This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey
As we wrap up this school year, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible journey we’ve taken together. It’s hard to believe another year has come to a close, and I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to some really important people: my amazing students and their supportive families.
To my wonderful students, thank you for all your hard work and dedication this year. Watching you grow—both academically and personally—has truly been one of the highlights of my career. Each of you has made such impressive strides—whether it was mastering tough concepts, honing your skills, or simply being there for one another as friends. Your curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm have inspired me every single day. From project presentations to working collaboratively in the classroom, your growth has been remarkable. Remember, the lessons you’ve learned and the friendships you’ve forged will stick with you as you continue on your educational journey. Now that summer is here, I encourage each of you to take the time to explore, relax, and recharge. Keep that curiosity alive and never stop learning. For those moving on, I wish you all the best, and I can’t wait to welcome my fifth-graders back next year. I’m excited to see all the wonderful things you’ll accomplish in the next school year and beyond.
To the families, thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Your encouragement at home, participation in school events, and collaboration with Sara and me as your child’s teachers have been essential to their success this year. It’s a real pleasure to work with such dedicated families, and I appreciate the open communication we’ve maintained. Your involvement has made a lasting impact on our classroom community.
Thank you all once again for an unforgettable year. Have a fantastic summer, and I can’t wait to see you again soon!

Upper Elementary

Posted on by Gina Tryforos

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)

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

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.

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

Upcoming important dates:

  • Friday, May 23 at 5:00: Spring Concert
  • Tuesday, May 27 – Thursday, May 29: Upper El trip to Nature’s Classroom
  • Monday, June 2: Field Day
  • Friday, June 6: Moving Up Ceremony and Last Day of School

The past week has been quite busy with a mix of math lessons and hands-on activities. We’ve been working hard on comprehension, spelling, and even fine-tuning our editing skills, specifically focusing on commas and capitalization. Plus, we wrapped up our final Novel Study meeting of the year, which was a great way to reflect on what we’ve read together. Our book, Fish in a Tree, provided many opportunities for great discussion and reflection. I was so impressed with how brave and willing many students were to share their own challenges during our conversations about the book.

I’m really impressed with how motivated the upper elementary students are! They’re diving into their lessons and pushing themselves to learn more as we approach the end of the school year.

We are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Nature’s Classroom in just over a week! If anyone needs another copy of the Packing List or has any questions about the trip, just let me know. I’ll be sharing pictures and updates through our WhatsApp chat group while we’re away. If you haven’t joined yet and need the invite again, just give me a shout!

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

“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!

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

 

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.

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

Upcoming Dates

  • Friday, April 25:
    • No school – Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
    • 9:30-12:30 – All Cast Rehearsal for Finding Nemo
    • 12:45 – 1:30 – Improv & Acting for UE & MS
  • Friday, May 2:
    • 11:30 Early Dismissal
    • Grandparents and Special Friends Day
    • 7:00 pm – Spring Musical for UE and MS – Finding Nemo
  • Saturday, May 3: 5:00-8:00 pm – Springfest!

We had a great week in Upper El! We wrapped up our testing on Monday and got back into our regular routine. We kicked off the week with a class meeting where we brainstormed ways to keep our closet area tidy—a need the students noticed and took the initiative to address.

On Tuesday, we had a great time at the middle school science fair. It was awesome checking out all the different topics and experiments and chatting with our sixth to eighth-grade friends about their findings.

We also had a fun trip to the Audubon Society in Milford on Thursday with the sixth and seventh graders to wrap up our short week. We spent time on the beach looking for crabs, slipper snails, jellyfish, and all sorts of shells. Then we moved away from the water and used binoculars to spot the many birds in the area. It was a fantastic week overall!

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

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!