ETON EDITION Vol. 35 No. 6
April 2013
From the Head of School
Accreditation: The Value of an Objective Assessment It is already the middle of April, and in just a few short weeks, the joint team from the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS) and the American Montessori Society (AMS) will be here to participate in the last important step in our re‑accreditation process. This process began more than a year-and-a-half ago as Eton School embarked on the self-study process. The final document generated by that process is the product of thorough self-reflection that includes examination and evaluation of the school in the context of our mission and philosophy. The peer group review team is made up of ten educators from around the region and the country who will review every aspect of the school’s program and operations to ensure we are fulfilling our stated mission. The team will also meet with members of the various school constituencies over the four-day visit. The end product of that visit will be a comprehensive report that will include observations, commendations, recommendations, and suggestions designed to help Eton School move forward on a course of institutional improvement. Accreditation does, of course, also provide an element of assurance to parents and prospective parents that Eton School meets certain criteria developed by both PNAIS and AMS to demonstrate that we are delivering a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment. It also provides assurance to other schools that students coming to their school from Eton School are well prepared. Accreditation by PNAIS is backed by NAIS and its Commission on Accreditation. The Commission conducts an evaluation of the PNAIS accreditation procedures on a regular basis and ensures those procedures abide by the Criteria for Effective Independent School Accreditation Practices.
AMS accreditation provides an assurance that a school is authentically using Montessori practices, philosophy, and materials. While there are many schools that are members of AMS and Montessori in name, only about 10% of AMS member schools are actually accredited by AMS. The self-study and reaccreditation processes are a long and exhaustive experience. The faculty and staff of Eton School have been hard at work for more than 18 months, and I am sure you will see many signs of relief on their part as they spot that light at the end of the tunnel. You will also, however, see a certain amount of well-deserved pride. Dr. Russell Smith, Head of School
In This Issue Board Corner: New Member.................................... 2 Admission..................................................................... 3 Development................................................................ 4 Founder’s Day 2013..................................................... 5 Dual Accreditation..................................................... 6 Dining with Dads....................................................... 7 Class News.................................................................... 8 Student Activities..................................................... 16 From the Office.......................................................... 19
Eton School Newsletter
Board Corner: New Member
Hello Everyone, I am delighted to announce that Viki Dragich will be joining the Eton School Board of Trustees this coming summer. Viki is a long time friend of Eton. She is a parent of Eton alums. During her eight years at Eton, Viki (and her husband Chris!) became more than just an Eton Parent by giving her time and energy to the school in many different ways. More significantly, she has continued to keep in touch with the school even after her children moved on. Recently, she played a leading role in helping us craft our Parent Council by-laws and helped launch the Parent Council. She was also an active participant in the Strategic Planning process that we finished in 2011. As you can read in her introduction, in addition to playing her favorite role as a mom and principal cheerleader of the family, she is the owner of Parrott Productions, a technical writing consultancy firm. She is a University of Washington graduate and has worked for a number of years at Microsoft. Viki brings not just her technical expertise, but a community minded spirit that is so much in line with Eton values. She believes in our mission and shares with us her love of the school. We are very fortunate to have her on our team. Please join me in welcoming her to Eton. Vibhas Chandorkar, President
Meet New Board Member Viki Dragich Viki Parrott Dragich is the parent of two Eton School alumni students and owner of Parrott Productions, Inc., a consulting firm that provides technical and marketing writing, editing, and project planning services to individuals and corporate clients. Viki earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Scientific and Technical Communication at the University of Washington and was recruited by Microsoft Corporation, where she worked for nine years as a Documentation Project Lead and Senior Technical Writer for operating system, network, e-mail, and group-scheduling products. Family and community are the keys to how Viki spends most of her time outside of work. Her 8th grade daughter and 6th grade son keep her busy in her roles as mom, chauffeur, audience member, and sports fan. She served as a volunteer wish granter for the MakeA-Wish Foundation where, for ten years, she had the
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unforgettable privilege of working with children who face the challenges of life-threatening illnesses. She takes volunteer leadership roles at her children’s current school and, during her eight years as an Eton parent, Viki was a frequent volunteer in classrooms, as well as for school-wide events. She served on the committee to write the bylaws for and launch the Eton School Parent Council, and was a member of the recent Strategic Planning Committee. Viki enjoys sharing how her children benefited from Eton School’s Montessori-informed approach, including how they were empowered every day with the tools, encouragement, and guidance to seek advanced academic challenges, as well as to take a slower pace if needed, to gain a deeper mastery. She has seen first-hand how an Eton School education provides a strong foundation for continued academic success. In joining the Board, Viki brings her experience, talents, and perspectives to the long-term vision for Eton School, and she is looking forward to reconnecting with her Eton “family.” VOL 35 NO.6
Admission
Welcome New Families Now that application files have been reviewed and decisions made, the formal admission process for the 2013-14 school year is complete. We will soon be welcoming a new group of families into the Eton Community. Eton Parent Ambassadors are contacting each family and personally welcoming them to the school. New families are invited to the Spring Event on
May 1, so be sure to take time to greet them. As always, they will be wearing different name tags. Since there are still remaining openings, be sure to encourage any friends or co-workers interested in Eton to call and schedule a tour. Referrals from current Eton families have always been our best source of new applicants, so continue to send them our way!
