MONTLAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

June 02

Green Team Visits UW Farm
On the afternoon of June 1, Montlake's Green Team students walked to the nearby University of Washington Farm with Ms. Bloom.  Not familiar with the farm?  You may have passed it while walking or biking on the Burke Gilman Trail between the University Bridge and the Montlake Bridge.  In addition to greenhouses full of a wide range of plant specimens, the farm has chickens, demonstration vegetable beds, a beehive, and a big composting area.  Montlake students rotated through stations with UW Farm volunteers.  They collected wild fennel and other plants to feed the chickens; made "burritos" from the UW garden vegetables; and helped turn over compost.  The UW students were impressed with the Green Team members' horticultural knowledge and enthusiasm.  It was a great trip.


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May 14

The Team 2 Buzz....
Students are all abuzzzz in Team 2!  They are learning about how bees help flowers grow.  Students are planting Brassica plants in their quads and observing how they grow.  They also keep a science journal that documents the plant's growth.  They are breaking down the bee anatomy - head, thorax, and abdomen - and learning what kind of bees make up a colony - Queen Bee, workers bees (girl bees), and drones (boy bees).  The worker bees and drone bees are borne from the Queen Bee. 



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May 13

Arbor Day Work Party
Thanks to the 75 volunteers -- including many teachers, Ms. Allan, and our school board representative Harium Martin-Morris -- who turned out for our Arbor Day celebration and work party.  As a result of your work, the outdoor community classroom looks terrific! 

Volunteers hauled 15 cubic yards of Cedar Grove compost, installed student-painted birdhouses, and planted two Italian plum trees.  In addition to the plum trees, look out for strawberries, sunflowers, corn, and other edibles. 

Thanks to all of you who chipped in to this huge effort!  Special thanks to Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund program, Gretchen DeDecker of the Seattle Public Schools Self-Help Office, to architect and Montlake parent Laura Gardner for planning the site, and to Ms. Bloom for making it all happen.



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Eagle Alert!
Ms. Yorde's class has been avidly following Doug Hornby's live web cast of a bald eagle's nest containing newly hatched eaglets on Hornby Island, British Columbia.  Right now the mother eagle is feeding her young.  Check out this link and share the kids' excitement!

http://www.hornbyeagles.com/webcam.htm




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April 14

Team 3 Visits Source of Seattle Water: Cedar River Watershed
Our 4th & 5th graders are studying about water in our local area.  In April Team 3 students visited the Cedar River Watershed near North Bend.  This watershed is the source for all of Seattle’s fresh drinking water.  The students learned about the water cycle in a very interactive visitor’s center.  They collected and analyzed water samples from Rattlesnake Lake and they collected items in the watershed to view under microscopes. Part of the group visited Chester Morse Lake which holds our city water supply for release during the summer.  The students gained a great understanding for protecting our natural resources and conserving precious water!   If your family is interested in visiting this wonderful area please go to the following website for more information:  http://www.cedarriver.org/education/index.shtml

Submitted by Jim Dunnigan

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April 08

Congratulations to Quinn and all 5th grade Students!
Earlier this year, 5th grade students wrote personal letters to authors explaining how his or her work shaped their perspectives on the world or themselves.  Students wrote about works of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.   We submitted all students’ letters to the Letters about Literature competition, sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.  Nearly 70,000 letters were submitted from around the country, and 1,400 were submitted in Washington state in the Level I age grouping (grades 4-6.)  Congratulations to Quinn for being a State Finalist for her letter to Shel Silverstein about The Giving Tree.  Congratulations to all students for excellent responsive reading and writing for this project!





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February 01

PTA Meeting Featured Kay Smith Blum
On January 27, Montlake parents and teachers gathered in the gym for our winter general PTA meeting.  Guest speaker Seattle School Board Member Kay Smith Blum led off the meeting with a lively Q&A.  Ms. Smith Blum is a former Montlake parent, founder of the Annual Fund, and co-founder of the greenhouse, and we were thankful for the opportunity to speak with her in her new role as school board member.  She spoke  about topics ranging from the transitional student assignment plan to the Everyday Mathematics curriculum.  The PTA meeting also featured updates on the current PTA budget, the Annual Fund, this spring's Pike Place Market-themed auction, and the upcoming outdoor community classroom.  Please see the PTA page on the web site for important details about all of these topics.





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March 07

Chinese New Year at Montlake
Welcome to the year of the Tiger!  Montlake students celebrated Chinese New Year (Feb. 14) with artistic exuberance.  Students in Ms. Yorde's class created colorful dragons out of egg cartons and other recyclables decorated with paint and streamers.  Ms. Young's class held its annual Chinese New Year parade, dancing through other classrooms in the guise of a huge dragon and then feasting on noodles and other delicious food.





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March 19

Pi Day!
Pi Day -- March 14 -- fell on Sunday this year, so yesterday Montlake held a slightly belated but extremely enthusiastic celebration of the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.  Everyone gathered in the playground to witness students throw "pi" in the face of Ms. Allan, Jackie, and several teachers.  Then the Team 3 students (who on this day should perhaps be called the Team 3.14159265358979323846... students) feasted on a stunning array of pies provided by parent volunteers.  Check out these fantastic photos!





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January 24

Montlake Welcomes New Families at Open House
Last Wednesday evening, Montlake gave a heartfelt welcome to families considering enrolling their children at our school.  Several members of the student council acted as tour guides and unofficial ambassadors, leading parents to presentations in the Kindergarten, first grade and multi-media rooms.  Parents could also tour the art room and enjoy coffee and cookies in the greenhouse.  The evening ended with a gathering in the gym featuring student speeches and an amazing movie of Montlake kids describing their learning experiences.  Special thanks to the many teachers who attended, highlighting our dedicated faculty, and to the PTA's marketing committee for coordinating this fun and informative event!



