From the Head of School
As we sit in the midst of another Cleveland winter, struggling with the snow, cold, cabin fever and short glimpses of the sun, I decided to look inward at the world of our school and would like to communicate to you what I have found. There is a great deal that goes on here “behind the scenes” to advance and elevate our entire community. This year, I have formed or continued a number of committees that work within a particular charge, but also provide convergence toward the strategic plan and mission of the school. For example, our Green Curriculum Committee, now operating in its 4th year, continually seeks fresh ideas and products to supplement the Montessori core curriculum, thereby helping students understand the benefits of a “green” sustainable life. We have copyrighted the curriculum for our Toddler, Children’s House, Lower Elementary, and soon our Upper Elementary, that will ensure our students receive a continuum of information.

The Scope and Sequence Committee is hard at work with faculty at all levels and programs of the school, preparing to produce an inclusive, detailed written curriculum document. Ruffing has an articulated curriculum, but the review and revision process is adding energy and new insights to this document. There are other committees I would like to mention –Re-recruitment and Portrait of a Graduate. Both are new this year, with members who represent the administration, faculty and parents. Re-recruitment is a proactive way to say to you, our current families, that we want to know what you need and what you want us to know as you annually assess your experience at Ruffing. How can we best serve this very important decision you have made for your family and elevate the levels of trust and confidence that you have given us? It is an awesome responsibility, and one that colors and informs everything we do or say. We will never be content with the status quo; schools are organic entities that serve many constituencies, all of which help recruit and then re-recruit families.

With Cary Seidman and Kathie Freer as co-chairs, the entire staff began looking at Ruffing’s “portrait” this year. What would a Portrait of a Graduate look like in words? We are in the draft stages, but let me share a few of the most current aspects:

• Students possess an innate sense of ethical and moral values that extends to both academic and global issues.
• Students develop their skills in analyzing and synthesizing information in effective writing and speaking, and in mathematical computation and concepts.
• Students take responsibility for personal choices and for the outcomes of those choices.
• Students understand how they can become agents of social and political change.
• Students are internally motivated to achieve to their maximum potential.
• Students practice tolerance, compassion, and kindness toward others, appreciating and engaging in community service during their school years and after.
• Students are open to new ideas and accepting of differences among people.

Taking a break from writing this article, I looked out my window at the horizontal snow and icicles hanging from cars, to see two Upper Elementary students uncovering some buried materials. Being responsible citizens, the students came into my office to say, “We thought you might want to know why we were outside.” They were building an eco-tube in their classroom and needed to add varieties of plant life to the various layers of matter to observe decomposition, much like the work of a compost bin. I sat back and was again reminded of the rewards of this work, and the natural stimulation that comes from it. There are so many layers of activity at Ruffing, and with this message, I wanted to share a slice of that with you.

News and Notes
You will not see me at arrival and dismissal from Tuesday, February 23 through Friday, February 26, as I will be attending a conference of the National Association of Independent Schools (N.A.I.S.). This professional organization provides a wealth of information for independent schools and Ruffing is considering membership in the near future. Please visit their Website if you would like to learn more about the organization.

Gordon L. Maas, Head of School

New Trustees Sought
The board is the guardian of the school’s mission. It is the board’s responsibility to ensure that the mission is relevant and vital to the community it serves and to monitor the success of the school in fulfilling its mission. (National Association of Independent Schools).

Ruffing's Board comprises a balance of Ruffing parents and individuals with no current connection with the school, but with an interest in education and/or Ruffing. Our Trustees are truly committed to serving the school, each having agreed to serve a minimum of three years. It is the Committee on Trustees that identifies and recruits new board members with skills and expertise needed to ensure we continue to support the school's mission to "...employ the philosophy and methods of Dr. Maria Montessori to educate young people to their fullest potential...”

We are currently looking for individuals interested in serving on the Board who have skills in the following areas: development, education, executive development, facilities management, finance and strategic planning. If you would like to know more about joining Ruffing's Board, please contact Jane McGann (216-658-0821; mcgannja@msu.edu), or Lindsay Flack (216-896-0570; lindsay.flack@gamil.com).