Spring Events at Eton School Springtime at Eton School is full of special events for the Eton Community. Visit Eton’s Facebook page to view pictures and details of the early spring events. These include Eton’s first Founder’s Day, the 7th-8th grade Snowshoeing Trip, the 4th-6th grade musical performance of “Schoolhouse Rock” and a 7th-8th grade computer construction project with parent, Rob Adams.
Upper Events
Students at the Upper Level are preparing for several other events. On April 19, all upper students complete their second Mile Run at Robinswood Park under the direction of Coach Gil. They are expecting to beat their times from the first run in October. On April 27-28, 5th-8th graders head up to Warm Beach for the Junior Classical League Convention accompanied by Latin teacher, Ellen Gatton. Students participate in a variety of competitions in academics, artwork, field games and skits. Eton students traditionally do very well in these competitions. 7th-8th students are working hard preparing for their performance of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” under the direction of Mary Springer, Eton’s music and drama teacher. The performance takes place on May 9 at 7:00 pm at the Bellevue Youth Theatre. On May 23, 4th-7th grade students display their science experiments and research projects at the Science and Engineering Expo. Parents and students are invited to view their projects in the afternoon and after school. Eighth Grade Presentations are scheduled on May 28 at 7:00 pm in the Activity Room. During this event, eighth grade students offer formal presentations of the extensive research projects they have chosen. Students use a variety of ways to present their projects including performances, slide shows and demonstrations.
Lower Events
On April 19, the Lower Elementary held its first ever Cosmic Fair. Each of the five classes created projects representing the five Montessori Great Lessons taught in the Lower Elementary program. We hope families attended this exciting event and explored The Coming APRIL 2013
of the Universe, The Earth History Timeline and The Coming of Life, The Coming of Humans, the Coming of Language and The Coming of Math. The Lower Elementary annual spelling bee takes place at the end of April. Students are eagerly participating in classroom mock bees to prepare for this event. Lower Elementary students are also rehearsing for their production of “Aristocrats” which will be presented on May 30 at 6:30 pm at Redmond High School. All of the students participate in song, dance and dialogue under the direction of Mary Springer.
Pre-elementary Events
On Thursday, May 9 the Pre-elementary teachers present another first-time event called the Montessori Journey. New parents will join current parents as experiences in the core areas of the Montessori curriculum will be displayed and demonstrated. These areas include Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language and Cultural Studies. Pre-elementary teachers will be available to explain how these materials and exercises lead children onto a journey of life-long learning. Read about other upcoming events in this Eton Edition, including the May 1, Spring Event. Visit Eton’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/etonschool.washington) for recaps and pictures of all these events as Eton makes it’s way through a very busy and exciting Spring!
Summer Registration Registration for Eton’s Summer Program has begun. Hopefully, everyone received a Summer Brochure during conferences. If not, brochures are available at the front desk or can also be downloaded from the web site. Registration is also open for the other summer offerings including Pandemonium Players, Lego/clay animation, Design Plus and French classes with Madame Parissa. Classes can fill up quickly, so do not delay turning in registration forms. Extra fliers are available at the office. Cherie Goetz, Admission Director
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Development
First Founder’s Day On Friday March 22, Eton School celebrated its first ever Founder’s Day and recognized Dr. Patricia Feltin, founder of the school in 1978. Dr. Feltin came to school to visit with students and share stories about the founding of the school. She began her visit by having lunch and catching up with teachers and staff in the lunchroom. After lunch, the Pre-elementary students presented her with lovely handmade tissue paper flowers, poems, songs, and even a dance. One Mezzo class performed “A Child’s Plea,” a poem written by Dr. Feltin in 1987. Another class enthusiastically sang the Eton School song for her with a change in the lyrics, “We’re glad you founded Eton School!” The Lower Elementary students prepared questions to ask Dr. Feltin during their visit with her. Each class took turns asking Dr. Feltin questions and she shared great stories about the early history of Eton School. One student asked, “Why did you start Eton School?” Dr. Feltin responded with the story of how when she taught third grade in a public school, she had to teach long division with chalk and a blackboard, which were the only materials available to teach this complicated math idea to the 39 students in her class. She remembered standing and writing out long division problems on the chalkboard, wondering how many students would understand the concept, and how many would not understand it. She knew this was not an effective way to teach and wondered if there was a more meaningful and comprehensible method of teaching young students. At that time, her three-year-old daughter was attending a Montessori school in Bellevue. She observed how they taught math using beautiful materials that the children manipulated and this helped them to understand math concepts in a very concrete manner. This was exciting to her and it motivated her to do more research into Montessori, which eventually lead her to become a Montessori teacher followed by the founding of Eton School. As far as long division goes, you should see the amazing Montessori way of teaching it using test tubes of beads and a special numbered board. The fourth, fifth and sixth grade performed songs from their really entertaining play, “Schoolhouse Rock.” It was fun to see the students’ enthusiasm in their wonderful singing and dancing. The seventh and eighth grade wrote a poem, “We Are from Eton School” and performed it as a choral reading. These older students beautifully articulated their Eton experiences. If you would like to read the full poem, please follow this link to the Eton School Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/ etonschool.washington). Dr. Feltin believes every child has boundless potential and the Montessori philosophy provides the right environment for a child to flourish in many ways. In a
