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Here’s to Summer, Lower El!

Posted on by Ashley Beckett

As the school year ends, I reflect on the incredible journey I’ve had with this group of lower elementary students, who have brought so much joy and laughter into my life. It feels like we started the school year just yesterday, full of anticipation and excitement. As we bid farewell to another chapter, we celebrate the wonderful memories we created together and wish each other the best summer ahead!

We asked the children what they were looking forward to about summer!  Enjoy below:

Advay: I’m looking forward to camp!
Angie: I’m looking forward to my birthday, going to Niagara Falls, staying up late and watching movies and eating fun treats!
Carmen: I’m looking forward to Girl Scout camp, hanging out with my cousins and friends, going to Portugal and ballerina class!
Eleanor: I’m looking forward to seeing my grandparents and going to Girl Scout camp!
Greyson: I’m looking forward to reading a lot of books, going to the beach with my sister, and going on a boat!
Landon: I’m looking forward to going to my grandma’s beach house, Paris, Portugal, and summer camp!
Olivia: I’m looking forward to camp!
Rowan: I’m looking forward to going to Delaware and the pool!
Sullivan: I’m looking forward to my brother’s birthday!
Aya: I’m looking forward to ballet camp, swimming, watching TV, playing outside, and going to Rhode Island!
Lily B: I’m looking forward to summer camp!
Malcolm: I’m looking forward to battling my Dad in the pool and going to skating and kung-fu camp!
Nina: I’m looking forward to watching movies during my free time and maybe going to dance camp!
Marin: I’m looking forward to playing with my family and having a water balloon fight with them!
Samuel: I’m looking forward to my birthday, going to camp, and having sleepovers!
Wilder: I’m looking forward to going to the Adventure Park, relaxing in the pool, and going to Boy Scout camp!
Beau: I’m looking forward to having more free time to work on my tumbling and going to the Adventure Park!
Charles: I’m looking forward to going to West Point, swimming, sleepovers, and vacation!
Dante: I’m looking forward to going to Niagara Falls, sleeping in, and water balloon fights!
Gregory: I’m looking forward to playing football and camping with my sister and Dad!
Harper: I’m looking forward to going to the beach, drama camp, and traveling to Acadia, Maine.
Lily L: I’m looking forward to traveling to Washington state and Idaho, camping with my Dad, going to the beach and my first ever concert!
Luke: I’m looking forward to cooking camp and going swimming in my pool!
Mya: I’m looking forward to my birthday, going to Colombia and trying new food there!
Noya: I’m looking forward to going to camp and traveling to new places!

Mrs. Doyle: Whose Child Is This?

Posted on by Michelle Doyle

Continuing with a long-standing FWM tradition, our Kindergarten friends began working on their number rolls early in September and had the opportunity to unroll them on Wednesday. It is always a much-anticipated event that brings great joy to everyone. Each year, several middle school students will stop by and say, “I remember doing this, and I still have my number roll!”

The end of each school year is always an emotional time filled with wonder and pride at all that we have accomplished and how much each child has grown. To our Kindergarten students, those moving on, and their families, we wish you all the success you have worked so hard for. You will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we sincerely hope you will keep in touch throughout the years. To our returning students and families, we can’t wait to hear all about your summer and to experience the 2024-25 school year together. We wish all of you a summer filled with peace, love, happiness, and the chance to make beautiful memories. Enjoy the time with your loved ones, and may you all have a chance to relax and enjoy a calmer time of year. Thank you for sharing your children with us, and thank you for all the behind-the-scenes help that made our year so much smoother!

We leave you with a poem that resonates deeply with us every single year.

Whose Child Is This?      

“Whose child is this?” I asked one day
Seeing a little one out at play.
“Mine,” said the parent with a tender smile.
“Mine to keep a little while
To bathe his hands and comb his hair
To tell him what he is to wear
To prepare him that he may always be good
And each day do the things he should.”

“Whose child is this?” I asked again
As the door opened and someone came in.
“Mine,” said the teacher with the same tender smile.
“Mine, to keep just for a little while
To teach him how to be gentle and kind
To train and direct his dear little mind
To help him live by every rule
And get the best he can from school.”

“Whose child is this?” I ask once more
Just as the little one entered the door.
“Ours,” said the parent and the teacher as they smiled
And each took the hand of the little child.
“Ours to love and train together
Ours this blessed task forever.”

—–Author Unknown

With much love,

Michelle & Maria

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

We had a fantastic three days packed with learning at Nature’s Classroom this week!

After settling into our dorm and eating lunch, we set off on our first field group hike in the woods with our group leaders, Ranger and Alan. This first hike was challenging on a trail that hadn’t been used in five years. Many of us ended up getting wet as we built and crossed a bridge to cross a swampy area. Our next class was on starting a fire with a firebow. We learned what materials to collect and what process to follow to start and keep a fire burning. After dinner, we participated in a science quest. We learned how sound, light, heat, and electric currents can transfer energy from place to place. We ended day one with quiet sing and a story read to us by Alan.

Day two was full of hikes in the woods. We were lucky to be joined by Mr. Newman for our first hike of the day! We went on four hikes, logged over nine miles, and spent a glorious time in the forest learning about animal and plant life. We learned to use a map and compass to navigate to a forest brook, where we built dams and created small pools. After dinner, we had a campfire and marshmallows and sang before going on a night hike in the woods. To end day two, Ranger read us a poem.

On our last day, we had a rainy start. After packing and cleaning our dorm, we made our own bagged lunches to eat in the woods. We hiked, built our last fire, and gathered around it to eat our lunch, toast marshmallows, and warm our bodies. We left Nature’s Classroom having formed bonds, shared experiences, and made memories that will last a lifetime.

Jill has created a Flickr album of her beautiful photos from our trip. I hope you enjoy them!

Mrs. Hood’s class: Spreading wings!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

The moment we had all been eagerly anticipating finally arrived! Our beautiful butterflies emerged, taking their time to strengthen their delicate wings. The children were enchanted as they watched the butterflies explore their surroundings, using their long tongues to taste the fruits we provided. Children happily worked on a special spring crown craft and decorated it with many butterflies for the big celebration!  When the moment came, we gathered together in the butterfly garden and gently opened the glass doors. We could almost feel the butterflies’ excitement as they basked in the sun and felt the gentle breeze, ready to embrace their new freedom. The children were in awe! It was such a special moment! One brave butterfly soared high immediately, while the other ones seemed a bit shy. With a small stick, I coaxed them gently, and after a few moments, they took flight, bringing smiles and laughter to your children as they fulfilled their destiny.

This activity always stirs deep emotions within us as guides. As our school year draws to a close in just a few days, we can’t help but reflect on the journey of our butterflies. Like those tiny caterpillars, we have cherished every transformation in your children’s lives this year. They have grown so much, blossoming into more independent, confident, and capable individuals. Observing their development has brought immense joy to our lives. We are profoundly grateful to you for entrusting us with their care and growth.

On the morning of Friday, June 7th, at 9:15 am, we will open another set of “glass doors” and let your children soar too! We will celebrate with a simple but sweet and meaningful graduation that we traditionally call the Crossing Bridge Ceremony.  You should have already received an email with details, but if not, please let me know. We hope to see you all there to share in this heartfelt moment.

In the meantime, we will savor our remaining days together, mastering new skills, discovering the world, laughing, dancing, and most importantly, hugging each other a little tighter, treasuring the little family we’ve become.

Warmly,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Mrs. Wilson: Culinary Adventures!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

Last Friday, we were surprised to see all seven of our butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. We set them free since they all emerged just before the long weekend. I learned that butterflies like very ripe bananas. So, next time you have ripe bananas, you can place them in a garden area and see if you can attract butterflies.

This was a busy week filled with special activities. We started the week by having the children participate in a special keepsake project that will be revealed at the Bridge Crossing Ceremony. Next, the children celebrated our youngest friend’s birthday. On Thursday, the children had a special visitor, Ms. Lynne, who is Poppy’s Auntie. She came in to read a story and make strawberry smoothies with them. Lynne brought back a special book from Italy, which we all know as “Pinocchio,” and a special gift from her trip: beautiful wooden Pinocchio pencils. Lynne also supplied us with delicious sweet strawberries and vanilla yogurt. The children all had a turn to help prep the strawberries by washing, hulling, and slicing them. We then put them into the blender with the yogurt, and they watched how the strawberries blended with the yogurt to make a delicious smoothie. They all drank their smoothies from swirly animal straws, also courtesy of Ms. Lynne.

Thank you, Lynne, for all your support and for creating a special day with all the children.

This week’s food tasting featured a large, juicy watermelon. I hid the watermelon from the children and asked them to guess what it was. Some of their guesses included melon, sprinkles, pancakes, marshmallows, and pumpkins, all of which were good guesses. Then, we passed or rolled around the watermelon so the children could experience its weight.  Each child seemed to enjoy the juiciness of the watermelon. This week marked our final food-tasting session of the year.

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

Spanish Class-May 2024

Posted on by Liset Ray

 

Primary and LE: “La Primavera” (Spring) y “La Ropa” (Clothing); UE: “La Comida, La Primavera, Donde Estás?, La Escuela ; MS: “El horario en la escuela” y “La Primavera”. A general review of all we have learned to this point this school year was done at every level. In addition, FWM middle school students were able to present their Spanish Food Project.

FWM students are still working on their usual conversation about feelings, Spanish greetings, the calendar, and descriptions of the weather, as repetition is the key to learning another language. They are continuously improving their Spanish listening and vocabulary. Students from Primary, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School listened carefully to Spanish lessons, books, and songs and participated in interactive games that were presented during class.

Primary and Lower Elementary students also continued lessons using the same type of Montessori lessons such as three-part learning cards and matching cards to reinforce concepts. The children also really enjoyed singing and participating in classroom games. Spanish Montessori Lessons were presented in the students’ classroom and left in their classrooms to be practiced during the week.

Upper Elementary and Middle School students also continue working year-round on their Spanish greetings, description of weather, feelings and their daily calendar that includes days of the week, months and seasons. Also, students learned songs in class that helped with the memorization of vocabulary and with pronunciation.

In addition, Middle School Students continue working through the Spanish curriculum in the “Avancemos” program. They also focused on learning vocabulary to talk about School schedules. They are also learning how to use and write more verbs and their conjugations, learning about their daily schedule, reviewing how to say the time, and learning to say how often they do their activities.  We continue enhancing their vocabulary, reading, listening, and comprehension skills using our workbooks. We watched the movie “Elemental” in Spanish as part of “Spanish Enrichment”.

Middle schoolers presented their last project of the year, their “Spanish Food Presentation”. This project allowed children to expand their horizons, where they can experience the diversity of food that other countries can offer. They really enjoyed working on their project. All of them did a great job researching the dishes, history, origin, and recipe and showing videos of them cooking at home, and they even shared the food they prepared with classmates.

Overall, this year, all the students at FWM are enjoying learning Spanish, and I am very pleased with their progress accomplishing goals in my class.

Mrs. Doyle: Are You Ready For The Summer?

Posted on by Michelle Doyle

We asked the children what they loved about summer and /or what their plans were for this summer.  We hope you enjoy their answers as much as we did!

  • Ainsley–Can’t wait to visit Hershey Park with her family.
  • Arya–Hopes she can go to Florida with her Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma.  She loves the beaches there.
  • Bodie—Is looking forward to spending time in his pool and bouncing a lot in his bouncy house.
  • Ella–Is excited to go swimming at a beach with big waves.
  • EmmaJo–Is planning to visit a water park with her mom.
  • Hadley–Is going to ride her jeep all over her yard with her dad.
  • Hannah–Loves to go to the beach with her family.  She just loves to swim and be in the sun.
  • Harper–Can’t wait for her cousins from England to visit so they can have at least 10 sleepovers.
  • Isla–Is so excited to visit her Grandma and Grandpa in Rochester.
  • Jacob–Is looking forward to going to the mall with his brother Alex.
  • Jonathan–Is hoping to read 100 books.
  • Joseph–Plans to wake up early every day and make a really big breakfast.
  • Leo–Is going to go to the beach and play with his brand-new cousin.
  • Maayan–Hopes to put water on the trampoline and jump really, really high with her sister.
  • Melina–Is so excited to go camping with her family.
  • Oliver–Is so excited to set up his water slide in his yard.
  • River–Can’t wait to eat lots and lots of cookie and cream ice cream.
  • Ryan–Is excited to play outside every single day with her sister Poppy.
  • Saanvi–Is going to jump from the bouncy house to the pool all day long.
  • Tommy–Is looking forward to laying on his hammock for a really long time and may even pretend it is a boat.
  • Zara–Plans to go to the beach, then Six Flags, and then Colombia. (Just not all in the same day)
  • Zion–Is eager to eat as many red popsicles as he can.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: Are You Ready For Summer?

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

We asked the children what they loved about summer and /or what their plans were for this summer.  We hope you enjoy their answers as much as we did!

  • Amelia – Hopes to go swimming in the pool with her Mommy this summer.
  • Annie – Hopes to take a trip to the beach to look for shells.
  • Arian – Is hoping to go to the beach and launch rockets.
  • Ben – Plans to plant flowers and make a garden.
  • Brisa – Is planning to play in the sprinkler and go to Florida.
  • Casey – Plans to spend time in Long Island playing with his toys and swimming in the ocean.
  • Daniel – Hopes he will go to the beach and play in the sand.
  • David – Plans to go to the beach so he can roll in the sand and go swimming in the ocean.
  • Elanour – Plans to go swimming in her pool this summer.
  • Elizabeth – Plans to go to her Nanny and Poppy’s to play Lego and Magnatiles.
  • Enzo – Has a lot of plans this summer.  He is going to the Connecticut beach, Quassy, and is looking forward to going down the slide on his boat.
  • Evie – Hopes to spend a lot of time sliding on her rainbow cloud sprinkler.
  • Fiona – Plans to go to the beach and make sand castles and sand angels.
  • Harlan – Is excited to play Ninjago on his iPad during the summer.
  • Kian – Plans to take swimming lessons over the summer so he can learn how to swim in his pool or Enzo’s pool.
  • Kimberlin – Is excited to go to Texas in June and spend time swimming in the pool with G-mom and Daddio.
  • Levi – Is excited to go camping at Lake George, Hershey Park, and Stafford Motor Speedway this summer.
  • Nicolas – Plans to play with his toys in the pool this summer.
  • Noelle – Plans to spend a lot of time swimming in her pool this summer.
  • Parker – Plans to go bug hunting for a golden beetle.  She has seen them before, and they are really slippery.
  • Ryder – Is hoping to play with his water fire truck because it needs to be summer to use it.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Amanda & Hema