Blog

Mrs. Sargeant: One Step at a Time

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

 

We know it takes time for the new rhythm of school days to become familiar. So, while taking one step at a time, we are slowly building the foundations for a smooth, exciting school year.

In just a few short days, we as a class are learning:

  • how to navigate our way around the environment
  • how to wait for a lesson
  • the routines of our school day
  • how to prepare for snack and lunch independently
  • about being part of a large group meeting by listening and sharing
  • care of self and care of the environment

Our older friends have been role models for our younger friends. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to be leaders. Despite being new to the classroom themselves, they have accepted this new responsibility with excitement and confidence.

A question we frequently hear from parents is, “What can I do at home to help my child be successful at school?” One way to do so is to guide your child to become as independent as possible. Your child’s age and ability guide this independence so there are no hard and fast rules to follow. A few important areas to focus on are setting up and cleaning up their lunch, putting on and taking off clothing and shoes, toileting themselves, packing and unpacking their backpacks, and carefully putting their toys away when they are done. This process is also one step at a time.

Here’s to new beginnings and a peaceful, fun school year for everyone!

Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love!

Christine & Fatima

Ms. Mollie: Day by Day

Posted on by Mollie Smith

 

 

The saying, “We take it day by day,” is the most accurate word ever said about a Montessori Toddler Classroom. Our “Phase In” process has been wonderful, it is a time that we create bonds, build trust and create boundaries for the children. Each day is a new day of learning, observing, and playing. We do have some tears sprinkled in here and there, but within seconds, the tears are dried, and they are ready to explore again. Ms. Lizette and I are so thankful each day that you are sharing your children with us. We enjoy watching them learning and growing, and we cannot wait to see where the year takes us!

As we say in our classroom, See ya Later, Alligator! 

Ms. Mollie and Ms. Lizette

Welcome Back to the Art Studio!

Posted on by Jen Reid

At FWM, Art is viewed as a creative journey or process rather than a deliverable or end product. Students are encouraged to trust their original ideas, take creative risks, evaluate results, and problem-solve so they continue to flourish as flexible, creative thinkers beyond the Art Studio walls. We kicked off the school year with lots of drawing and mark-making exploration. Young artists used a range of materials and tools, such as colored pencils, markers, rulers, crayons, erasers, and charcoal. Inspiration was pulled from nature, our classroom environment, and our imagination. As students settle into the Art Studio, they are encouraged to engage in self-directed play with the art materials while learning safe and proper material handling. With this sense of freedom to explore, children learn to think creatively and to take risks with ideas and materials: they realize that mistakes are opportunities to try something different and that there’s more than one way to be creative!

Mrs. Hood: Embracing growth and Independence!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

Welcome to the FWM 2024-2025 Toddler School Year!

As we wrap up our phase-in period, we are beyond thrilled with the progress we’ve seen in your toddlers! Each day, we witness fewer tears at drop-off and more dancing, laughter, and joy throughout the morning. It’s truly heartwarming to see them grow more confident and comfortable in their new environment.

Over the past two weeks, the children have been busy exploring their surroundings and becoming familiar with the space. Our learning environment is designed to promote independence, freedom, and choice. Here, children are empowered to make decisions while gradually learning the importance of caring for each other, their materials, and the classroom itself.

As we encourage this freedom, we’ve also begun introducing some foundational ground rules. One key rule is Respect for Others’ Work. In traditional school settings, young children are often encouraged to share. While sharing is an important value, at this stage of development, children are not yet ready for it. Instead, we focus on taking turns, which fosters patience, mindfulness, independence, order, and concentration. By removing the pressure of having their materials taken away, children can work peacefully until they are finished. When a child wishes to work independently, we encourage them to say, “This is my work. Please don’t touch it.” We also teach them to quietly observe their peers at work—it’s wonderful to see even our youngest students mastering these skills with a bit of gentle guidance.

Another rule we’ve introduced is Respect for Our Materials. As guides, we model the importance of handling materials with care and gentleness. If a child decides to throw a piece of material, we redirect them to an appropriate alternative, like a ball, while reinforcing positive behavior with simple verbal cues such as, “We throw the ball,” or “We are gentle with our materials.”