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Montessori classroom, learning is exciting and children thrive with the responsibility of being accountable for their studies. With these ideas in mind, the school motto of “I am becoming…” came about. Dr. Feltin not only believes that it is important for children to become excited lifelong learners, but it is also important for adults to continually learn and to broaden their minds to realize their potential. Last year we established the Patricia M. Feltin Educational Advancement Fund to honor Dr. Feltin and her years of serious hard work and dedication to create a superb Montessori environment for Eton students. This fund specifically supports professional development for teachers and staff, sending them to workshops, trainings, and conferences. Our teachers are progressive and very erudite in their teaching methods, as they keep current with the latest educational research, developments in brain research and how children learn. In addition, the Patricia M. Feltin Educational Advancement Fund provides financial assistance for children whose families might not be in a position to send their child to Eton. All of our children contribute in their own unique and wonderful way to the rich learning environment here at Eton and it would be a shame if a student who has a lot to offer is excluded because of financial reasons. If you have not participated in the Annual Fund, this is another chance to make a very meaningful gift to a specific aspect of our program. A gift to the Patricia M Feltin Educational Advancement Fund supports teachers in their professional development and offers children the ability to experience the wonders of an Eton education. Dr. Feltin’s visit to the school for Founder’s Day inspired some of the Eton staff to make a contribution to the Fund in recognition of her hard work in creating Eton School. There are cards at the front desk if you would like to join these staff members and make a gift. Please contact Monica Maling, Development Director via e-mail (mmaling@etonschool.org) or by phone (425-881-4230) if you have any questions. Monica Maling, Development Director
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Founder’s Day 2013
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Dual Accreditation
PNAIS and AMS Accreditation Team Visit May 12–15, 2013 You have probably heard something about an accreditation team visit coming soon to Eton School and are wondering what that involves. The accreditation process is one of the major ways in which Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS) and American Montessori Society (AMS) fulfill their mission of helping schools provide a quality education for its students. Eton School has voluntarily joined the PNAIS and AMS Associations and in so doing, has committed to the core value of ongoing school improvement. An accredited school has shown that there is congruence between the school’s stated mission and its actual programs and services. The visit by an accreditation team is the culmination of a two-year long process undertaken by the Self-Study Committee. The first step was the creation of a self-study guided by the PNAIS Association’s Self‑Study Manual (Major Standards, Good Practices, and Elements). This intense self-reflection was an opportunity for Eton School to examine and evaluate itself in light of its own mission and philosophy. The process involves the school’s various constituents. The self-study process resulted in a comprehensive document that elaborates the ways in which Eton is fulfilling its mission, articulating its strengths and weaknesses, illustrating the school’s compliance with the Major Standards and providing plans and priorities for the future.
This Self-Study has been shared with the PNAIS/AMS accreditation team, made up of educators from around the region and as far away as Salt Lake City, Utah, Toledo, Ohio and Evergreen, Colorado. A separate document with questions specifically directed at Montessori education has also been sent to AMS. Copies of the Self-Study are available in the Library for viewing. Following the completion of the Self-Study document, the Self-Study Committee began its preparations for the accreditation team visit. Lodging needed to be procured, meals planned, supporting documents collected, schedules/meetings confirmed, and more. Eton is now in this stage of preparation for the on-site visit. The visiting team will be at Eton School from May 12 through 15. This visit will involve a review of the school’s programs and operations and discussions with members of the school’s various constituencies. The result of this visit will be a report that includes observations, commendations, recommendations, and suggestions to assist Eton in its improvement. This report will be sent to the PNAIS Accreditation Committee and the American Montessori Society for a final decision regarding the accreditation status of the school. We look forward to the up-coming visit and the culmination of a busy two years. Barbara Bell, Self-Study Coordinator
Join Eton’s Team for Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes Eton School is participating in the “Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes” on Sunday, May 19 in honor of an Eton parent. The “Beat the Bridge” is a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDFR). The event consists of an 8K run and wheelchair race, a 4-mile walk, a 1-mile fun run, and the Diaper Derby for toddlers. It takes place around the University of Washington campus. Here is a link to the website for more information: http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?fr_id=2215&pg=entry. If your family would like to join the Eton team please follow this link to sign up using our team page link: http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-WA/Chapter-JDRFNorthwest4700?team_ id=79851&pg=team&fr_id=2215. Encourage your friends and family to join us on race day or to pledge their support!
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Dining with Dads
Thank You Dads for Dining with Us!
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Class News
Mezzo 1: Exploring the Coral Reef of Hawaii Ms. Lynette Oshiro The birds are singing and flowers are blooming. It must be Spring! We are enjoying the beauty of nature and we are now able to spend more time outdoors. The children are in awe of the climate change and with new life of nature. We are buzzing with our spring activities. We have been learning about the life cycle and parts of a butterfly. We are planting flower seeds using our gardening table in the classroom. The children are fascinated by finding creatures in the dirt while working in our garden. We are decorating hollow eggs with origami paper. Thank you to Liya for bringing the eggs. In recent weeks, our cultural studies have included the life cycle of coral and identifying a variety of Hawaiian Reef fish. We have been exploring the many facets of the Pacific Ocean that surround the Hawaiian Islands. We have been studying the definition of a fish and its habitat. We are reading Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons. Coral reefs are found in tropical waters around the world. This book is full of information about how the reefs are formed, how they grow, and how the many different kinds of plants and animals live in their special environment. The children are creating a Hawaiian Coral Reef mural.
We have been exploring the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle that is endangered. We are also studying the Hawaiian Monk Seal that is also an endangered marine mammal. We will be discussing reptiles and marine mammals. The children are enjoying painting the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Hawaiian Reef Triggerfish).
