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Mrs. Sargeant- A Wonderful Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

 

It was truly a wonderful week! The children seem to really enjoy each other. Their faces light up each morning when they are reunited, and they notice when their peers are absent. Observing the children help one another with various tasks has been heartwarming.

We welcomed a few Middle School students into the class as part of their “Social Impact” experience. The toddlers warmed up quickly and were fascinated by these role models. They seemed to especially enjoy looking at books and building with blocks beside their new friends. This is such a wonderful way to build community at our school. We’re looking forward to another visit next week!

We had a peaceful circle time to celebrate International Day of Peace. We sang ‘Light a Candle for Peace’ as we each “lit” a candle and took turns to hug our Earth pillow. Later, we joined the whole school on the field to sing the song together.

We celebrated a friend’s second birthday this week. Happy Birthday, Jaxxon! Thank you for buying a copy of your favorite Bluey book for our classroom library.

This week, the trampoline has been a big hit. The children are learning to take turns while waiting patiently for their friend to finish jumping. Outdoors, they’re taking turns on the slide. Most of the children now love our outside time on the playground. Some children enjoy discovering and collecting twigs and acorns. Others spend much of their time in the sandbox. This week, a few keen observers discovered an interesting caterpillar and a colorful beetle, and another group found a toad!

We’re excited to see what adventures next week will bring!

Mrs. Sargeant and Ms. Lizette

Mrs. Doyle: Sing Peace Around The World

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child. -Maria Montessori

Peace education is a basic tenet of the Montessori philosophy. In the 3-6 environment, studying the seven continents, including their people and cultures, provides a global view of our world. As Montessori teachers, practicing and teaching peace, kindness, and acceptance is a natural part of our day. Dr. Maria Montessori believed we should think of education as peace, not education for peace. She also believed that young children were our hope for eliminating conflict and instilling peace throughout the world. Dr. Montessori, as always, knew that lecturing children would accomplish very little and that to truly understand peace, they would need to discover it for themselves.

To celebrate Peace Day, we participate in “Sing Peace Around The World.”  Beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii, Montessori schools around the world sing “Light A Candle For Peace” for five minutes. At FWM, we gathered together and sang with the entire school early Thursday morning. It was a powerful moment and reminder of the importance of teaching and modeling peace to everyone we interact with. So, for 24 hours, Montessori children sang this special song continuously in different parts of the world.

Wishing everyone a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: Sing Peace Around the World

Posted on by Amanda Lopes


Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child. -Maria Montessori

Peace education is a basic tenet of the Montessori philosophy. In the 3-6 environment, studying the seven continents, including their people and cultures, provides a global view of our world. As Montessori teachers, practicing and teaching peace, kindness, and acceptance is a natural part of our day. Dr. Maria Montessori believed we should think of education as peace, not education for peace. She also believed that young children were our hope for eliminating conflict and instilling peace throughout the world. Dr. Montessori, as always, knew that lecturing children would accomplish very little and that to truly understand peace, they would need to discover it for themselves.

To celebrate Peace Day, we participate in “Sing Peace Around The World.”  Beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii, Montessori schools around the world sing “Light A Candle For Peace” for five minutes. At FWM, we gathered together and sang with the entire school early Thursday morning. It was a powerful moment and reminder of the importance of teaching and modeling peace to everyone we interact with. So, for 24 hours, Montessori children sang this special song continuously in different parts of the world.

Wishing everyone a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema

Ms. Marissa: Sing Peace Around the World

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

 

Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child. -Maria Montessori

Peace education is a basic tenet of the Montessori philosophy. In the 3-6 environment, studying the seven continents, including their people and cultures, provides a global view of our world. As Montessori teachers, practicing and teaching peace, kindness, and acceptance is a natural part of our day. Dr. Maria Montessori believed we should think of education as peace, not education for peace. She also believed that young children were our hope for eliminating conflict and instilling peace throughout the world. Dr. Montessori, as always, knew that lecturing children would accomplish very little and that to truly understand peace, they would need to discover it for themselves.

To celebrate Peace Day, we participate in “Sing Peace Around The World.”  Beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii, Montessori schools around the world sing “Light A Candle For Peace” for five minutes. At FWM, we gathered together and sang with the entire school early Thursday morning. It was a powerful moment and reminder of the importance of teaching and modeling peace to everyone we interact with. So, for 24 hours, Montessori children sang this special song continuously in different parts of the world.

Wishing everyone a week filled with peace and love!

Marissa & Sue

Lower Elementary- Week 3

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

An exciting part of our week was creating the class “Who Am I” material together. “Who Am I” is a collection of Montessori biology materials used to learn about the different kingdoms of life, specifically animals, plants, fungi, protists, and prokaryotes. As a fun beginning-of-the-year activity, we made this material focusing on the children in the classroom. This process started with the children answering questions about themselves. Next, it was typed up and turned into a material the students can use during work cycle. The “Who Am I” material is a fabulous and popular classification work, and it also provides work in comprehension and fluency while helping the children get to know each other!

We celebrated International Day of Peace on Thursday by singing “Sing Peace Around The World.” This special song is sung by Montessori children all around the world for 24 hours. We gathered as a whole school community, from toddlers to middle school students. It was a powerful moment and a reminder of the importance of teaching and modeling peace to our children.

