Cowles Montessori Crier

"Together we celebrate diversity, respect, and the love for learning through the Montessori Method. Our environment nurtures and prepares the child for a global community."

Montessori Student Outcomes

• Intrinsic Motivation
• Creativity and Originality of Thought
• Social Responsibility
• Autonomy
• Confidence and Competence
• Spiritual Awareness
• Academic Preparation

Cowles Families,

Thank you for another amazing year! If you are still looking for summer programming ideas for your child(ren), such as sailing, invention camp, reading programs, etc., please stop by the office and ask for more information. We will be happy to provide that for you! We are excited to continue the traditions and events that bring our community together this coming school year. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon.

From my family to yours, enjoy a fun, relaxing, and safe summer break!

Todd

Last Day of School for Preschool - Tuesday, May 28th

Moving Up Ceremony - Thursday, May 30th - 10:00 a.m. (details posted below)

Last Day of School - Thursday, May 30th - 12:25 p.m. Dismissal (3 Hour early dismissal)

Des Moines Arts Festival - Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30th

• Ways to volunteer are posted below! We need your help!!

Popsicles in the Park – Sunday, August 18th (More from CMPG to come!)

First Day of School (Kindergarten through 8th Grade) - Friday, August 23rd (8:30-3:25 M-F)

First Day of Preschool - Thursday, September 5th

Cowles Montessori 2019 Moving Up Ceremony

May 30, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.

The Moving Up Ceremony will take place on the blacktop (weather pending). For those of you who have not been to a Moving Up Ceremony, we will recognize those students moving from: Kindergarten to Lower Level; Lower Level to Upper Level; Upper Level to Middle School; and Middle School to High School.

We will have a Sharing of the Knowledge Ceremony, the Choir will sing, and we will hear from several speakers. It is expected that the Ceremony will last approximately 45 mins.

We hope you can join us in recognizing the successes of our students. There is no need to RSVP.

Cowles Montessori has submitted 300 artworks to this project, raising over $1000 to the Students Rebuild program!! Read more about the program below:

Exciting news! We’ll be celebrating the Ocean Challenge—and all your fantastic art—at Shedd Aquarium on July 24, 2019!

Students Rebuild is thrilled to announce the artistic culmination of the Ocean Challenge will be a display of your sea creature art in the Oceans Gallery at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois. Since 1930, Shedd has been a national leader in animal care, conservation education, and research—sparking compassion, curiosity, and conservation for the aquatic world.

Shedd Aquarium welcomes almost 2 million visitors each year—and the ocean conservation actions and awareness building you started through Students Rebuild will go on to inspire even more young people, families, and visitors toward greater environmental responsibility.

Stay tuned for more information on the length of the exhibit and opening day programming—if you’re in the Chicago area we would love to see you! And remember, we select artwork for inclusion from each and every package we receive, so be sure to send your artwork to Students Rebuild postmarked by June 8—World Oceans Day!

• Mark your calendars for the DSM Arts Festival Tent Sales - June 28-30!

• We once again will have a double tent in front of the main stage, PLUS the Iowa Craft Beer tent - so we need you!
• Signup at http://desmoinesartsfestival.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=36546
• Ask your family, friends, neighbors if they want to join you!

Cowles Montessori Parent Group (CMPG) will be once again running one of the nonprofit-run beer and wine sales tents at the Des Moines Arts Festival, and we will also be running the Iowa Craft Beer tent! Volunteering at the festival is fun and easy – it’s a great way to get to know other Cowles parents at one of the biggest events in Des Moines, while raising money for fine arts programs at Cowles and in the community. In 2018 we made over $15,000!

How much time? Each new volunteer needs to complete a one hour training session, and then shifts at the booth are typically 3 hours long. You can work up to six hours in any given day.

Who can volunteer? Anyone 18 or older - anyone who might want to have fun while making money for our kids at Cowles! Get a group together to work a shift - Volunteers do NOT need to be Cowles affiliated to come join in the fun - family or friends, the more the merrier!

