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 and ADULTS) flourish in society (ENVIRONMENT).” - Cowles Montessori Vision

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

5. Light a Candle for Peace - Montessori Theme Song

• https://youtu.be/K9M8SmWh2Fo

4. Better Days - Ant Clemons ft. Justin Timberlake

• https://youtu.be/-TAyq2ULdf8

3. What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

• https://youtu.be/rBrd_3VMC3c
  

2. Rise Up - Andra Day

• https://youtu.be/FBuIBaDSOa4
  

1. You Can Be ABCs - Sam (6-year-old rapper)

• https://youtu.be/U9TLZBZ3eo8
  

Disc Jockey Principal Johnson, or DJPJ, was inspired as a creative way to connect with students.

We will be hosting Inter-State for picture days on February 2nd (Cohort A and virtual students) and February 3rd (Cohort B). To ensure the safety of everyone who'd like to participate, we will be operating out of the west-end of the building, in the gym. Virtual students will sign up for a time using the link provided below and enter/exit through the southwest doors.

February 2nd, Cohort A 8:30am-11am

• 8:30-8:45 Middle School

• 8:45-9:30 Preprimary

• 9:30-10:00 Upper

• 10:00-11:00 Lower

February 2nd, Virtual 11:30am-1:30pm

Virtual Students Sign Up Here!

February 3rd, Cohort B 8:30am-10:30am

• 8:30-8:45 Middle School

• 8:45-9:30 Preprimary

• 9:30-10:00 Upper

• 10:00-10:30 Lower

From DMPS:

Last (week) the Iowa legislature passed and (on Friday) the Governor signed a new law requiring Iowa school districts to offer a 5-day-a-week, 100% in-person learning option to families. Des Moines Public Schools is finalizing plans to make this option available beginning Monday, February 15. Under this plan the current hybrid option will no longer be offered. Students and families will have the choice between either an all virtual or all in-person school week.

This Monday, February 1 DMPS families should look for a communications from the school district with more information about this change. This communications will include an online form to make your selection; an update on the steps DMPS will take to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as well as those it can no longer take; and an estimate of class sizes that may result from this change.

No one wants to see students back in school more than those of us in education, and we will do our best to balance the work in our local schools with the impact of a global pandemic.

Dear Cowles parents/guardians,

Did you know that February is National Heart Health Month? Heart disease is the number one leading cause of death for men and women in the world. Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Did you know healthy choices and/or habits can start at a young age? By modeling healthy eating and daily activity for our children, it will most likely mean, your child will also develop a similar lifestyle and reap the benefits later in life. HERE are 10 ways to keep your child’s heart healthy:

1. Keep moving

2. Be positive

3. Limit screen time

4. Schedule checkup before sports season

5. Go to the grocery store together

6. Keep healthy options on hand

7. Make dinner a family affair

8. Check salt intake

9. Stay involved

10. Be realistic

This Friday, February 5th is The American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day. It helps raise awareness to heart disease, heart attacks and strokes in women. I encourage everyone to wear red to promote a healthy heart!

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.

Preschool dental forms and physicals are due now. If you have not turned one in for school year 20-21, please do so now. I have attached both the physical form and dental form. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. I am always happy to help. Thank 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 then 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/

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

Parents, guardians, & community members,

Please join the Community Legislative Action Team (CLAT) and Parents for Great Iowa Schools (P4GIS) in the #ForMySchool letter writing campaign. After years of underfunding and now enrollment loss due to Covid-19, our schools are facing unprecedented need.

If you value small class sizes, quality learning materials, and access to supports for students, your legislators need to hear from you. Do your kids attend a school with an International Baccalaureate (IB) program? Are you a community member who enjoys taking classes through the DMPS adult education program? If so, tell your legislators how much you value them. Without sufficient funding from the State of Iowa, districts will be forced to make very difficult budget decisions and programs like these could be on the chopping block.

Now is the time to take action. We will help! Grab a piece of paper, pen, envelope, stamp and your phone. Join us via Zoom for instructions on how to find your legislator, craft a quick message, and snap a "selfie" with your letter before dropping it in the mail. Post your photo on social media with #ForMySchool and tag your legislators and school district.