Mezzo 2: The United States of America Mrs. Holly Fleming and Miss Michelle Lee The United States, The United States, I love my country, The United States. The students have been singing those words and the names of all fifty states in alphabetical order for the last month. Following our study of North America the students proudly learned about our country. The children memorized the Pledge of Allegiance, colored U.S. maps, learned the names of several rivers, and made U.S. flags. Our study of the United States coincided perfectly with our yearly math unit on American money. The children learned the names and values of coins from one penny to one dollar. A matching activity of all forty-four presidents was a popular shelf work. In zoology we learned about the national bird of the United States, the bald eagle. The children were excited
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to see videos of these majestic raptors in flight. In botany the children learned about the national flower, the rose. They had the opportunity to create a still-life watercolor painting in the art area. Throughout the school year we have been compiling a portfolio page for each element of our studies. The United States photos are of each child posing as the Statue of Liberty wearing a paper plate crown and holding a construction paper torch. Three cheers for the red, white, and blue‌Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray!
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Class News
Mezzo 3: March Calmness! Mrs. Sudha Vaghul The chirping birds, budding trees and eager bulbs unfurling their colorful crowns of petals only means one thing, Spring is here! As nature awakens, the children in Mezzo 3 are engaged in rituals that reflect the season outdoors. Practical Life is buzzing with active children washing windows and polishing mirrors and metal. Our art is also reflecting the colors outdoors with beautiful collages of cherry blossoms, hyacinths and tulips. Our journeys through Australia’s biomes has taken us from the desert to the grasslands. Uluru or Ayer’s Rock in the Australian desert is sacred ground for the Aboriginals. The native story of how it was formed when a great Aboriginal warrior threw his boomerang as far as he could and then journeyed to find it, inspired the children to paint and decorate their own boomerangs with traditional motifs. We also did an experiment with different types of rocks and noticed that sedimentary rock, the primary component of Uluru settles to the bottom. The Australian outback is home to many unique
fauna like the kangaroos and wallabies. This led us to examine marsupials in some detail. We enjoyed the company of dads during lunches in March. Many more of these occasions for gathering as a community will present themselves in the weeks ahead as we look forward to our annual classroom outing. Stay tuned for details.
Mezzo 4: On the Road Mrs. Madeline Lee Before leaving on our road trip, we learned a few things about our state. Most of the children were born in the area, so we learned the names of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Renton. We also talked about Seattle being the largest city and Olympia being the state capital. We boarded our buses and traveled south. Along the way, we passed Mount Rainier and talked about volcanoes and rocks. We “erupted” a volcano and learned about the igneous rocks. We made dinosaur fossils and learned about sedimentary rocks. We passed through Portland, Oregon and stopped in San Francisco, California. We saw the “red” bridge and rode on the cable car. On to Arizona and the desert and Grand Canyon. The Colorado River played an important part in forming the canyon. The children were amazed at the size and colors of the canyon. One child asked if the Grand Canyon was real! We are still in Arizona to visit the Saguaro cactus and some desert animals. Our next stop is Texas. Thank you for the great Valentine’s Day celebration. The children always enjoy the crafts and snacks. Thank you also for spending some time during observations and conferences. It is always nice to compare notes about your children so we can fulfill their potential. Last, but not least, thanks to the dads who were able to join us for the popular Dining with Dads week. We celebrated spring by dyeing eggs and having an APRIL 2013
egg hunt. The children hunted for plastic and hard-boiled eggs. Hopefully, they found all of the hard-boiled ones! As we journey to the end of the school year, we will continue our road trip across the USA to the east coast. Thank you for sharing your children, time, talents, and treasures with us. Enjoy the warmer weather!
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Class News
Mezzo A: London Sights and Sounds Mrs. Nasreen Shamsuddin and Mrs. Sharon Gonzalez Our class has been buzzing with exciting activities and new units of study. We have now ventured into the country of England. Our first stop has been the amazing city of London. We have learned about its impressive monuments and sights. The children loved the presentation given by Catherine Manney (Cameron’s mom) and Juliette Stephenson (Harry’s mom), which provided a great deal of information about this country steeped in tradition and a rich culture. The parents brought in cards with pictures that included all the letters of the alphabet starting with A and ending with Z! For example: b is for “Big Ben,” q for “Queen” and f (for what else but) “fish and chips”! They left behind books to browse through, games to play and cream crackers with marmite spread to sample for snack. The children were simply enthralled. For P.E. we have been marching while holding the flag of the United Kingdom and re-enacting the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace! Another
favorite game is playing “London Bridge is Falling Down.” The kindergarteners are busying writing about and illustrating the different monuments of London. Their writings will be finally complied into books, which they will take home. The students have done some gorgeous watercolor still-life paintings inspired by Van Gogh’s art. Paintings included tulips in a vase, primroses in a pot, daffodils, camellias and more. Some of the paintings are on display in the Mezzo hallway. Currently they are painting their version of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” We certainly have budding artists in our midst! Thank you for taking the time to join us for Parent‑Teacher conferences. It was joy to share your child’s progress and to hear about their life at home. We hope the meeting was as meaningful to you as it was to us. Another event of note was Dining with Dads, which was a big hit. Thanks to the dads for sharing time not just with your child but with the other children as well. You made them feel ever so special! With the air getting warmer and new leaves and flowers starting to grow, our thoughts are turning towards gardening. We hope to clear out weeds and do some planting soon. From all of us in Mezzo A, Happy Spring!
