Our very own in-house speech pathologist, Becky Gonzales, is offering speech screenings right here at CHES! Screenings will be Tuesday, October 21st beginning at 8:30 AM. Each screening will access articulation, fluency, language, and voice in children 3 years and older. Screenings take approximately 15 minutes and are only $20. Forms for speech screenings have been placed in your family folder. Please complete the bottom portion of the form, attached you payment, and turn it in at the front desk. Do you have concerns or questions regarding a child under 3 years old? Becky is happy to speak to you directly regarding any concerns you may have. As always, let us know if you have any questions.

We would like to announce our new Parent Teacher Organization Officers and would like to welcome several new faces to our committee! Our 2014-2015 officers are:

President, Casey Ball – mother of Jack in Toddler II and Duke in Nursery I
Vice President, Kyle Lawrence – father of Harrison in Primary II
Secretary, Persis Dean – mother of Olivia in Toddler II
Treasurer, Sarah Crane – mother of Joanna in Nursery II
Events Coordinator, Amy Hancock –  mother of Amelia in Nursery II

If you have any ideas, suggestions or questions, please feel free to share them. Congratulations to all the officers!

Pine Woods Screening Services will be at Cathedral House Tuesday, September 23rd to perform hearing and vision screenings for the children. Children who turned four years old on or before September 1st are required to have vision and hearing tests. If your child has already received these services by his or her pediatrician, please turn in the screening results to the front desk. If you would like to check on the status of your child’s screening, we have a list of the required children who need these services in the main office.

Have you noticed the new pictures along the entrance ramp wall at the front desk? They are pictures of the children doing Practical Life exercises. As you may have heard, this year’s school theme is “What’s Montessori Got To Do With It”. Through the next 9 months, we are going to be very deliberate, conscientious, and intentional in how we look at ourselves as teachers of the Montessori Method here at CHES. Each month our theme will revolve around a Montessori area found in our classrooms. Activities, lesson plans, and curriculum will be built upon each of those fundamental areas and will be explored by the students and teachers. This month’s theme is Practical Life.

Practical Life exploration builds a foundation on which children will grow and carry over into the other areas of the classroom as well as into their every day life. Children engage in activities that promote order, movement, sensorial exploration, and build a love of work. Teachers will help children engage in activities that will continue to build responsibility, concentration, coordination, and social and emotional development.

Practical Life is an area in the Montessori philosophy that encompasses skills practical to everyday life. They are a series of fine motor skills that include cleaning and caring for the environment as well as preparing food. These activities benefit the child because it develops control of movement and hand-eye coordination that form the basis for writing and cognitive skills. Basic practical life exercises include pouring, spooning, transferring, lacing, buttoning, carrying equipment, washing hands, caring for the environment (sweeping, wiping a mat, watering plants), and so on. The integration of self and understanding of process that result from these exercises are important for any serious task the child will undertake. In Montessori’s “Children’s House” practical life exercises started off the day: cleanliness, order, poise, and conversation. They started with checking the children’s cleanliness (due to that fact that the first “Children’s House” was in a slum) and then proceeded to check the shelves and work for cleanliness and order. Poise exercises were incorporated in what most schools now call “circle time.” Children would sit cross-legged, rising to sing a hymn and then sit down again. This helps to teach the children move about the classroom with care. After these exercises in grace were conducted, the directress begins a conversation with the children asking them about the previous day, how they might have helped someone, their attitude toward their parents, etc.

Practical Life exercises are very easy to incorporate into your home. They’re probably already activities your child does or attempts to mimic you doing them! If you haven’t seen the entry way, here’s a panoramic view.