We've selected two dates for the letter writing parties. If you are not able to join on either date, we will post written or recorded guidance that you can reference at a more convenient time:

• Saturday, January 30th @ 9:00 AM https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84356865243?pwd=djhMRnVqK0R5akZOaUNDdVFtRGFSUT09

We are stronger when we work together. Let's use our community voice and send a message to the Capitol!

The school instruction time bill, SF160, passed both the House 59-39 and the Senate 29-18 and was signed by the Governor. Here is the link to the Department of Education’s guidance on the bill. Here is a link to the House debate video and the first and second Senate debate videos.

The Governor’s Education bill was debated on the Senate floor, amended, and passed out of the Senate 26-21. The amendment was brought forth by Senator Sinclair, which made changes to several sections of the bill. Here is a link to the Senate debate video, which outlines the details of the amendment. To view the current language of SF159 as modified on the Senate floor click here. It now moves to the House, where it will start the process as there is not a House companion bill.

Bills that passed in subcommittee this week:

HSB64 Voluntary Diversity Plans - Strikes the implementation of a voluntary diversity plan as a reason for denying open enrollment.

HSB145 Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC) Appropriation - Provides a $250,000 appropriation for the IRRC to develop coursework for the Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement.

HF14 Preschool Eligibility - Makes children who turn five between March 15 - September 15 eligible for the statewide preschool program and funding if the school enrolls such students. Applies to the 2022 through 2025 school years.

All of the Department’s bills have either passed a subcommittee this week or are scheduled for subcommittee next week. For a list and description of those bills, please see the following:

HSB104 Open Enrollment Tuition Following the Student - Provides a means for the serving district to bill the resident district for special education services. Adds prekindergarten special education pupils to the list for which notification for open enrollment is needed.

HSB105 Programs for at-risk Children (technical correction) - Allows area education agencies (AEAs) to provide technical assistance to Shared Visions grantees that are not school districts. Currently, they are limited to serving only districts. This expands the AEAs' ability to support quality programming and updates antiquated language.

HSB106/SSB1071 Funding for Special Programs (technical correction) - Updates the method of calculation to align with the current automated calculation process used by the Department.

HSB107 Eliminates the Nonprofit School Organization Report (technical correction) - Removes the requirement that districts report expenditures made by the school district on behalf of certain nonprofit school organizations to the Department and for the Department to include this information in its Annual Condition of Education Report. This is burdensome to districts as they have to seek out this information from other entities and the information is not typically maintained by the districts.

HSB108/SSB1078 Child Development Coordinating Council Duplicative Duties (technical correction) - Proposes to delete two duties that are duplicative of other efforts in the statewide early childhood system and is proposed at the request of the Child Development Coordinating Council.

HSB109 Open Enrollment Billing - Adds a change in a child’s residence that is not due to a change in family residence, guardianship, or custody proceeding to the list of “good cause” reasons for late filed open enrollment.

HSB110/SSB1077 Senior Year Plus Proficiency Requirement - Requires a student to have demonstrated proficiency in reading, math, and science as evidenced by achievement scores on the latest administration of the statewide assessment. If a student is not proficient in one or more of the content areas, they can demonstrate proficiency through measures of college readiness.

SSB1073 Duties and Powers of AEA Boards (technical correction) - Increases the dollar threshold for AEA capital projects requiring State Board of Education approval from $25,000 to $70,000.

Other bills that passed subcommittee this week:

SF2 School Administrative Costs - Establishes a limitation on the amount of administrative costs for school districts.

SF42 Common Core - Eliminates references to common core/core curriculum in K-12 education but requires the State Board of Education to adopt high school graduation and academic requirements.

SF89 Cursive instruction - Requires cursive instruction for students enrolled in public elementary schools.

SF103 Seizure Disorders - Establishes certain requirements for school districts and accredited nonpublic schools who have students with a seizure disorder enrolled.

Renee Jerman
Legislative Liaison
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E 14th St
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
Cell: 515-729-0859
Office: 515-281-3399
renee.jerman@iowa.gov

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