Cowles Montessori Crier
March 3rd
Celebrating Black History
We understand that celebrating Black History extends well beyond just one month of the calendar year. Here are ways, at Cowles, we celebrate Black History:
Children's House Montessori
- We read books and discuss Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Maya Angelou. Kindergarten students journal about the important role each of these individuals played in the civil rights movement.
- We read stories like "The Colors of Us", and make self portraits with people-colored markers and crayons. We read biographies of peacemakers of many backgrounds: Rosa Parks (Story boards of the book If a Bus Could Talk), MLK Jr, Malala, Susan B. Anthony, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Maria Montessori, Black Elk’s vision. Student may choose work that includes George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, and Jane Goodall. We discuss fairness, peaceful disagreement, the need for social change. We create and illustrate "We Dream of a World" posters.
- Our class researches influential individuals that impacted the civil rights movement, as well as individuals that have made a difference/are famous. We read books that celebrate diversity and complete art projects that celebrate our physical differences.
Lower Montessori
- We learn about activism and the history of slavery in the USA. These concepts tie to new vocabulary words (i.e., protest, equality, non-violence, boycotts, privilege, etc.). We start with Martin Luther King, Jr., and his vision for peaceful and non-violent protest. Some students choose to research and write about Black Americans who have “shook up” society (a phrase that is also a book title!).
- We follow a peacemakers unit where we read stories from different cultural backgrounds. The stories included Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglas, etc. We conduct beautiful and hard conversations on Black History.
Upper Montessori
- We read books with my students and introduced them to African American musicians like Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, BB King, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Otis Redding, and more.
Important Dates and Events
- Monday, March 6th - Cowles Music Room and on Zoom
Social Emotional Learning Dress Up Days!
- Let Your Light Shine Day (wear bright colors or tie-dye) - Wednesday, March 8th
- Spread Kindeness Day (wear pink or red to show the love) - Thursday, March 9th
- Peace, Love, Montessori (wear Cowles gear or the color purple) - Friday, March 10th
Spring Break
- No school for students Saturday, March 11th through Tuesday, March 21st
- Students return on Wednesday, March 22nd
Parent Teacher Conferences
- Weeks of March 20th through March 31st
- See communication from your child's teacher
Fine Arts Day
- Friday, March 24th - stay tuned for more details from Mrs. Dare
Spring Fling Dance
- Friday, March 31st - more details from CMPG coming soon!
Cowles Music Events!
Jazz Night
- Tuesday, March 7th, at Callanan Middle School at 6:00 p.m.
- Cowles 7th and 8th grade Band student
Marjorie Spevak All-City Music Festival
Thursday, April 6th, at the Knapp Center - Drake University
- Select Cowles Choir/Band/Orchestra students
Parade of Bands
- Monday, April 17th, at 7:00 p.m. - Roosevelt High School
- Cowles Middle School Band students
Music Concerts
- Tuesday, May 9th - See details below:
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade students at 6:00 p.m. - Roosevelt High School
- 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade students at 7:15 p.m. - Roosevelt High School
Orchestra Concert
- Thursday, May 11th, at 6:00 p.m. - Cowles Gym
Kindergarten Music Concert
- Wednesday, May 17th, at 12:45 p.m. - Cowles Gym
- Cowles Kindergarten students
Cowles Spring Band Concert
- Thursday, May 18th, 6:00 p.m., in the Cowles Gym
- Cowles 5th through 8th Grade Band students
Choir Concert - TBA
AMS Supports Türkiye and Syria
FEBRUARY 17, 2023—Early in the morning on Monday, February 6, 2023, one 7.8 magnitude and another 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Türkiye (Turkey) and northwest Syria. It was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in a century. At the time of writing, over 40,000 people have been confirmed dead in the aftermath with the number continuously rising.
The earthquake hit a region of 15 million people (representing about ⅙ of the country of Türkiye both geographically and demographically). Critical infrastructure, roads, airports, gas lines, water pipes, and buildings have been destroyed in both countries.
Raife Cebeci, AMS member and recipient of the 2022 Nancy McCormick Rambusch Trailblazer Award, has been nurturing the growth of Montessori education in her home country of Türkiye since 2012. Antakya (Antioch), the city with the heaviest damage, is where Raife was born and where she lived until she left for university. “To give a glimpse of what things are like there, about 80% of the city’s buildings have collapsed, and the remaining 20% are not in livable or safe conditions. It goes without saying that the area will be in a very difficult state for the coming months, if not years,” Raife said.
Raife is the founder of the first (and only) AMS-affiliated teacher education program in Türkiye, the Montessori Institute for Teacher Education – Turkey, located in Istanbul. Raife says, “As a long-time educator, I'd like to apply my own skills, networks, and expertise to make a difference for these children. We all know the benefits that come from a nurturing Montessori philosophy, and I believe this kind of education will be crucial to help children in that region cope with their trauma over the next 3 – 4 years, and long into the future. I would like to look for ways to bring this education to them—even if it can't be done in solid, brick-and-mortar classrooms, but in short-term tent classrooms, in informal circles, in whatever ways we can.”
The American Montessori Society would like to thank Raife for her support in pulling together the following reputable resources and organizations for supporting our friends who have been impacted by these devastating earthquakes. Thousands of volunteers and organizations are working around the clock for rescue efforts and to support the people of Türkiye and Syria.
Below is a list of carefully picked and reputable fundraising campaigns.
- Türkiye Earthquake Relief Fund by TPF provides immediate relief to survivors. TPF is a tax-exempt organization in the U.S. You can Venmo, Paypal, or donate via credit card.
- AFAD is Turkey’s Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Residency. This link contains IBAN numbers for USD and EUR accounts along with Bank Swift codes. Your donations to this site will be used in efforts to help earthquake victims. The website is in Turkish but you can easily find the IBAN numbers.
- The Turkish Embassy is collecting in-kind donations through mail or drop-off.
- AHBAP is a Turkey-based NGO working in the region. The website is in Turkish but the Bank Accounts are not hard to find. They accept donations in USD, TR, and GBP.
- Islamic Relief teams are on the ground right now responding to the disaster in both Türkiye and Syria. You can donate to their campaign via credit card.
- AKUT, Turkish Search and Rescue Association You can choose to donate in USD, EUR, or TL.
- ZAKAT Foundation of America’s emergency relief team is on the ground and accepting donations.
- UNICEF USA has also started a campaign, providing emergency assistance to children and families in Syria and Türkiye.
- A list of Washington D.C.-area organizations accepting donations for survivors of the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
For more information on how to support earthquake survivors, visit this resource in English and in Turkish.
SHOP FOR COWLES MONTESSORI GEAR
Our partner, Raygun, created the Cowles Montessori Store for children, adolescents, and adults to buy T-Shirts. A portion of your payment is donated directly to Cowles!
You can purchase mugs, hats, and other T-Shirts through our Cowles Shop.
Contact Cowles Montessori
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