Blog

Ms. Marissa: The Joy of Mathematical Discovery

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

Last week, the math area captured so much enthusiasm in our classroom. The children have been deeply engaged with the concept of exchanging. We introduced The Exchange Game, where children roll a dice, count out unit beads, and exchange them for 10 bars. This playful work lays the foundation for dynamic addition (addition with carrying over). The children also learned The Snake Game, where they created a rainbow snake using the bead stair with addends of 10, and watched as the snake “sheds its skin” and transforms into a golden snake when we exchanged for 10 bars. The delight and excitement this work generates is wonderful to see!

During one lesson on four-digit addition with the golden beads, a child declared at the end that she wanted to do this work every day—a perfect example of the pure joy that comes from mathematical discovery and mastery.

With all the practice putting on snow gear, we’re all getting better at the routine! We’ve been repeating the order together: snow pants, boots, jacket, hat, and gloves. The growing independence and confidence in this practical life skill have been remarkable.

Our zoology shelf is currently featuring dinosaurs, and the children have been exploring this work with great interest. Next week, we’ll begin reading more scientific books on the topic and start our Black History Month lessons, focusing on celebrating the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Extending Learning at Home

Practice counting and exchanging with everyday objects. Count out 10 pennies and exchange them for a dime, or count 10 dimes and exchange them for a dollar. Even organizing small objects like buttons or pasta pieces into groups of 10 reinforces the mathematical mind’s natural attraction to order and pattern.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week

  • Monday, February 9
    ⋅ Moving Up Day for Students (Kindergarten students visit Lower Elementary)
  • Tuesday, February 10
    ⋅ Welcome to Kindergarten! Talk at 8:45 a.m. (for parents of P4 students)
    ⋅ Moving Up Night at 5:30 p.m. (for parents of K students)
  • Thursday, February 12
    ⋅ Classroom Valentine Exchange
  • Friday, February 13
    ⋅ No School | Teacher Professional Development Day

Next Week

  • Monday, February 16
    ⋅ No School | President’s Day

Mrs. Wilson: Hello, Lovely February!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the month of February, our classroom focuses on the themes of Emotions and Family and Friends. Gentle touches of Valentine’s Day can be found throughout the environment, woven into the materials in the Refinement of the Hands area, as well as art, language, and math. During this time, the children are introduced to new vocabulary and expressions that help them name and recognize a wide range of feelings. They also explore figures that represent families from many cultures, while learning meaningful ways to express love and care for others, big and small—and for themselves, which is just as important.

On Wednesday, the children worked with Ms. Sara on their Valentine’s gift bags, using foam heart-shaped stickers to carefully decorate their paper bags. This activity offered wonderful practice in refining and strengthening their fine motor skills through peeling, placing, and pressing. The children will use these bags during our Valentine’s Day celebration to collect Valentine cards from their friends.

Food Tasting:
This week’s food tasting featured a mango. One child described the mango as “colorful,” noticing the green, yellow, and red hues of its skin. Most of the children enjoyed the mango and were eager to taste this vibrant fruit.

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

A Week of Creativity and Music in Lower Elementary

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

This past week was one of those wonderfully full weeks, the kind that feels busy in the best possible way. From student-created theater to an inspiring musical performance, our days were packed with moments that reminded us just how special community is.

We kicked things off by attending the middle school play, and what a treat it was. It was inspiring to see the culmination of so much hard work and collaboration. The students didn’t just perform, they created the entire production. From writing the script to designing and building the set, every piece reflected their creativity, dedication, and teamwork. Our lower elementary students were especially captivated, watching as the older students’ efforts came to life on stage. It was a powerful example of what can happen when ideas, effort, and collaboration come together.

Later in the week, we had the chance to attend another special performance: Isle of Skoo. This local program is designed to inspire children to be “lighthouse keepers”—to be a light in someone else’s darkness, to accept others as they are, and to embrace one another’s differences. The message was beautiful, and the delivery made it even better. The show was fun, engaging, and full of energy. Students listened to the music, danced along, and soaked in the message without even realizing how much they were learning.

We’re looking forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day with the children in the classroom on Thursday, February 12th. If your child would like to participate in exchanging Valentine’s cards, they are welcome to bring them in to share with classmates. Please note that we have 32 children in the class, and if your child chooses to exchange Valentine’s, they will need to bring one for each classmate so everyone feels included.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

The Middle School started the week with their performance of Spoiler Alert! for students in Primary, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary. Afterwards, students in Lower and Upper Elementary stayed for a question-and-answer session about the writing and production process.

