Principal's Corner
Greetings, Kindi Families!
I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! May this year be a year of peace, prosperity and happiness for all. As we move into the second half of the 2018-2019 school year, we ask our families to be mindful of consistently establishing the necessary routines to ensure that your students are in attendance and on-time each morning to get each school day off to a great start. As always, we appreciate your support as our teachers and students strive to maximize their instructional time shared each day.
The New Year is always a time of reflection but also a time for resolutions. Encourage your child to outperform themselves. Teaching them to always have a new personal record (PR) to break. When my son was in track in High school, he had a magnificent and beloved track coach. The coach taught the runners that the only competition he expected of them was to always “compete against your own personal record”. My son and his team were always asked to perform better than they performed in the previous meet. Winning is not about the other competitors rather winning is showing consistent improvement. This means as a runner my son was winning against his own best time in all races. So, in school and in life, we should always tell our children to look to our Personal Records and to always try to top it.
As we continue to focus on proper everyday etiquette and kindness with all of our wonderful students, let us continue to emphasize the importance of saying “thank you”, “excuse me”, and “Please”. These and many more proper ways of speaking with others is a way to create a kind and caring environment. It is also a great way to raise positive and eloquent citizens of the future. Please talk to your children about proper behavior everyday, this is an ongoing Home-School-Community project. .
In closing, we want to thank all of you, our families, for your continuous support for our students and teachers as we look forward to an outstanding New Year here at Kindi!
Our 3-6 Class Updates!
Welcome back.
December month ended with our wonderful winter celebration. The children put on an amazing performance. It went by quickly and before we knew, the holidays were here.
As the new year begins with a new season, we will enjoy many works related to the Winter season. We will discuss how animals survive in this season. We will continue to learn about many common animals that hibernate, adapt and migrate. We include the study of Antarctica and penguins. Also we will look at the polar animals. We will be talking how plants survive in this season too.
The materials on our practical life is to help develop finer motor skills. It is a time to build deeper understanding of our sensorial materials. At this time, we are looking for children to be independent in their daily routines.
Independence,concentration and mastering skills is the key in the next few months.
Sincerely
Ms. Sujata & Ms. Tahany
December month ended with our wonderful winter celebration. The children put on an amazing performance. It went by quickly and before we knew, the holidays were here.
As the new year begins with a new season, we will enjoy many works related to the Winter season. We will discuss how animals survive in this season. We will continue to learn about many common animals that hibernate, adapt and migrate. We include the study of Antarctica and penguins. Also we will look at the polar animals. We will be talking how plants survive in this season too.
The materials on our practical life is to help develop finer motor skills. It is a time to build deeper understanding of our sensorial materials. At this time, we are looking for children to be independent in their daily routines.
Independence,concentration and mastering skills is the key in the next few months.
Sincerely
Ms. Sujata & Ms. Tahany
Happy Winter! This past month was short but we were sure to pack it with many important lessons in-between practicing for the Winter Performance.
For the Winter Performance, the children performed “Lean on Me” and “I’m a Little Snowman.” The Kindergarten students closed the show by reciting a poem titled, “Chubby Little Snowman” and sang “Let it Snow”. They did a wonderful job being patient and professional the entire evening.
This December, we had the opportunity to combine with the entire Early Childhood Program to make salt dough creations. The children enjoyed manipulating the dough to make different shapes that they later painted to give to their parents as a gift.
One question we focused on this month was, “What do animals do in the winter?” We talked and demonstrated with the students that the animals do one of three things. They either hibernate, migrate or adapt. The children had a lot of fun participating in the live lesson we set up in the gym. By allowing them to act like an animal that hibernates, migrates or adapts, it helped them remember and understand the greater concept.
We are really looking forward to the second half of the year as we have many emerging readers and many skills we will be refining.
Sincerely
Ms. Katie & Ms. Teri
For the Winter Performance, the children performed “Lean on Me” and “I’m a Little Snowman.” The Kindergarten students closed the show by reciting a poem titled, “Chubby Little Snowman” and sang “Let it Snow”. They did a wonderful job being patient and professional the entire evening.
This December, we had the opportunity to combine with the entire Early Childhood Program to make salt dough creations. The children enjoyed manipulating the dough to make different shapes that they later painted to give to their parents as a gift.