Check It Out: Eton School is on Facebook! Keep up on the latest events. View the newest photos. Explore new postings and more on Eton School’s Facebook page. Recent postings included the 7th and 8th grade students assembling of a computer. Photos of the 4th, 5th and 6th grade play “Schoolhouse Rock.” A video of Eton students in the Senate during a visit to Olympia. You will also find information on upcoming dates such as the Spring Event. So take a moment, check it out and like the page to keep up on Eton events and news!
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Class News
Mezzo B: The Wonder of Rivers Ms. Kalsom Wali The dull, cold days of winter are behind us, spring is finally here! It may take us longer to get to the playground at times, as the children love to stop and appreciate the tulips and daffodils that are blooming in the garden. We have been studying about rivers and the wonders they give us—food, water, transportation. Rivers are also a powerful force on our planet; they build islands, carve canyons, and create waterfalls. The song “Down the River” is a tune that everyone loves to hum even during work time! On days that are noisier than others, we listen to the sound of a gently flowing river to quiet us down. In the art area, children are having a great deal of fun with texture painting--a simple form of art that even the first year students feel comfortable doing. We would like to thank all the dads who participated in our Dining with Dads event a few weeks ago. The children really had a blast! Happy Spring everyone!
Mezzo C: Traveling Around the Biomes Ms. Susan Baccellieri The children have been learning about the different types of biomes. There have been some colorful booklets and watercolor paintings created by the children that illustrate these biomes that define our planet. Our short study of deserts included learning about the parts of camels and parts of cactus. We also learned about the many landforms found in deserts such as mesas, arches, playas and chimney pipes. After making maps using sand to define the deserts, everyone can easily locate the world’s biggest desert, The Sahara, on the African continent. We then moved to a mountain study and the children have been using “Model Magic,” a play-do like modeling clay to make maps that show the major mountain ranges of the world. Ask your child where the longest mountain range and the highest mountain range of the world can be found. Pop-up books have been colored, cut and pasted to illustrate the three ways that mountains are made. We are now focusing on the tropical rainforest as Ms. Ross is offering many lessons that center on Brazil, home of the Amazon Rainforest. Using the stories of “The Tale of the Tangram” and Grandfather Tang, for inspiration, the children have been APRIL 2013
patterning shapes using the 7 pieces of a tangram (an ancient Chinese geometric puzzle). Carrying on with the mountain theme, Sophia and Adriana worked at making Mt. Rainier and The Enchantments by cutting out paper tangram shapes and maneuvering them into these mountain designs. As the older students become more familiar with the different types of triangles, equivalency activities will be introduced. Lucky us! Spring is showing up more and more, and nothing says Spring more in Mezzo C than planting seeds for our garden. Pumpkins, sunflowers, sweet and snap peas are currently enclosed in their seed coats, being fed by their cotyledons but soon they will be bursting through the soil showing off their green plumules! Lucky us!
Student working with the biome cards.
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Class News
Room 1: Reflecting in Nature, Imagining with Music Ms. Regan Becker
Since the beginning of 2013, Room 1 has been exploring the Timeline of Life through the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras of Earth’s history. During these vast eras, a myriad of life forms emerged through necessity. Some survived through adaptation, and most suffered extinction through natural disasters such as ice ages and droughts. As a result, students have become increasingly interested in endangered animals. During Writing to Music, students have listened to the song “Diamondhead” by the Ventures (while studying volcanoes) and “Anji” by Simon & Garfunkel, then drawn or written about what they imagined while listening to these instrumental songs. Experiences like this integrate writing and music, and they connect to the students’ spiritual life through artwork and imagination. Along similar lines, we have been reading a biography of the great Chinese thinker, Confucius, and reflecting on the meanings of his sometimes deceptively simple sayings. In yoga, we have learned many poses to stretch our spines and create balance, as well as breathing exercises that aid concentration and peacefulness.
Second grade students have been investigating triangle angles and lengths of sides, using a right angle tool and a ruler. First grade students also used rulers to measure themselves, which resulted in tracing a life-size version of one of their classmates and coloring each section of her body. As part of their weekly book club, third grade students have been reading the book Misty of Chicoteague by Marguerite Henry. Each week, they read together one chapter of the book, then answer reading comprehension questions, draw the most exciting scene, and use a dictionary to define many of the challenging vocabulary words from that chapter.
This spring, we look forward to a few more walks to and hikes at Ardmore Park, as well as our final field trip as “Earth Stewards” in the Seattle Tilth Gardens. Students have enjoyed practicing for the upcoming spelling bee, as well as researching topics and creating displays for the “Coming of Language” section of the Lower Elementary Cosmic Fair. We will be writing our autobiographies and learning more about early humans as the end of our school year approaches!
Room 3: Spring has Sprung Miss Angela Kim and Ms. Cindy Merritt It was great meeting with all the parents during conferences. We always enjoy the opportunity to talk about the many learning opportunities the children have had this school year. The past couple of months have been busy with Era research. The children are eagerly preparing for Eton School’s first ever Cosmic Fair on April 19. They are becoming experts at the Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic,
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Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and definitely the Cenozoic Eras. The paleogeography, time line, climate, and life of those times are just a few things they are discovering. They have been creating games and activities that incorporate their Eras, for guests at the fair to participate in. The children have also been participating in a martial arts class for a few weeks with Master Hufana at the VOL 35 NO.6
Class News Bellevue Martial Arts Academy. They are learning about the five tenants of tae kwon do: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit, while practicing different punches and kicks with the instructors and each other to improve their coordination, flexibility and balance. Our next field trip will be an Umiaq Adventure at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle in May. Rehearsal for the spring musical “Aristocats” has begun! The children are practicing their songs and were given their parts before Spring Break. Everyone is excited about their roles in the play and look forward to sharing it with their families in May.
