair 10-3
February 6: 5-6 Battle of the Books
February 8: 3-4 Battle of the Books
February 8: PTA 6:30PM
February 15-16: Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 15-16: Book Fair
February 17: AM SEL In-Service
February 18: Barnes & Noble MAC Fundraiser
February 20: Presidents’ Day Holiday
February 23: Science Night/No Staff Meeting
February 24: Cheeto Fest
March 7: PTA 6:30
March 13-16: Spring Break
March 15-18: AMS Conference
March 19-23: Science Project Share
March 22: Literature Night
March 23: State Science Fair
March 29: 4th Grade Science SBA
April 3-5: 3-6 Grade SBA
April 19: Peace Concert
May 2: Kindergarten Zoo Trip
May 3: 6th Grade Seward Trip
May 9: PTA 6:30PM
May 14: Field Day
May 16: Kindergarten Picnic
May 16: 6th Grade Recognition 6:30PM
May 17: Last Student Day
Karen Glavinic ~ Ways to Connect, Ways to Help
KAREN GLAVINIC
WAYS TO CONNECT
WAYS TO HELP
As many of you know, our own dear Ms. Karen was hospitalized this month for treatment of Stage III cancer – Multiple Myeloma. Denali has been developing ways to stay connected with Karen and ways to help and wanted to share these with the broader Denali community.
Ways to connect: (From Celia Foley) – Karen needs rest, and probably one visitor at a time today would be great. Cards and kind words by email or on Caring Bridge would be wonderful as well. A reminder that children, and people with any health condition at all, even as wonderful as being pregnant are not allowed to visit at this time, but of course they can send cards and warm thoughts. Caring Bridge is a way to stay updated about Karen (Please note that donations on their website go to Caring Bridge, not to Karen).
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/karenglavinic
Caring Bridge for Mobile:
http://m.caringbridge.org/visit/karenglavinic/journal/entry/id/10991306/page/1
Ways to help: Denali students are creating Heart Pins for Karen (similar to Haiti House pins from prior years). Pins will be completed and ready for selecting by early next week. They will be kept in class groups initially, so that you can choose a pin created by your student if you would like. There are also other pins made by students that are available for anyone who wants one. Donations are welcome. They will go to a Karen Glavinic Donation Account at Wells Fargo Bank.
You may also donate directly to this account at Wells Fargo:
Account # 7168873581
Mayor’s Education Summit’s “Community Conversations”
Dear Denali Montessori Community,
The Mayor’s Education Summit’s “Community Conversations” are a potentially important series of meetings where ideas will be proposed to guide the District, especially as the District takes on a new superintendent, for the coming decade.
I would encourage Denali Montessori parents and teachers, and certainly PTSA members, to attend and, given an opportunity, speak to the need to support the public school system AND choice.
We have a very simple, but important, agenda to put forward.
As our principal, Ruth Dene, puts so eloquently:
“The major strength of our district is in its choices. Choice does not have to be charter. I would like to see continued support of public school choices. Public school is the foundation upon which our country was built. That is an educated populace that is able to participate meaningfully in the political process whatever their chosen profession. I hope we have Montessorians attending who can speak to public school choice.”
Denali Montessori School got a great review as part of the initial part of this process in the Anchorage Daily News:
“Samuel Abrams, a visiting scholar at Teachers College, Columbia University, and national expert on why schools in Finland are so successful….
Q. You mentioned you were impressed with Denali Montessori School in Anchorage. What was going on there that you thought was good?
A. Students at all levels, from kindergarten to grade 6, were actively engaged in learning in small groups as their teachers circulated as guides.
The learning was authentic. Students, for example, demonstrated concrete understanding of mathematical functions in their sorting and arrangement of beads and blocks. Students smoothly collaborated as they worked together in their groups. Moreover, students displayed real joy as they honed their understanding of different subjects. Finally, the teachers also displayed real joy in their role as guides.”
Below is information about the meeting that the Municipality has provided to the School District about the times and places that the Mayor’s Education Summit’s “Community Conversations” will be held. Please feel free to contact any of the board members with questions. My phone is 440-4701 and direct email is jtichotsky@alaska.com.
There will certainly be outspoken advocates for various schemes to weaken the public school system and there will also be advocates for a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Our school is an example of what we have learned over the years, that it is best when we have a strong public school system AND a diversity of options. In this highly-charged political year, it is not unreasonable to say that we must speak up assertively to support the moderate and rational if we are to keep it.
Of course, people will go on that maintaining the public school system and maintaining diversity is “all about the Benjamins,” and it is, but as the man on the hundred dollar bill said over two hundred years ago, “The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”
Sincerely,
John Tichotsky, PTSA President
•••• The community conversations will take place on six dates in February. Dates and locations are: ••••
1. Wed., Feb. 8, 2012, Bayshore Club House, 3131 Amber Bay Loop, 5:15 p.m. check-in, 5:45 p.m. start
2. Thurs., Feb. 9, 2012, Eagle River Lions Club, Mile 1.5 Eagle River Rd., 5:15 p.m. check-in, 5:45 p.m. start
3. Sat., Feb. 11, 2012, Spenard Recreation Center, 2020 W. 48th Ave., 9:30 a.m. check-in, 9:45 a.m. start
4. Wed., Feb. 15, 2012, Alaska Native Heritage Center, 8800 Heritage Center Dr., 5:15 p.m. check-in, 5:45 p.m. start
5. Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012, Campbell Creek Science Center, 5600 Science Center Dr., 5:15 p.m. check-in, 5:45 p.m. start
6. Wed., Feb. 22, 2012, Anchorage Senior and Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave, 5:15 p.m. check-in. 5:45 p.m. start.
