A Word From the Executive Director
Hello Kindians,
I am always excited about having Kindi’s community: teachers, students, and parents back in the school after the long summer break. The year started on a busy note with new students and staff joining the ranks of our academy. This year also marks the first year where Kindi has a new principal, Dr. Rania Sadeq. I am excited to have such an achieving and aspiring individual join our team and start her year with great enthusiasm and energy. Dr. Rania, a Doctor in Education, loves children and holds dear the same values and beliefs I formed Kindi’s identity around. She believes in quality and challenging education, ethical character building, social and emotional coaching, physical care of the body and the nurturing of the soul for a well-rounded citizen of the world. This is what Kindi’s mission is and it is what Dr. Rania strives to realize every day.
I am also honored to have employed the talents of Mr. Ron Chernobrov in teaching Social Studies and Language Arts to our middle school students and providing a much-needed support in technology. He has numerous ideas that I will help implementing in the weeks to come. The Upper Elementary class is blessed with the services of Ms. Diane who works alongside Ms. Cortney to provide a great learning experience for our children. Ms. Diane herself was a lead teacher of ten years in the Waldorf school of Wheaton. The Lower Elementary class is grateful to the services of our new and capable Teaching Assistant, Ms. Aizada who has a degree in English Language and loves the age of children she’s teaching. Her hand makes a positive impact every single day.
In the Primary grades, I am flattered to have Ms. Brooke coming back to Kindi after few years of working for other schools. She is joined by Ms. Katie, a wonderful and lovely teacher, whom worked for another Montessori school for the past five years. Both ladies bring new perspectives and bright ideas to our 3-6 children. They also appreciate Kindi’s vision of tapping on the vast potential of talents and abilities our littles harbor. They are a great addition to our Primary program. We are also joined by some great Teacher Assistants including Ms. Zainab, Ms. Siham, and Ms. Shwetta. Their help and services are invaluable to the daily running of the classroom. It is absolutely true that an Assistant is the backbone of the classroom and for that I dearly thank them and appreciate their hard work.
Our Toddler program is an amazing entity of Kindi and brings lots of love and smiles to our staff members as well as the entire student body of the school. Watching our 1’s and 2’s eat, play, sleep, and learn is fulfilling and fun. The teachers there are doing a fantastic job with their children.
Now that I have Dr. Rania taking a hefty load off my back attending to the daily issues that consume a great deal of time and effort, I shall be devoting more of my time to strengthen our academic offering, and devote more time towards Kindi’s strategic plans. These topics are of highest importance to the well-being and reputation of the school. I will have to dedicate another missive to discuss these articles.
Kindi will always be the place that takes children from the “ordinary” to the “extraordinary”, from fluttering to soaring, and from wading to swimming. We will always take your children seriously and meet their full potential. As the year progresses, I wish everyone a year filled with success and fun and am looking forward to discuss more of Kindi's future plans in the next newsletter.
I am always excited about having Kindi’s community: teachers, students, and parents back in the school after the long summer break. The year started on a busy note with new students and staff joining the ranks of our academy. This year also marks the first year where Kindi has a new principal, Dr. Rania Sadeq. I am excited to have such an achieving and aspiring individual join our team and start her year with great enthusiasm and energy. Dr. Rania, a Doctor in Education, loves children and holds dear the same values and beliefs I formed Kindi’s identity around. She believes in quality and challenging education, ethical character building, social and emotional coaching, physical care of the body and the nurturing of the soul for a well-rounded citizen of the world. This is what Kindi’s mission is and it is what Dr. Rania strives to realize every day.
I am also honored to have employed the talents of Mr. Ron Chernobrov in teaching Social Studies and Language Arts to our middle school students and providing a much-needed support in technology. He has numerous ideas that I will help implementing in the weeks to come. The Upper Elementary class is blessed with the services of Ms. Diane who works alongside Ms. Cortney to provide a great learning experience for our children. Ms. Diane herself was a lead teacher of ten years in the Waldorf school of Wheaton. The Lower Elementary class is grateful to the services of our new and capable Teaching Assistant, Ms. Aizada who has a degree in English Language and loves the age of children she’s teaching. Her hand makes a positive impact every single day.