Room 4: Our Human Connections Ms. Jeannine Blink We are deep into Maria Montessori’s Third Great Lesson, The Coming of Humans. The students have learned how humans are unique when compared to other animals. This includes being bipedal, possessing opposable thumbs, having a larger, more complex brain, making and using tools, and our precious gift of spirituality. We have created charts and short booklets about our uniqueness, as well as looked at animals with some of these characteristics. For the Cosmic Fair, first year students have written reports about how early humans used their uniqueness to survive, while their older friends researched a particular species of hominid (human ancestor). All the children did a fine job on their homework projects, focusing on modern human activities. We are really looking forward to showing some of these at the Cosmic Fair. Our recent visit to the Frye Art Museum reminded us of our astonishing creative abilities. We first looked at and interpreted beautiful paintings, then using watercolor pencils, drew animals beginning with simple shapes. We will finish our masterpieces in class. In connection with this Great Lesson, we are also exploring the human body; specifically beginning with the skeletal system. Mr. Bones (a skeleton model) has been a welcome guest in the classroom. Check out our fun pasta and paper skeletons currently serving as official greeters to our room. In a wonderful field trip to the Pacific Science Center, we explored various interactive exhibits in Dr. Wellbody’s Academy of Science, and then watched a fantastic 3D movie called Born to Be Wild, about how humans have helped to rescue African elephants and orangutans. During February, we experienced some exciting events. For Chinese New Year we watched some entertaining videos about the history of the holiday, including the story of the Chinese Zodiac. Then we created colorful dragon necklaces while enjoying traditional Chinese snacks. The Fundraiser on February 9 was a huge success! APRIL 2013
Congratulations to Rohan and his family for submitting the winning bid on our Peace Dove and CD project. Thanks so much to all the parents who helped make our Valentine’s Day party a marvelous experience. March was packed with excitement. We had a great turn out for Montessori Moments. It was impressive to see the students giving lessons and parents learning how to use some of the fascinating Montessori materials, some of which included the Stamp Game, Golden Mat, Checkerboard, grammar symbols, the plant kingdom chart, and the Earth History Timeline. Parent-Teacher conferences were fun and enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed discussing the children’s amazing accomplishments. Dining with Dads (and some moms) is always a highlight for the children. Finally, Founder’s Day was very inspiring. The students were mesmerized as they interviewed their familiar friend, Dr. Feltin. We are taking advantage of the warmer weather by digging in the garden area outside our classroom. In connection with our Mexico studies, we had a lesson on The Three Sisters Garden. We will be planting corn, beans, and squash. Hurray for Spring!
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Class News
Room 5: Research! Research! Research! Ms. Kris Meyer Gaskins and Ms. Catie Zarski The students have been working in small multi-age groups researching their topics for the Cosmic Fair on April 19. The classroom was divided up into six groups of three to four students each. The research topics included The Big Bang and other Theories, The Birth of a Star, Elements, Gravity, Constellations, and The Solar System. The children used books from the classroom, the school library, and also went to a variety of websites to find out information about their topics. After researching, each group had to decide what information to include, how to create headings and subheadings, what graphics to create, and how to write a bibliography. After putting together display boards of all their information, each group put their heads together to come up with activities to include with their presentations. It was wonderful to see the teamwork, the third year students in their leadership roles, and to watch each project evolve. Hopefully you will all be able to make time and come experience the final results. In math, all three grade levels spent time learning about fractions. The first year lesson included learning what a numerator and denominator were by using their family. Each first year student made a fraction representing one out of a total number of family members. In Montessori education, the goal is to create activities that have meaning for each child. Learning in context of what you already know aides in the comprehension and retention of new concepts. We also spent time in class learning about parts of a story. At the beginning of each week we read books and talked first about characters, then setting and finally
plot. The children did activities throughout each week reinforcing each initial lesson and the homework projects centered on this topic. Over the three years your child is in the classroom, we will revisit these concepts in a variety of ways. Thanks to the drivers who went to the Pacific Science Center with us. It was a great kick-off to our Coming of the Universe research. May 15 we will be going to the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle from 10:00-12:00. Permission slips will be coming home in a couple of weeks. Mark your calendars for the Lower Elementary production of “Aristocats” on Thursday, May 30. The dress rehearsal will be from 9:00-11:30 with the performance following that evening at 6:30 PM. There will be more information coming home about that as well in the coming weeks. Enjoy the longer days and warmer weather!
