In her honor, during the month of February, we will be reading about Japanese culture,  learning Japanese songs and phrases, and have the opportunity to prepare and taste traditional Japanese food.

Hatsuko was presented to Maple Dene &  Moppet School by the Japanese Cultural Center in Spokane, Washington, in recognition of the scope and breadth of the school’s Earth’s Studies curriculum of Japan. Hatsuko’s  name, given to her by the master doll maker who created her, means “first girl”, as she was the first doll he himself presented to a school in America. In honor of Maple Dene, maple leaves were hand painted on her kimono.

The Friendship Doll Program was begun by Dr. Sidney Gulick in 1927 as a message of goodwill from the people of the United States to the people of Japan. Having worked as a missionary in Japan for many years, Dr. Gulick was distressed at the deteriorating relations between the two countries. Knowing how much the Japanese people loved and respected dolls, Dr. Gulick, through churches and schools, was able to raise funds to purchase over 12,000 dolls to send as a gesture of friendship to Japan. Each doll carried an American passport, a one way ticket to Japan, and letters written by American children. They arrived in time for Hina Matsuri, the Doll Festival. The dolls were sent to Kindergartens and schools all over the country where they were loved and cared for. In return, Japanese master dollmakers were commissioned to make 58 Ichimastsu dolls, each the size of a five year old Japanese child, to send to America. Japanese children all over the country contributed one sen each to help fund the dolls.

The Japanese dolls arrived in America just in time for Christmas and carried Japanese passports, a one way ticket to America, and letters from Japanese children. During World War II many dolls were lost or destroyed. Over 300 American dolls have been found in Japan and 43 Japanese dolls have been located in America. Their stories are numerous; both moving and heart warming. Miss Tokushima resides in Spokane, Washington and Miss Kyoto at the Children’s Museum in Boston, MA.

In the spirit of Dr. Gulick’s original Friendship Doll Program, Michiko Takaoka at The Japanese Cultural Center at the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute in Spokane, Washington, in the early 1990s, created a new Japanese Friendship Doll Program. Through the generous donations from the people of Japan, in particular residents of the Nishinomiya and Hyogo Prefectures, over 1000 dolls have been given to various schools and organizations around the United States to promote cultural understanding and awareness. Having read about this program in the Five College Center for East Asian Studies newsletter, Maple Dene teachers applied to the program on behalf of the school. The Cultural Center was impressed with the scope and breadth of Maple Dene’s Earth Studies of Japan and the school was chosen as a recipient.

Monday mornings 9:30-10:30 a.m.

April 2, 9, 23, 30 and May 7, 14

Call 978-433-5695 for more information or to register!

Maple Dene and Moppet School offers PreSchool, PreKindergarten, Before & After School Care, and Elementary School for students Kindergarten through Grade Six. The school has been providing quality educational services for area families and children since 1984.

Maple Dene & Moppet School’s After School program will coincide with the public school’s first day, Wednesday, August 31st.

See you all bright and early!

Sign-up for 2 – 5 days per week. Full day and extended hours available. Summer Camp hours 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM.

Call 978-433-5695 for availability.

Take a look at some photos from the first week of Summer Camp 2011!

Summer Camp is a great time for a pick-up game of wiffle ball and making new friends.

The water slide is a great way to cool off!

Always a fun spot where some serious digging goes on, the sandbox!

At the end of every morning, we gather for an all camp sing-a-long.

• Sign up before April 15th – receive 3 FREE afternoons!
• Sign up before May 1st – receive 2 FREE afternoons!
• Sign up before May 15th – receive 1 FREE afternoon!

Camp program hours are 8:30 to 12:30. The camp is open from 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM. Extended hours available.

* Minimum 2 weeks, 2 days per week for Early Bird Special.

Don’t miss out on the fun all summer long at Maple Dene and Moppet School!
To get started call (978) 433-5695 or email info@mapledene.org.

Students work together in small groups to accomplish the daily work on the farm. They help with planting, while learning about ecology and stewardship of the land. The garden provides much of the delicious food to feed the hungry student farmers and staff. All of the buildings, except the barn, have been built over the years by students, including the bunk house where they now sleep.

This year will be Maple Dene’s eleventh visit to the farm. So many students have shared in the work there, and each group includes newcomers to the experience – as well as those who cannot wait to return.

You can learn more about the Farm School at www.farmschool.org.

They are all hallmarks of a much-loved Maple Dene Elementary School tradition! Last Friday, March 18, families, friends, and alumni gathered to share a wonderful Italian feast prepared by Chef Maria and the Maple Dene students, who worked hard all morning turning out handmade pasta noodles amidst flour-dusted faces smiling in excitement. Mounds of noodles, oodles of scrumptious sauce, and baskets of garlic bread were eagerly and happily consumed, and the school was alive with conversations and laughter.

Afterwards, students gathered in groups to test their knowledge of geometry on a mystery building (hint: designed and built by one of the first presidents of the United States, and located in Virginia). Parents were challenged with a map-reading activity, trying to deduce how many hours of daylight occur at specific times in the year (congratulations to our alumni, James Gilles, who volunteered the crucial clue!).

The evening ended with a skill well-honed by the Maple Dene community — estimating. At stake were enormous jars of pretzels, animal crackers, and — a personal favorite of the younger set — cheese puffs. It was a close contest, but thanks to some amazing calculations from The Crickets, (the Kindergarten and First Grade students) three winners were awarded their respective prizes for “using their noodle.”

It’s always bittersweet to see community evenings draw to a close, but as the laughter faded into the night, people headed home with the realization that another round of Maple Dene memories had just been made.