Blog

Mrs. Hood: Sharing Time!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed a blossoming of language in our classroom that’s been truly remarkable. Children are eagerly sharing stories, crafting narratives, posing thoughtful questions, and engaging in conversations with their peers like never before.

In response to this wonderful surge in vocabulary and communication skills, we introduced a cherished activity this week: Sharing Time! Personally, I adore this activity as it offers your child a platform to nurture their expressive language abilities. Through Sharing Time, they’re learning to organize their thoughts coherently, select appropriate words, and articulate their ideas clearly—an invaluable skill set they’re already mastering with such enthusiasm!

But the benefits extend far beyond language development. Sharing Time is also a powerful confidence booster. As children share snippets of their world with each other, they bask in the attention of their peers, realizing that their stories matter and that others are genuinely interested in what they have to say. Witnessing their beaming faces as they take their turn to share and seeing how proud they are is truly priceless. And let’s not forget the coveted teacher’s chair—the ultimate symbol of importance in their eyes!

Moreover, Sharing Time serves as an early foray into public speaking, fostering confidence in a nurturing and familiar setting. It’s a joy to watch as children hone their receptive language skills, attentively listening to and comprehending their friends’ words.

As Guides, we treasure Sharing Time as a window into your child’s world—a chance for us to observe and assess their speech and language skills, social interactions, emotional needs, independence levels, and self-esteem while also gaining insights into their interests and passions.

We’re grateful for your continued support and for the thoughtful notes you send along in your child’s bag. They provide invaluable prompts for meaningful conversations.

And speaking of community support, the much-anticipated FWM Gala is just around the corner! We’re eagerly anticipating the opportunity to connect with all of you, indulge in delicious food, and hit the dance floor for some fun-filled moments. If you haven’t secured your tickets yet, there’s still time—let’s make this event one to remember!

A message from Middle School: Order your 8th-grade-designed 2024 FWM sweatshirt ASAP! Orders close on April 27! Click here to order.

In the meantime, enjoy a glimpse of our week through some pics.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

We made the most of the rainy days this week. We played in the gym, in addition to a few rainy walks outdoors. We were inspired by one of our favorite books, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, to sing our song as we walked and were delighted to stumble upon the bear on the front lawn! How exciting! On the warm days, we were all thrilled to be outside on the playground without any coats!

We tried black beans this week, and almost all the children loved them. We looked at pictures of them in pods and sprouting. 

Grace and courtesy are fundamental parts of the Montessori curriculum. In short, this means teaching children to be respectful, kind, and empathetic; it is all about helping them understand how to be polite. Table manners are a grace and courtesy lesson that we have the opportunity to work on daily. 

Modeling appropriate table manners is key. We only eat food at the table. We model how to use utensils, chew with mouths closed, and how to ask for more food. We use placemats at lunchtime, set the table with either flowers or candles (flameless at school!), and play peaceful music. Mealtime is also a wonderful time for vocabulary enrichment. There are many adjectives to use in describing their food and beverages! 

Here are some ideas to keep in mind to encourage proper table manners at home:

-Prepare the environment: Set up a child-sized table and chair where your toddler can comfortably sit and reach their plate and utensils. Ensure that everything they need, such as napkins and water, is accessible to them.

-Involve them in meal preparation: Encourage your toddler to participate in meal preparation activities appropriate for their age, like washing fruits and vegetables or setting the table. This instills a sense of ownership and respect for the mealtime process.

-Teach basic etiquette: Use simple language to explain basic table manners, such as saying “please” and “thank you” and using napkins.

-Encourage self-serving: Provide small pitchers or bowls of food and allow your toddler to serve themselves. This promotes independence and develops fine motor skills.

-Maintain a positive atmosphere: Mealtime should be a pleasant experience, so create a calm and inviting atmosphere free from distractions like electronic devices. Engage in conversation and enjoy the opportunity to connect with your toddler.

See you all next week! Christine & Lizette 

PS. Don’t forget to purchase your tickets to the gala! We hope everyone can make it. The last day to get your tickets is April 22nd. Purchase tickets here.

A message from Middle School: Order your 8th-grade-designed 2024 FWM sweatshirt ASAP! Orders close on April 27! Click here to order.

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

We had a unique start to the week as we stayed after school to view the partial eclipse of the sun together. It was a wonderful experience to share as a classroom community! Here are some highlights from the rest of the week.

Our geography lesson this week taught us about the global grid and lines of latitude and longitude. We also discussed the critical problem mapmakers faced for centuries: how to represent our spherical Earth on a flat surface. We learned that Egyptian scholar Ptolemy dealt with this problem by drawing lines of latitude and longitude and that his rules for making maps are still followed today.

In geometry, fourth-year students learned how to use inverse area formulas to find a rectangle’s missing base or height when given the area and either the base or the height, and fifth years learned to find the area of a rhombus using three different formulas.