It was a great week to be outside at recess in the snow with temperatures slightly warmer than last week. Sledding has become a favorite activity while outside for many of the middle school students.

Announcements:

  • Monday, 2/9: Moving Up Day (Gr. 5 to join 6/7 classes for the day). 
  • 6th & 7th Grade Research Presentations Thursday, February 26th.CLICK HERE for more information.
  • Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
  • MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
  • MS Flower Schedule

Math

Pre-Transition: This week, students reviewed related facts while exploring angle relationships created by intersecting lines. They practiced identifying acute, obtuse, right, complementary, and supplementary angles and used angle properties to find unknown measures. Students also built confidence subtracting positive and negative fractions and mixed numbers.

Transition: Students stepped further into algebra by using fact triangles to connect addition and subtraction. They practiced solving equations and inequalities in the form x + a = b and x + a < b, and they learned how to graph those solutions on a number line as well as a graph.

Algebra: Students worked on solving linear equations and inequalities with variables on both sides. They wrapped up the week by tackling literal equations and rearranging formulas to solve for a specific variable.

Geometry: After finishing Chapter 3 with a quiz, students began Chapter 4, Congruence Transformations. They learned how to reflect figures across a line of reflection and explored the Reflection Postulate and how reflections affect orientation.

Algebra II: Students learned how to find the line of best fit for data and explored both explicit and recursive formulas for sequences. They also practiced graphing recursive formulas and finished the week learning how to write formulas for linear (arithmetic) sequences.

Science

After immersion week, Middle School students got back to work on their debate project. They were very engaged in doing research to build their arguments. In their research, they used reliable sources to look for evidence to support their strongest arguments. Students from 6th-7th grade’s debate was about the usage of electric cars. They had two teams: Team Pro and Team Con.  Each team had between 3 and 5 members who participated actively in the debate. Each member of the team had 2 minutes to support their 3 strongest arguments with evidence and reasoning (using the CER framework to build their arguments). Each member of the team got very engaged, and they all did their best to convince the other team to switch sides.

8th graders also had a similar project; they worked hard doing research on general understanding about Stem Cell Research. In 8th Grade, they also had two teams: Pro and Con. Students got very engaged with the topic and supported their arguments in a very strong way with a lot of technical information. Each team started their debate, presenting their three strongest arguments, one rebuttal, and a closing statement. They were very persuasive in exposing their arguments and were clear that their job was to convince the other team to switch to the other side. All middle schoolers’ favorite part was the rebuttal, and they did a great job. They followed the guidelines and participated in the debate in a very respectful way. Ms. Liset was very pleased with the result of their first debate of the year.

Humanities

During Black History Month, all Humanities classes will begin by celebrating Black American leaders, innovators, and trailblazers.

6th and 7th-grade students worked diligently on their research projects this week. They focused on transferring information from annotated articles to notesheets using the Cornell Note-Taking Method. This process helped students organize their research by source and topic. By annotating their articles first, students demonstrated greater success in paraphrasing key and important information. In addition, students developed thesis statements for the essays they will begin writing next week.

The 8th-grade Humanities classes focused on their Expert Projects this week. Each student had an extended check-in with Mrs. Lamb to ensure they were making progress with their research, staying focused on their thesis statements and intended focus, and creating goals for the next check-in. Additionally, some members of the class composed drafts of emails to send to potential experts. Finally, the week ended with a bit of history, learning about the separatists who settled Massachusetts.

Ms. Mollie: Hello February!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

This week in our Montessori Toddler classroom felt like a beautiful mishmash of movement, creativity, and cozy togetherness. When winter lingers, and cabin fever starts knocking, we lean in rather than resist it.

We painted at the easel and at the table — big arm movements, small, careful brush strokes, color mixing, and the simple joy of watching paint glide across paper. Art gives toddlers a safe way to express the extra energy they’re holding inside.

We baked together, measuring, pouring, stirring, and waiting (which is often the hardest part). The sensory experience of flour on fingers and the smell of something warm in the oven grounds us all.

We added extra gym time and intentional movement, including climbing, balancing, carrying heavy objects, and pushing and pulling. Toddlers need big body work in the winter. Their behavior often softens when their bodies feel satisfied.