One question we focused on this month was, “What do animals do in the winter?” We talked and demonstrated with the students that the animals do one of three things. They either hibernate, migrate or adapt. The children had a lot of fun participating in the live lesson we set up in the gym. By allowing them to act like an animal that hibernates, migrates or adapts, it helped them remember and understand the greater concept.
We are really looking forward to the second half of the year as we have many emerging readers and many skills we will be refining.
Sincerely
Ms. Katie & Ms. Teri
We hope everyone had a safe and joyful holiday break. Upon all of our return, we saw the children very happy to see their friends again and to be back at school! 103 students displayed eagerness to get back to their Montessori lessons and had a busy working week!
December was super super busy and fun@. The class experienced MANY group activities, lessons, and of course our winter performance. While remaining diligent with our daily musical practice, we also began our unit on hibernation, migration, and adaptation. All three classrooms joined together for a group presentation in the gym with props and lessons on how animals prepare and survive the cold weather (burrrr)!
After a stellar winter performance at Hinsdale High, we "wrapped" up December with a PAJAMA PARTY! The kids got comfy in their pj's and viewed movies with popcorn and juice! Great fun to end first semester!
For the remaining month of January we will continue our hibernation work and focus on the continent of Asia. We have started the map of Asia and discussing its countries. We will also discuss landmarks, animals, and flags of the continent. At the end of the month 103 will collectively be making fried rice in recognition of the Chinese New Year with fortune cookies! yum
In honor of Martin Luther King Day we will have daily discussions on his history, equality, and unity and how these remain at the core of our nation.
Welcome back to everyone and happy friend making!
Sincerely
Ms. Radhika & Ms. Brooke
December was super super busy and fun@. The class experienced MANY group activities, lessons, and of course our winter performance. While remaining diligent with our daily musical practice, we also began our unit on hibernation, migration, and adaptation. All three classrooms joined together for a group presentation in the gym with props and lessons on how animals prepare and survive the cold weather (burrrr)!
After a stellar winter performance at Hinsdale High, we "wrapped" up December with a PAJAMA PARTY! The kids got comfy in their pj's and viewed movies with popcorn and juice! Great fun to end first semester!
For the remaining month of January we will continue our hibernation work and focus on the continent of Asia. We have started the map of Asia and discussing its countries. We will also discuss landmarks, animals, and flags of the continent. At the end of the month 103 will collectively be making fried rice in recognition of the Chinese New Year with fortune cookies! yum
In honor of Martin Luther King Day we will have daily discussions on his history, equality, and unity and how these remain at the core of our nation.
Welcome back to everyone and happy friend making!
Sincerely
Ms. Radhika & Ms. Brooke
NEWS FROM OUR 6-9 CLASS
Dear Parents:
A very Happy New Year to our students and their families.
We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Winter Break.
We hope everyone enjoyed the Winter Celebration. All of the students worked very hard on their performance in the “Aladdin” play. We are glad that all of their hard work paid off.
Our class will begin Junior Achievement for all three grades in the coming weeks. Junior Achievement is a set of free classes offered to students funded by the state and businesses. Its mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. We will be asking for parent volunteers in the coming emails.
We have entered the second half of the school year and it is going to be one busy rest of the school year. Our First year students in the month of January will be working on: parts of a reptile, parts of a stem, landforms, nouns, word study, time, measurement, bead frame addition and subtraction, and they are being introduced to the idea of fractions.
The Second year students in the month of January will be working on: fractions, types of stems, parts of a nametode and mollusks, types of verbs, times tables, checkerboard multiplication and planet research: Mars, Africa- continent study.
The Third year students in the month of January will be working on: measuring angles using a protractor, area and perimeter, adding and subtracting mixed and whole fractions, abstract long division, plant and animal cells, ancient civilizations, Asia- continent study.
A very Happy New Year to our students and their families.
We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Winter Break.
We hope everyone enjoyed the Winter Celebration. All of the students worked very hard on their performance in the “Aladdin” play. We are glad that all of their hard work paid off.
Our class will begin Junior Achievement for all three grades in the coming weeks. Junior Achievement is a set of free classes offered to students funded by the state and businesses. Its mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. We will be asking for parent volunteers in the coming emails.
