Cowles Montessori Crier

“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 , ADOLESCENTS, and ADULTS) flourish in society (ENVIRONMENTS).” - Cowles Montessori Vision

Dear Montessori Community,

The American Montessori Society mourns the tragic and senseless loss of 8 people in shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday, including 6 Asian-American women, at the hands of a 21-year-old man now in police custody. Although the motivation for the crime is unknown, this vicious act of violence, regardless of motivation, is abhorrent. Brutality, regardless of cause, has no place in our society and in our world.

We understand that this crime has added to the fear and pain experienced by the Asian-American community, particularly in the context of anti-Asian hate crimes, which, according to one study*, surged nearly 150% in America’s largest cities in 2020.

Now, more than ever, with acts of violence on the rise toward not only Asians, but Blacks and other people of color, it is incumbent upon us as it is incumbent upon us as educators and school leaders to revisit the teachings of Maria Montessori and develop our anti-bias, antiracist lens and ensure that the liberatory nature of her philosophy of education for peace and justice is explicit in all of our curricula and interactions, so that all may thrive and live safe and dignified lives.

Our hearts go out to the families and other loved ones of the victims of the fatal shootings. We cannot imagine what it is like to experience grief of this magnitude, and we hold them in our prayers.

In solidarity,

Munir Shivji
Executive Director

American Montessori Society

Resources:

Therapy and Mental Health Support

• Racial Trauma Toolkit: Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture - Boston College
• Asian Mental Health Collective: Building a community for Asian mental health support.
• Subtle Asian Mental Health: A member-base Facebook group that endeavors to provide an open, safe, and non-judgmental space to share your thoughts and feelings about anything, especially mental health.

Crisis Lines

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 800-273-8255 (in English)
• Asian-American Suicide Prevention & Education/Asian Netlife Hotline: 1-877-990-8585 (in Asian languages)
• Crisis Text Line (for depression): Text “Connect” to 741741

Stand With

• Stop AAPI Hate and Stand Against Hatred: Show up to vigils, protests, sign petitions, express your commitment to be there with diverse Asian-American communities, and report incidents.

Learn

• Responding to Anti-Asian Violence and Georgia Shootings
• Addressing Anti-Asian Bias
• The Long History of Racism Against Asian Americans in the U.S.
• Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism
• Talking to Your Kids About Racism
• 16 Ways to Help Children Become Thoughtful, Informed, and BRAVE About Race

View resources:

https://amshq.org/Educators/Community/Announcements/All-Announcements/2021/2021-03-19-AMS-Statement-on-the-Shootings-in-Atlanta#resources

Once again, we are humbled by your generosity. As of Friday, March 12th, we have met our goal and raised $15,066.43 in wishlist and cash donations for our school! Thank you for all you have done and for how you continue to make Cowles what it is for our kids.

A special thank you to the following parents and friends of Cowles who shared their personal and professional talents to make this fundraiser a success.

Teva Dawson

Bridget Drendel

Ramona Muse Lambert

Benjamin Sheriden

Stefan Fresk

Kevan Hudson

Jonathan DeLima

Shannon Hines

Darcy Wold

Matt Weir

The Cowles Fundraising Committee

CMPG Board members needed

CMPG seeks a president and secretary for our 2021-2022 board. If interested, or to learn more about each position, please contact Nikki Kosby nicole.kosby@gmail.com.

Funding requests to be voted on Monday, April 12th at the CMPG meeting

Two major funding requests were presented during our March meeting and will be voted on at our April 12th meeting at 6 p.m. Please look over the following summaries and reach out to cmpgpresident@gmail.com with any comments or concerns:

1. Interactive Music Installation (Arts Funds): The garden committee requested $15,000. CMPG is recommending funds between $5000 - $10,000. The Garden Committee will receive any amount over $5000 with a maximum of $10,000 only after at least $5000 is raised at this summer’s Arts Festival. For example, if the Arts Festival does not go forward, the garden committee will get $5,000 for the project. If, at the Arts Festival, CMPG makes $6,000, the garden committee will automatically get the $5000 approved at our April meeting plus $1,000. The maximum allocation for this project will be no more than $10,000.
2. Supplementation of Montessori Material Purchase (General Fund): CMPG proposes the commitment of $10,000, separate from what is raised during the spring fundraiser, for the purchase of Montessori materials. Mr. Johnson and staff will oversee the direction of these funds. The funds are dedicated to supplement material purchase from the wish list and prepare for the material needs of the four classrooms with retiring teachers. The board will meet with Mr. Johnson ahead of our April meeting to get more specific on the distribution of these funds.

IT'S AUDITION SEASON

Join the TRHS choir department for the 2021-22 school year!

Audition for Bridges 2 Harmony Gospel Choir, Chamber Choir, Da capo Vocal Jazz, or Revelation Varsity Show Choir. Sign-up for our open enroll choirs (no audition required): Forte Treble Choir, Riderchor Bass Choir, or Rider Rhythm Show Choir. From athletes to mathletes, all are welcome! Please visit https://trhsvocalmusic.org/auditions to learn about the process and sign up for a spot. Audition season ends on April 9, so don't delay!

We sing, we dance, but most importantly...we are one voice!

Audition promo video: https://youtu.be/S-yaMirUBCA

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

Nurse Ann's Office Hours

Staying connected is a top priority for all of our children at Cowles Montessori. Each week, Principal Johnson reads from a list of students, faculty, and staff to say hello and share a page from the book "Incredible You" by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

• Your child can access these videos by clicking on the links and logging into their DMPS accounts.
• The links to the videos are posted below if your child wishes to view them at home.
• Principal Johnson will update this list each week until he says hello to everyone and finishes the book:

#1 Share The Good

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/31f2c631-d45f-4acd-8545-50f73e78a7ca

#2 Find What You Love

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/3d8d9ddb-456c-4fb5-8638-39f8112e930e
  

#3 You Are Filled With Love

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/3348bce5-5d28-4785-a54c-53749bf02429
  

#4 Find A Quiet Place Inside

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/ae8326ca-4aba-4b13-8add-cf21dc01e6b3

#5 Make Today Great

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/4ca74329-0093-4245-bb36-0084e41e9809
  

#6 Change Your Thoughts To Good

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/2d8c739c-7b52-4d00-8f2a-219f7abf3dcb

#7 Take Care of Yourself

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8697016a-c1d4-4485-9769-7417d579df1b
  

#8 Picture What You Want

• https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/153a7add-7e16-49c0-90bb-a837d361adc4
  

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