When is the training? There will be a total of three one-hour training sessions available, all are located at the Downtown Des Moines Partnership offices at 700 Locust Street, Des Moines:
· Tuesday, May 28th at 5:30
· Tuesday, June 4th at 5:30
· Tuesday, June 11th at 5:30

Training is required to volunteer! If you’ve volunteered at the Cowles tent before, you don't need to go through training again – you just need to sign the waiver form (there will be some in the office at Cowles).

When and where is the festival? The Des Moines Arts Festival is June 28-30, at Western Gateway Park.

Where do I sign up? Go to http://desmoinesartsfestival.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=36546 All new volunteers will get a free Cowles T-shirt from RAYGUN, so be sure to mark your shirt size when signing up!

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Winters
at melowinters@gmail.com or 865-9086.

We have the privilege to offer our Cowles students the opportunity to be part of Maria Montessori: The Musical. Read the information below to find out more!

About the Musical:

Maria Montessori: The Musical was inspired, developed, and refined in the Montessori classroom. The result is a script that is fun and easy to love, but also, a script that is true. The play spans 30 years. It begins with Little Maria, happy as the only child of her doting parents, and follows her through clashes with her father over her education, her struggle to apply and then survive the University, her triumphant graduation, her early successes, and the gradual formulation of her method culminating with the miraculous discoveries at the Casa Dei Bambini (The Children's House). The story is unfolded primarily by the chorus, with the aid of the narrators, who poetically guide the audience through the scenes of Dr. Montessori’s early life. Now, through the medium of musical theatre, Dr. Montessori’s journey is clearly portrayed - and all of the separate yet interdependent elements of her method are traced to present a clear picture of history, and Montessori’s role in it.

To hear the Musical Soundtrack:

https://montessorimusical.com/

Auditions and commitment:

Cowles parents will be producing Maria Montessori: The Musical in the fall of 2019, utilizing the talent of our own Cowles students K-8! We’ll have an audition workshop the week of September 16th and Auditions September 20th. We’re planning to rehearse 2-3 times a week for about an hour but not everyone will be called to every rehearsal. Performances tentatively scheduled November 20th and 21st. Participants will furnish their own black clothing for the show. (T-shirts turned inside out are fine-we don’t want anyone to have to buy anything) We need to gauge interest so we can continue effective planning and would appreciate you answering a few quick questions. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NC9B99R

As you may have already noticed, we have significant potholes in our parking lot. These potholes have been a consequence of the wear and tear from the construction vehicles that put together our new additions, the harsh winter conditions, and recent rain we've had. Our terrific Des Moines Public Schools Operations Department recognizes this and will be resurfacing the parking lot during summer break. We ask that you continue to follow the car line drop off and pick up process as normal, knowing you may have to take it slow to dodge the potholes, while at the same time helping our students to be safe. If you are looking for an alternative to the car line, consider parking on Del Matro or 64th and access the sidewalks that connect to the school building. We are looking forward to the smooth ride in our parking lot this coming school year!

Looking for something to do this summer? Need an activity to engage your kids and get them outside? We have the perfect one for you! Sign up to help with the gardens and prairie at school. For one week during the summer, your family can make sure our gardens and prairie are watered and weeded, and even enjoy the harvest. Please click on the following link. If they are filled, and you want to help in some way during the summer with it, please let us know and we can add you to the "substitute" list.

We, and our plants, thank you for your support!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084aacac23aa8-gardens

For incoming freshman girls interested in running Cross Country, there will be a parent/athlete meeting at 6:30pm on Thursday, May 30th in the Roosevelt Library.

Questions: Coach Kim Carson, ridersgirlstrack@gmail.com

#WeAreCowles

Email: todd.johnson@dmschools.org
Website: cowles.dmschools.org
Location: 6401 College Avenue, Windsor Heights, IA, USA
Phone: 515-242-7818
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CowlesMontessori/
Twitter: @CowlesDMPS