“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -Jane Goodall

We had a fantastic time at The Adventure Park earlier this week! It was the perfect first field trip of the year, providing real opportunities for the children to bond, encourage, and support one another outside the classroom. While helping each other on the high ropes course, I observed the children engaging in teamwork naturally. They challenged themselves to tackle courses with intimidating elements, cheering for one another and offering encouragement during difficult moments.

Overall, field trips are incredibly beneficial for children. They allow them to practice grace and courtesy, both with each other and the people they encounter outside of Fraser Woods. These outings help develop resilience, courage, and independence, while teaching children about our interconnectedness with nature and the world around us. Additionally, field trips offer opportunities for children to apply their knowledge in real-world settings and help them cultivate responsibility, manners, and cooperation.

Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences

At the upper elementary level, students are involved in their own parent-teacher conferences. They prepare ahead of time by reflecting on the weeks leading up to the conference, identifying both their strengths and areas for improvement. At the conference, they will share their work and their reflections with you. If you have not already signed up for a conference, please use this link to select your time. If you don’t see a time that works for your family, please reach out to me directly. I am happy to set up a time that works for you. Conference sign-ups close on Friday, September 17. 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Tuesday, October 7: Field Trip to The Adventure Park at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport. We would love to have parent volunteers on this trip. If you would like to join us, please reach out.
  • Please sign your child’s waiver here.
  • Bring a bagged lunch that day.
  • Dress in layers and wear sneakers (no open toed shoes or Crocs).
• Thursday, October 2: No School – Yom Kippur
• Thursday, October 9 @ 8:30: October Birthday Breakfast – Read about birthday breakfasts and view the year’s schedule here.

We had a great week in Upper El! We began the week with a writing lesson focused on sentence variety. We learned to identify four different types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. In geometry lessons, the fourth graders explored six different types of quadrilaterals, while the fifth graders learned how to find the area of an acute triangle. In grammar, the fourths studied common, proper, and collective nouns, and the fifths focused on the agreement between pronouns and verbs in the present, past, and future tenses. The whole class examined an evolutionary strip and reviewed the common and taxonomic names of familiar animals in biology. In history, we began our lessons on humans’ closest relatives by discussing where we, as humans, fit in. We took a logical approach to determine the relationships between humans and other living animals.

This week, we launched this year’s Book Buddies program with our Kindergarten students. Each Friday morning, the Kindergarteners join Upper Elementary students for thirty minutes to read and be read to. This year, we have nineteen Kindergarten students, and each Upper El student is paired with a Kindergarten student to mentor throughout the year as our little friends learn to read and develop a love for books. Our Upper El students did an excellent job selecting books that were just right for their buddies. They showed patience and kindness, and each student felt a sense of pride when the half-hour session concluded.

We look forward to seeing you at Curriculum Night on Thursday at 5:30. Please take some time to review the slideshow that Jill will be sending. The evening will follow an Open House-style format, allowing you to explore some Montessori materials while learning about our school day and what to expect this year.

Welcome to a new school year, Upper Elementary families! We had a fantastic first two weeks filled with getting to know each other, sharing experiences, and learning together.

This week, we began our small and large group lessons. In history, we are exploring humans’ closest living relatives and how humans fit into the classification of life. In biology, we will study the vital functions of animals throughout the year. We kicked off our biology lessons by examining the classification system and the five kingdoms of life.

In geometry, fourth-year students learned about the seven types of triangles, while fifth-year students focused on calculating the area of parallelograms. In grammar, fourth graders explored common and proper nouns, and fifth graders began their study of verbs, starting with pronouns and simple tenses. Our writing lessons began with an exploration of the difference between a sentence and a fragment. All students are already working hard and collaborating with friends on independent work and other assignments.

We’ve also enjoyed setting our routines, selecting classroom jobs, and playing on the field, playground, and in the outdoor classroom woods.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 25, at 5:30 PM for Curriculum Night!

This week at Nature’s Classroom, Upper Elementary really showed what they are made of: kindness, strength, curiosity, resilience, and leadership skills! They took on tremendous challenges in teamwork, and they learned about ecology and the importance of good stewardship in protecting the Earth. They pushed themselves physically on rigorous hikes all over the beautiful 70-acre campus! They sang, they laughed, they roasted marshmallows on a fire that they built together, they formed deep bonds and core memories that will last a lifetime! We are so proud of them!

The Week Ahead:

Monday, 6/2  Field Day! Wear sneakers and consider bringing a change of clothes as students may get wet!

Tuesday, 6/3 Sports Day- Wear your favorite sports team gear.

Wednesday, 6/4 Beach Day-  Dress like you are on an island getaway, but please no bathing suits without cover-ups.

Thursday, 6/5 Pajama Day!- Bring a stuffy, and come to school in your jammies!

Friday, 6/6 Red Carpet Day- Say, “See you later,” in style! Dress up in more formal attire for our annual Moving Up Ceremony at 10 am. (Early Dismissal for all students is at 11:30 am)

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!

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.

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.