We are very excited for our trip to Nature’s Classroom on Tuesday! Here are some important details to keep in mind:

1. Packing: Students will carry their own bags to and from the cabin, so please pack accordingly.
2. Backpacks: If you need a small day backpack, I have some available at school. I will distribute them on Tuesday morning before we leave for anyone who needs one.
3. Snacks: Please remember to bring a small snack for the bus ride.
4. Medication: Christina Benoit will be at arrival on Tuesday to collect medication for our trip.
5. Payment: The remaining balance for Nature’s Classroom, after the $100 deposit, is $283.
6. Arrival Time: Students should arrive at school by 8:00 on Tuesday. This will give us time to load the bus for a 9:00 departure.
7. We will return to school at 3:00 (depending on traffic) on Thursday. I’ll communicate through the WhatsApp chat group. If you need to be added to the group, please let me know.

If you have any questions this weekend, feel free to reach out. Looking forward to a great trip!

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We had a busy week with daily morning rehearsals in preparation for our fabulous Spring Concert on Friday, along with individual math lessons, spelling and comprehension work, and biology lessons. It amazes me every year to see how motivated Montessori Upper El students are to continue receiving lessons up until the last week of school, especially math lessons. They want to see how far they can get in the curriculum before leaving for summer break.

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I want to share a personal story that is unrelated to our weekly lessons and activities. On Monday, I received the news that my father-in-law had passed away unexpectedly. I was very upset, and I left school early. The students noticed that something was wrong and were concerned. During art class, they created the most wonderful card for me and for Jake, who also left early that day. When I returned to school the next morning, the students had many questions about what had happened. I talked to them about my loss, and they responded by giving me a heartfelt group hug, showing their love and support without hesitation. Your children are amazing.

“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dates all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” -Agatha Christie

Our week started with a cast party for Finding Nemo, Jr. We enjoyed watching a recording of the play and eating the delicious Finding Nemo themed cake Leah (our MS math teacher) made.

We had a multitude of math lessons this week. We have a range of work going on in Upper El, from adding and subtracting fractions to multiplying decimals to working with cubing and cube roots. When possible, students work together with classmates on their lessons, but many times, students work independently since everyone truly moves at their own pace in their math work. This allows each student to spend just the right amount of time on each concept before moving on to a new lesson. Assessment happens continuously through observations, assignments, and meetings with me. Many math concepts that seem complex become simple through the use of materials. As soon as students are ready, we look for patterns in the answers to their written work and discover the algorithm together. They move to work without materials when they are ready and then move onto the next lesson.

Our class meeting this week focused on lunch preparations when a student noticed that people are taking too long at the microwave and sometimes walking away from their food while it is heating. Each student took turns brainstorming solutions, and after a quick discussion, the class made a collective decision about some solutions to the problem. Putting decision making in the hands of the students creates an environment where they feel in control and respected. It also creates a classroom that runs smoothly.

We enjoyed getting back to Book Buddies this week after missing the last two weeks. This is a highlight of the week for Upper El students. They have become excellent teachers to their kindergarten friends.

Wishing a very Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms. You are all amazing!

 

Upcoming UE Important Dates

• Wednesday, May 7: Section 5 of Fish in a Tree Due
• Wednesday, May 14: Section 6 of Fish in a Tree Due
• Friday, May 16 at 8:30: May & Summer Birthday Breakfast (this is a change of date from the original date of May 9)
• Tuesday, May 27 to Thursday, May 29: Nature’s Classroom Big Trip!

What an incredible night we had on Friday! After a five-year break from performing musicals, the Upper El and Middle School students, under the excellent direction of Megan Kirk, amazed us with an outstanding performance of Finding Nemo Jr. All of the students should be very proud of themselves and the weeks of hard work they put in. Bravo!

We also enjoyed a wonderful Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Friday morning. Students proudly showcased their hard work, with a strong emphasis on math materials. Several students even enthusiastically gave tours of the school to their guests.