Report from the Fairmount Montessori Association Board
A regular feature of our monthly Board meeting is the Head of School Report, in which Gordon provides Trustees with a snapshot of activities over the last month. In his latest report Gordon discussed our burgeoning pool of applicants for the 2010-2011 school year. Of particular interest to Trustees is the high number of applications received. We have had a consistent increase in numbers of applicants since 2006; last year saw record numbers applying to the school, this year we've received even more applications. What may have been a "bubble" last year has become a trend. Recruiting record numbers of new families during tough economic times is testament to our continued "value proposition" - a high quality education at a reasonable price.

The Board continues to examine how to strengthen our governance structure while simultaneously enhancing the community voice within the Board. Rebecca Holland, who is leading this effort, presented options for how to achieve both goals through a combination of FMA bylaw and Board policy changes. You will hear more of this at the annual meeting, which will be held on the evening of Monday, May 10th.

Finally, Trenton Tipton-Fletcher, who has served as President since 2008, resigned from the Board for personal reasons. Nancy Lyon Stadler, Board Vice President, will serve as acting President through the end of the year.
As always, we invite you to attend the next Board meeting, which will be held in the Middle School at 6pm on March 8th.

Bits and Bytes from the Technology Coordinator
From time to time this column will offer tips, tricks and techniques to make your (tech) life flow more smoothly. This article discusses a downloadable utility to add spell-check to Web-based email and other applications used through Internet Explorer, steps you can take to ensure that email does not wind up in your bulk/spam folder, methods to complete and submit electronic forms, and ways to make certain that documents created in MS Word 2007 (or Word 2008 for Mac) can be accessed on our classroom computers.

ieSpell – Spell Checker Add-on for Internet Explorer
ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell-checks text-input boxes on a Web page. It should come in particularly handy for users who do a lot of Web-based text entry (Web mail, forums, blogs, and diaries). Even if your Web application already includes spell-checking functionality, this utility is faster than a server-side solution. Plus, it enables you to store and use your personal word list across all your applications instead of having to maintain separate lists for each application. ieSpell is donationware, which means that it is free to download for personal use. If you really like it you might wish to make a donation, but that is entirely up to you. There is no obligation to do so. ieSpell works with Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8. To learn more about ieSpell, go to their Website (www.iespell.com).

Keep Ruffing eMail in Your Inbox
Is email from Ruffing (or anywhere else, for that matter) winding up in your junk or spam folder when it is neither junk nor spam? Internet browsers and Webmail applications are working hard to protect you from spam, spyware, malware, and the myriad of other things that attack across the Internet. Many of you already know that the easiest way to ensure that mail from known sources stays in your Inbox where it belongs is to add the sender’s email address to your address book. Ruffing Today and other emails sent through Emma, our email and marketing communications service, come to you from enews@ruffingmontessori.net.

Please be sure that you have added enews@ruffingmontessori.net to your address book. It is a good idea to check your junk mail and spam folders routinely for misdirected email. Of course if you have configured your mail account to automatically delete spam, you will never know what you might have missed!

Dealing with Electronic Forms
In keeping with our commitment to the environment, Ruffing is using electronic forms for collecting and managing information from our families. The forms are created using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat and both the form and your response are stored on Adobe’s secure server until the information is downloaded at Ruffing, where it is saved to a spreadsheet. In order to make it easier for you to complete the forms, we include drop-down list boxes wherever possible (such as classroom teachers, for example).

Using electronic forms greatly reduces the amount of paper used and makes it much easier for you to complete the forms and for us to manage the information once we receive it from you. Step-by-step instructions (www.ruffingmontessori.net/digitalForms) are available to simplify the process of completing and submitting your forms.

If this is your first experience with an electronic form, start by downloading and installing the latest versions of Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player (buttons below). It is free! A word of caution... When you go to the download page you will find that "Also Install: Free Google Toolbar" has been enabled. Unless you want the toolbar, click to remove the check and it will not be included in the download. If you know that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer, you are ready to follow the link to the electronic form.

