Parents’ Memo 2007-2008

December 14, 2007

The Parents’ Memo is our Lower School newsletter for the parents of the students.
This Memo comes out each week with the news of the past week as well as future events and items of interest for the parents

2005-2006 Parents' Memo Archive

2006-2007 Parents' Memo Archive

2007-2008 Parents' Memo Archive

“Creative intelligence is integrative. It integrates. It is integrative to such an extent that it can bring together opposite values. Unmanifest and manifest, silence and activity, are opposite to each other—the non-moving
field of pure creative intelligence, still and stable, and the moving relative. It is the dignity of creative intelligence that is able to put them together and produce one life out of the two.”—Maharishi

As the year 2007 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very heavenly holiday season. As parents of these beautiful children who attend Maharishi School, you have my deepest respect and appreciation. As all of us join together to create enlightened education
for these precious souls, we can feel very proud and deeply blessed. I wish for each one of you lots of happiness and laughter, great success and prosperity and total support of Natural Law in the coming year.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL NEXT WEEK BEFORE THE HOLIDAY BREAK IS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20. THIS WILL BE THE LAST NEWSLETTER BEFORE THE NEW
YEAR.

MAHARISHI VEDIC SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM

We would like to highlight classroom lessons and activities that incorporate the SCI Principles/Fundamentals or some other aspect of Maharishi Vedic Science for the parents. As you know, our students learn about SCI, Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health, Sanskrit, Vedic Math and Maharishi Gandharva Veda music as they experience the value of Consciousness-Based
education each day. These highlights will provide you with a glimpse into your child’s education.

Ms. Long’s PreK/Kindergarten Class

The Pre-K/K children have been learning about the SCI principle “Every Action Has a Reaction.” We made volcanoes by adding vinegar to baking soda.
When we put these two ingredients together, they react to make the volcano “erupt”.

They also read Ordinary Mary’s extraordinary Deed. They talked about how others react to our acts of kindness. Then we practiced giving compliments to each other throughout the day.

 

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS IN THE CLASSROOM

As the holiday season draws near, there has been a lot of activity and celebration in the classrooms. I would like to share with you a few highlights of what different classes have been doing this week and what they have planned.

The pre-school will celebrate this holiday season on Wednesday, December 19, with a party. Parents are invited to attend. Please let the teachers know as what the parents would like to bring for the party. Plates, juices and holiday treats are needed.

Ms. Long’s PreK/K children will be celebrating Christmas by reading the Polar Express. They will take the train to the North Pole to sing Christmas carols.
Mrs. Balf’s Primary Boys are presenting a program called “Celebrations Around the World” to the parents. Christmas, Chanukah, Deepavalli, Chinese New Year and Kwanzaa will be presented.
Ms. Vetter’s Primary Girls are going to the Small Work Gallery for an art treasure hunt on Friday, Dec. 14. Next week Middle School Girls from Ms. Cornell’s class are going to read holiday books they have written. On Thursday they will have a party and craft time.
Ms. Vigmostad’s Intermediate Girls are making holiday cards, gingerbread houses, designing and modeling clothes and writing poems for Christmas. Next Thursday, they will have a Secret Santa gift exchange.
Ms. Siemsen’s Intermediate Boys will enjoy Secret Santa from Dec. 14–20, culminating in a Christmas party exchange on Thursday afternoon. They also plan to make gingerbread houses and other holiday decorations for their homes.
Ms. Zmachinsky’s Upper Elementary Girls are having a holiday party with a Secret Santa gift exchange next Thursday.
Mr. Price’s Upper Elementary Boys are having a gift exchange. They will be visiting the Emerald Gallery in town and participating in a community service project.

HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

Thursday, December 6, the Parents Association hosted a wonderful holiday luncheon for our dear faculty and staff. Clark Auditorium was transformed into an elegant dining hall, with beautifully appointed tables, artistically decorated with unique holiday themes created by: Loren Town, Casey Blitz,
Marianne McGregor, Kathy Ketterhagen, Mary Gomes, Barbara Wacknov, and Danielle Hauptman. Set-up and serving of the meal was done by the following parents: Dick and Deb Arnold, Kathy Ketterhagen, Amy Thiel, Patty Dollive, Barbara Rainbow, Wendie Vessey, Mary Gomes, Deborah Turner, Leslee Goldstein
and Cathy Wadsworth. Everyone enjoyed the festive and delicious luncheon, lovingly prepared by Christine and Dean Goodale. Each teacher or staff member also received a gift certificate from either Everybody’s, At Home Store, Thymely Solutions, or Natural Selections. Also, through the generous
donations of Tim and Leigh Mahaney, everyone received a ticket to Dance Theater of Iowa’s ballet, “ The Skaters.”
Beautiful seasonal music was performed by Carroll Hillis on the piano and Bill Veseley on the clarinet. A very special thanks to Maricela Stakland for organizing and overseeing all of the many details of the luncheon. Also, a warm and heartfelt thank you to very generous donors Mary and Ed Gomes, Leigh and Tim Mahaney, Richard and Viji Hobbs, Peter and Sue Huggins,
Richard and Sallee Haerr, Maricela and Ron Stakland, Jim and Diane Davis and Chet and Catherine Swanson.
All parents contributed delicious baked cookies coordinated by Suzannah Mullenneaux and Julia Cai. In addition to the servers, we would also like to thank Betsy Dearbon and Rachel Shaw for providing clean up. The teachers deeply appreciated this very relaxing and highly memorable event.

Holiday Gifts! Holiday Gifts! Holiday Gifts!
MOST ITEMS ARE NOW 1/2 PRICE

Be sure to visit our Holiday Store on the second floor of the Media Center at Maharishi School. A wonderful assortment of high quality, inexpensive gifts, including children's books, beautiful all natural candles, photo albums, holiday dishes, purses, toys, and much, much, more.
Open December 17–20, Monday–Thursday, 9:30 am–3:30 pm.
Here’s another way to help raise funds for Maharishi School: Shop on-line at hundreds of stores, including Lands' End, Nike, North Face, JC Penney, and many more. Simply log on to www.schoolpop.com, or www.iGive.com, enter Maharishi School, and start shopping!! Maharishi School will receive a
generous percentage, up to 15% depending on the store.

Holiday Show

Maharishi School invites you to come and enjoy this year’s Holiday Show “Celebrate the Season” on Saturday, December 15, at 11:00 am in Clark Auditorium. It features the voices of the Festival Singers, Concert Choir and Pioneer Boys Choir singing a variety of songs from the major religious and cultural holidays in December. The concert also features all of our Maharishi School Instrumentalists. Please come and enjoy singing, dancing,
and the playing of drums and trumpets (and bells and trombones and clarinets and flutes and more!!). A preview of the show will be held during the regular Friday Assembly at 1:15 pm on Friday, December 14, in Clark Auditorium. Thank you Mrs. Ferguson and Mrs. Rowe for giving everyone the gift of music during the holiday season. They will be performing for the Friday’s Art Walk on January 4, 2008 at Central Park Futon on West side of
the Square from 7:30 - 8:30 pm.

HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Maharishi School is committed to a multicultural, nonsexist
educational program. It is our goal to maximize the potential of all students regardless of race, cultural heritage, sex or disability. This goal is accomplished at Maharishi School through the following:
1. A process of infusing multicultural, nonsexist education throughout the curriculum, instructional materials, and attitudes of School personnel,
2. The study of Maharishi Science of Creative IntelligenceSM, which provides unifying principles of knowledge, making every subject relevant to the student’s experience and,
3. Maharishi Vedic ScienceSM, which includes a systematic technique for unfolding the full potential of the students, teachers, and staff and provides a basis for promoting national and international cultural harmony.
The Winter Solstice is celebrated in many ways throughout the world. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. After this date, the days begin to lengthen and the light and warmth of the sun slowly return. The Winter Solstice is December 21.
December 21: On Yalda Night, the longest night of the year, Zoroastrians banish the spirits of Darkness by eating, singing, dancing and playing a fortune-telling game. The feast celebrates the ultimate victory of Good over Evil.
December 21: In Shinto, the Grand Ceremony of the Winter Solstice celebrates the end of the yin period of the sun, when it declines in strength, and the beginning of its growing power, or yang period.
Chanukah began at sundown on December 4 this year, and is a Jewish holiday commemorating the victory of Judah Maccabee over the Syrians. When his people repossessed the temple, they found only a small amount of oil for the temple lamp. Miraculously, this oil burned for eight days. In Israel,
Chanukah is a national holiday.
Christmas Day always falls on December 25. This day commemorates the birth of the Christian Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. The Gospels tell of Jesus’ birth to the Virgin Mary in a manger in Bethlehem.
The Days of the Posadas are celebrated in Mexico from December 16-24. The word “posada” means lodging, and it commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where they sought lodging at the inn.
Posadas is a community festival beginning with a procession, moving from house to house seeking lodging for Mary.
St. Nicholas Day is celebrated by children in Germany on December 6. A shoe is put outside the bedroom door or window the night before, and is found filled with fruits, candies and nuts in the morning.
The Festival of St. Lucia is celebrated on December 13, one of the longest, darkest winter nights in Sweden. St. Lucia is the patron saint of light. The day is celebrated by lighting candles, eating lussekatt buns, and singing carols.
Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday based on the traditional
African festival of the harvest of the first crops. It is also celebrated by millions of people in Africa and Europe. It begins December 26 and lasts for seven days. The word Kwanzaa comes from a phrase in Swahili which means “first fruits.”