We bundled up for outside time, even if just for a short while. Cold air on rosy cheeks, boots crunching on frozen ground,  it resets everyone. Fresh air is powerful medicine.

And of course, we sang and danced. Sometimes the quickest way through cabin fever is to turn on music and simply move. Joy is regulating.

If cabin fever is visiting your home, here are a few simple Montessori-aligned ideas you can try:

  • Create a “movement break” basket with scarves for dancing, painter’s tape for a hopscotch line on the floor, or pillows for jumping.
  • Bake something simple together. Let your child scoop, pour, and stir …even if it’s messy.
  • Set up a small art invitation: paper, crayons, watercolors, or even painting with water on construction paper.
  • Do practical life work, washing dishes in a small basin, scrubbing a table, and transferring dry beans with a spoon. Purposeful work calms the mind.
  • Step outside, even briefly. Five minutes can shift the tone of the entire day.
  • Turn on music and have a family dance party.

Winter can feel long, but it also offers us the gift of slowing down and being together. When we follow the children’s need for movement, creativity, and connection, cabin fever turns into shared memories instead of frustration.

We’re not fighting the season; we’re moving with it.

With Full Hearts

Ms.Mollie and Ms. Lizette

 

Love, Order, and Limits Across the Years

Posted on by Jill Skilton

At Fraser Woods, we understand that the way we show love to children evolves as they grow, but the fundamental truth remains constant. Children thrive when they feel both deeply loved and securely held by consistent boundaries. As Gabrielle Holt’s article reminds us, order and limits are not restrictions—they are powerful expressions of care that help children understand their world and their place within it.

Practical Guidance for Parents from Toddlers to Adolescents

Here’s how you can apply these principles at home, tailored to each stage of your child’s development at Fraser Woods.

Toddlers: Building Trust Through Predictable Routines

Our toddler program emphasizes real activities with intelligent purpose, and the same principle applies at home. At this age, children are experiencing their “sensitive period for order.” They have deep needs for consistency and predictability in their routines, the layout of spaces, and the people in their lives.

Practical Strategies for Home

Create consistent daily rhythms. Establish predictable sequences for morning routines, mealtimes, and bedtime. When toddlers know what comes next, they feel safe and can participate more actively.

Set up the environment for independence. Just as in our toddler classroom, provide child-sized tools and furniture. Low hooks for coats, accessible shelves for toys, and a step stool at the sink communicate, “You belong here, and you can do this yourself.”

Offer limited, clear choices. “Would you like to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt?” This respects their growing autonomy while maintaining your guidance.

Use calm, consistent language for limits. Instead of “No throwing!” try “Blocks stay on the floor. You can throw this soft ball.” Name the desired behavior and offer an alternative.

Honor practical life activities. Allow extra time for your toddler to pour their own water, help set the table, or carry their dishes to the sink. These activities build concentration, coordination, and confidence.

Ages 3-6: Freedom Within Clear Boundaries

In our Primary classrooms, children work within carefully prepared environments where freedom and limits coexist. The Montessori philosophy encourages freedom within limits, and this is essential at home as well.

Practical Strategies for Home

Establish family routines and stick to them. Consistent bedtimes, meal routines, and morning sequences provide the order Primary children crave while respecting their growing independence.

Create prepared spaces at home. Designate specific areas for different activities—a reading corner, an art space, a place for building. This external order supports internal organization.

Set clear expectations before transitions. “In five minutes, it will be time to clean up and get ready for dinner.” This gives children time to mentally prepare for changes.

Practice grace and courtesy. Model and gently remind children about social expectations: greeting people, saying please and thank you, waiting for their turn to speak. These aren’t arbitrary rules—they’re expressions of respect for others.

Allow natural consequences when safe. If your child refuses to wear a coat, let them feel chilly (assuming it’s safe). This teaches responsibility far better than lectures.

Maintain consistent responses. If jumping on the couch isn’t allowed on Tuesday, it shouldn’t be allowed on Saturday. Consistency helps children internalize expectations.

Ages 6-9: Supporting Intellectual Independence

As children transition from concrete to abstract thinking, they begin to question the “why” behind rules. This is healthy! In our Lower Elementary classrooms, we honor this developmental shift by explaining our expectations and involving children in problem-solving.

Practical Strategies for Home

Explain the reasoning behind limits. “We put our dishes in the sink after eating because it helps our family work together to keep our home clean.” Understanding the purpose makes cooperation more likely.