Click the link in the email and then click "Download" and save the form to your computer. I generally save them to my desktop, but "My Documents," or any other convenient place will work perfectly well.
Navigate to the PDF file that you just downloaded and saved, and double-click to open it.

Complete the form by providing all of the requested information. Be sure to check spelling and capitalization carefully, as the form may be used in the creation of mail-merged documents.

Some forms require a digital signature. Click here for instructions on creating and using a digital signature if it is required for the form that you are completing.
When you have carefully checked the form, and digitally signed it if required, click the Submit button. You will see a message on the screen that the form has been queued and then that it has been successfully submitted.

That's it! You are done!

By taking the time to update Adobe Reader and by following the steps carefully, you will find that completion of electronic forms takes far less time and effort than it does to complete a paper form. The benefits do not end there. In addition to using far less paper, office staff time will be greatly reduced. When your form is submitted, it is downloaded in the Ruffing office, your responses are collected in a spreadsheet, and your completed PDF file is saved as well.

Compatibility of Microsoft Word Files
Although some families now have Microsoft Office 2007 on Windows-based PCs, and Microsoft Office 2008 on Macs, our classroom computers continue to use Office XP. An article entitled “When Word is not Word” appeared in the September issue of Ruffing Today. It addressed the fact that MS Word 2007 and 2008 are not compatible with earlier versions of Word unless certain steps are taken. Unfortunately, students are still coming to school with homework on a flash drive, and when they attempt to open the files on the classroom computers, they are unable to do so. These simple steps will prevent the panic that sets in when the unopenable homework is due in five minutes!

Click on the Office button (the same one you click to create new files, and to open, save, and print existing files). Click “Word Options” at the bottom of the window that opened, just below the list of Recent Documents. Click “Save” in the menu on the left side of the Word Options dialog. In the “Customize how documents are saved” dialog, select “Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)” in the drop-down list of file formats. Now, all documents that are created will be saved as Word 97-2003 compatible, and will easily open on the classroom computers.

The process can be repeated in MS Excel and MS PowerPoint, to ensure compatibility with classroom computers. This will, however, negate Office 2007/2008-only functions.

Lauren R. Pacini, Technology Coordinator

From The West Wing
The Middle School classroom fairly pulsates with vibrancy and purpose! Any adult visitor would be enthralled and sorely tempted to pull up a chair and stay a while to enjoy and absorb the lessons, as well as the eagerness and vitality of the students. You can only mutter to yourself, “Those kids are so lucky!” The everyday curriculum is enriched and enhanced in creative and countless ways. For example, in studying the Civil War and World War II, music from each era is introduced. In novel reading, the students are asked to prepare a movie trailer of The Good Earth to assess comprehension - much more creative and revealing than taking a quiz of multiple choice questions! In science, the students study vision and perspective by incorporating the art of Rene Magritte and M.C. Escher.

To fulfill the need for dramatic expression, the students are taking on the production of a play, and this year they have selected Romeo and Juliet. Budding thespians will enact the roles and, with the help of parent volunteers, those behind the scenes will create the set, costumes and backdrops, gather props, design the playbill, and organize publicity - invaluable experiences in learning how to “put on a show.” In music, the 7th grade is currently learning about Renaissance music, and 7th and 8th grade students have performed recorder selections from this time period, learned traditional social dances, and will compose the music in the style of the Renaissance for the chorus before Act One. A truly ambitious and creatively involved undertaking! The performance is Thursday, March 11, at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend! On alternate years, the students prepare and enjoy Poetry Night, featuring a coffee-house atmosphere and creative poems and performances.

Cleveland Heights author Sarah Willis addressed the students last month. Her first novel, Some Things That Stay, was named The New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Sarah teaches creative writing classes in the area.

In Spanish, students work from a textbook, and also learn about the culture of Latin America. In November Ecuadoran visual artist Rafael Valdivieso (and parent of Upper Elementary Student Gabby) visited the 8th graders and displayed his portfolio, related stories about his country and family and responded to the students’ questions. Eighth graders have been practicing their storytelling skills and have read storybooks in Spanish to the Lower Elementary students Seventh graders have created books about Spain and shared them with Lower Elementary classes, and performed a skit for the 7th grade French students.

