Blog

Mrs. Wilson: Care of the Environment

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the toddler environment we focus on practical life skills. As Maria Montessori said, “Any unnecessary help given to a child is a hindrance to development.” Each practical life skill helps develop the child’s independence. This week we added a cleaning station to the classroom. This is where the children will find a broom, dust pan, and duster. The children may use these realistic and child sized tools to clean their environment.

Food Tasting: Grapefruit
I truly love this activity. I love the way the children absorb every detail of my exaggerated expression and detailed description of how the food tasted. I love how they mimic my movements when it is their turn to explore the food. I mostly love how willing they are to taste everything. So far not one child has ever refused to try, and that is impressive.

Enjoy!
Mrs. Wilson, Ms. Heather, and Ms. Sara

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Bubbleologists!

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

On Thursday, the Connecticut Science Center visited us for an exciting program called “Bubble-ology.”  The children were introduced to what a ‘bubbleologist’ would study.  We learned why there are rainbows in bubbles and how they are made.  We now know that bubbles pop from the top because of the weight of the soap and that with helium you could make bubbles go up instead of falling down.  The best kept secret in the bubble industry is that with a little bit of sugar added to a bubble mixture you can catch bubbles! We tried putting our hands on a large bubble without it popping but couldn’t do it unless our hands were really, really soapy.

We look forward to sharing with you all of your child’s social, emotional and academic growth during parent/teacher conferences on February 13th.  Please be on the lookout for our Winter 2020 Conference sign up in an email.

Have a wonderful week!

Cindy & Sharlene

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Happy Friday! Thank you for those of you who registered for our MS trip to Acadia. Deposits are due by 2/14. http://grandclassroom.com/

Next Thursday, 2/6 at 6:30 is Research Night! Come and see 6th & 7th year students present their knowledge about topics surrounding an event in history!

6th and 7th year Humanities classes are just under a week away from Research Night! This week, students brought in their paper drafts and focused on properly formatting in-text citations and using transitions in writing. They also completed the visual component of their presentations. They will begin running through them in class on Monday and making final revisions to their papers. 8th years continue their unit on U.S. history from the lens of Black Americans. This week, they looked at the Atlantic slave trade and its effects on populations, economies, and individual rights in countries of Western Africa, the Caribbean, Northern South America, the UK, and the United States. Students also concurrently looked at government structure including the House of Burgesses as well as the 1st & 2nd Continental Congress meetings. Finally, they looked at causes of the American Revolution (financial implications of the French & Indian War, British taxation, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, & the Coercive/Intolerable Acts). 8th years also presented current event topics this week.

In Science this week, 6th year Earth Science students are learning about natural resources. The unit began by identifying similarities and differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources. We went outside to create a small (contained) fire consisting of leaves and sticks, acknowledging we can not relight them after they have burned. This lead students to understand why management practices need to be in effect to control certain resources based on their ability to regenerate. 7th year Physical Science students are learning about chemical reactions and balancing equations. Building upon prior knowledge of chemical reactions, students are able to see how the product of a reaction is different from the initial reactants. Students were able to use manipulatives that are representative of how changing any value of reactants affects the value of its products. 8th year Life Science students are working on constructing their 3-dimensional DNA models as part of their genetics unit. These models will illustrate the components found within DNA, genes, chromosomes, and alleles.

In Pre-Transition Math, students are continuing to work through Chapter 6 of our UCMSP textbook. Students are learning how powers of a number work and can identify the exponent, base, and expanded version of a number. Students are practicing how to multiply decimals, simplify fractions and calculate percents using mental math. We finished the week by using real-world examples of percents and looked at how the percentage of a quantity is used in a grocery store every day.

In Transition Math, students are confident in their ability to identify congruent angles and sides in a parallelogram. Students took notes on the important properties of a parallelogram and transversal line segments. We learned about the triangle sum property and how to calculate the distance between points (We had so much fun using the Pythagorean theorem!).

In Algebra, students have successfully finished learning all the lessons from Chapter 6. Students can graph linear inequalities, identify the three main equations for linear functions, and can find the slope of two different order pairs.  Students will be writing the Chapter 6 unit test on Tuesday, February 4th and will then be moving onto chapter 8 as our next set of lessons.
As a reminder, There will be no extra math help session on Tuesday, February 4th as Ms. Sutherland will not be at school. Happy studying!
Math Joke: Why can’t you trust a math teacher holding graphing paper?………………….They must be plotting something.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Upper Elementary: A Routine Week

Posted on by Brian Comstock

This week we returned to our regular morning work cycle routine with a variety of lessons. But before we could do that we celebrated the January birthdays with a birthday breakfast of bagels, strawberries, and yogurt. Students created bar graphs based on their heart rate data from last week’s respiration lesson. During Writers Workshop, everyone worked on information writing based on a topic of interest. Preparations for Research Night (February 6 @ 6:30) are coming along nicely. Presentations should be finalized by Monday and then the students will use class time each day to practice their presentation.

Important Information & Upcoming Events

Posted on by Alison Kistner

Parent & Teacher Conferences are Thursday, February 13th.  Online sign-up will go LIVE this Friday (1/31).  Please note, teachers can also make time for conferences throughout the week during times that work for their teaching schedule.  Parents can reach out to their child’s teacher directly if they are unabale to attend conferences on 2/13.

