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Happenings & Events

Posted on by Alison Kistner

Monday, May 27th – No School in observance of Memorial Day.

End of Year Celebration is Friday, May 31st – 5:00-7:30pm. This is an entire school, family event. Held outdoors (weather permitting), this evening includes our End of Year Concert performed by Primary, Elementary & Middle School students. All families are invited to bring a picnic dinner or can choose to order food from David Grant Catering for this evening. Last day to order is: Monday, May 27th. Order here! Following the concert, music and fun will be had by all!

 

Middle School: Expert Night & Grandparents Day

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

What a wonderful week! A special congratulations to the 8th years for completing their expert projects, a culmination of 5-months worth of planning, research, writing, and practicing. They should be proud of all they accomplished!

Next, we had special visitors on Friday. They enjoyed some math and a rocket launch on the field.

A big thank you to middle school parents and families for supporting our 8th years on their big night and visiting our classes on Grandparents Day. We love seeing you!

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Straight From the Heart

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

“A grandparent is a special part of all that is cherished in the heart.” Author unknown

This Friday, we celebrated Grandparents/Special Person Day. Each of our visitors were excited to get a glimpse into their grandchildren’s classrooms, but more importantly the children were excited to share their pride in and ownership of their space. Observing our children navigate the crowd, independently selecting and confidently completing favorite works reminds me of the greatness of our Montessori environment.  Our visitors love, individualized attention, and warm smiling faces reflected their joy in just being with their grandchildren.

Enjoy the photos!!!

Cindy & Sharlene

Work, Love, and Fun in Lower Elementary

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

Happy Friday!

After a week of immersing ourselves in the play, the children were eager to get back to work. The children were focused and motivated, asking for new lessons and looking forward to work cycle time. Talk about a love of learning!

We’re getting really excited for our upcoming trip to Camp Jewell on Tuesday. Some of the fun activities we will be doing are visiting the farm, the giant slide, group games, archery, wall climbing, kayaking and canoeing, leather craft, the giant swing, predator/prey, and we will be enjoying a campfire with smores. Please bring your child to school at 8am on Tuesday morning so we can leave promptly at 8:30!

We enjoyed seeing all of the grandparents and special friends today. The children eagerly shared their work with their guests and the room was full of wonderful energy and smiles. It was so special seeing the children actively engaging with people who are so near and dear to their hearts. Grandparents’ Day is an event loved by all.

“Of all things love is the most potent.”
― Maria Montessori

Ms. Kayser’s Class: A Day to Remember!

Posted on by skayser

This week our students got the chance to share their classroom with their grandparents and special people in their life. The day started out with an amazing concert that filled our hearts with joy. The students took so much pride in practicing the songs and when they finally got the chance to go up on stage to sing for everyone, you could see it beaming on their smiling faces!

After the concert was over was when the real fun began. All of the special persons and grandparents came back to our room and got to spend the morning learning all of the exciting things we do with the children every day. The experience was not only rewarding for the grandparents, it was also so special for the children. Each and every one of them got the chance to show off their hard work, and spend extra time with the ones they loved. Many students paired up and shared their loved ones and created memories that will surely last a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who came and visited our classroom. It made us beyond delighted to share it with you, and see all of our students carefree and joyful.

Have a beautiful weekend,

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Toddler: Fine Motor Skills

Posted on by Sara Kasbarian

Our toddlers have been busy working on their fine motor skills.  Fine motor skills involve the use of the small muscles that control the hand, fingers, and thumb. They help children perform important tasks like feeding themselves, grasping toys, buttoning and zipping clothes, writing, drawing, and more. The ability to complete self-care and every day tasks helps a child’s self esteem and confidence to increase.  The children have been very successful using the works in our environment. We hope you continue to allow your children to practice these skills with you at home.  Some activities could be simply be playing with play dough or cutting, pouring, transferring, lacing, beading, and painting.

The children were also fortunate to be able to visit the music room (again) where they were able to play the xylophone. The children loved sliding the mallet across the xylophone to hear the different sounds it made. We used both a wooden and metal xylophone. The children showed joy hearing all the different sounds!

Thank you to the sun that finally showed its beauty this week!  The children were excited to get outside and enjoy the warm weather.

Mrs. Hood’s Class: The Big Day!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

On Monday morning the children arrived to the environment and found a new sound, the sweet sound of peeping little chicks starting the hatching process. Children were curious and expectant! We were thrilled they were able to observe the external pipping process. This starts when the inner membrane has been pierced and the embryo starts tapping the eggshell repeatedly with its egg tooth, a sharp and strong structure that can temporarily be found on the top of the beak of the embryo. Repeatedly tapping the eggshell in the same spot causes the shell to weaken and eventually break. Pipping demands great effort!  

While cutting, the embryo turns around inside the egg, using its wing for direction and legs as the driving force. Once it  has cut a 3/4th circle in shell of the blunt end of the egg, the embryo tries to push itself out of the egg by forcefully stretching its legs and finally becoming free. The newly hatched chicks looked very wet, tired, and vulnerable. A while after hatching, their down feathers dried and they became fluffy and more active.

The children were amazed and super happy to see the baby chicks! They petted them very carefully and showed great love and respect for them! Now the chicks have been moved to a prepared environment,  the farm where they will grow and be taken care of appropriately.  

A huge thanks to the Heggland family for all their hard work and support during this process! What a great experience this was for our toddlers!

 

“The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul”

– Dr. Maria Montessori 

 

Check out this video of one of  the baby chicks hatching in our classroom!

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Delicious Science!

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

This week, we began our study on exploring our five senses. What better way to teach this concept than to use popcorn? Popcorn is a multi-sensory snack as it incorporates all five of our senses. Plus, it might just be our most appetizing science unit yet! Did you ever notice that when you make popcorn, somehow the entire family knows about it and shows up to have some of this favorite treat?

We began our unit by discussing what our five senses are and how they allow us to observe and understand the world around us. There are five ways we do this; using our eyes for sight, our ears to hear, our tongues to taste, our fingers to touch, and our noses to smell.

First, we made a chart brainstorming what popcorn feels, looks, tastes, smells, and sounds like. Next, we made popcorn using an air popper, which allowed us to listen, watch, and smell the popcorn popping.  Finally, we compared our findings to see if any of our predictions were the same or different after making the popcorn. Best of all, our experiment was edible and was enjoyed by all!

As temperatures rise, it is important that children remain hydrated. Please have your child bring a filled water bottle labeled with their name to school. We bring the water bottles with us whenever we are spending time outside. Thank you!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Michelle & Sonja