On Friday mornings, students have a variety of challenging and interesting activities from which to choose. There are guitar lessons from Mike McNamara. (It was reported that those taking the classes performed “the blues” on stage during lunch before winter break.) Local artist and former Ruffing parent, Susan Skove, teaches her renowned silk-painting course. A resultant group project is displayed over the Middle School stage. Former Ruffing art teacher and current parent Katie Hannon offers advanced techniques to nascent Monets.

The ambiance reflects respectful camaraderie. The majority of the students have known each other from their Children’s House years, but their flexible organism grows and expands to accept and welcome additions when introduced. It’s truly remarkable to see these students so intently engaged, challenged, on task and focused. It is a testimony to their Montessori education, the teachers who brought them to this place, and the ones who carefully shepherd them now. Oh, to be 12 again!

Wish List
As the Middle School prepares for its March production of Romeo and Juliet, accumulating Renaissance costumes for the large cast is a difficult undertaking. If you can donate or loan dresses, tunics, tights, boots, etc., your support will be gratefully accepted.

From the Parent Association
Think about the school year so far. What do you remember? The Birthday Party, class picnics, the Pumpkin Party, the invaluable Parenting Toolbox Series? While your kids have been getting a first-rate education, you have been getting to know your fellow parents through the various social events the school offers - be it organized by the school, the Parent Association, or the class parents. If you've enjoyed these events in the past, and can see the value in having the whole family involved at the school you have chosen for your child, think ahead to next year.

The Parent Association needs you. We need parents to join the Executive Board, to become Class Parents, and to represent Ruffing at the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools (where you can meet reps from the other member schools; commitment is 9 meetings throughout the school year at the various schools - once a month mid-week during the day). Please contact me if you're interested in any of these positions (or talk to your current class parent to learn more about that role). We will be presenting the slate of Officers at our all-school April meeting, so talk to us soon.

Meanwhile, if you missed yesterday's Parenting Toolbox Lecture Series event with Amy Speidel, don't despair. Be sure to come next week as Amy will continue the discussion on how to use Conscious Discipline to Raise Confident Kids in a Complex World. Learn how to turn moments of frustration into moments of learning and growth.

Three PA events remain this year, and for each of these we would appreciate your volunteering efforts:

Grandparents' & Special Persons' Day - May 7, 2010 8:30-11am
Grandparents and Special Persons Day will be here before we know it! An electronic form went out to all families via email requesting information to send invitations. Please submit this form as soon as possible. You will continue to receive requests to provide the information until we receive it so save yourself from those emails and get the information in! This is a Parent Association-sponsored event intended for the sole purpose of sharing with special guests how our children spend their day at Ruffing Montessori. Please note that this is not a fundraising event and we do not request donations of any sort.

We will be in need of volunteers for the day. Hall hosts, hospitality, registration, and room hosts are all needed. his is a very wonderful and rewarding day to roam the school assisting our guests. We will also need donations for food items for hospitality (fruit, bagels, muffins, etc.,) Please email robinaritz@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering, donating food, or with any questions.
Great Kids' Race - May 15, 2010

This wonderful whole-school event will be upon us before you know it, and chairperson Kate Offutt could use your help. If you are interested in helping with the organization or running of this fun family event, please contact Kate Offutt at kboffutt@ameritech.net as soon as possible. And as this will be a milestone year - the 30th race - we'd like to do something special. If you have any ideas of what that could be, get involved.

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Dinner - late May
Karen and Peter Sullivan have graciously offered to host this year's dinner, but we could still use help planning. Contact me at niviengineer@gmail.com if you'd like to help put together this special dinner to show our appreciation to the people who take such good care of our kids.

Finally, if anyone out there has a graphic arts background, and would like to get involved in a creative project for CCIS, please contact me.

Make the most out of the rest of your year. It's not too late to feel connected to this wonderful community.

Nivi Engineer, PA President