“Human flourishing, as Maria Montessori put it, means becoming a person of one’s time and place with the means and wherewithal not only to function within but to shape society (NCMPS, 2019).”

“All humans (CHILDREN and ADULTS) flourish in society (ENVIRONMENT).” - Cowles Montessori Vision

There are a few changes to be aware of following decisions from the state and school district.

• Five day per week/in-person learning begins on Monday, February 15th
• Fully Virtual students will continue their schedule as normal on Monday, February 15th

The school day and school calendar will change slightly to accommodate a plan with the Iowa Department of Education in order to make up instructional time when the district was all virtual at the start of the year:

• March 1st and 2nd are now normal school days for students (no longer Professional Development days for staff)
• April 23rd is now a normal school day for students (no longer a Parent-Teacher conference day for staff)
• June 3rd is now a normal school day for students with an early-out release (no longer a Professional Development day for saff)

Below this message is a FAQ document you may refer to regarding school picture ordering and retakes.

If you have any further questions regarding pictures you can reach out to Inter-State: http://www.inter-state.com/support or http://www.inter-state.com/callme

Dear Cowles Families,

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DMPS will not participate in the exchange of cards, treats, or nonfood items (pencils, erasers, etc.) during the month of February. This decision is based on CDC guidance, which recommends limiting the use of shared objects in the classroom whenever possible. The health and safety of our DMPS students remain our top priority this year and always. At Cowles Montessori, however, we can choose to have February celebrations in a way that is consistent with CDC guidelines and district directives. This means that each Cowles Montessori child will be given a special item from the school to celebrate friendship since students will not bring items to exchange at school.

Thank you for your understanding,

Cowles Montessori Faculty and Staff

Dear Cowles parents/guardians,

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease in childhood in the United States. The resulting pain from tooth decay also known as dental caries can distract children from learning and playing, as well as limit their ability to speak, smile and eat.

Tooth decay is preventable. In addition to fluoridated water, good oral hygiene can help prevent tooth decay by:

1. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste

2. Flossing between teeth daily

3. Eating nutritious and balanced meals and limit snacking

4. Seeing a dentist at least 1-2 times per year for regular dental check-ups.

Iowa law requires all students in kindergarten and 9th grade to submit proof of a dental screening. On February 25th, Courtney Wolterman, Smile Squad Program Director from Dental Connections will be at Cowles and will be conducting dental screens on our 8th grade students. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

There are still a few preschool students that do not have a dental exam on file in the nurse’s office for the 20-21 school year. If your child still needs one, I have contacted you via email. Please contact me if you have questions. Thank you.

Please remember to notify us if anyone in your family tests positive for COVID-19 or is in quarantine. You can reach me by calling the main office at 515-242-7818 and leave a message or you may email me at ann.humphrey@dmschools.org and I will get back to you.

Dress for the winter! We will be going outside for recess whenever weather permits. Please make sure your child has a warm, coat, hat, mittens, snow pants, boots, etc. at school. Thank you!

Kindness Challenge: The Kindness Elves say there is no better time than February to send ripples of kindness through your home, neighborhood, and/or community. Check out the science behind kindness. HERE It will do your body good! I have posted a 14-day challenge that you can try. It is one simple act of kindness each day until Valentine’s day or I’ve also attached a couple links with some ideas to show kindness and love throughout the month of February. ENJOY!

https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/bhf/28daykindnesschallenge

https://kidsinservice.net/tag/random-acts-of-kindness/

I love this. https://youtu.be/776jt07vuXY

Have a great week!

Be well! Stay safe!

Nurse Ann

If parents want to book an appointment time to speak with Nurse Ann, click on the link below:

Nurse Ann's Office Hours

In many ways, Dr. Maria Montessori modeled how to be a social reformer. During her time living in multiple countries, she was an advocate for marginalized persons with feminism, social justice, and race, to name a few. Today, we are responding to the call to be social reformers in the form of active anti-racism. Black history is our history, and we are excited to celebrate this month and beyond. Here is a list of what we can do to celebrate as a community:

Adults:

• Speak up for our students by sharing ideas on social media.
• Explore your history, experiences, and personal thoughts about race.
• Engage in learning about anti-racism through literature, media, and organizations.

Environment

• Create brave and safe spaces for your family members to talk openly about race.
• Engage in peaceful anti-racism rallies virtually and/or safely in-person.
• Make mistakes and learn something from those mistakes.
• Remind yourself that with practice, patience, and determination, we grow.

Children

• Read or share books with children and engage in discussions about race (See the Des Moines Public Library Black History Month Challenge below, begins February 13th).
• Explain race concretely (e.g., reasons why skin tones are different, how society labels individuals base on race, etc.)
• Allow children to engage in brave and safe discussions about abstract concepts with race (e.g., historical concepts regarding slavery, "Black Lives Matter," why individuals choose to kneel during the National Anthem, etc.).

International Montessori Week

• When: Week of February 22nd
• What: Celebration of the 114th Anniversary of Montessori Education
• Focus: Peace, race, and social justice
• Stay tuned for more information about how you and your children can celebrate the anniversary of Montessori Education during International Montessori Week

The Education Bill Tracking webpage provides regular updates during the Iowa legislative session on bills related to education in Iowa. Information about new bills, including names, numbers, and sponsors are provided.

As the session continues to move forward, there are certain session milestones that bills need to clear to stay alive. These milestones are listed within the session timetable

Early Childhood Department/School Readiness Goals & Learning Targets – 2020-2021

• 85% of 4 year-olds will meet or exceed kindergarten readiness in the Literacy Domain of GOLD including concepts of print, alliteration, letter names and letter sounds.
• 80% of 4 year-olds will meet or exceed kindergarten readiness in the Math Domain of GOLD including counts, quantifies and connects numerals with quantities.
• 90% of 4 year-olds will meet or exceed kindergarten readiness in the Social/Emotional Domain of GOLD, follows limits and expectations.

District Board Goals

LITERACY

• Goal 1: The percent of all third grade students on track in reading will increase from 52% to 72% by June 2023, as measured by FAST.
• Goal 2: The percent of black male third grade students on track in reading will increase from 35% to 72% by June 2023, as measured by FAST.

ALGEBRA

• Goal 3: The percent of black male students earning a ‘B’ or higher in Algebra 1 by the end of 9th grade will increase from 17% to 35% by August 2023.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

• Goal 4: A goal will be developed once a baseline measure for social emotional learning is determined.

Cowles Montessori School Improvement Goal

Goal 1: The percent of all third through eighth grade students proficient and/or on track for college and career readiness in math will increase from 81% to 85% by Spring of 2023 as measured by state assessments:

• By 2020 - 82%
• By 2021 - 83%
• By 2022 - 84%
• By 2023 - 85%

#WeAreCowles #heartsintheheights #BLM #AntiBiasMontessori

Email: shannon.hines@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