In the Primary grades, I am flattered to have Ms. Brooke coming back to Kindi after few years of working for other schools. She is joined by Ms. Katie, a wonderful and lovely teacher, whom worked for another Montessori school for the past five years. Both ladies bring new perspectives and bright ideas to our 3-6 children. They also appreciate Kindi’s vision of tapping on the vast potential of talents and abilities our littles harbor. They are a great addition to our Primary program. We are also joined by some great Teacher Assistants including Ms. Zainab, Ms. Siham, and Ms. Shwetta. Their help and services are invaluable to the daily running of the classroom. It is absolutely true that an Assistant is the backbone of the classroom and for that I dearly thank them and appreciate their hard work.
Our Toddler program is an amazing entity of Kindi and brings lots of love and smiles to our staff members as well as the entire student body of the school. Watching our 1’s and 2’s eat, play, sleep, and learn is fulfilling and fun. The teachers there are doing a fantastic job with their children.
Now that I have Dr. Rania taking a hefty load off my back attending to the daily issues that consume a great deal of time and effort, I shall be devoting more of my time to strengthen our academic offering, and devote more time towards Kindi’s strategic plans. These topics are of highest importance to the well-being and reputation of the school. I will have to dedicate another missive to discuss these articles.
Kindi will always be the place that takes children from the “ordinary” to the “extraordinary”, from fluttering to soaring, and from wading to swimming. We will always take your children seriously and meet their full potential. As the year progresses, I wish everyone a year filled with success and fun and am looking forward to discuss more of Kindi's future plans in the next newsletter.
Principal's Corner
Dear Kindi Academy Students and Families –
It is with great honor and excitement that I introduce myself (again), Rania Sadeq, as the new Principal at Kindi Academy. My passion for education and supporting the success of all students has been shaped over the past 20 years as a teacher, college professor, an active board member for an international nonprofit organization focused on healing sick and injured children, and now as Kindi principal. In each of my roles, I have sought to ensure the success and health of each student and child, by providing the best instructional opportunities and supports possible. Similarly, it is my number one priority at Kindi to ensure that every student receives the most well-rounded education possible.
A well-rounded education means happy children, safe environment, and outstanding instruction from top-notch teachers, as well as extracurricular opportunities and supports that enable students to develop character, cultivate passions, and explore the world outside of the classroom.
As the Principal at Kindi, I am committed to ensuring that student needs and interests help shape instruction and extracurricular opportunities. Most importantly, an excellent education is not possible without the great collaboration of students, parents, and staff. Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of getting to know our amazing students, parents, and staff at Kindi, while also learning about the ambitious vision and mission of Kindi Academy.
We are looking forward to a productive partnership with all of our parents to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our children's success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that he/she:
- Attends school daily and arrives on time, ready for the day’s learning experience
- Does their best to complete all homework assignments given by teachers
- Reads daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
- Shares school experiences with you so that you are aware of his/her school life
- Informs you if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject
- Knows that you expect him/her to succeed in school and go on to college
We invite you to consider joining our school volunteer program KAPA as our students can greatly benefit from your involvement and contributions to the school’s program and its operation. We also have a Dad's Club for all the dad's who would like to be more proactive in their children's academic life. If you have any questions about the rules and expectations, please feel free to contact me or to discuss them with your child’s teacher. It is very important that you and your child are fully informed regarding standards related to appropriate behavior for a safe and productive school year. The wonderful Kindi staff and I feel privileged to be a part of this school family.
I look forward to a great year ahead of us! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any
questions, concerns, and ideas that you would like to discuss.
