Books & Burgers

What: Fundraiser

When: Friday, Oct 26

Where: Five Guys & Barnes & Noble (University Park Mall)

A percentage of all sales that day come back to school! ANYONE can participate!

See special codes below:

FIVE GUYS - Just tell them you are with TMA

BARNES & NOBLES: Either provide B&N coupon

(found on website, in weekly memo or at front desk)

OR

for online sales, use code 10906824.

(online promotion extended to Oct. 31)

Don't forget to pick up your Scrip at the front office before you head over.

It provides the school an additional percentage!

Supreme Court

Hey guys, guess what our class did last Wednesday? We got to argue Supreme Court cases! Mrs. Drendall’s husband, Mr. Drendall, came in to act as the Chief Justice, while four fellow students, Lua Derakhshani-Stockman, Josephine Barber, Emilee Ludwick, and Phillip Yang got to act as associate judges. The cases argued were New Jersey v. T.L.O. and Wisconsin v. Yoder.

The class was divided into four groups, with two groups to a case. Each group presented excellent arguments and it was tough for the justices to decide on a final verdict. In the end, though, New Jersey and Yoder won their cases. Overall, the experience taught us all about the court system and how the Supreme Court works. Thanks to Mr. Kelly and Mr. Feferman for coordinating the whole activity and ensuring that we would be prepared for it. Also, a special thanks to Mr. Drendall for reserving time in his busy schedule to come in and assist us. Thank you!!!  

 

 

Camp Tecumseh

Camp Tecumseh was great! We had so much fun, and participated in many activities that were very challenging and allowed us to bond together as a class. These activities included climbing Mt. Wood, carrying people through a “spider web,” and going through a low ropes course blindfolded. This experience was definitely one this Junior High class will fondly remember! 

 

Hey kids in Upper El, this trip was a blast, and you will definitely want to go!

 

Oh yeah, kids in Lower El, you have a while, but it’s worth the wait!

 

The Prairie at the Academy

Our JH prairie is becoming a beautiful place that has various colors and is just a great addition to our classroom. Unlike many schools, we have many indigenous plants that are very well equipped to the unique climate of Indiana. The use of these native plants helps us learn about our natural surroundings as well as habitat restoration. This helps create a self-sustaining and low maintenance place that is good for our environment. Our prairie was established by the 2004 class and now, many flowers are blooming. One of the most recognizable blossoms are the Blue Indigo which have been used by native Americans.

Submitted by: The Junior High Class at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

Interview at the South Bend Center for the Homeless

            Tom has been living at the South Bend Center for the Homeless for 22 months and just moved  into the men’s house. He said that the move went well, and he also said that he has accumulated a lot of things in the short two years he spent there. All of the support that the Center provided really helped him out. I could sense almost a kind of pride that was emanating from him as he spoke about the different programs that he took. Such programs include the Sosh and Star programs. The Sosh program is a program that teaches people about themselves and about how to fix what they got into. The Star program is more about getting jobs and keeping jobs. Another program helps residents get there GED.

             Tom began his life in a pretty poor situation. His Dad, who was an alcoholic, abused his mother very much and he witnessed it. His dad, when he wasn’t drunk, was a pretty good guy who loved his children. He worked at Studebaker while his mother was a cook. When Tom was a teenager life got a lot better, he and his family went to a cottage that his family owned and really enjoyed the summers spent there. For 35 years Tom worked for ESP which was a plastic factory that was based in Elkhart.

            Things began to go downhill when he became increasingly more depressed. He became divorced from his wife and started on the road to homelessness. When he was kicked out, he took shelter at the Center for the Homeless. Again, he has had much support from the staff and his coach. Coaches are people who volunteer to help the guests on the road to turning their lives around. They inspire the guests and check up on them so that they are not slacking off.

            The center also has a plethora of personalities. That can sometimes be a good thing. The guests interact with each other and begin to build long lasting friendships. People can clash and become bitter towards each other. The staff is kind of like the mediator of all of these personalities. They are nice, but can also be tough. They need to be so the guests don’t become accustomed to it. A word of advice that Tom offered me is to stay in school and never think you’re above any job. I will keep that in mind for the rest of my life. Altogether, I believe that the Center for the Homeless helps people, in more ways than one, more than any other regular old shelter could. 

Submitted by: James- A junior high student at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

The Ducks Have Arrived!

An exciting thing happened in the Junior High classroom; we had a baby, duck. Its name is lil’ Sheldon. It is rapidly growing and becoming a nuisance. We are all sitting in the room, quietly trying to learn when a few peeps were heard from the corner of our classroom. We all stop and are immediately enthralled in the adorable, cuteness of baby Sheldon. We are trying to learn about embryotic development when we observe the ducks, even when they are in their eggs for this goes along with this cycle in health which is reproduction. Learning about this and watching the ducks grow promises to be a very interesting endeavor. We would like to thank Mrs. Hill for organizing this by getting us some of the ducks, the incubator and leading us in this experiment.  

BOOK FAIR LUAU

There will be some changes coming to TMA’s Library in the next few weeks!  The Book Fair Luau will be making a festive stop at our school from Wednesday, May 9^th, to Tuesday, May 15^th.  Hours during school days will be 8:20am to 5:00pm.  Saturday, May 12^th, will be family day, with the Fair being open from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  Parents will have the chance to choose books with their children for their summer reading enjoyment.

The Library will be turned into a fun beach-themed luau with tikis, surf boards, and hanging palms.  One of the books being offered with this theme will be Pig Kahuna. In this picture book, two little pigs discover some beach fun with a surf board.  Froggy and his family have a warm Aloha when Froggy Goes to Hawaii.

Since this year marks the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, several Titanic books will be available. There will be a special two-book set from Magic Tree House: Tonight on the Titanic and a companion nonfiction “Fact Tracker” book to answer all of your Titanic questions.  Remembering the Titanic follows specific people who worked on the Titanic or were her passengers.  It starts with her building, tells of her crash and sinking, and finishes with the eventual rescue of the survivors.

These and many, many more books of different reading levels and on a wide range of subjects will be available under the swaying palms.  There’s sure to be something for all the readers in the family.  See you at the Book Fair Luau.  Mahalo!

Submitted by: Linda Meyer- Assistant Librarian at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes