“The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” – Maria Montessori
I found a wonderful, short article explaining this quote by Dr. Montessori on private schools that I wanted to share. You can find it below.
“Giving children age-appropriate responsibilities allows them to become accountable to themselves and others, as well as the environment around them. In life, there are consequences for actions, both positive and negative, and a Montessori child learns this essential life skill. The person in charge of the in-home care and directresses allow children to make age-appropriate decisions regarding their immediate needs. This develops a child’s independence and confidence knowing that they can do things for themselves. These skills inspire self-esteem as they enable children to learn to help themselves.” – Peel Montessori Private School
REMINDERS:
Wednesday, December 11 – Christmas Show Rehearsal – This is NOT a dress rehearsal. Please take your child to the restroom before dropping them off to us at 5:45. Elementary students can be dropped off/picked up in the auditorium.
Friday, December 13 – Elementary Box Tops Pizza Party and Christmas Sweater/Shirt Day – Elementary will be celebrating winning the Box Tops collection with a Christmas Sweater/Shirt Day and pizza for lunch. Your child will still need to bring their own snack for the day and a water bottle.
Friday, December 13 – Christmas Show – Please take your child to the restroom before dropping them off to us by 5:30. Elementary students should be dropped off/picked up in the auditorium. There is no after care this day! Students must be picked up by 3 pm.
Friday, December 20 – Pajama Day – Students may wear their pajamas to school and bring a pillow and blanket for our afternoon movie. We will still be holding student-teacher conferences in the morning!
“The study of mathematics, like the Nile, begins with minuteness and ends in magnificence.” -Charles Caleb Colton
Having previously taught in a Montessori Primary classroom (ages 3 to 6), gives me a unique understanding and sense of awe when I present Upper Elementary lessons. I presented many math and sensorial lessons when I taught preschool and kindergarten with the understanding that they were foundational lessons for work later in the Elementary curriculum, but I never really understood what they would be doing with the concrete lessons and materials they used as Primary students. When I get to present lessons like “The Algebraic Binomial,” I always love the look on the faces of the students as they learn more about a material they used at the age of 3. Have you ever wondered what the Binomial Cube is really about? Find out below!
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Enrichments
REMINDERS:
Send in anything you signed up to bring Monday for our meal together Tuesday!
NO SCHOOL – Wednesday, November 27 – Friday, November 29
Nutcracker Ballet Field Trip – Driving details to come
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” -Winston Churchill
Yesterday we worked together with Ms. Courtney’s class to pack our boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Our students packed their own boxes with the help of a few parents, then helped along Ms. Courtney’s students! Each child that wanted to help, was given a part of the assembly line and a younger student. They helped the younger students choose one of each item and pack them successfully in the boxes!
CHRISTMAS SHOW COSTUME INFORMATION
Tyler and Ellie (Grinch 1 and Grinch 2) – Grinch costumes, green face paint optional, shoes that will allow them to move quickly and safely across the stage and on stairs
Caiden (Max the Dog) – dog costume – we will be adding an antler headband during the performance, so nothing on his head other than dog ears
Hana (Cindy Lou Who) – plenty of costume ideas on Amazon, Pinterest, and Google for Cindy Lou – may have extreme hair if she would like
All other students will need to dress like Whos from Whoville. I am adding some photos below for ideas, but be creative! Please do not give your child tall hair or tall head props so we can ensure all parents will be able to see their children on the risers. Cindy Lou is a taller student and her tall hair (if she chooses) will not be blocking anyone. Whos also need shoes that will allow them to move quickly and safely across the stage and on stairs.
“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” -Mahatma Ghandi
Today is our last day with Ms. Marlee. We want to thank her for all of her time and patience helping and teaching in our rooms. We will cherish our memories of all of her lessons, rap skills, and dance moves. We hope she cherishes all the moments we have forced her to love Harry Potter and insects. We love you, Ms. Marlee, and can’t wait for your next visit. Best of luck!
“The only thing to fear, is fear itself…and children with Halloween candy.”
Our Halloween Party was a blast! Our students prepared games like pumpkin bowling and balloon hockey. Our decorations group prepared a mummy craft with masking tape and Popsicle stick spider webs. Our food committee planned for us to have Rice Krispy treats and ghost cookies. Our decoration committee did a spooktacular job!
Our Grandparents’ Day was such a blast! Our grandparents enjoyed three songs performed by our students. Two of the songs were popular songs and the third was written by our students! Our piano students each played solos in between the songs. After the music portion of our program, our students performed their play, “Give Me Back My Bones.” When our play was finished, we completed a few activities with our grandparents – “GRANDO” (our grandparent version of BINGO), a Venn Diagram about our similarities and differences, and a list of changes in pop culture between now and when our grandparents were young.
Lower Elementary by Ms. Marlee
Upper Elementary by Ms. Ashley
REMINDERS:
Thursday, October 31, 8:30 – “Give Me Back My Bones” performance in our gym. All parents are welcome!
Friday, November 1, 8:15 – Drop off at Cuyahoga Falls Campus for our Halloween play performance.
Friday, November 1, afternoon – Student-only Halloween Party. Email to come today about these events!