Kind regards,
Rania Sadeq, Ed.D
Kindi Academy, Principal
Eid Celebration
Annual Fun Fair
Kindi Helping Harvey Victims
Following the devastation in Harvey, Kindi students jumped in to help by raising much needed funds. Our young ones were able to collect $1808.00. A check was made out to Zakat Foundation of America, a dedicated non-profit organization, working on the ground to help Texas rebuild again.
Our Scholars at Work in Science!
It’s hard to believe that I am writing this in week 8 of being back to school but time flies when you are having science fun. I am pleased with the progress that the science students are making. Most classes have finished their first unit in science and are deep into the subject they are studying. For 4th grade we finished studying the scientific method, thinking like a scientists, the states of matter and are now into physical and chemical changes! We’ve built model skyscrapers, learned how to use the microscopes, study pendulums and more. For the 5th graders they built beautiful sphere in the box projects, engineered natural dams and have constructed composting jars to learn about soil formation. The bio students successfully navigated the cell complete with refreshing their microscope skills, learning how to create a wet mount slide, building a candy cell, learning about simple diffusion through gelatin cells and their own city cell analogies to understand cellular organization and function. Finally by chemistry students are learning first hand that the world is made up an amazing variety of elements and how it is all bonded together. They learned how to purify water through charcoal filtration and simple distillation. They are currently testing water from their home and school to look for varying concentrations of ions in the water. I am proud of the progress many students are making in terms of their lab write ups and their over all scientific thinking abilities.
Ms. Teresa Nighelli
Ms. Teresa Nighelli
Happenings of the Montessori Toddler
The Toddler Class is humming along! We have settled in to our daily routines and are enjoying school!
During our work period, children are choosing independent and group activities. One of our primary focuses are to learn how to take turns and share. This enables children to comprehend and apply social manners i.e. ‘yes please’ and ‘no thank you’. We encourage you to reinforce these mannerisms at home.
Currently, some of our favorite works are listening to engaging stories, matching physical objects to pictures, painting, peeling stickers, and incorporating fall foliage in art. It always exciting to bring the seasonal items into the classroom. Our favorite songs these past weeks are three little monkeys, the fire truck song and color song. You may hear your little one humming these at home!
In perceptual motor development (gross motor games) children have been developing their balancing, rolling and jumping skills. They have also been developing and practicing skills to follow one and multiple step directions in a group as well as to exercise in a group.
Toilet training is our commitment to teach independence and is a part of our classroom curriculum. Please send with your child with loose clothes, enabling them to independently navigate the clothes i.e. take pants on and off independently during toileting. They feel confident and proud after successfully using the toilet and we want to encourage success.
As the weather gets colder, please be sure to send your child dressed appropriately as we go outside for nature walks every day. Thank you so much for sharing baskets, they have truly added excitement to our classroom.
And most importantly, thank you for letting us be a part of your toddler ‘s life. They are such a joy to work with, and we can’t wait to see them progress throughout the coming months.
During our work period, children are choosing independent and group activities. One of our primary focuses are to learn how to take turns and share. This enables children to comprehend and apply social manners i.e. ‘yes please’ and ‘no thank you’. We encourage you to reinforce these mannerisms at home.
Currently, some of our favorite works are listening to engaging stories, matching physical objects to pictures, painting, peeling stickers, and incorporating fall foliage in art. It always exciting to bring the seasonal items into the classroom. Our favorite songs these past weeks are three little monkeys, the fire truck song and color song. You may hear your little one humming these at home!
In perceptual motor development (gross motor games) children have been developing their balancing, rolling and jumping skills. They have also been developing and practicing skills to follow one and multiple step directions in a group as well as to exercise in a group.
Toilet training is our commitment to teach independence and is a part of our classroom curriculum. Please send with your child with loose clothes, enabling them to independently navigate the clothes i.e. take pants on and off independently during toileting. They feel confident and proud after successfully using the toilet and we want to encourage success.