Join a Book Study to discuss the book, How to Raise an Adult.  For more information, please read “Note from the Head” by Chris Robertson in this week’s FWM School News.

Current Toddler & Primary Families response requested
Please take a minute to click on this link to complete your family’s desired program choice for the upcoming school year.

Parent Association: FWM 1st Annual Snow Ball Saturday, February 1st – 3:00-5:00pm. The Snow Ball is a dance where students from toddler through middle school attend with their favorite grown up! The adult can be a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or any other adult your child would like to invite. There will be dancing, a winter themed photobooth, craft activities, food, and a very special Winter Basket Raffle. Click this link to purchase your tickets.

March Break Camp Registration is OPEN (Toddler and Primary children).  To register your FWM toddler or primary child in FWM’s March Break Camp, please click here.  Parents may register their child for one or both weeks.  March Break Camp is:  Week 1 (March 16-20) and Week 2 (March 23-27).

Parent Association Meeting this Thursday, January 23rd from 8:30-9:30am. in the conference room. Be on the lookout for the upcoming meeting agenda. Everyone is invited and we encourage you to attend!

STEAM Teachers Head to Colorado!

Posted on by Danielle Ulacco

This week I am heading to The University of Colorado with my colleague and Art Teacher, Jennifer Reid. We were selected from a pool of applicants across the country to attend official training of their “Build a Better Book” Program at UC Boulder. This trip, funded by the National Science Foundation, will train us on the process and understandings of their mission:

“The Build a Better Book project works with school and library Makerspaces to engage youth in the design and fabrication of inclusive media, including picture books, games and graphics. Using both low- and high-tech Makerspace tools, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, Makey Makeys, conductive boards and craft materials, youth design, fabricate, test and refine multi-modal books, games and STEM graphics that incorporate tactile and audio features. These products are designed by and for learners with visual impairments as well as other physical and learning disabilities. Through the project, middle and high school youth develop technology skills and learn about STEM careers as they design and create multi-modal picture books, graphics and games that can be seen, touched and heard!”

We thought our MakerSpace and Art Studio were the perfect fit for being a part of this program and it seems UC Boulder agreed!

Starting this spring, middle school students will be introduced to this program and will begin this journey of compassion. We are so excited to share this with our students and our community.

Mrs. Hood’s Class: The Secret of Perfection!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

“To have learned something for the child is only a point of departure. When he has learned the meaning of an exercise, then he begins to enjoy repeating it, and he does repeat it an infinite number of times, with the most evident satisfaction”- Maria Montessori – The Montessori Method

Children had a great time this week exploring and repeating some of the new materials in the environment. In a Montessori environment, repetition does not necessarily mean that the child has to engage in the same exact work over and over again. Anything that provides the child with practice of a previously learned skill, including extensions and games, is repetition. Dr. Montessori said, “Repetition is the secret of perfection.”

Through repetitive exploration your children are able to look at a material from different angles and explore it, letting it become part of their understanding of the world. At the same time, it allows them to self-critique: they look at how they are doing something and make slight changes in order to perfect the action, making it more efficient. The Montessori environment is designed to support exactly this kind of learning. Children choose their own work, allowing their interest to guide them to a choice. They are drawn by desire and that allows them to return to an activity with frequency, working with it until they have perfected it. It is, in fact, a developmental need. A common phrase you can hear in our environment is the children saying: “I want to do it again!” Dr. Montessori wrote, “When a child has attained this stage, of repeating an exercise, he is on the way to self-development, and the external sign of this condition is his self-discipline.”

On another note, children enjoyed exploring a ruby red grapefruit for food tasting. It was a fun and tangy experience! 🙂

With the goal of building confidence and encouraging verbal expression we also introduced a new game where the children get the opportunity to be the teacher and lead their peers during circle times. This week, children chose a song to lead and the boost of confidence was so visible to observe when the other peers would follow their lead! There were big smiles and giggling all around! It was precious! We will continue to add these types of exercises to our morning routines!

Your children are blooming and we are honored to witness it.

Mrs. Wilson: Tis the Season For Tissues

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In a Montessori toddler classroom we prepare the environment so the child can easily access the things they need to become independent. The winter time is perfect for the children to learn to clean their nose. This is one of our many practical life lessons. Our nose blowing station is set up in front of a mirror with a box of tissues on a shelf. First we model for the child how to use the tissue and then we work with them until we see they are able to clean their noses independently. We gently tell them, “I see you have mucus, go look in the mirror and squeeze your nose with a tissue.” They are taught to throw away the tissue and wash their hands. We not only teach them this lesson for independence, but also to show that that we care about their well being.
“But no one really teaches them how they should blow their noses. When I tried to do so, they…indicated that I had not only treated them with justice but had enabled them to get a new standing in society…I have come to appreciate the fact that children have a deep sense of personal dignity.” – Maria Montessori

Food tasting: This week the children tasted hearts of palm. This was the teachers’ first time as well. It was delicious and all the children tasted it. They all asked for seconds and some asked for thirds.

When the temperatures are 32 degrees or more, including windchill, we will go outside. Please remember to bring in snow pants and snow boots at the beginning of your child’s week.

Best,
Mrs. Wilson, Ms. Sara, and Ms. Heather