Room 6: Earth’s One Ocean Ms. Sadie Reitz Students recently experienced and explored a new Montessori-inspired material, the Ocean Timeline. The 50 foot long strip was impressive to say the least and the children were hooked from the start! The Ocean Timeline begins with the scientific story of the development of the universe—the Big Bang. As millions of years go by the “laws of the universe” began to take effect and forces like gravity spurred the
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formation of galaxies, including the Milky Way. Soon the Sun came to be and the left over gases and dust massed together to form Earth. Meteorites slammed into this young planet, and one was so big and hit so hard that big chunks of Earth broke off and eventually fused together, forming the Earth’s moon. As a new planet, Earth was hot, hot, hot! It was so hot in fact that the ocean as we know it today was nowhere to be seen. As Earth began to (literally) chill out, oceans formed from condensing steam and water in comets. This new ocean was no place to go for a swim! It was hot (about 140 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit), and it was green (thanks to all of the iron, and lack of oxygen in it). Surprisingly, life found a way to thrive in this hostile VOL 35 NO.6
Class News environment. Tiny heat-loving microbes gathered energy to sustain them and reproduced using the heat and nutrients of deep-sea vents. These first organisms called prokaryotes are still around today! (In fact, there are more prokaryotes than all other living things combined.) Photosynthesis (Greek: light putting together) began in the epipelagic zone of the ocean when organisms adapted to making energy and food from sunlight. Eventually over millions of years, single celled organisms evolved and became complex, multi-celled organisms. They needed to move to find food and to be able to move away from predators. Even more adaptations became necessary as organisms were constantly evolving to hunt prey and escape predators in new ways. One of these adaptations was the appearance of exoskeletons, or shells. After continued evolution and adaptations, animals with backbones (vertebrates) appeared in the ocean. Animals with backbones that protected their spinal cords were able to do much more than previous types of life. Their brains were able to safely send messages to all parts of their bodies. At this point, life was still contained to the ocean, but that was about to change! As life moved out of the ocean and onto land, animals had to suddenly adapt to conserving water in their bodies. Hard-shelled insects were able to do this easily while other animals (and plants) had to find successful ways of surviving. Eventually fish developed lungs to breath air and wrist-like bones to support their weight on land. (The students were very excited at this point! They were astonished to learn about Tiktaalik--a fossil of a fish adapted to spending short periods of time on land!) Tiktaalik may have been the fist tetrapod (Greek: four legged) that walked on land. Another amazement in the progression of life were the theropods (Greek: wild beast legged). These were usually bipedal dinosaurs. As we learned that birds are the only surviving relatives of dinosaurs, a second year student exclaimed, “You mean I’m eating dinosaur eggs for breakfast!” Over time, some life returned to the ocean, but they did not give up their land-animal adaptations. The students were again astounded to learn that modern day marine mammals are distant cousins of the hippopotamus! The Ocean Timeline adventure was almost over when humans finally appeared on Earth. Although humans have been on Earth for a very short amount of time (relatively speaking), they have had a considerable impact upon the ocean. “Should we only take care of the Pacific Ocean?” I asked my students. “Yeah because that’s the one we live near” some replied. I asked if there are gates or fences separating the “seven seas.” They looked at me questioningly and replied, “Um, no.” “So how many oceans are on Earth?” I asked. They looked at each other and confidently said, “One.” “So how many oceans are there to take care of?” I asked. APRIL 2013
“One,” they replied confidently. This one ocean is where all life on Earth began. This one ocean helps sustain life on Earth by releasing oxygen from its plant life. This one ocean contains food and nutrient sources that many other living things depend upon. This one ocean has an incredible amount of wonder and discovery still within it. We decided, as a class, to take every opportunity to learn about it, love it, and treat it with care. This Ocean History material was the jumping off point for our class investigation of Earth’s Ocean. We are starting with the whole ocean, then we will study the Pacific region of the ocean, followed by the Puget Sound, and we will end with the Salish Sea. We studied the ocean zones (scientific names only) and creatures that live in and near the ocean. We are about to study pinnipeds (Latin: fin footed) and our near and dear Southern Resident Killer Whales (Latin: orcinus orca). We will study ocean habitats and inhabitants, create an ocean zone hallway display, and write our hearts out about the ocean. These units of study will take us to the end of the school year, when we will find ourselves riding the ferry to San Juan Island with our families to visit The Whale Museum and spend a weekend together as a class close to Earth’s ocean. One of the most powerful ways to care about something is to find a connection to it. We are all connected to Earth’s ocean; we just have to challenge ourselves to find personal meaning within that connection. As we stepped back to look at our aquatic history laid out in the hallway, a Third Year boy exclaimed, “Hey, remember the tape measure we have about how long whales are? I think two orcas could fit in this timeline!” Connections are everywhere.
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Student Activities
Students Learn About Building a Computer Rob Adams, Julian’s (and Korinne’s) dad, came in to the 7th and 8th grade classroom and built a heavyduty computer with the students. It was an i7 3970X with 32G memory, 2T SSD and 2 nVidia GTX 680’s. The students were astounded. He talked about how modern gaming stresses the components, especially the
processor and video. It also requires a lot of memory. The students had a great time using FurMark to run a GPU stress test after the computer was built. Rob works for Cisco and talked to the class about his group and the role of creativity and play in their design and innovation processes.
Capital Steps: Eton Students Go to Olympia! During Eton’s Annual Auction during the silent auction, parents bid on the opportunity for their child to take a special trip to Washington’s Capital. On April 17, the select group of students went to Olympia for the day. During their visit, the students met Senator Andy Hill and toured the Capital. They also went into the Senate where Madison Schatzman had the privilege
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of pounding the gavel after House Bill 1474 passed. Afterwards, the President of the Senate recognized Eton School along with the students that were present. For the video of this moment, visit Eton’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/etonschool.washington). Thank you so much to Senator Andy Hill and Eton parent JK Schatzman for making this possible!
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Student Activities
Ultimate: A Great Sport for Eton Students! Ultimate: The fine art of throwing a Frisbee-like disc to teammates in order to score points against another team. Also the name for the game played using a disc. Frisbee: The company that designed the first disc and called it ‘Frisbee.’