As the weather gets colder, please be sure to send your child dressed appropriately as we go outside for nature walks every day. Thank you so much for sharing baskets, they have truly added excitement to our classroom.
And most importantly, thank you for letting us be a part of your toddler ‘s life. They are such a joy to work with, and we can’t wait to see them progress throughout the coming months.
News From The Montessori 3-6 (Preschool to KG)
Happy October! September was a BUSY month so we have much to share! On our last day of September, the weather was so beautiful we decided to eat lunch outside. With much fun, laughter, and brainstorming, we came up with this:
We were eating our LUNCH,
And all heard a CRUNCH,
As a BUNCH,
We were having so much FUNCH,
Some of us were drinking PUNCH,
IN the SUNCH.
We saw a bee take a MUNCH!
At least that’s our HUNCH.
“Love generously, Praise loudly, Live fully.” Elias Porter
NATURE WALK
All three classes joined together for a nature walk. The children held their baskets and were eager to choose leaves of various colors, shapes, and sizes. Our collection was a plentiful source for our classrooms to identify, classify, and associate shapes for our Botany shelf. We learned about the structure and parts of the leaf. Some leaves were then used with various art media for collaging and rubbing. We also presented pumpkins and gourds life cycles.
ABBEY FARM
The children were amazed to see all the different types of pumpkins! Pumpkins in different colors, types, and shapes. The path was filled with beautiful trees and an amazingly tall corn stalks. After the potato sack slides, moon jump, tee-pee trike trail, we headed for the pumpkin patch!
We were eating our LUNCH,
And all heard a CRUNCH,
As a BUNCH,
We were having so much FUNCH,
Some of us were drinking PUNCH,
IN the SUNCH.
We saw a bee take a MUNCH!
At least that’s our HUNCH.
“Love generously, Praise loudly, Live fully.” Elias Porter
NATURE WALK
All three classes joined together for a nature walk. The children held their baskets and were eager to choose leaves of various colors, shapes, and sizes. Our collection was a plentiful source for our classrooms to identify, classify, and associate shapes for our Botany shelf. We learned about the structure and parts of the leaf. Some leaves were then used with various art media for collaging and rubbing. We also presented pumpkins and gourds life cycles.
ABBEY FARM
The children were amazed to see all the different types of pumpkins! Pumpkins in different colors, types, and shapes. The path was filled with beautiful trees and an amazingly tall corn stalks. After the potato sack slides, moon jump, tee-pee trike trail, we headed for the pumpkin patch!
3-6 Abby Farms Pictures
News from Lower Elementary(1st-3rd Grade)
Botanic Garden Projects
We had a great time at Chicago Botanic Garden last month. The children enjoyed the sessions on: worms, soil, plants and working in a group to solve problems. Students are working hard and many presentations are ongoing. They have adapted very well to the Montessori environment. Sequence, organization, and clear expectations have made our classroom a peaceful learning environment.
This is what our scholars are working on:
The first year students are working on World Map, Solar System, Geometric Solids, Golden Beads Addition and Golden Beads Subtraction.
The second year students are working on the continent of South America, Stamp Game Multiplication, Stamp Game Division, Planet Mercury, Protozoa and Porifera and Times Tables 2 and 3.
The third year students are working on Checkerboard, Golden Bead Frame Multiplication, Test Tube Division, Characteristics of Vertebrates, Timeline of Life and the continent of Europe.
We look forward to our next field trip on October 18th to Honey Orchid Hill Farm.
This is what our scholars are working on:
The first year students are working on World Map, Solar System, Geometric Solids, Golden Beads Addition and Golden Beads Subtraction.
The second year students are working on the continent of South America, Stamp Game Multiplication, Stamp Game Division, Planet Mercury, Protozoa and Porifera and Times Tables 2 and 3.
The third year students are working on Checkerboard, Golden Bead Frame Multiplication, Test Tube Division, Characteristics of Vertebrates, Timeline of Life and the continent of Europe.