We wrapped up our biology unit on advanced classification with a lesson on the Tree of Life material. Upper El students will use this material in the coming weeks to study the kingdoms through phyla, classes, and species. This work starts with the first unicellular life in the Kingdom Monera and then continues to include the Kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

This week, in language work, we focused on preparing for our upcoming conferences. Each student is reflecting on their work this year, looking for areas of strength and growth. Through this process, they learn about themselves as students and take responsibility for their own learning. We are also working on writing “Where I’m From” poems. These poems are based on “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon and are meant to inspire the writer to think about their life and what makes them unique. We were happy to have a visit from two of our eighth graders who shared their poems with us.

I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming FWM Spring Gala & Auction on April 27! If you haven’t yet purchased tickets to this vital fundraising event for our school, please purchase yours here. The last day you can buy tickets is April 22. I hope to see you all there!

A message from Middle School: Order your 8th-grade-designed 2024 FWM sweatshirt ASAP! Orders close on April 27! Click here to order.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Order your 8th-grade-designed 2024 FWM sweatshirt ASAP! Orders close on 4/27! Click here to order.
  • ALSO, we are looking forward to having a great Middle School turnout at this year’s auction, Saturday Night Fraser, on Saturday, 4/26! If you want to see Mr. Brown (and his retro mustache) & Mrs. Lamb in their finest 70s attire, be sure to grab your tickets here: Fraser Woods Auction Tickets

Well it is certainly feeling like spring from the warmer days, eating lunch outside, flowers popping, and all the extra sneezing from those pesky allergies creeping up. The Middle School also enjoyed putting on their glasses and getting outside on Monday to view the solar eclipse.

Here’s what went on in classes this week:

Humanities

The 6th-grade Humanities class had a current events week, so they presented their work and had rich discussions about topics going on in the world right now. This group knows how to have informed conversations while offering their opinions respectfully. Additionally, they continue to annotate and move forward in the class novel, The Eye of Ra. Annotations lead our discussions with important moments to recall, questions to answer, and personal reactions to events. The class is also learning about the engineering and building of the pyramids of Egypt, as this is central to their novel, and they have been learning about the pyramid of Djoser and the Great Pyramids. Finally, the group expressed curiosity surrounding sandstorms after one occurred in this week’s reading. The class then learned about the climate of Egypt, when and how sandstorms occur there, and viewed a giant one from 2023.

The 7th-grade Humanities class also had a current events week. There was a wide range of topics and discussions surrounding the presentations. Additionally, on Poetry Tuesday, we spent a bit of time on the poem “Turtle Came to See Me” by Margarita Engle, a Cuban American contemporary poet. The poem is a great example of how imagery can really make writing come to life. Additionally, the main message of the poem, that adults we see as experts can sometimes be wrong offered a great discussion about how we are all human. Next, 7th-grade students drafted their literary analysis essays for A Long Walk to Water using quotations to support Salva’s claim that perseverance made all the difference in his life.

This week in 8th grade American History with Mr. Newman, students began examining the end of the Civil War and the process of Reconstruction. Students learned about the Emancipation Proclamation, The Compromise of 1877, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, to name a few. Next week, they will move into the Gilded Age. With Mrs. Lamb, students continue to read and annotate She Came to Slay, a biography about Harriet Tubman. This week’s annotations prove that this group is moving into high school thinking. The class also took a day to study African American Spirituals: what they are, how they became an important part of Black life during and after slavery, and how they continue to represent an important part of community and culture among Black Americans. They also learned how they played a role in the Underground Railroad. Students read lyrics to a few songs and listened to recordings from the Library of Congress as well as recordings from Marian Anderson, Louie Armstrong, contemporary gospel singers, and Fisk University’s Jubilee Singers. Drafts of expert research papers are due on 4/22.

Math

Pre-Transition students had an engaging week as they were introduced to Chapter 9’s focus on area and volume. From mastering operations of arithmetic to calculating the area of a triangle and parallelogram, students were immersed in the essential concepts that form the foundation of geometry. Through a variety of activities and real-life examples, students gained a deeper understanding of how to calculate and compare different shapes’ areas, setting the stage for more complex geometric explorations in the future.

Throughout this week, Transition students worked on linear equations and inequalities in their Transition mathematics class. They kicked off by exploring how to find solutions by analyzing graphs, followed by mastering the art of solving equations in the form of ax + b = cx + d. Additionally, students learned about graphing linear inequalities of the type y < ax + b. These fundamental concepts are building blocks in understanding the relationships between variables and will continue to shape their problem-solving skills moving forward.

This week, as Algebra students embarked on their journey into the world of polynomials, they worked on exploring concepts such as investments intertwined with polynomials. They tackled the classification of polynomials, learning how to differentiate between terms like binomials, trinomials, and more. Additionally, they honed their skills in multiplying a polynomial by a monomial, mastering the art of these mathematical operations. With this knowledge, students are well on their way to unraveling the mysteries of algebraic expressions and equations.

The geometry class has been working on finding the area of a regular polygon, using their knowledge of special right triangles and the Pythagorean theorem to find the apothem. They have also reviewed simplifying radicals, which are needed to express various lengths of the sides of a right triangle.