Heads up! Defense! Switch, cut, pivot! Pull!
Have you heard these words being yelled on a field near you? Come on out and see one of our three co-ed teams play a great game of Ultimate! We use legal sized discs based on the original Frisbee. Eton has two elementary teams (Green and Yellow with players in 3rd through 5th grade), and our middle school team (Blue with players in 6th through 8th grade), in the DiscNW Spring Leagues. A few pointers about Ultimate play: • Ultimate is played with a disc: 175grams and similar to a Frisbee. • Played on a field with two end zones. • Seven players are on the field: 3 girls and 4 boys. • One team pulls (throws the disc) to the other team and the players determine which player on the receiving team they cover. This is how the game starts and it is repeated after each point scored. • Teams play man-to-man defense. • Before the game begins, coaches negotiate many of the basic rules governing the game and appropriate game play based on their players’ abilities. • Teams are on the field for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
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• A typical game is played first to 11 points unless time runs out. • Good sportsmanship is pent-ultimate! Scores for sportsmanship are awarded to the opposing team and recorded on the website as well as the final score of each game. • Players referee themselves during the game.
Team Schedules Phoenix Blue: Middle School Spring League April 20 9:00am Woodland Park 2b 10:15am Woodland Park 2b May 04 2:00pm Woodland Park 2a 3:15pm Woodland Park 2b Phoenix Green: Elementary School Spring League April 20 12:45pm Woodland Park 2a 3:15pm Woodland Park 2a May 4 5:45pm Woodland Park 2a Phoenix Yellow: Elementary School Spring League April 20 11:30am Woodland Park2a 2:00pm Woodland Park2b May 4 4:30pm Woodland Park 2b The playoffs are May 11 and 18.
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Student Activities
Schoolhouse Rock Performed by Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, and Sixth Grade Students
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From the Office
News and Information Tuition Payments for 2013-2014 School Year The first tuition payment for Academic Year 2013-2014 was due on March 7. It represented 1/12th of the total program fee. That payment (via check) is non-refundable and was credited to the annual tuition fee. The second payment was due April 1, 2013. New for 2013-2014 school year is a 2% convenience fee to handle the administrative costs of processing credit cards for tuition payments. Three payment plans were offered. Regardless of which plan you selected, 1/12th was due with re‑enrollment documents to hold your spot. Following is a brief summary of the three options offered. Payment Plan 1 is basically a pre-pay with the balance being due before July 1, 2013. Tuition Refund Plan is voluntary with this plan. Payment Plan 2 is a quarterly plan. First quarterly installment was due by April 1, 2013; second quarterly installment is due by July 1, 2013; third quarterly installment is due by October 1, 2013; and the fourth quarterly installment is due by January 1, 2014. Tuition Refund Plan is required with this plan. Payment Plan 3 is a 12 monthly payment plan due the first of each month beginning March 2013 and ending February 2014. You may remit payment online as credit card transaction, via check, or ACH automatic withdrawal. Tuition Refund Plan is required with this plan. Please remember that Eton School does not send home billings and that payment is due the first of each month. If not received before the fifth, a $250 late fee will be assessed by the Business Office. APRIL 2013
Checks Payable to Eton School All checks should be written to Eton School. If your child’s last name is different than the name printed on the check, please be sure to note your child/children’s name on your check in the memo portion. Please write separate checks for Clubhouse, Tuition Refund Plan and Activity Fees.
Clubhouse (Childcare) During Month of May
Calendar April 23 Spirit Day
Dress as Your Favorite Character
April 26–28 Junior Classical League
5th–8th Grades, Stanwood, WA
May 1 Spring Event
Book Fair 8:00 am to 7:30 pm Art Walk and Ice Cream Social 5:00 to 7:30 pm
There will be no childcare on Monday, May 27 when both school and clubhouse are closed for the Memorial Day holiday. Clubhouse will be open on the early dismissal day of Friday, May 31 for Progress Report preparation.
May 05–09 Sixth Grade Trip
Contact Change Notification
May 12–15 Accreditation Visit
Please be sure to notify the Main Office with any changes to your mailing address, telephone number, and/or e-mail address. We want to insure that you receive all of our correspondence.
Lost & Found
With these warm afternoons, children are leaving their outer clothing on the playground, and items end up in lost found. Please be sure to check in Clubhouse for any missing items.
Use of Parent Contact Information
The Student Directory gives parent contact information and is exclusively used for the convenience of current families to communicate with other Eton School families. The school does not give out information to any vendors or others not authorized. We expect our parents to respect the confidentiality of the information in the Student Directory as well.
Washington, DC
May 09 7th and 8th Grade Play
7:00 pm, Bellevue Youth Theater
All Levels
May 22 Parent Council Meeting 6:30 pm, Main Building
May 23 Upper Level Science and Engineering Expo 1:00 to 6:00 pm
May 27 Memorial Day
School and Clubhouse Closed
May 28 Eight Grade Project Presentations
Everyone Invited, Main Building
May 30 Lower Elementary Play
6:30 pm, Redmond High School
May 31 Early Dismissal
Teacher Inservice ETON EDITION |
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April 2013
Save the Dates Spring Event Seventh and Eighth Grade Performance
ETON SCHOOL 2701 Bellevue-Redmond Road Bellevue, WA 98008-2253 425.881.4230 | www.etonschool.org
Wednesday, May 01 Thursday, May 09
Eighth Grade Project Presentations
Tuesday, May 28
Lower Elementary Performance
Thursday, May 30