We look forward to our next field trip on October 18th to Honey Orchid Hill Farm.
News From Upper Elementary (4th-5th Grades)
Students have been busy in Upper Elementary this year! We are getting acquainted with our new classroom and friends and learning how to take care of our environment and each other.
The first month we have focused heavily on geography. 4th graders are studying North America and 5th graders are studying Asia and Africa, using hands-on maps.
We loved our first field trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It was great to be outside and exploring nature.
We are looking forward to playing outside and enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
The first month we have focused heavily on geography. 4th graders are studying North America and 5th graders are studying Asia and Africa, using hands-on maps.
We loved our first field trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It was great to be outside and exploring nature.
We are looking forward to playing outside and enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
Upper Elementary Visit Botanic Garden
News From Middle School (6th-8th)
Ms. Kathleen Olp
In English, we're off to a great start—reading and writing daily in the classroom!
We started the year off with annotating a short story and analyzing a poem. We've begun our novel studies--Chronicles of Narnia in 6/7th and Life of Pi in 7/8th. Students have learned of the ancient Greek mythology that inspired C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and discussed the different religions of Pi—undergoing his harrowing adventure adrift on the Pacific Ocean.
Our next writing project will be a literary analysis essay and project to wrap up each novel.
We look forward to productive reading and writing in the coming weeks!
Mr. Ron Chernobrov (Mr. C)
These past two months have been an exciting time to be a social studies student here at Kindi. The 6th graders are in an American History course and so have just finished their study of the Civil War and Reconstruction period and are just starting to look at the creation of railroads and the industrial revolution (middle to late 1800’s). The 7th and 8th graders are in a World History course and are currently studying ancient Egypt.
Over the course of the school year, our 6th graders will continue their study of American History by learning about American Imperialism, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It’s my hope that by the end of the school year, we will have reached the present day, or at least close to it. As for the 7th and 8th graders, we will continue our study of the Ancient and Medieval worlds. During the first semester we will finish Egypt and then study ancient India, China, Greece, and Rome. During the second semester, we will transition of medieval history by studying medieval Europe, the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islamic Empires, and wrap up with a study of the Renaissance and Reformation.
In terms of the classes themselves, there is social studies homework approximately two days a week and usually consists of reading a textbook section and completing some questions and vocabulary definitions. We also have mini projects that are due at the end of each unit of study, typically after each test. I encourage parents to check in with their children and follow up with them weekly to ensure progress is being made on their readings and projects.
We hope everyone enjoys October!
In English, we're off to a great start—reading and writing daily in the classroom!
We started the year off with annotating a short story and analyzing a poem. We've begun our novel studies--Chronicles of Narnia in 6/7th and Life of Pi in 7/8th. Students have learned of the ancient Greek mythology that inspired C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and discussed the different religions of Pi—undergoing his harrowing adventure adrift on the Pacific Ocean.
Our next writing project will be a literary analysis essay and project to wrap up each novel.
We look forward to productive reading and writing in the coming weeks!
Mr. Ron Chernobrov (Mr. C)
These past two months have been an exciting time to be a social studies student here at Kindi. The 6th graders are in an American History course and so have just finished their study of the Civil War and Reconstruction period and are just starting to look at the creation of railroads and the industrial revolution (middle to late 1800’s). The 7th and 8th graders are in a World History course and are currently studying ancient Egypt.
Over the course of the school year, our 6th graders will continue their study of American History by learning about American Imperialism, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It’s my hope that by the end of the school year, we will have reached the present day, or at least close to it. As for the 7th and 8th graders, we will continue our study of the Ancient and Medieval worlds. During the first semester we will finish Egypt and then study ancient India, China, Greece, and Rome. During the second semester, we will transition of medieval history by studying medieval Europe, the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islamic Empires, and wrap up with a study of the Renaissance and Reformation.
