This week we had the opportunity to explore weather and climate expressed through art at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT. The children had guided tours in small groups and learned about many of the pieces of art in the weather exhibit. In addition to learning how the pieces were made, they also learned each piece’s connection with climate and weather. We saw a large oil painting of the Florida Everglades and Miami. We also experienced a depiction of the night sky with the big dipper, an interpretation of Chicago snow, a moving piece of art showing a tree in each season of the year, storm clouds, a giant print of a tree trunk, and a piece which was an interpretation of doppler radar images combined with brain scans, among others. We also made a happy discovery while at the museum. One of the pieces we looked at and discussed was a room filled with colorful nylon strips, hung vertically, created by Eva LeWitt who happens to be the daughter of an artist the children studied earlier in the school year, Sol LeWitt.

We have also been busy learning this week in school. The third year students started some geometry lessons on the analysis of a triangle. They explored making equilateral, isosceles, and scalene triangles with the box of sticks material. Second year students learned about pronouns, and individual lessons in math and language took place throughout the work cycles this week for students at each grade level. In Readers and Writers Workshop, we are diving into lessons in our units on reading and writing non-fiction. The children are enjoying learning about writing in this new genre while teaching their peers all about something they are experts in.

“The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, “The children are now working as if I did not exist.”  ~Maria Montessori

This is one of our favorite quotes from Maria Montessori and this week we saw it come to life. Having been out several days, our first concern was, of course, for the children. We received feedback daily regarding how well the children maintained their work cycle completing meaningful work throughout the week. We could not be more proud of their embodiment of this famous quote.  Enjoy the long weekend!

If you walk into our Lower Elementary classroom you will find children working on independent/group research throughout the year. The children absolutely love researching topics of their choice as one of their work options during our work cycle. Although research is a frequent, day to day occurrence, this time of year is special because the entire class is focused on one common goal, completing their research projects. This common focus connects us as a class and allows opportunities for the older children to take a mentoring roll and help the younger children who are new to research.

The children were so excited all week as the anticipation of Research Night crept up. They were thrilled to be sharing their projects with people who they love so deeply. The third-year students had their first public speaking experience, presenting before classmates and families. They were amazing! All of the children worked diligently and should be very proud of their work, as are we.

We can still take one more parent volunteer on our upcoming field trip to the Aldrich Museum on February 19th. The bus will be leaving school at 11:30, so if you can make it and are interested, please email Karen or me.

“I have decided to stick with love, hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

With a fresh year just beginning, this is a great time to help children set a respectful and kind tone for the year ahead. One way we did this was starting the week reading Martin’s Dream Day by Kitty Kelley. This sparked a conversation about how everyone can help make a difference in the world through kindness and respect, just like King did.

Our third year friends took part in the CTP5 standardized test during the work cycle, which left a smaller group in the room. During this time, the students have been enjoying working independently and with their classmates on a variety of work. This includes the Who Am I cards, reading comprehension, stamp game math computation, and much more.

We have an upcoming field trip to the Aldrich Museum on Wednesday, February 19th. We will be having an early lunch here at school and will leave FWM at 11:30 and return at 2pm. We can take three parent volunteers with us. If you haven’t had the opportunity to come with us on a field trip this year and would like to attend, please reach out!

We have noticed some children coming to school without proper winter attire. We go outside every day if the weather is above 20 degrees so please make sure that your child is coming to school with gloves, hat, and a jacket. If there is snow on the ground please send in snow pants and boots as well.

It has been a fun and busy week in Lower Elementary. We started a new unit in Writers Workshop on information writing. The students kicked off the unit by partnering up and teaching each other all about something they are experts in. First years learned about teaching all about a topic and seconds and thirds learned about topics and subtopics. We also continued to celebrate the personal narratives each child wrote by inviting them to share their stories with the class. The completed stories will go on a special bookshelf so the children can read each other’s personal narratives.

Next week, Tuesday through Thursday, the third year students will take a practice standardized test called the CTP5. This test is given to third through eighth grade students and is scored and reported to parents starting in fourth grade. We treat the third grade year as a true practice  year so the children have the chance to take the test with a little more help learning to navigate it this first year. For this reason, we don’t score and report it in third grade. As a Montessori school, we give this test to give our students the practical life experience of taking a test, to prepare them for future years in school. The third year students completed a sample practice test together this week and commented that they thought it was fun!

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. – Melody Beattie

Happy New Year! The holiday season came and went with a blink of an eye and now we are beginning a new decade! There has been plentiful laughter and enthusiasm buzzing in the classroom this week.

In the first half of the year, the children became storytellers, writing true stories about their lives. Now, as we wrap up this unit, the children are working on publishing a story they hold near and dear to their hearts. They have been working so hard this week to get their stories accomplished. It’s beautiful to see all the children’s unique personalities shine through their writing. We will be having an authors circle when the publishing process is over to celebrate and share (those who are comfortable) their efforts.

Soon the children will be learning about writing nonfiction, becoming experts on topics of their choice. This will lead nicely into the research the children are beginning for the upcoming Research Night on Thursday, February 6th, at 6:30. They are in the process of choosing a topic of interest within some categories we provided them. Children will work together with us to do all of their research at school. First year students will make posters with information about their topics, second year students will make posters and write research papers, and third year students will make presentation boards, write papers, and give oral presentations. We will provide all of the information and resources for the children to complete this process successfully.

2019 was a great year for Lower Elementary! We learned so much through our lessons and experiences. We had a great time performing in our school play, going on field trips, celebrating holidays, spending time in nature, learning from each other, and making new friends. Thank you for sharing your children with us this past year. Here’s to a great 2020!

We wish you the happiest of holidays and we hope you enjoy this special time with your precious children!

With love,

Karen and Ashley