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Mrs. Lopes: An Apple Adventure

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

Autumn’s Harvest: An Apple Adventure

This week, our classroom was filled with the delicious aroma of autumn as we explored apples through taste, touch, and preparation.

On Wednesday, the children participated in an apple tasting featuring five different varieties: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, and Honeycrisp. Before tasting, we observed each apple’s appearance, noting differences in color and shape. As the children sampled each variety, they discovered rich vocabulary to describe their sensory experiences: juicy, sweet, sour, crunchy, smooth, and tart. At the end, we took a vote to determine the class favorite. Honeycrisp was the clear winner!

After our tasting, the children rolled up their sleeves to make homemade applesauce. This practical life activity engaged multiple skills as children carefully peeled and cut the apples using real tools. Together, we added cinnamon, sugar, and water to the pot. The applesauce simmered in our crockpot all day Wednesday, and the children delighted in checking its progress throughout the work cycle, watching the apple pieces transform into smooth sauce.

Thursday brought the moment everyone had been waiting for – tasting our creation! The children were thrilled with the results, and many asked for second (and third!) helpings. The pride on their faces as they enjoyed something they had made themselves was truly beautiful to witness.

Extending Apple Learning at Home

  • Continue the Exploration: Visit a farmers’ market or orchard and let your child choose a new apple variety to try together
  • Practice Kitchen Skills: Let your child help prepare apples for snacks, practicing peeling, coring, or slicing (with appropriate supervision)
  • Describe and Compare: Use rich sensory language when eating together—what does it taste like? Feel like? Smell like?

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Thursday, October 16: Shiloh’s Birthday Walk
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Weather Reminder: As the weather turns rainy, please be sure your child has an extra pair of shoes at school in case they get wet or muddy on the playground.

Ms. Rhodora: Growing Together

Posted on by Rhodora Santayana

Apples, Geography, and Growing Together

This week brought wonderful opportunities for the children to explore science, geography, and community care through hands-on learning.

Our apple study deepened as we explored the parts of an apple and the life cycle of an apple tree. The children followed an apple sequence story that showed the journey from seed to tree to fruit. During food preparation, they practiced slicing and serving apples, carefully using real tools to prepare snacks for their classmates. We also worked on manipulating scissors, an important fine motor skill that strengthens hand muscles and builds coordination.

We began exploring our home state of Connecticut, helping children understand their place in the world, starting with where they live. This connected beautifully to our geography work on landforms, where we introduced bay and cape. These sensorial materials allow children to see and feel the difference between these coastal formations, building a concrete understanding of abstract geographic concepts.

The grace and courtesy we’re witnessing in our classroom warms our hearts! The children are thoughtfully using phrases like “please,” “no, thank you,” and “you are welcome” throughout their day. These simple words create a culture of respect and kindness that ripples through our entire community.

We’re also seeing beautiful examples of mixed-age learning as older children help younger friends with their raincoats and rain boots. These moments of mentorship build confidence in our older students while giving younger children patient, caring role models. This is the Montessori classroom at its best—children naturally caring for one another.

Extending Learning at Home

  • Practice Independence: Give your child time to put on and zip their own jacket, even if it takes longer
  • Model Grace and Courtesy 
  • Explore Connecticut: Talk about your town, nearby cities, or places you’ve visited in our state

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Wednesday, October 15: Picture Day
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Weather & Clothing Reminder: Please send extra clothes appropriate for the weather in your child’s backpack. Please label all clothing items! 

Ms. Sargeant: Cosmic Connections

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

Cosmic Connections

This week brought wonderful opportunities for hands-on learning and community building in our classroom.

The children have been captivated by our new solar system activities. They’re working together to complete the solar system floor puzzle, collaborating to place each planet in its proper orbit around the sun. These materials spark fascinating conversations about space, distance, and our place in the universe.

We’ve also welcomed a special addition to our classroom community! Middle School students have been joining us on Wednesdays as part of their community service. A group plays with our children at recess, and then one or two students join us during the afternoon work cycle. Our children eagerly anticipate their arrival and love showing off their work to their older friends. This week, Henry read a story to a captivated group of listeners in the afternoon. These cross-age interactions beautifully demonstrate how learning and mentorship happen naturally across our school community.

Our apple study was a delicious success! We conducted a taste test comparing red (Macintosh), yellow (Ginger Gold), and green (Granny Smith) apples. Macintosh won decisively with 10 votes, followed by Ginger Gold with six and Granny Smith with five. The children came up with wonderful adjectives to describe each variety: sweet, crunchy, juicy, tart, and sour.

Later in the week, we made applesauce from scratch. The children used a hand-crank apple peeler to remove the skin and were amazed to discover that the peel from just one apple was even longer (taller!) than most of the children in our class. They practiced their fine motor skills using peelers, corers, and knives to prepare the apples. We added cinnamon and water, and then enjoyed the delicious aroma that filled our classroom all day. When it was time to taste our creation, most children loved it!

Extending Apple Learning at Home

  • Compare Apples: Visit an orchard or grocery store and let your child choose different varieties to taste and compare
  • Practice Peeling: Let your child help peel apples or potatoes for family meals (with supervision)
  • Measure with Apple Peels: Peel an apple in one long strip and see how many objects at home it’s longer than

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, October 13: No School – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Friday, October 17: Kindergarten Field Trip to New Pond Farm
Saturday, October 18: Oktoberfest
Friday, October 24: No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 31: No School – Montessori Schools of CT Conference
Parent/Teacher Conference sign-ups are now posted! Times are available beginning October 20. Please arrange for childcare, as conferences are held without children present.
Important Reminder: Please send your child’s “Take Home” folder back to school every Monday. Without these folders, children are unsure where to place their completed work throughout the week.

Mrs. Wilson: Exploring Autumn Wonders

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week, we introduced some exciting new work to the classroom! The children have been exploring a beautiful basket filled with all types of gourds, each one unique in shape, size, color, and texture. This activity expands their descriptive vocabulary as they observe and compare. It’s a wonderful way to encourage early science and language development, as they classify and describe what they see.

We also added a favorite seasonal activity—pumpkin hammering! Using a small mallet and golf tees, the children strengthen their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and focus. Activities like this prepare the hand for future writing and build confidence through purposeful work.

Another highlight of our week was taking our first rainy day walk. We believe that outdoor time is valuable in all types of weather. As the saying goes, “There’s no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” Well, besides tornadoes and lightning. Of course, we stay indoors during storms or unsafe conditions, but whenever it’s safe, we go outside to breathe fresh air and connect with nature. The children absolutely loved splashing in puddles, feeling the raindrops, and giggling as they tried to catch the rain on their tongues.

Moments like these remind us of the joy and learning that come from simple experiences—observing nature, using our senses, and discovering the world firsthand.

Food Tasting:

This week’s food-tasting experience featured a carrot, complete with its stalks and leafy greens still attached. The children examined the carrot closely, noticing its bright color, crisp texture, and earthy scent. We discussed how the carrot is a root vegetable, with the orange part growing underground and the green leaves reaching up toward the sun. After exploring, the children tasted a slightly cooked baby carrot, discovering its natural sweetness. Food-tasting lessons like this foster curiosity, promote healthy eating habits, and instill early awareness of botany as children learn where their food comes from.

Love and light,

Cynthia and Sara

Lower Elementary: Exploring Montessori Math

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

Math in a Montessori lower elementary classroom is a beautiful blend of hands-on exploration and deep understanding. Instead of relying on worksheets and memorization, students use concrete materials that help them truly see and feel mathematical concepts before moving to abstraction.

At this age, children are naturally curious about how the world works, and math becomes a way for them to make sense of patterns, relationships, and quantities. The Montessori philosophy supports this by introducing math through materials that allow students to manipulate numbers and operations in a tangible way.

For example, the Stamp Game helps bridge the gap between concrete and abstract thinking. Students use small tiles, called stamps, to represent units, tens, hundreds, and thousands as they work through operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They’re physically building and exchanging quantities, which helps them understand why processes like regrouping happen, not just how to do them.

Another favorite is the Checkerboard, a colorful material that turns large multiplication problems into a visual and interactive experience. A different color represents each place value, and students use beads to work through multi-digit multiplication with confidence and clarity.

Over time, as students gain mastery, they naturally begin to internalize these processes and move toward abstract computation. By the time they’re ready to put pencil to paper, they’ve built a strong conceptual foundation that supports flexible and confident mathematical thinking.

In a Montessori classroom, math isn’t about speed or rote memorization; it’s about understanding. Students learn to see math as a language that describes the world around them, one that’s logical, creative, and even fun.

Ms. Handibode: The Three Period Lesson

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

When we introduce new concepts or materials to the children, we often do so using a three-period lesson. This is an important tenet of Montessori education and it helps to move the child from basic understanding of a concept to mastery.

Period One is the introduction stage. In this stage we are isolating new vocabulary to the children. For example, if we are introducing the color tablets, we say, “This is blue.”  Repeating that statement and allowing the child to manipulate the blue color tablet are crucial during this stage.

Period Two is all about association and recognition. It is often a separate lesson. We do not ask the children to remember the vocabulary or recall the concept.  We are simply reinforcing the concept taught in Period One. We use words such as “Show me the blue tablet” or “Can you place the blue tablet on your lap?”

Period Three is the recall stage and the first time we ask the child to remember the concept independently. We ask them, “What is this?” when showing them the blue color tablet. We are careful not to begin Period Three until we know they are ready for success.

Every time a child masters a new concept, it builds the foundation for the next lesson or concept to be taught.