SLEDDING GUIDELINES

Now that winter is on its way and snow has fallen, I thought it would be useful to review the sledding guidelines outlined in the Student and Parent Handbook.
“To ensure proper safety, the School does not approve of unsupervised sledding on the slopes on campus. The steeper slope (southeast slope closest to the utility pole) which feeds into the turn-around by the Field House is not to be used by children for sledding under any circumstances. Sledding on School property outside of school hours can be dangerous, particularly if
done on an unapproved slope or by a child who is not in control. During school hours, supervised sledding is allowed on the slope closest to the Lower School. If a supervised sledding party has been planned by a teacher or is part of a PE class, students will be instructed where to leave their sleds.
Teachers will take students sledding only once or twice during the year. Students must be properly attired, otherwise they will not be allowed to participate. Proper attire includes a warm jacket, snow pants/suit, boots, gloves, scarf, and a hat. Students will only be allowed to sled if the wind chill factor is above 15 degrees. Students in grades K–6 are not allowed to use snowboards on campus. Students in grades 7–12 are not allowed to use snowboards on campus, except as part of a teacher supervised class activity. In addition, it is the policy of the School that there is no throwing of snowballs on campus.”
Please note: Students are not allowed to bring sleds to school, unless sledding has been planned in advance for PE or a class sledding day. Also, if your children want to sled after school at 3:30 p.m., please provide adult supervision.

 

Holiday Dance Concert

A Holiday Dance Concert featuring “The Skaters”, choreographed by Emma Rainey, will be performed at the new Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec.14-16. Each of the four performances will also include a concert by one of three popular regional music groups:the Generation Now Show Choir(Friday/Saturday), the Chamber Singers of southeast Iowa(Saturday matinee), or rock Paper Scissors(Saturday evening).Evening performances
begin at 7:30 pm and matinees are at 2 pm Many Maharishi School students are involved in the program, as well as guest artists from the University of Iowa. Don’t miss this delightful holiday event, guaranteed to lift your spirits!
Tickets are $8 for students/seniors, $10 adults, $25 reserved. for matinee performances, groups of 7 or more receive a special discount rate of $5 for students/seniors and $8 adults. Advance tickets are available at The Chocalate Cafe & Cafe Paradisco.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

•Winter Break: The last day of School before vacation will be Thursday, December 20. It is a full day of school. Students return to school on Monday, January 7.

•Tuition for Second Semester: Tuition for second semester is due Wednesday, January 9. If you have any questions or do not receive your invoice, please call the Student Accounts Office at 472-9400, ext. 5076.

•Basketball Games: Please remember that Lower School
students attending basketball games at the Field House need
to be supervised by an adult at all times!

•Maharishi School Website: Please visit our Maharishi School
Website at www.maharishischooliowa.org. Check out the Parent Memo online; click on the “News” bar at the top of the page, then find “Parent Memo.”

• If the Weather is Looking Bad: Please tune your radio to KMCD 1570 AM or KIIK 95.9 FM to listen for school closings. Also, announcements for weather cancellations will be available at the website www.fairfieldiowaradio.com. Please do not call the radio station or the School.

Happy Holidays!

 

Laura Bordow

Lower School Principal

 

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