We have entered the second half of the school year and it is going to be one busy rest of the school year. Our First year students in the month of January will be working on: parts of a reptile, parts of a stem, landforms, nouns, word study, time, measurement, bead frame addition and subtraction, and they are being introduced to the idea of fractions.
The Second year students in the month of January will be working on: fractions, types of stems, parts of a nametode and mollusks, types of verbs, times tables, checkerboard multiplication and planet research: Mars, Africa- continent study.
The Third year students in the month of January will be working on: measuring angles using a protractor, area and perimeter, adding and subtracting mixed and whole fractions, abstract long division, plant and animal cells, ancient civilizations, Asia- continent study.
News from our 4th & 5th Graders
Before Winter Break we wrapped up our "How To" projects, and enjoyed the culmination of weeks of hard work. Both the 4th and 5th grade students prepared a written article, a Google slide show, and a live presentation featuring the activity they chose to teach "how to". Subjects ranged from arts and crafts projects, to card tricks, to baking and decorating cakes! Through this project, the students learned written and oral skills of communicating clearly and thoroughly, as well as grabbing an audience's attention. We ended 2019 celebrating our hard work with an abundant Potluck Brunch. Thank you to all the classroom families for your generous and delicious contributions!!
January's highlights will include developing skills for reading comprehension, preparing to see a Shakespeare play and beginning to learn about the Underground Railroad in anticipation of Black History Month in February. 4th grade Science class will be studying how living things are adapted to their environment.
~Ms. Jami Lieder
News From Our Middle School
English 1 (6th Grade)
It’s been an action-packed last month in Language Arts as we finished up our Elements of a Story unit, culminating in the 3-page analysis of Star Wars: A New Hope. The students carefully detailed and analyzed the various plot developments, characters, and settings in the movie, to fully convey their understanding of these concepts. After that, the students worked on a very fun project with Ms. Katie and Ms. Teri’s Room 102. The middle schoolers first learned all about the “Ways in Which” and “Reasons Why” we benefit from “Annotation” aka. Close Reading. The students have clearly identified that their writing assignments will have a lot more depth and knowledge, if they are using their own notes and analysis that they are tracking in real-time, while reading the novel. Students also see how much easier quizzes will be and how much deeper class discussions can go and a dozen more benefits of “having a conversation with the novel.” Students then compiled a list of the Top 10 reasons why we annotate and created a bookmark, with the assistance of Room 102, that they will use going forward as a reminder of how to best pick apart the text they are reading. After that, the students got to put this new skill to the test while reading the famous Shirley Jackson short-story, “The Lottery.” The students read and analyzed the story and then had a very heated, yet respectful class debate about this mysterious village in which the lottery takes place. The students had a great time sharing their point of view and convincing others of their beliefs. Students capped off the last month with a research poster project about China’s One-Child Policy, in the lead up to some of the themes and ideas that will be explored in our novel, Among the Hidden. The students are itching to dive deep into the novel and explore this amazing piece of writing.
It’s been an action-packed last month in Language Arts as we finished up our Elements of a Story unit, culminating in the 3-page analysis of Star Wars: A New Hope. The students carefully detailed and analyzed the various plot developments, characters, and settings in the movie, to fully convey their understanding of these concepts. After that, the students worked on a very fun project with Ms. Katie and Ms. Teri’s Room 102. The middle schoolers first learned all about the “Ways in Which” and “Reasons Why” we benefit from “Annotation” aka. Close Reading. The students have clearly identified that their writing assignments will have a lot more depth and knowledge, if they are using their own notes and analysis that they are tracking in real-time, while reading the novel. Students also see how much easier quizzes will be and how much deeper class discussions can go and a dozen more benefits of “having a conversation with the novel.” Students then compiled a list of the Top 10 reasons why we annotate and created a bookmark, with the assistance of Room 102, that they will use going forward as a reminder of how to best pick apart the text they are reading. After that, the students got to put this new skill to the test while reading the famous Shirley Jackson short-story, “The Lottery.” The students read and analyzed the story and then had a very heated, yet respectful class debate about this mysterious village in which the lottery takes place. The students had a great time sharing their point of view and convincing others of their beliefs. Students capped off the last month with a research poster project about China’s One-Child Policy, in the lead up to some of the themes and ideas that will be explored in our novel, Among the Hidden. The students are itching to dive deep into the novel and explore this amazing piece of writing.