We are wrapping up our study about all things apple.  We learned about the parts of an apple and the life cycle of an apple.  We made homemade applesauce that the children were able to enjoy at snack time. We introduced our first food prep activity for the year, apple slicing. The children clean and cut up an apple and then offer a slice to their classmates. We tasted four different types of apples, and then everyone had a chance to share which apple was their favorite. Lastly, we read a story titled “The Little Red House  With No Windows and No Doors And A Star Inside.”  Ask your children if they know where to find such a house.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Hope you’ve had a great week!

Here are some upcoming announcements:

  • PLEASE CHECK FLOWER SCHEDULE: When it is your flower week, please arrive closer to 8am in order to prepare flowers for the MS classrooms. Thank you for your attention to this!
  • Tuesday, 10/7: Team Building day @ The Adventure Park. 9 am-2 pm. Please sign the waiver here and pack a lunch with snacks. Closed-toed sneakers needed (no Crocs).
  • Thursday, 10/16: Catherine Violet Hubbard Stream Study & Sanctuary Visit. Here is the Permission Form that can be printed and signed. Hard copies are available at school. PLEASE read this for the attire needed for this visit.
  • Friday, 10/24: Conference Day for students, parents, and teachers. Look for school communication for Sign Up Links. They will be available in the SignUps Module on MyFWM. Some teachers have availability earlier in the week as well.
  • SAVE THE DATE: Friday, 10/24 @ 6:30 pm: Middle School Halloween Movie Night

8th Grade Leadership

8th grade students had another high school visit on Tuesday. They gave a tour to visitors from Henry Abbott Technical School in Danbury this week and also listened to a presentation given by Ms. V and students currently studying there. It was great to hear from the upperclassmen as they gave honest and informative information to the students.

The 8th grade Leadership team also completed the design for this year’s annual FWM sweatshirt in time for the chilly days of fall! Come to Oktoberfest on 10/18 to see the design. First orders will be taken that day as well!

Humanities

This week, grades 6 & 7 continued to read in their class novel, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break.  Students are having thoughtful conversations surrounding the plot of the novel, as well as the historical and cultural aspects of living in China during the Cultural Revolution. Students also worked on researching an assigned dynasty of Imperial China. They are creating a portion of a presentation that will be given as a whole class.

8th grade Humanities students began the week by reading and discussing the impact of gold on the Indigenous Nations in North America, as well as tribal sovereignty. Additionally, they read the poem “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye and used this poem to discuss the definition of “fame” and come up with their own examples of fame using Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem as inspiration. Feel free to click and read the piece to perhaps consider “fame” from a different perspective. Finally, 8th grade students reviewed the following writing mini-lessons (originally developed by Nanci Atwell) that they must consider when composing their own personal memoirs: The Rule of Thoughts and Feelings, The Rule of So What?, and The Rule of Write About a Pebble. They will begin their drafts next week after brainstorming their piece.

Math

Students in Pre-Transition, Transition, Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II had a lively and engaging start to the week with a fun Chapter 1 review game called “Trashketball.” The classes were split into teams, and for each correct answer, students earned the chance to take a shot with a crumpled piece of paper into the trash can to score points for their team. The game brought energy, teamwork, and plenty of laughter while helping students review key concepts from Chapter 1. Following the review, all five courses took their respective Chapter 1 Test to demonstrate their understanding of the material covered so far. The week concluded with a Chapter 2 Scavenger Hunt, where students previewed upcoming topics in an interactive way. The activity set the stage for the next unit and sparked enthusiasm for the material ahead.

Science

This week, Middle School students were able to start the week with their first Quiz, containing 10 questions about basic concepts of science and the Scientific Method. The Knowledge of the Scientific Method is very important because it will be used throughout the year to write laboratory reports for every experiment that we will be doing in science class.

In addition, Middle School Students got the guidelines for the Science Fair this year, which will be on November 5th. Students are brainstorming ideas for experiments for the Fair.

Also, they are reading and comprehending Science articles. The articles are assigned every Monday, and the comprehension questions are turned in every Friday. The goal of reading is that students become more familiar with learning about new findings and new scientific words. Currently, we are still working on writing our first Lab report (Penny Lab) and focusing on the understanding of the formulation of the Hypothesis and Conclusion.

October Family Connection Newsletter

Posted on by Karen Sankey

This month’s Family Connection Newsletter from the American Montessori Society outlines how Montessori education emphasizes the importance of the uninterrupted work cycle and respecting each child’s individual learning style. This structure allows children to engage deeply in their activities, promoting exploration, creativity, and personal growth at their own pace.

The natural work cycle enhances focus and engagement, as children thrive when they have dedicated time for tasks without interruptions. This environment fosters essential skills like coordination and independence.

In Montessori, “work” is redefined as a child’s choice of activity, leading to genuine engagement and a sense of accomplishment. During these work cycles, children often enter a state of flow, effectively transitioning between tasks and taking on challenges, which promotes confidence.

I hope you find this month’s newsletter informative and valuable.