In addition to learning classroom expectations, the children have been practicing a variety of practical life skills: sitting in a community circle, self-serving snacks, participating in the toileting process, using white mats for working on the ground, cleaning up before moving on to another activity, and transitioning smoothly between places. Of course, they’ve also enjoyed plenty of outdoor time on the toddler playground, a favorite part of their day!

Some of the children’s favorite songs this week include: “Walking in the Jungle” by Super Simple Songs, “We Are the Dinosaurs” and “The Goldfish” by Laurie Berkner, “The Wheels on the Bus” by Cedarmont Kids, and “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” It’s always a joy to see them light up when these tunes play!

The phase-in period lays the foundation for a successful year of learning, and we want to express our gratitude for your support in helping us create a safe and nurturing space for your children. Thank you for entrusting us with your most precious jewels—we have already formed special bonds with each child, bonds that will only continue to grow throughout the year.

This is shaping up to be an incredible school year, and we can’t wait to see what’s ahead!

Enjoy some photos of your beautiful children,
Mrs. Hood and Ms. Noelle

The Start of a New School Year

Posted on by Gina Tryforos

The start of a new school year is always an exciting time.

In our fast-paced world, where the pressures of work, social media, and everyday responsibilities sometimes feel overwhelming, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing we need to do everything flawlessly.

But here’s the truth: your child doesn’t need a perfect parent. They need a parent who shows up—who listens, who cares, and who is there for them when it matters.

Each new school year offers a fresh start—a chance to nurture growth, inspire learning, and build lasting memories.

As always, this year, we’re committed to starting strong, which begins with fostering positivity and involvement.

Setting a Positive Tone at Home

Children look to us for guidance, and a positive mindset at home has a ripple effect on their experience in school. Here are a few tips for starting the year off right:

  1. Create Routines Together: Establishing consistent routines around homework, bedtime, and morning activities reduces stress and sets children up for success. When children are involved in planning their routines, they take ownership, which builds responsibility and confidence.
  2. Open the Lines of Communication: Encourage your child to share their thoughts about the new school year. What are they excited about? What are they nervous about? Listening and offering reassurance will help ease any anxieties they may have.
  3. Celebrate the Small Wins: Each day will bring new challenges and triumphs. Take time to celebrate your child’s accomplishments, no matter how small, to build their self-esteem and motivation to continue growing.

Stay Involved

We know that parent involvement is key to a child’s success.

We invite you to:

  • Stay in touch: Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher with any concerns or updates about your child.
  • Be part of the community: Attend parent meetings, participate in school events, or join our parent association.
  • Stay informed: Check out our FWM Weekly Email so you’re aware of important dates, school news, and ways you can support your child’s learning at home.

As we step into this new school year together, let’s focus on what truly counts: showing up for our children with presence, love, and an open heart.

Gina Tryforos
Director of Academic Enrichment and Student Support

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It’s been a beautiful week in Middle School. The students are settling more into their routines and getting used to the schedule. After school sports have started as well, and the foliage around the field is starting to turn. The students also participated in their first Community Service period of the year and spent time in the classrooms of their younger peers. We are looking forward to a few events next week (see below).

Here are a few reminders:

  • Drop off for Middle School students begins at 8 am. 
  • 9/24: RESCHEDULED High School Placement Meeting for 8th grade families at 8:15am
  • 9/26: Curriculum Night at 5:30 pm
  • 9/27: Field Trip to the Adventure Park at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport. Full school day. Bus transportation to and from the Adventure Park. Please complete a required waiver form for your child/children.

Humanities

6th-grade Humanities classes are easing into the year. Students have just completed their summer reading presentations to the class. They have learned how to load their work into Google Classroom; some utilized the Chromecast, and they were excited to use the remote clicker (and learning to resist the urge to shine the laser pointer in the classroom). The 6th grade has also begun their identity maps that all middle school students complete at the start of the year, visualizing what it is about themselves that they want their school community to know about them in the 24-25 school year. Finally, the class is learning how to listen and speak to each other respectfully, which is the first step in forming a safe space for communication in the classroom.

7th-grade Humanities classes are moving quickly through the material! They began the year by giving their summer reading presentations to the class and selecting articles for their first current events presentations. Additionally, they began their unit about China. First, the class completed a map of China’s provinces and major rivers. Then, they watched a Geography Now! video about China, which provided more information about the landscape, political geography, and the variety of diverse people within China. The class began their first novel, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, by Lensey Namioka, which follows a young Chinese girl through the fall of the last dynasty and cultural revolution. Finally, they are working on their 2024-25 identity maps.