Candlewood Fencing Center will lead a Lower Elementary Fencing Club on Tuesdays at FWM as part of our after-school enrichment program. To help children better understand the sport of Olympic fencing, coaches from Candlewood Fencing Center will be providing a demonstration for us during the school day on Tuesday, September 26. More information about the program will be available when the full fall enrichment schedule is announced.

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend!

Mrs. Wilson: An Eventful Week

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

What an eventful week we had! The children did so well with the many transitions that took place this week. I am delighted to report that our portrait day, held on Tuesday, was a resounding success. While not all the students were grinning from ear to ear, I am sincerely pleased to announce that no tears were shed during the photo session this year. On Thursday, we conducted our very first fire drill. The children comfortably held onto the walking rope as we proceeded outdoors to the field. Following that, we formed a circle and took part in our Peace Ceremony. We joined the whole school community to sing “Light a Candle for Peace” in honor of International Day of Peace.

In the classroom, the children are exploring apples further and have been introduced to farm animals. Farm animals are an excellent tool for language development as they help bridge the gap between babbling and actual words. The sounds that animals make, such as “baaa” and “moo,” help with phonological awareness by bringing together the consonant-vowel sounds.

Due to the events on Thursday, we decided to reschedule our food-tasting activity from Thursday to Friday. Typically, Thursday is the day when children participate in our food tasting. This week, the children had the opportunity to savor and explore a crisp green apple as part of this engaging activity.

Thank you goes to those who graced us with their presence at curriculum night. For those unable to attend, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any inquiries regarding our toddler curriculum.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mrs. Wilson and Ms. Sara

Mrs. Hood’s: Yummy in my tummy!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

One of the main highlights of our week was our first lesson on food tasting. As children grow beyond the infant stage, they begin the journey to independence as toddlers. Many parents notice this change in their children when it comes to mealtime, as they begin to hear a resounding “No!” when it comes to eating the foods they once loved and trying new ones. In order to help families, we have integrated food tasting into our toddler program as a way to ease children into the idea of trying new foods by teaching them all about the food and encouraging them to participate as a group.

This week, we introduced some delicious red apples!

Children were really excited to see the food-tasting tray covered, especially our second-year students, who knew what was coming. The children gathered quietly around the tray as they noticed there was a surprise under the towel. To keep the mystery going, I peeked under the towel and got the children really excited and curious! There were smiles and expressions of awe at the moment I finally removed the towel that was covering the apple. This fruit was presented as a whole first, then cut in front of them, presented as half, and then served individually. In our conversation, and as the children could touch the apple being presented, we included such adjectives as cold, big, smooth, red, and tasty to keep adding to our vocabulary. Children observed while I slowly picked up a piece of apple and placed it inside my mouth, tasting it slowly and dramatically, with the purpose of encouraging curiosity and expectation when it was their turn to taste. They willingly accepted my invitation, and they all enjoyed some yummy apples. This lesson is a favorite every year, and we can’t wait to explore all the different food items on our list each week.

This week, we also celebrated our first birthday in the classroom. It’s always a joy to see those smiley faces feeling seen and cherished!

By the end of the week, we gathered as a school and celebrated the International Day of Peace. Each year, the International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world on the 21st of September. Established by the United Nations, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.

On this day, Montessori schools from around the world join together to sing for peace. The song travels around the globe over a 24-hour period, starting with New Zealand and ending with the Hawaiian Islands.

Maria Montessori truly believed in peace education as she felt that world peace can only be achieved through education. In Montessori, we strive to give children the tools to live at peace with others and settle conflict in a peaceful manner.

While you enjoy some of your children’s pictures, we encourage you to put the volume up on this beautiful song and remember that each one of these little ones deserves to live in a peaceful world. So let’s work together for it!

Enjoy your weekend,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Mrs. Sargeant: Welcome!

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

What a week! The children have already become more comfortable in their new surroundings. They are becoming familiar with the daily routines and with each other. In just a short time, we have seen growth in the children’s interactions with each other. They are learning to communicate effectively and respectfully with their peers, and it has been very exciting to hear!

This week’s food tasting featured red apples. We discussed and examined the different parts of the apple: stem, skin, pulp, and seeds, and emphasized all the ways to describe the apple: red, crunchy, juicy, sweet, delicious, and crisp.

We’ve been enjoying singing together and taking turns to pop bubbles. ‘Five Little Monkeys’ appears to be the group favorite at the moment.

The children are slowly adapting to the playground routine. They are learning to walk in a line, using our rope, as we walk as a group through the halls all the way to the playground. This week, we joined the other toddler classes on the playground. By the end of the week, some children were eager and excited to see their new playmates.

We are thrilled to be on this enchanting journey with your children! This year will be filled with discovery, growth, and budding friendships.

Thank you for adhering to your child’s scheduled, staggered arrival and dismissal times. Unless your child has a sibling at the primary, elementary, or middle school levels, or you have registered for early drop-off, arrival for toddlers is from 8:30 to 8:45, and dismissal is at 2:45.

Wishing you all a happy weekend,

Mrs. Sargeant and Ms. Lizette