“We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.” – Maria Montessori
Below you will see two students working to plan the treat for our Halloween Party. Our students are in charge of breaking into committees, deciding what needs created or bought, and carrying out those tasks before our party. At the Elementary level, what Montessori calls the “Second Plane of Development,” the children have a need for time to socialize and experience different social situations, without the influence of adults. During the school day, they have time for this during lunch and recess, but not as much during work time unless they are working with a friend or two. For this reason, we keep our Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Pajama Day parties as a student-only day. We have noticed during these student-only parties, that children often socialize with students that they don’t usually work with, or attend lessons together. This is a great opportunity for younger and older students to learn about and from each other while having a great time. We can make this a success with your help of supplying what we need for our party. You can sign up to provide something here!
Lower Elementary by Ms. Marlee
Upper Elementary by Ms. Ashley
Enrichments with help from Ms. Breanna!
REMINDERS:
Monday, October 21 – Elementary Performance at Mulberry Gardens (staff drivers)
Tuesday, October 22 – Grandparents’ Day
Thursday, October 31 – 8:30 am – Halloween Play for Parents! Please join us in the gym for two performances!
Friday, November 1 – Halloween Play at Falls Campus – ALL ELEMENTARY drop off at Falls Campus by 8:15 – Staff to transport back to Tallmadge Campus
Friday, November 1 – Student-Only Halloween Party.
Students may bring a costume with them when they are dropped off at the Cuyahoga Falls Campus (no blood, gore, or weapons please).
We will begin our party after lunch – please have your child pack their regular lunch as our party will only have a small treat.
Students have planned some games to play and to bake their treat together. We will finish our party
Students will still need their reading logs for Friday morning.
This week our “Peek” was written by our students! These students read our previous blogs, took pictures around the room, and filled in a blog template. The students did some editing together, and with a teacher, so what you will read below is their final product. There are still some misspelled words in their final product, but in a Montessori classroom we focus on the process, instead of the end result. Dr. Montessori believed when we put all of the emphasis on the final product, we devalue everything leading up to that point. This can discourage repetition which will make mastery of a skill difficult. The purpose of the students writing the blog is to provide you with a glimpse into the room through their eyes, to provide them with practice of real world skills, and to give them a deeper understanding of the materials in the room. We hope you enjoy their work!
“A Peek at Our Week” by Camilla (Fifth Year) and Ellie (Second Year)
This week the Upper Elemantry went on a field trip to Hale Farm where we learned about the era of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. We learned to make brooms, yarn, and apple cider. We learned the chores and hardships of living as a child on a farm in the early 1800’s. We learned what they ate and how they cooked it. Everyone of course loved the glass blowing demonstration.
REMINDERS:
Thursday, October 17 – Picture Day
Monday, October 21 – Elementary performance of “Give Me Back My Bones” at Mulberry Gardens. Details to follow.
Tuesday, October 22 – Grandparents’ Day
Thursday, October 31 – 8:30 in the gym – “Give Me Back My Bones” performance for Ms. Courtney’s class and Elementary parents!
Friday, November 1 – Performance of “Give Me Back My Bones” at Cuyahoga Falls Campus and Halloween Party. Details to follow.
“…The teacher’s task is first to nourish and assist, to watch, encourage, guide, induce, rather than to interfere, prescribe, or restrict.” – Maria Montessori
Something new in our room this year is “Focus Groups.” These are student-chosen groups about research topics that are not assigned by teachers. In these groups, students work to research a history, geography, writing, and art component for their topic. By the end of December, they will present their findings to the class before deciding if they want to move to a new group or to continue researching their topics. Not only are these students researching interesting topics like “Cats and Kittens,” “The Titanic,” “Dinosaurs,” and “STEM,” but they are learning how to work collaboratively in a group of peers of differing ages and skill levels. Below you will find two students researching the birthing process of cats!
Lower Elementary by Ms. Marlee
Upper Elementary by Ms. Ashley
Enrichments by Ms. Erica
REMINDERS:
“Bring Your Parents to Work Time” on October 8 and October 10 – Today is the deadline to sign up here!
October 9 – Third through sixth grade trip to Hale Farm
October 17 – Picture Day
October 22 – Grandparents’ Day
SAVE THE DATE – October 31, 8:30 am – Come see this year’s Halloween play, “Give Me Back My Bones”
November 1, 8:15 am – Drop off at Cuyahoga Falls Campus for our Halloween play performance there
November 1 – Halloween Party (students only) – details to follow soon
“Through movement, children explore their world. They touch it, they move and manipulate it, they go outside and out into the world to examine the natural beauty around them.” – North American Montessori Center
Montessori believed that children need the opportunity to move during their day at school. In the primary classroom, you see this through materials like the Pink Tower or Brown Stair which require the children to take ten whole trips to and from the material to gather everything at their mat before even beginning the work! With being given more freedom to develop into and explore what it means to be an adult, movement in the Elementary classroom appears in different ways. Children cannot become independent by sitting in one place all day. They need to move, to explore, to try (and sometimes fail) before they can really grasp the importance of something. We include movement in our classroom through games at recess, building and creating in the room and at recess with power tools and hot glue, allowing many choices in work spaces, completing chores throughout our entire building, and offering the choice of a mental break with jump rope and yoga. Sign up for “Bring Your Parent to Work Time” below to observe movement in our room before working with your child!
Lower Elementary by Ms. Marlee
Upper Elementary by Ms. Ashley
Enrichments by Ms. Erica
REMINDERS
For information on what your child is doing daily, please check in on Transparent Classroom!
Sign up for our first “Bring Your Parents to Work Time” here!