Involve children in creating family guidelines. Have family meetings where everyone contributes ideas about household expectations. When children help create the rules, they’re more invested in following them.

Establish routines for homework and independent work. Create a consistent time and place for homework. Provide support when asked, but resist the urge to hover. This age is learning to manage their own work.

Set clear boundaries around screen time and activities. Be specific: “We use screens for 30 minutes after homework on weekdays” rather than vague “not too much.”

Honor their need for physical activity and exploration. Just as in our classrooms where students use hands-on materials and take breaks to move, ensure home routines include outdoor time and movement.

Follow through consistently. If you say screen time ends at 5:00, it ends at 5:00—not 5:10 after negotiations. Consistency builds trust.

Ages 9-12: The Bridge to Adolescence

Our Upper Elementary program is designed as a bridge between childhood and adolescence, where students explore moral and ethical ideas as they seek to identify what makes them unique. At home, this means adjusting your approach while maintaining clear expectations.

Practical Strategies for Home

Transition from external to internal motivation. Rather than rewards and punishments, engage in conversations about values and choices. “How do you think that choice affected your friend?” encourages self-reflection.

Increase responsibilities gradually. This age can manage more complex tasks: packing their own lunch, managing their homework schedule, caring for a pet. Provide the structure, then step back.

Set boundaries around increasing independence. As children push for more freedom, establish clear parameters: “You can bike to your friend’s house if you text me when you arrive and leave.”

Create family rituals for connection. Regular family dinners, weekend activities, or bedtime check-ins become anchors as children become more independent.

Respect their need for privacy while maintaining oversight. Knock before entering their room, but maintain clear expectations about screen use, social media, and digital citizenship.

Model the behavior you expect. If you want your child to put their phone away at dinner, do the same. They’re watching everything you do.

Ages 12-14: Respecting the Emerging Adolescent

In our Middle School program, we emphasize self-discipline and personal accountability in an environment of unconditional respect. Adolescents need both structure and opportunities to practice independence—preparing them for the adaptations of high school and beyond.

Practical Strategies for Home

Shift from control to influence. Adolescents are developmentally driven to assert independence and make their own choices. Rather than trying to control their every decision, focus on maintaining a strong relationship built on trust and open communication. Stay connected even during disagreements—your influence comes from the strength of your bond, not from your authority.

Establish non-negotiables clearly. Be clear about your family’s core values and non-negotiable expectations (safety, respect, honesty) while allowing flexibility in other areas.

Create structures that support their responsibilities. Rather than nagging about homework, establish a family expectation: “Homework is completed before dinner” or “Sundays are for organizing the week ahead.”

Honor their need for social connection. Adolescents are forming their identity through relationships with peers. Support appropriate social activities while maintaining boundaries around safety.

Use natural consequences whenever possible. If your middle schooler forgets their lunch, resist the urge to rush it to school. The experience of being hungry teaches responsibility better than lectures.

Schedule regular one-on-one time. Adolescents may seem like they want distance, but they desperately need connection. Car rides, coffee dates, or walks create space for conversations without pressure.

Practice collaborative problem-solving. When conflicts arise, involve your adolescent in finding solutions. “I’ve noticed you’re staying up very late. How can we work together to ensure you’re getting enough sleep?”

Respect their growing need for autonomy while maintaining connection. They need to know you’re available while also trusting them to manage more of their own lives.

Universal Principles Across All Ages

Regardless of your child’s age, these principles remain constant:

Be consistent, calm, and clear. When we are predictable in our responses, children feel secure. This doesn’t mean being rigid, but it does mean following through on what we say.

Connect before you correct. Whether your toddler is melting down or your middle schooler is being defiant, connection comes first. Get down to their level, make eye contact, acknowledge their feelings, then address the behavior.

Limits are acts of love. When you maintain a consistent bedtime, insist on respectful language, or follow through on consequences, you’re teaching your child how to live respectfully with others. You’re showing them that you care enough to guide them.

Model what you expect. Children learn more from what we do than what we say. Show them what respectful communication looks like, what perseverance looks like, what integrity looks like.

Remember that order provides freedom. Just as in our Fraser Woods classrooms, when children know the boundaries, they’re free to explore, create, and grow with confidence within them.

At Fraser Woods, we partner with you to raise children who feel secure, capable, and loved. The consistency, thoughtful routines, and calm boundaries we maintain at school are most effective when reinforced at home. By providing this loving structure across all developmental stages, we’re responding to our children’s deepest needs: to understand how the world works and where they belong within it.