In terms of the classes themselves, there is social studies homework approximately two days a week and usually consists of reading a textbook section and completing some questions and vocabulary definitions. We also have mini projects that are due at the end of each unit of study, typically after each test. I encourage parents to check in with their children and follow up with them weekly to ensure progress is being made on their readings and projects.
We hope everyone enjoys October!
News from our Art Department
Art is off to a great start. Students had the opportunity to display their artistic talents by drawing pictures about their summer experience.
We are learning about primary colors. Students learned how to mix primary colors, using different coloring mix techniques. We also had a chance to enjoy Fall theme colors to create beautiful leaf art.
We are learning about primary colors. Students learned how to mix primary colors, using different coloring mix techniques. We also had a chance to enjoy Fall theme colors to create beautiful leaf art.
News from Religion (Elective)
Students who are enrolled in Islamic Studies celebrated Eid Al-Adha (Celebration of Sacrifice) with our Kindi Families and Students. The students performed beautiful Eid songs.
In October our classes have been studying about the early life of our Prophet (PBUH), reviewing the stipulations of Salah and Wudu.
We are excited to announce that we have launched a competition for the best Muth’aan in 4th and 5th grades next week. We studied about helping the needy and how to develop ways to support orphans in our society. The students came up with lots of wonderful ideas , which were really impressive from those beautiful young hearts.
In October our classes have been studying about the early life of our Prophet (PBUH), reviewing the stipulations of Salah and Wudu.
We are excited to announce that we have launched a competition for the best Muth’aan in 4th and 5th grades next week. We studied about helping the needy and how to develop ways to support orphans in our society. The students came up with lots of wonderful ideas , which were really impressive from those beautiful young hearts.
News from Arabic
Arabic:
Marhaban , hello! Our students were encouraged to practice and identify their family members through our FAMILY UNIT all in Arabic.
Family trees were shared in classes. We enjoyed cherishing our families and being thankful to God for having such a blessing.
Marhaban , hello! Our students were encouraged to practice and identify their family members through our FAMILY UNIT all in Arabic.
Family trees were shared in classes. We enjoyed cherishing our families and being thankful to God for having such a blessing.
Spanish in "octubre" with Maestra Kim:
The 3-6 year old Spanish classes have jumped into calendar, counting, and colors, which we will continue to practice throughout the year! Our first unit definitely got us moving as we used lively songs to learn parts of the body.. We also learned useful phrases such as "¡Me duele!" (It hurts!)
1st grade Spanish is building literacy skills as we explore the phonetics of the Spanish alphabet. We are building words from syllable cards while learning vocabulary to identify classroom objects. We are writing sentences to answer the question: ¿Dónde está? (Where is it?)
2nd grade Spanish is using the question words ¿Quién? ¿Qué? and ¿Cuántos? (who, what, and how many) to talk about the people and things in the classroom.
3rd grade Spanish is learning expressions to describe weather as well as calendar vocabulary, such as seasons, months, and days. We are also expressing likes and preferences for ourselves and others.
1st grade Spanish is building literacy skills as we explore the phonetics of the Spanish alphabet. We are building words from syllable cards while learning vocabulary to identify classroom objects. We are writing sentences to answer the question: ¿Dónde está? (Where is it?)
2nd grade Spanish is using the question words ¿Quién? ¿Qué? and ¿Cuántos? (who, what, and how many) to talk about the people and things in the classroom.
3rd grade Spanish is learning expressions to describe weather as well as calendar vocabulary, such as seasons, months, and days. We are also expressing likes and preferences for ourselves and others.
Noticias del Español (Spanish 2 News)!
Bienvenidos! Hello everyone, welcome back to Spanish Class! We have started the school year with great enthusiasm!
These first few weeks, we have focused on practicing previous material in order to refresh our memory and add on to
what we have learned. Student have engaged in many different activities regarding different ways of addressing others
and introducing oneself. Also, days, months, and classroom vocabulary has been reviewed by using memory cards and
different games. Vamos a aprender!
Ms Amelia Mendez