Blog

Middle School: Focus on Academics

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

April is a great month for teachers and students, as we are able to move through material without the threat of snow (did I just jinx us?)! The momentum is wonderful, and students come back from spring break ready to learn.

6th and 7th year science students are busy working on their science fair projects. This year’s project is based on the United Nations’ Global Goals. Each student will choose one global goal to research and represent as part of their project. Students have an option to construct/design a solution to the problem stated or represent the importance of addressing the goal for our future. 8th year students began their unit, Planets of our Solar System. Currently, they are working on accurately representing planetary alignment, spacing, and formation.

In Math, the 6th years continue their geometry unit learning how to find the area and perimeter of polygons and circles.  They are also working with square roots and irrational numbers.  In addition, they will be introduced to the Pythagorean Theorem. The 7th years continue working with functions and linear equations. They have just learned how to graph a linear equation using slope-intercept form. Their linear function unit will end with their ability to graph linear inequalities. The 8th years worked on polynomials and factoring. Their work includes adding and subtracting polynomials along with factoring. Soon, they will be working with multiplying binomials including special case binomials.

6th year Humanities students are working on their essay for The Egypt Game. They are about the character progression of April using evidence from the novel. Also, 6th year students are learning about another ancient civilization in the Indus Valley on the India-Pakistan border before beginning their study of Afghanistan’s history and culture. 7th year students read and annotated the novel, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park this week. They also studied the political history of Sudan and South Sudan as well as the conflict that has consumed its modern, and current, history. 8th years spent the week studying African American history from the late 1800s through the early 1900s in the U.S. They studied legislation including the 14th and 15th amendments as they applied to people of color during this time, Jim Crow Laws, and the southern Black Codes. Then, they learned about Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, W.E.B. DuBois, and Marcus Garvey. This was interesting, as they had different ideas about the future for African Americans. We also studied the origins of the NAACP and some of the work they currently do. We are excited to look at the Harlem Renaissance and begin reading Witness by Karen Hesse. Finally, 6th and 7th years had an exciting return to current events after taking a long break due to research fair and the play.

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!

 

 

 

Mixed Media Impressionism

Posted on by Jen Reid

In Art class, Upper Elementary students learned about the Impressionist painters of the 19th century. The Impressionists aimed to capture the momentary, sensory effect of a scene, and to achieve this, many artists painted in the streets and countryside, painting en plein air. They painted with short, broken brushstrokes and pure unblended colors to emphasize the effects of light.

After looking at their paintings, students achieved a colorful, Impressionist-effect for their backgrounds with the process of chalk printing. First, students scraped chalk pastels into a powder, then sprinkled the powder into a bin of water. The chalk floated on the surface, allowing students to capture a print by lightly pressing their paper on top of the water. Each student really enjoyed this magical technique and made multiple colorful prints! Once their prints were dry, students used oil pastels and colored pencil on top to transform their prints into Impressionist-inspired landscapes.

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!

Upper Elementary: Rehearsals

Posted on by Brian Comstock

This week as we increased our rehearsal time together the students were challenged to sing and act without the accompanying lyrics or words. They are doing an excellent job and several students have stepped out of their comfort zones to sing and act. Ultimately this will be a great growth experience for these students and a memorable show for all!

There is some upcoming important information for our level. On Friday April 26 we are going to see the Disney Nature movie, “Penguins” at 10:00am. This is perfect timing as Earth Day is in April and it will be a nice break from routine after the Science Fair on Thursday.

Our overnight trip to Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, MA is scheduled for May 21-23. The deposit for this trip is $80. I will send more information in a separate email, but wanted to make sure it was on your radar if your child is interested in joining us.

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. Hood’s Class: Joy and Life in the Sunshine!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

I remember a couple of years ago sitting by a small window and observing the gigantic icicles that covered my view. Suddenly I noticed how, so slowly, water started to drip from the icicles on a sunny morning! I remember so clearly how this sense of joy filled my life! This was the end of my first winter in America and since then I love the hope that spring brings when Earth seems to wake up and become alive again! Warmer and sunnier days, windows opened, greener views, and that crisp in the air are just some of the things that I love from spring! My favorite thing of all is to observe the animals and their incredible ways during this season. Animals that spend the winter in hibernation come out of their dens, while those that traveled to warmer regions return. Many animals give birth in the spring. Winter coats are shed by those that sported them, and some animals may change coloration to blend in with their new surroundings. It’s amazing!

This week, we introduced a very beloved animal to our environment: the caterpillar! For the next two weeks children will have the opportunity to very closely observe the life cycle of painted lady butterflies! By the way, my favorite animal!