Science

In the 6th year of Earth Science studies, students have completed their unit on eclipses, diving deep into the celestial alignment that causes these remarkable phenomena. Following their lessons, students had the unique opportunity to witness an eclipse firsthand this past Monday, allowing them a rare and awe-inspiring experience of this natural occurrence.

7th-year Physical Science students continue to study the unit of reflection, building upon their knowledge from previous years. Through engaging experiments with lasers and mirrors, they are discovering how different surface materials impact the reflection of light. The primary objectives of this unit include designing experiments to evaluate the reflectivity of various materials, recognizing the distinct characteristics of different types of mirrors, and explaining the behavior of light as it reflects off diverse surfaces.

As 8th-grade Life Science students wrap up their exploration of the circulatory system, they dive into the intricate world of the nervous system. In this upcoming unit, students will unravel the mysteries of the brain, spine, and nerves that control our every move. They will explore the details of neurons and the building blocks of our nervous system and understand how these specialized cells function and communicate. Through hands-on experiments, students will track how nerve impulses zip through the body, carrying vital messages and responses at lightning speed. Get ready to embark on a new journey, mapping out the routes of stimulus and sensation that keep us in sync with the world around us.

Looking forward to next week!

Ms. Marissa: Backyard Bird Watching

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

Our April study is one of my favorites of the entire year! We are studying everything about birds. We are learning about many birds we may see in our own backyards, like Blue Jays, American Robins, Goldfinches, Crows, and Black-Capped Chickadees. We look at photos of birds, learn their names, and even get to listen to their beautiful songs! In one of our Sunshine Spots, children can look at an interactive book and hear bird calls from many different backyard birds.

We incorporate birds into our math work by counting birds and making feather booklets where we write numbers. Children have been tracing hummingbirds and Stellars Jay and painting them with beautiful watercolors. There is even a pretend bird’s nest where a mama bird is caring for her four eggs!

Our Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up on Friday, April 12th and 19th. Please look out for the Sign Ups on Monday!

The children have really been enjoying singing songs about birds. Ask your child to sing Two Little Black Birds or Red Red Robin.

Our absolute favorite is Jennie Jenkins. You and your child can sing along!

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

We celebrated another birthday this week! This time we shared a special snack of delicious chocolate chip cookies and read one of the birthday girl’s favorite books, Little Blue Truck’s Springtime,  which the children have continued to enjoy all week long. It was a lovely celebration for our sweet friend. 

Food tasting was a huge hit this week. We tried golden berries. Golden berries belong to the nightshade family and are native to Chile and Peru. They are closely related to the tomatillo with a sweet, tropical taste somewhat reminiscent of pineapple and mango. I was trying this fruit for the first time along with many of the children, which was exciting. Such an interesting fruit with an impressive nutrient profile!

We continue to encourage the children to “catch” their cough with their elbow. We’d love your help to encourage this at home as well. We also walk each child through the steps of washing their hands at the sink. First, they roll up their sleeves (most need help with this). Then, they place one hand under the soap pump, and the other hand pushes the pump. We tell them that their hands will share the soap, and we show them how to rub their palms together and look for the bubbles, then show them how to rub the tops of each hand. As we show them how to rinse, we mention that we are cleaning some of the germs off our hands. Then, we show them how to use a towel to dry each hand. 

Wishing you all a happy weekend! 

Christine & Lizette

April 2024 Family Connection Newsletter

Posted on by Karen Sankey

“The satisfaction which they find in their work has given them a grace and ease like that which comes from music.” ~Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child

April’s edition of the American Montessori Society’s Family Connection Newsletter delves into human tendencies in relation to the Montessori method. You will learn about the eleven cardinal tendencies that Maria Montessori identified as driving humans to understand and make a difference in the world: orientation, order, exploration, communication, activity, manipulation, work, repetition, exactness, abstraction, and perfection. Knowledge of these human tendencies allows adults opportunities to prepare our children’s environments to be places that promote growth in learning and exploration.

The newsletter also provides helpful information about the differences between praise and acknowledgment in your home.

I hope this month’s newsletter is helpful to you.

Warm regards,

Karen Sankey
Director of Montessori Education

Exploring the Magic of Montessori Math in Lower Elementary

Posted on by Ashley Beckett

Math, often perceived as a daunting subject, can become a magical journey of discovery when approached through the lens of Montessori education. In our lower elementary, the Montessori method transforms abstract concepts into tangible experiences, fostering a deep understanding and love for numbers among young learners.

At the heart of Montessori math lies the principle of hands-on learning. Instead of memorizing abstract formulas, children engage in concrete activities using specially designed materials. These materials, meticulously crafted to appeal to the senses and spark curiosity, invite children to explore mathematical concepts at their own pace. Some of Lower Elementary’s favorite versatile concrete materials are the stamp game and bead frames. Other beautiful materials we often see children working on are the checkerboard for multiplication and test tubes for division.

Montessori math empowers children to become independent learners. In a Montessori classroom, teachers serve as guides, observing each child’s progress and offering individualized support when needed. Children are encouraged to choose their activities, work at their own pace, and explore mathematical concepts through self-directed discovery. This autonomy not only enhances children’s confidence but also cultivates a lifelong love for learning.