The 8th-grade Humanities classes began the year by delivering their fiction and nonfiction summer reading presentations. Next, they began their exploration into multicultural American history with a discussion about American identity. They began reading Ronald Takaki’s book, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Next, they talked about the importance of the land, imagining what the country looked like both before European Colonization and at the time of its independence. Many preconceived ideas of the landscape and borders were brought to light. Finally, the students completed research and presentations about Pre-Contact American Civilizations. In addition, 8th-grade students are working on their 2024-25 identity maps.

Science

It has been a great start to the year in Science classes. Ms. Pickard has enjoyed getting to know the MS students and learning about their interests in class. This week, all Middle School students completed a lab safety worksheet to prepare for other experiments. In addition, students asked the question, “Is listening to music beneficial to test scores?” and came up with hypotheses as a group. The students also completed work about the fundamentals of a proper lab report and how to format their writing.

Math

Pre-Transition This week students started to work with the UCSMP textbook and are learning how to use this new resource. They started our learning with Chapter 1 and managed to go through the first three lessons all together. Students discovered how to write word names for decimals, classify values in the number system, use fractions to divide line segments and use different measuring tools to find the exact length of objects in our classroom. 

Transition This class was able to work through the first four lessons of chapter 1 in the UCSMP textbook. Students learned about rational numbers, comparing and ordering positive and negative integers, and understanding the powers of ten. This group enjoyed working together to complete the lesson master worksheets and discussed ways to stay organized this year.
 
Algebra This class has already taken the first quiz for Chapter 1 titled, “Using Algebra to Describe the Real World.” They covered topics such as commutative and associative properties, finding patterns in algebraic sentences and using variables to represent unknowns. The class will cover the second half of this chapter next week and plan for the unit assessment on October 1st.
 
Geometry This class started the year learning about Euclidean geometry and plane coordinate geometry. They explored different properties for points and lines, reviewed graphing linear equations on a grid and determined the distance between values on a number line. The class will continue to learn about triangle inequality properties and geometric notation for one dimensional figures.
Looking forward to next week! Can’t wait to see you at Curriculum Night!

Building Foundations in LE: Mindfulness, Routines, and Responsibility

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

I’m happy to share that our second week of school has been wonderful! The children are adjusting beautifully and are quickly learning the routines and rules of the classroom. They are showing great enthusiasm and curiosity, making each day so much fun.

Each morning, we start our day with a few minutes of meditation. Teaching children meditation at a young age has many benefits, such as helping them develop focus, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. It provides a calming start to the day and gives them tools to manage their emotions and practice mindfulness, which can positively impact their learning and social interactions throughout the day.

In our lower elementary classroom, we also have classroom jobs that the children are excited to take part in. These jobs are chosen by the students each week and rotate, so everyone gets a chance to experience different responsibilities. Classroom jobs help foster a sense of community and ownership, and they teach important life skills like responsibility, teamwork, and time management. It’s wonderful to see how proud the children feel when they contribute to keeping our classroom running smoothly!

Ms. Handibode: One Step at a Time

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

We know it takes time for the new rhythm of school days to become familiar. So, while taking one step at a time, we are slowly building the foundations for a smooth, exciting school year.

In just a few short days, we as a class are learning:

  • how to navigate our way around the environment
  • how to wait for a lesson
  • the routines of our school day
  • how to prepare for snack and lunch independently
  • about being part of a large group meeting by listening and sharing
  • care of self and care of the environment

Our returning friends have been role models for our new friends. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to be a leader. It wasn’t so long ago that they were new to the classroom themselves, and they accepted this new responsibility with excitement and confidence.

A question we frequently hear from parents is, “What can I do at home to help my child be successful at school?” One way to do so is to guide your child to become as independent as possible. Your child’s age and ability guide this independence so there are no hard and fast rules to follow. A few important areas to focus on are setting up and cleaning up their lunch, putting on and taking off coats and boots, toileting themselves, packing and unpacking their backpacks, and carefully putting their toys away when they are done. This process is also one step at a time.

Here’s to new beginnings and a peaceful, fun school year for everyone!

Wishing you all a week filled with peace and love!

Michelle & Maria