Two popular works this week in practical life have been opening and closing a lunchbox and table setting. As full day students have demonstrated interest in setting their own place for lunch, we offered these fun activities for children to practice those necessary skills and learn to carefully treat breakable items. We also added some pretending food and children have been very imaginative! We encourage you to involve your child in setting the table at your home! You will be surprised how well they do it!

Another fun work children seem to like is spooning eggs in our sensorial bin! The prickly grass is something that attracts children and it seems that the tactile experience feels almost therapeutic for some students.

For food tasting we introduced grape tomatoes! Eight out of nine really enjoyed it! Another win!

We can’t wait for all the spring fun that’s coming to our environment during the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned for some fun pictures!

Reminder: Toddler Parent/Child will be on April 11th from 10:30-11:30am in our class.

What is Pickleball?

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

 

What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport played with a whiffle ball on a badminton-sized court and a tennis-style net.  Pickleball is enjoyed by people of all ages and athletic abilities.  In some ways it’s a combination of tennis and badminton, and goes along with sports such as table tennis and racquetball.  Pickleball is played in thousands of school P.E. programs, parks and recreation centers, camps, YMCA’s and retirement communities.  This sport is becoming very popular among active senior adults at community centers and is growing in popularity on high school and college campuses.

Pickleball was created during the summer of 1965 in Seattle, WA.  The original purpose of the game was to provide a sport for the entire family.  Pickles, the family dog would chase after the whiffle balls and then hide in the bushes. The founder suggests that Pickle’s ball was later shortened to Pickleball.

During our Elementary Pickleball unit, students practiced and participated in demonstrating the proper serve, forehand drive, backhand drive, and abided by rules of fair play.  Pickleball helps improve agility, balance, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination.  At the end of the unit, students participated in a singles and doubles Pickleball tournament.

Tinkering, Making, Engineering

Posted on by Danielle Ulacco

Over the past year you may have noticed these three terms being used throughout my presentations, blog posts, or plain conversation. Here is a breakdown of what they mean:

Tinkering: using stuff

Making: using stuff to make stuff (that sometimes does stuff, but sometimes is just cool!)

Engineering: is using stuff to make stuff that does stuff

 

When children tinker, they are learning about the properties of materials and the capabilities of tools. They are developing their fine motor skills as well. Tinkering often leads to making something, and it is absolutely the foundation to more complex making, technology, and engineering. Learning how to manipulate tools, understand the properties of materials, and identify unique solutions to problems is at the core of all making and engineering. Helping children develop these skills through tinkering is truly the best place to start!

Mrs. Doyle’s Class: Becoming A Peace-Seeker

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”——-Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori believed strongly in the importance of guiding children to become ‘peace-seekers.’  As Montessori teachers, we deeply understand that it is not enough to just talk about peace.  We are also charged with creating an environment that is peaceful and provides opportunities for all children to both recognize and feel peace.

Some components  of peace education are inherently woven into a Montessori education.  Our studies of different continents, cultures and people begin to develop a global awareness in children of all ages. We are learning that all living creatures have an inherent value and are interconnected.

In our classroom, we also have a peace table.   The purpose of our peace table is to provide an inviting space for the children.   This can be a place to spend some quiet time or even to learn to recognize and eventually understand what emotions they are feeling. The peace table is also used to help facilitate positive conflict resolution when needed. Our end goal is to help children understand not only the how but the why of peace. The children are free to spend time here, whenever they choose.  

Wishing you all a place where you can go to find and feel peace.

Michelle & Sonja

Mrs. Carroll’s Class: Sewing The Seeds of Empathy

Posted on by Cindy Carroll

 

So in the child, besides the vital impulse to create himself, and to become perfect, there must yet another purpose, a duty to fulfill in harmony, something he has to do in the service of a united whole. ~ Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

 

Maria Montessori believed that children are the key to peace and empathy among humanity. This important belief is a foundation in our Montessori classrooms beginning with practical life lessons and continuing throughout childhood and beyond. I’d like to share how a “simple” lesson can provide the mechanism from which children in the classroom learn, practice and express their empathy and love for their community.

Flower arranging work has a more important indirect aim than simply admiring nature’s work of art.  It is an opportunity for little hands to contribute to the beautification of the environment.  It is a tender moment when a young heart lays down a symbol of friendship, love and peace on a table for someone else to enjoy. It is a brief yet integral step outside of oneself and one’s own needs. -The CHILD centered Blog

Flower arranging is only one of many classrooms works and activities sewing the seeds of compassion and empathy in your children.  Please remember compassion in your homes help your children do the same.

Have a peaceful week,

Cindy & Sharleen