English 2 (7th & 8th Grade)
The 7th and 8th graders have been busy working on and sharpening a wide-range of skills. The students had a chance to weigh-in on their own personal feelings about the motion picture Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the form of a 5-page written movie review. Their critique had to take a variety of different aspects into consideration, while supporting their thoughts with evidence and details from the movie as well as from our entire unit on Elements of a Story. Shortly after the completion of this unit, the students really got a chance to demonstrate what they knew and how strongly they felt about it during out first ever Four Corners debate. A Four Corners debate is a debate method where the students receive a statement that they either “Strongly Agree, Agree, Strongly Disagree, or Disagree” with. Depending on their original position, they stand in the corresponding corner of the room and present their arguments about why they are standing where they are standing. After several rounds of debate, it was fascinating to see people physically and literally move from one end of argument to the complete opposite end. Using the story The Kid Nobody Could Handle by Kurt Vonnagut, the students prepared notes and presented their arguments, all while staying open to being swayed by other people’s point of view. It was a thing of beauty! The students then explored the world of literary technique and vocabulary with deep dive into terms like simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and allusion. The students are all ready to start their first novel, the famous book entitled, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Stay Golden!
The 7th and 8th graders have been busy working on and sharpening a wide-range of skills. The students had a chance to weigh-in on their own personal feelings about the motion picture Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the form of a 5-page written movie review. Their critique had to take a variety of different aspects into consideration, while supporting their thoughts with evidence and details from the movie as well as from our entire unit on Elements of a Story. Shortly after the completion of this unit, the students really got a chance to demonstrate what they knew and how strongly they felt about it during out first ever Four Corners debate. A Four Corners debate is a debate method where the students receive a statement that they either “Strongly Agree, Agree, Strongly Disagree, or Disagree” with. Depending on their original position, they stand in the corresponding corner of the room and present their arguments about why they are standing where they are standing. After several rounds of debate, it was fascinating to see people physically and literally move from one end of argument to the complete opposite end. Using the story The Kid Nobody Could Handle by Kurt Vonnagut, the students prepared notes and presented their arguments, all while staying open to being swayed by other people’s point of view. It was a thing of beauty! The students then explored the world of literary technique and vocabulary with deep dive into terms like simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and allusion. The students are all ready to start their first novel, the famous book entitled, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Stay Golden!
Middle School Social Studies
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a relaxing winter vacation. We’re happy to have everyone back at the middle school, and social studies is starting new units across all three grade levels.
6th Grade:
The sixth grade class is continuing our exploration of Ancient Civilizations. We will start with the ancient Hebrews and a look at the development of monotheism. After this brief unit ends, the class will start a deep dive into the Greek and Roman civilizations, focusing on culture, mythology, government, and influence the Greeks and Romans had on the world.
7th Grade:
The seventh grade class is now studying European geography and culture, starting with Western Europe and then looking at Easern Europe and Russia. Part of this will include a country research project, where each student will choose a country in Europe to research and create a presentation on. They will also have a chance to bring in foods or wear costumes when presenting on their countries. After this unit, we will study the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.
8th Grade:
The eighth grade class is shifting gears this semester, from World History to American Government. Students have to pass the US Constitution test to graduate from eighth grade, and so we will spend the next 4-6 weeks working to prepare for that exam. This will include learning about the three branches of government, the bill of rights, major cases of the Supreme Court, elections, and the overall structure of our government.
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a relaxing winter vacation. We’re happy to have everyone back at the middle school, and social studies is starting new units across all three grade levels.
6th Grade:
The sixth grade class is continuing our exploration of Ancient Civilizations. We will start with the ancient Hebrews and a look at the development of monotheism. After this brief unit ends, the class will start a deep dive into the Greek and Roman civilizations, focusing on culture, mythology, government, and influence the Greeks and Romans had on the world.
7th Grade:
The seventh grade class is now studying European geography and culture, starting with Western Europe and then looking at Easern Europe and Russia. Part of this will include a country research project, where each student will choose a country in Europe to research and create a presentation on. They will also have a chance to bring in foods or wear costumes when presenting on their countries. After this unit, we will study the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia.