Upcoming:

• Friday, April 18: No school – Good Friday
• Friday, April 25:
  • 9:30-12:30: ALL CAST Rehearsal for Finding Nemo (students can step out for their conferences)
  • 12:45: Improv & Acting for UE & MS
  • All day: NO SCHOOL – Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences – sign up here
• Friday, May 2:
  • 11:30: Early Dismissal
  • 9:30 – 11:30: Grandparents and Special Friends Day
  • 7:00: Spring Musical – Finding Nemo

What a whirlwind of a week we had in Upper Elementary! We kicked off our mornings with some student-led yoga and enjoyed a snack while listening to our chapter book read-aloud, A Wrinkle in Time. Then, it was time to tackle the ERB standardized test. Our Upper El students only face this once a year, and they handled it like true champs! With their positive attitudes, they navigated the test with ease and adapted to the change in routine—just another day in the life of our incredible students.

To lighten the mood during testing, we made sure to share some quality time together. We nestled indoors for fun card games, made progress on our ongoing puzzle, and even fit in some much-needed extra recess outside. We wrapped up the week with one of our favorite activities, Book Buddies, which everyone looked forward to!

This Week:

• CTP5 Standardized Testing: For Upper El, this is a practice test and we do not report scores. Students will be using school iPads during testing – there is no need to send their devices for testing.
• Nature’s Classroom cost is $383 per student this year. If your child will be attending, please send a $100 deposit by Friday, April 11.

We had a wonderfully busy week in Upper El, filled with engaging work and activities. The students tackled individual math and spelling lessons, and they also participated in group lessons in biology, geometry, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension.

In biology, our focus was on photosynthesis. We are currently examining the release of oxygen by an aquatic plant and look forward to a sunny day next week to complete our experiment. In geometry, we continued our lessons on finding surface area, with one group concentrating on squares and the other on the lesser sectors of circles. This week in grammar, we explored different types of adverbs and the words they modify.

In art class, students worked together on the set for their upcoming musical, Finding Nemo! They also enjoyed a delightful Book Buddies session with their kindergarten friends, which is always a great way to connect and share a love for reading. It was a week full of learning, creativity, and fun!

Upcoming Events
April 8-11: CTP testing (see below)
May 27, 28, and 29: Nature’s Classroom overnight field trip (see below)

This week, we welcomed a new friend to Upper El—welcome Emmie and family to FWM! It was a wonderful return to school after our two-week break. We jumped back into our biology work, focusing on the vital functions of plants.

On Monday, we reviewed the concepts we had learned before the break. We analyzed a chart of vital functions and discussed the differences between the vegetative, relative, and reproductive functions of plants. On Wednesday, we explored the creation and use of starch in plants. After the lesson, Upper El students independently tested potatoes and other root vegetables of their choice for starch, extending their activity by examining their specimens under a microscope and recording their observations in their science notebooks.

In geometry this week, one group learned about inverse formulas for finding the area of a rectangle. They practiced determining the missing base or height when given the area and the length of one side. Another group focused on the formula for calculating the area of a circle.

We concluded our week by sharing books with our kindergarten buddies. Our fourth and fifth graders are doing an outstanding job helping their kindergarten friends with reading and sharing stories. This week, they concentrated on books about animals in preparation for a research project the kindergarten students are undertaking.

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CTP Testing
The Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) evaluates reading, writing, and math skills and is administered once a year in the spring. We begin testing students in fourth grade and continue through eighth grade. For fourth and fifth graders, this assessment serves as practice, and we do not report scores at these levels. Parents will receive scores starting in sixth grade. Testing will occur during the week of April 8, with students completing small portions each morning on their devices. It’s essential for them to arrive at school each day with their devices fully charged. Please reach out if you have any questions about the testing process.

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Nature’s Classroom
On May 27, we will depart for Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, Massachusetts. We will travel by bus and will stay two nights at the Pondside facility. We will return to school on May 29 after spending two nights at Nature’s Classroom. Last year, the cost for this trip was $450. This may change this year depending on the cost of the bus and on the number of students attending. I will hold an informational session for any parents interested. Please email me if you are interested. I will also send more information in a separate email next week.

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Read the blog post from March 8 here.