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Team 3 Reading Club Tackles Classics
On a weekday afternoon this winter you might find a group of students busy knitting on the second floor.  In conjunction with reading Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins, members of Ms. Lee's reading club are learning to knit as one example of a survival skill similar to those practiced by the novel's heroine, Karana, who was marooned for years alone on an island.  Last fall, reading club members made pinch pots with celadon glaze to enhance their appreciation of Linda Sue Park's novel A Single Shard, which follows the life of Tree-ear, an orphan in 12th-century Korea who dreams of becoming a potter.  Students in the reading club love discussing these Newberry Award-winning novels and enjoy a potluck celebration at the end of each book.


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Montlake Gains Green Certification
Thanks to efforts led by Ms. Bloom and the Team 3 Green Team, Montlake has become one of only ten schools in Washington to have earned Level 1 certification as a Washington Green School.  The certifying organization commended Montlake for going above and beyond expectations to make important and lasting changes in the impact our school has on the environment.  In particular, through more attention to composting and recycling, Montlake has reduced its trash pick-up from twice a week to only once a week.


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December 04

Reading Buddies!
Kindergarteners and fourth grade reading buddies shared their favorite books with one another.

The kindergarten and fourth grade reading buddies plan to get together every few weeks to share their favorite books.  The excitement can be heard from all of the children.  It is great to watch the Kindergartners look at the fourth graders with admiration and to see the fourth graders have that, “I remember learning to read!” look in their eyes.  This kind of activity promotes a closeness and trust between children that is valuable to building a community within our school.

Ms. Yorde and Ms. Lee



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December 14

Team 3 Tours West Point Water Treatment Plant
Our 4th and 5th graders have been studying "Where Our Water Comes From" with Ms. Hare and Mr. Dunnigan in their multi-media class.  Students are using Microsoft Excel to make graphs using real data from Seattle Public Utilities about water usage in Seattle.  In addition to discussing where our water comes from, we are also studying where our water goes when we are done with it!  Last week Team 3 toured the West Point Water Treatment Plant, located in Discovery Park.  Students saw first-hand how our waste water is treated before it is released into the Puget Sound.  Students also learned valuable lessons about how to conserve and protect our vital water resources.

By Mr. Dunnigan


photo by John Colwell



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December 02

Peter Pan Field Trip!
Team One had a marvelous trip to see Peter Pan at Seattle Children’s Theatre on Nov. 19. For some of the kindergartners, it was exciting just for being their first trip on a school bus. The play had everything from swashbuckling pirates to kids flying through the air, and it was generally agreed to be very funny. Photos aren’t allowed in the theatre, so pictures were from our bus ride and the lunch after our return, which was unusual because it happened in the classroom, not the lunchroom!

From Lynn Warner, parent








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November 10

First Halloween at Montlake - P2
The Halloween party in P2 (kindergarten) was so much FUN!! When I asked the P2 students what their favorite part of the party was they responded with- decorating the cookies and going on the school parade all dressed up. When asked if we should do anything different at our next party one student said "next time I want a party with a little more sweets". All in all P2 students had a wonderful first Halloween party.  It is nice that at Montlake we take time to celebrate fun days like Halloween. A big thanks to everyone for their help in making this day special. :)  - Ms. Stump







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November 20

Stone Soup in Greenhouse
In celebration of the late-fall harvest, students have been making and tasting Stone Soup in the greenhouse.  After reading the book aloud to each class, Ms. Bloom helped students prepare soup with chard, potatoes, carrots and greens harvested from the greenhouse garden.  Verdict?  Delicious!  Soup recipe can be found on Ms. Bloom's page: http://montlakeschool.org/CheriBloom.aspx


Posted by Liz Porter



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November 16

Hogwarts in Montlake

Has anyone else noticed that magical Montlake Elementary could be the new Hogwarts based on the teachers' names alone?  Of course Ms. Bloom being in charge of the greenhouse is a fine example.  But how about Ms. Stump the forest ranger?  Ms. Young maintaining the school fountain (of youth)?  Ms. Goubert ("Goobear" according to some kindergartners) managing the confectionery?  Ms. Hare organizing field day?  Ms. Carpenter school buildings supervisor?  Ms. Manor counseling on etiquette?  Ms. Marzluf teaching astronomy?  Ms. Eisenrich and Ms. Gingrich Chief Financial Officers?  Mr. Marshall head disciplinarian? - And they pull out all the stops for Halloween! - Meredeth McMahon (parent)

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November 03

Getting Ready for the Outdoor Classroom

Led by Greenhouse and Sustainability teacher Cheri Bloom, a dedicated band of volunteers gathered at Montlake on Sunday, October 18 to kick off the cleanup for the upcoming outdoor classroom that will be on the Grassy Knoll.  Top priorities:  removing ivy and other unwanted shrubbery.  Parents and children also pruned fruit trees and laid compost on the greenhouse garden and the Shakespeare garden.

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October 22

Montlake's Rain Garden Goes National!
Sierra Club Magazine's November/December 2009 issue features an article on Puget Sound Orcas.  The article on page 43 discusses how Sierra Club Water Sentinel volunteers and Montlake students are helping to clean Puget Sound.  Thanks to Rebecca Phelps, the project director, for making this happen!


Source:  Sierra Club website




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