All community conversations are three hours in duration. For evening sessions, a light meal is provided; for the morning session, coffee and snacks are provided.
You can register for the community conversation of your choice online at www.muni.org/educationsummit. Each session is limited to 100 participants.
Spelling Bee
The Denali Spelling Bee will be held on Wednesday, January 25th, at 9:15 am in the Multipurpose Room.
Karen Glavinic
As some of you may know already, our technology guru and beloved staff member Karen Glavinic has been out of the classroom for a couple of months now. She is currently in the hospital and has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of bone cancer. Her family and friends have set up a blog at Caringbridge for people who are interested in keeping tabs on her progress. Parents are encouraged to share information with their children as appropriate, and kids are also welcome to leave comments in her guestbook. More details and contact information are available on her blog at caringbridge.org/visit/karenglavinic
It’s Barnes & Noble Book Fair time!
Saturday, February 18
For the first time, we’re coordinating the book fair with the Idita-read – talk to Denali’s librarian Gretchen Nelson for more information.
To make this a successful event, we need everyone’s help – teachers, parents, and kids alike. We need:
· Volunteers to plan the event, and to run activities on the day. While the book fair is all day Saturday, events are tentatively planned from 9:30 am – 6 pm. Teachers, parents and older students are encouraged to help out.
· Ideas and volunteers for performances – have a special talent? Belong to a club or performing group? We’d love to have you come show your stuff!
· Kids – have artwork you’d like to show off? We’re having an art show at the book fair this year! Talk to your teacher about participating.
Everyone – if you have any contacts in the community – performers, mushers, artists, etc. – please let us know!
Some of the events and activities scheduled so far:
· Performance by Denali’s student choir
· Scavenger hunt
· Fencing demonstration by the Fencing Center of Alaska
· Story time
· Game table
Please contact Janelle Rogers (rogersjanelle@yahoo.com or 717-4618) to volunteer or with any questions.
Urgent ~ Community Schools Position
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Camp Internet Extreme ~ Spring Break
Camp Internet: Extreme, entering its 18th awe-inspiring year, offers students access to top-of-the-line 20″ flat screen iMac computers, a wide variety of cutting edge multimedia equipment, and two certified teachers with 29 years of combined technology teaching experience. Campers will have an opportunity to use these resources to produce content for a DVD, produce virtual reality environments, design and manipulate digital video, create 3-D images, create animation, design their own animated creature, create studio quality music, and gain life-long technical skills that can be used in the home and classroom. Campers will work on their own computers to generate daily projects using the wide variety of media tools available. All campers will leave with their own DVD of camp-produced work.
The Camp Internet instructors will teach your child to become comfortable using technology as a tool for learning. Camp Internet is designed to provide your child with a powerful, state of the art multimedia iMac computer, access to proven educational programs, and direct high speed internet access.
For grades 3-10.
Camp Internet: Extreme Sessions – $175
Session 1: March 12-16, 9am – 12pm
Session 2: March 12-16, 1pm – 4pm
For more information visit:
http://www.asdk12.org/staff/weimann_doug/pages/Camp_Internet_Extreme/
or contact Doug Weimann at kasuun@yahoo.com
Lego Robot Rendezvous
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST LEGO LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Join nearly 50 teams from Anchorage, Chefornak, Metlakatla and more for this exciting event! The FIRST LEGO League is a “sport for the mind” that introduces elementary and middle school students to real- world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.
What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing! It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.
Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM South High School
Spectators Encouraged! Catch the best robot action from 12:30-3:00 PM.
Volunteer opportunities are available.
Contact: Rebecca Parks
Springboard STEM Education Specialist
Juneau Economic Development Council
Tel. 907.523.2334
Fax. 907.463.3929
www.jedc.org
Ashley Brotherton Donations
On New Year’s Day, Ashley Brotherton (1st year teacher at Denali Montessori Elementary School) and Clayton Wilbanks were seriously injured after being struck in downtown Anchorage. Denali colleagues have set up a donation account at Wells Fargo to help Ashley and Clayton with their expenses.
You are welcome to pick up pink tickets at the office counter at Denali that are printed with the Donation Account number to have as a reference for when you might be at a Wells Fargo and want to donate. You may also put your donations in the white bucket on the counter, and we will be sure to deposit them in Ashley’s account for you. Thanks so much! Ashley showed off all her get well cards from the children at the hospital last weekend. They cover her walls and the back of the door and she just loves to read them!!
Thanks,
Janice
Please contact Denali Montessori School Counselor, Janice Banta at 742-5073 for more information.
ASHLEY BROTHERTON DONATION ACCOUNT WELLS FARGO – #7168873763