8th Grade:
The eighth grade class is shifting gears this semester, from World History to American Government. Students have to pass the US Constitution test to graduate from eighth grade, and so we will spend the next 4-6 weeks working to prepare for that exam. This will include learning about the three branches of government, the bill of rights, major cases of the Supreme Court, elections, and the overall structure of our government.
Updates from our Science Classroom!
The fifth graders learned about the Earth layers, and that they can be classified it’s physical layers and by their chemical composition. The students got to make both models.
DNA was the main topic in December. Students got to make a double helix DNA strand 🧬 . They also extracted DNA from strawberries!!!!
Gym News!
Middle School & 4th/5th PE
This was the most fun and exercise we have gotten yet….playing Dodgeball! The students had an awesome time learning about the “Official Dodgeball” rules, which keeps the game fast-paced and exciting. The students displayed a lot of teamwork and sportsmanship while playing this all-time favorite P.E. activity. We also introduced “Bowling Pin Dodgeball,” which we played with empty water bottles and added a whole new layer of strategy and teamwork to accomplish the task of knocking the opponents’ bottles down. The students had a lot of fun and are anxiously awaiting our next game -- Nukem!
This was the most fun and exercise we have gotten yet….playing Dodgeball! The students had an awesome time learning about the “Official Dodgeball” rules, which keeps the game fast-paced and exciting. The students displayed a lot of teamwork and sportsmanship while playing this all-time favorite P.E. activity. We also introduced “Bowling Pin Dodgeball,” which we played with empty water bottles and added a whole new layer of strategy and teamwork to accomplish the task of knocking the opponents’ bottles down. The students had a lot of fun and are anxiously awaiting our next game -- Nukem!
Boys Basketball Club
The games have begun! The two teams, Red and Blue, have been battling on a weekly basis, while also building some skills and teamwork. It has been a lot of fun, filled with highlight reel moments from all of the players! We can’t wait to finish up the season on a high note.
The games have begun! The two teams, Red and Blue, have been battling on a weekly basis, while also building some skills and teamwork. It has been a lot of fun, filled with highlight reel moments from all of the players! We can’t wait to finish up the season on a high note.
News From Our Arabic Room!
Salam and Marhaba to all!
Welcome back our creative students at Kindi. Students were excited to roll on the Arabic classes for this term, all were challenged to energized their skills by playing world wide known games in Arabic such as the snake and the ladders and dominoes.All were thrilled during the games.
While our 6th-8th graders were finalizing their project on weddings at the Arab World. They did a great job and a wonderful presentation. We learned through this unit about the different customer and traditions at several Arab countries.
Love your work class, keep it up.
Mrs. Hayat Al-Quttub
Welcome back our creative students at Kindi. Students were excited to roll on the Arabic classes for this term, all were challenged to energized their skills by playing world wide known games in Arabic such as the snake and the ladders and dominoes.All were thrilled during the games.
While our 6th-8th graders were finalizing their project on weddings at the Arab World. They did a great job and a wonderful presentation. We learned through this unit about the different customer and traditions at several Arab countries.
Love your work class, keep it up.
Mrs. Hayat Al-Quttub
News from our spanish class!
Spanish with Maestra Kim
You may have already heard your child singing "Cho-co-la-te, cho-co-la-te, ba-te, ba-te, cho-co-la-te" around the house! This undeniably catchy song about making hot chocolate ushers in our food unit in the 3-6 year old Spanish classes! We will be learning common foods and drinks as well as how to express which ones we like.
The 6-9 year old Spanish classes have been working hard on a variety of vocabulary and grammar challenges. 1st grade is learning clothing, while the 2nd graders are making adjectives and articles plural as we describe animals. The 3rd graders have been discussing schedules and telling time.
You may have already heard your child singing "Cho-co-la-te, cho-co-la-te, ba-te, ba-te, cho-co-la-te" around the house! This undeniably catchy song about making hot chocolate ushers in our food unit in the 3-6 year old Spanish classes! We will be learning common foods and drinks as well as how to express which ones we like.
The 6-9 year old Spanish classes have been working hard on a variety of vocabulary and grammar challenges. 1st grade is learning clothing, while the 2nd graders are making adjectives and articles plural as we describe animals. The 3rd graders have been discussing schedules and telling time.