This is not about being perfect. It’s about being present, consistent, and intentional. When we hold loving limits, we give our children the security they need to grow with confidence and joy.

 

Ms. Marissa: Building Community

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

Last week, frigid temperatures kept us indoors, but we made the most of our indoor spaces! The children got excellent exercise in the gym and our Primary Open Space, using wobble boards, stationary bikes, climbing cubes, and more. This indoor time also provided wonderful opportunities for the children to strengthen their classroom community. One of the most beautiful developments we observed was how naturally the children are supporting one another. We always suggest to the children to “ask three friends before you ask a teacher” for help with work. This has been working beautifully, as we are seeing our little classroom community working together and collaborating. Watching older children guide younger friends through work and seeing peers problem-solve together demonstrates the power of our mixed-age environment. The children have easily adjusted to having me back from maternity leave, and I have really been enjoying getting to know all my “new” students! Their warmth and adaptability continue to impress me daily.

In mathematics, we were busy practicing skip counting by 10’s, working on The Snake Game, exploring addends of 10, and building numbers with The Golden Beads. These foundational math materials support the children’s development of their “mathematical mind” and help them understand abstract concepts through concrete, hands-on experiences. Looking ahead, we are excited about Valentine’s Day! February also brings us Black History Month, and we will be celebrating Black Americans throughout history.

Extending Learning at Home

Practice skip counting during everyday activities—count by 10’s while putting away toys or going up stairs. Look for groups of 10 items around the house (silverware, toys, books) to reinforce this concept. Encourage your child to help siblings or friends with tasks, reinforcing the “ask three friends” approach we use in the classroom.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week

  • Monday–Friday
    – Book Loan Month: Quinn & Leo
    – Moving Up Classroom Observations
    – Food & Flowers: Eowyn
  • Monday, February 2
    James’ Birthday Walk
  • Wednesday, February 4
    Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary students at 9 a.m.

Next Week

  • Tuesday, February 10
    Welcome to Kindergarten! Talk at 8:45 a.m. for parents of P4 students
    Moving Up Night at 5:30 p.m. for parents of K students
  • Thursday, February 12
    Classroom Valentine Exchange
  • Friday, February 13
    No School | Teacher Professional Development Day

Mrs. Sargeant: Exploring Dimensions and Classic Tales

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Last week brought exciting new materials to our practical life and sensorial areas. The children discovered cucumber slicing and spooning split peas with a new wooden spoon. Many children were fascinated by the split peas, which sparked conversations about the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We explored several versions of this classic tale using finger puppets and different picture books, allowing the children to compare and contrast how the same story can be told in various ways.

The children showed great interest in learning the names of the geometric solids. We discussed the difference between two-dimensional shapes—such as those included in the metal insets and geometry cabinet—and three-dimensional shapes. They enjoyed playing games with their eyes closed to feel which geometric solid they were holding, engaging their tactile sense to distinguish between spheres, cubes, cylinders, and cones. Next week we will add a blindfold to focus specifically on their stereognostic sense, helping them refine their ability to identify objects through touch alone.

The cold weather meant we spent considerable time indoors, though we were fortunate to use the gym where children enjoyed balls, hula hoops, and playing duck, duck, goose—a game that was new for many of the children. Throughout the week, we witnessed older children helping younger friends perfect their mat rolling skills and assisting them with sharpening pencils when needed. These moments of grace and courtesy demonstrate the compassion and community care growing within our classroom.

Extending Learning at Home

Look for three-dimensional shapes around your home—cans (cylinders), balls (spheres), boxes (rectangular prisms). Let your child hold these objects with eyes closed and describe what they feel. Practice the Goldilocks story together, encouraging your child to retell it in their own words. Simple practical life activities like slicing soft fruits with a butter knife or transferring dried beans between containers support their developing coordination and independence.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week

  • Monday–Friday
    – Moving Up Classroom Observations
  • Wednesday, February 4
    Isle of Skoo Assembly for Primary–Upper Elementary students at 9 a.m.

Next Week

  • Tuesday, February 10
    Welcome to Kindergarten! Talk at 8:45 a.m. for parents of P4 students
    Moving Up Night at 5:30 p.m. for parents of K students
  • Thursday, February 12
    Classroom Valentine Exchange
  • Friday, February 13
    No School | Teacher Professional Development Day