Blog

Parent-Child Morning Success!

Posted on by Stephanie Thomas

FWM’s Parent-Child Morning was a huge success! It was such a pleasure to see the children’s faces lit with pure joy while sharing their special environment and activities with you.

The last time you were all in our room was in September for Phase-In. Your children have grown so much in such a short period of time, haven’t they?

For those of you unable to attend, several parents stepped in and worked with your children, much to their delight. This class is one big happy family!

And although I’ve already written this before, thank you all again for your unwavering support this year, especially during this last week.

Much love to you all!

Stephanie

Happenings and Events

Posted on by Alison Kistner

Toddler Parent & Child Morning on Thursday, April 11th from 10:30-11:30am.   Toddler Parents/caregivers will have an opportunity to work with their child in their classroom.  Parking for this event is at the school.

IMPORTANT: No after school care is offered this Friday, April 12th.  There is a 3pm dismissal for all full day students.

25th Annual FWM Auction Gala “Havana Nights” on Friday, April 12th from 6:30-11:30pm.  at The Waterview, Monroe, CT 

Art Show on Wednesday, April 17th from 3:30-5:30pm.  Please come to the Commons to see Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School student artwork. Ms. Reid, the art teacher, will be present to answer questions.

Pizza & Salad Dinner on Wednesday, April 17th from 5:00-6:00pm.  The Middle School students will be serving pizza, salad, and drinks to the community.  Please come support the students and enjoy a meal with your family.  All are invited!  Please park at Sand Hill Plaza -shuttle buses will begin at 4:45pm.  To sign-up for the dinner please click here.

Parent & Child Night on Wednesday, April 17th from 5:30-6:30pm.  You and your child are invited to attend an hour of educational engagement.  Parents/ caregivers will have an opportunity to learn about the different Montessori works from their children in the classroom.  This event is open to all parents in Primary through Elementary.  Please park at Sand Hill Plaza -shuttle buses will begin at 4:45pm.

11:30am. Early Dismissal on Friday, April 19th – No after school care is offered on this day. 

Look for an email to pre-register for FWM Summer Camp!  Weekly sessions for summer program offerings for Toddler, Primary, and Elementary age children.  Registration and more information coming soon!

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Happenings and Events

Posted on by Alison Kistner

FWM on the BIG Screen!   Edmond Town Hall Theater in Newtown and Riverview Cinema in Southbury are playing FWM videos.  Arrive a few minutes before the feature film to see these excellent and professional promotional videos about life at FWM.

Middle School Play on Thursday, March 7th at 7:00pm.  All are invited to the Middle School Play which will be performed at FWM.  The entire play – from script to set – is developed by the students.  This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the final product of a student-directed initiative.

Save the Date:  25th Annual Auction Gala on Friday, April 12th from 6:30-11:30pm.  Join us for an evening of fun while raising funds for a great cause! This annual event is not to be missed! Tickets are now on sale. Early bird ticket discount ends March 4th. Purchase your tickets here!

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3D Printing in Kindergarten

Posted on by Danielle Ulacco

Last week students in Kindergarten were mentored by our Middle School 3D printing experts during their weekly MakerSpace class. Kindergartener’s quickly learned how to use Morphi, our resident 3D printing application, and its 2d to 3d tool.

 

Their task was to create their name within the application which would be 3D printed onto a keychain. With a mentor by their side, students went to work writing their names into the application using just their finger. Then with the click of a button, they watched as their digitally drawn autograph was converted into a 3D object. Middle School students then added the names to the keychain template (a rectangle with a hole in it) to complete the design.

 

Today these kindergarten makers will be given their keychain to take home. I can’t wait to see their faces when they realize that the letters they drew on a screen were printed in our MakerSpace in the color that they selected! More 3D printing to come before the year is over!

Ms. Kayser’s Class: A Beautiful Awakening

Posted on by skayser

 

Although the temperatures have been slightly chilly for what we think of in Spring, our hearts have welcomed the sun shining and the world opening up all around us. The children themselves are blooming as they discover new and exciting things about their world. The sprouting of our carrot seeds and the arrival of our caterpillars has sparked an astounding interest in nature among our students.

Maria Montessori said, “Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.”

That is why as mother nature wakes up from her winter slumber, we will be closely following her lead, experiencing every moment that this beautiful season has to offer us.

Happy Spring!

Ms. Kayser and Ms. Alli

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for 3 wonderful events on Wednesday, April 17th!

Art Show from 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Elementary and Middle School student artwork will be showcased in the Commons!

FWM Family Pizza & Salad Dinner from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Dine with us! Service and hospitality provided by Middle School students in the GYM!

Log in and place your order here:

https://www.myfwm.org/schools/myfwm.org/forms/?id=MTM%3D

Deadline for orders to be submitted by April 12

Parent & Child Night from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Work alongside your child by engaging in the many Montessori works in his or her classroom!

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Growing And Changing

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

“Like a butterfly, I am growing and changing and finding my true colors in life. I am finding my wings so I can fly and soon be on my way!” -Unknown

The children are enthralled by the arrival of our caterpillars and are anxious to observe the metamorphosis our butterflies will experience to become the graceful insects we love. From the egg to the caterpillar and the chrysalis to the adult, learning about the life cycle of a butterfly is exciting. This week we have been busy. Your little entomologists have been learning about metamorphosis on a deeper level, fully involved in watching the process occur. We have entered our first journal entry into the class butterfly journal, recording changes as the children notice them in the habitat. We are learning the new vocabulary words life cycle, chrysalis, and metamorphosis, reading butterfly stories, using butterfly writing prompts, and singing butterfly songs. We will continue to watch and enjoy this amazing metamorphosis…both the butterflies’ and your children’s.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for 3 wonderful events on Wednesday, April 17th!

Art Show from 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Elementary and Middle School student artwork will be showcased in the Commons!

FWM Family Pizza & Salad Dinner from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Dine with us! Service and hospitality provided by Middle School students in the GYM!

Log in and place your order here:

https://www.myfwm.org/schools/myfwm.org/forms/?id=MTM%3D

Deadline for orders to be submitted by April 12

Parent & Child Night from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Work alongside your child by engaging in the many Montessori works in his or her classroom!

 

Have a wonderful week,

Cindy and Sharleen

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Moving Like A Molecule

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

We just finished our science unit on States of Matter.  Matter is all around us.  Everything that you can touch, taste, smell and see is made of matter. There are three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases.

We learned that solids have a definite shape because these molecules are very close together and do not move very much. The shapes of solids do not change unless some type of force makes them change.   Liquid matter does not have its own shape. The tiny molecules in liquids are not as close together as solid molecules and they move around more.  Liquids take the shape of the container they are in. Gas matter also does not have its own shape. The molecules in gas are far apart and they move around a lot. Gases spread out and fill up their container too.

The children loved taking part in experiments that help highlighted the different properties of solids, liquids and gases. We made raisins dance and blew up a balloon using a water bottle.  Ask them to to pretend to be a solid, liquid or gas and see how they move like those molecules!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Michelle and Sonja

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for 3 wonderful events on Wednesday, April 17th!

Art Show from 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Elementary and Middle School student artwork will be showcased in the Commons!

FWM Family Pizza & Salad Dinner from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Dine with us! Service and hospitality provided by Middle School students in the GYM!

Log in and place your order here:

https://www.myfwm.org/schools/myfwm.org/forms/?id=MTM%3D

Deadline for orders to be submitted by April 12

Parent & Child Night from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Work alongside your child by engaging in the many Montessori works in his or her classroom!

Lower Elementary: Lovin’ the Spring Weather!

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

Spring has arrived and the weather is finally starting to warm up! We have enjoyed spending extra time outside this week eating lunch. Amazingly, the children are finishing their lunches in about half the time they usually do! They’re enjoying the extra opportunities for movement before we start our afternoon lessons.

One of my favorite aspects about the Montessori curriculum is that it fosters autonomous learners, which means, children are learning the skills they need to be independent, successful citizens. When children are provided with concrete experiences, both academically and emotionally, they are able to progress to abstract concepts. They learn the skills, they are able to reflect upon their strengths and learn from their weaknesses. The goal we have for the children in our class is to be self- confident, empathetic individuals.

As we enter April, the end of the year seems right around the corner, and we can’t help but reflect on each child’s progress throughout the year. We are so pleased to see what a compassionate, kind-hearted, intelligent group of students we have in our classroom!

We also had a scaly visitor in our classroom this week. Rexy, a third-year student’s bearded dragon, came to help us learn more about our reptile studies. The students had a blast engaging in conversation about her, observing her and having the chance to pet her. What an awesome week we had!

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for 3 wonderful events on Wednesday, April 17th!

Art Show from 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Elementary and Middle School student artwork will be showcased in the Commons!

FWM Family Pizza & Salad Dinner from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Dine with us! Service and hospitality provided by Middle School students in the GYM!

Log in and place your order here:

https://www.myfwm.org/schools/myfwm.org/forms/?id=MTM%3D

Deadline for orders to be submitted by April 12

Parent & Child Night from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Work alongside your child by engaging in the many Montessori works in his or her classroom!