HELLO FALL!
As we head into fall, it is a busy month for the children at school. Please make sure you take a moment to read the classroom newsletters and mark the dates on your calendars. Elementary will begin researching their historical figures. They will find facts and highlight their contributions to our society. They will prepare and memorize a speech, dress up as their figure, and then they will present it on Zoom. We encourage everyone to log in and show them some support! Zoom numbers are listed below. Primary students will do their traditional costume parade on the 29th. Our classrooms will once again be decorating a class pumpkin to display! They were such a hit last year, be on the lookout for those out front toward the end of the month.
The Lowe Family Farmstead has offered a special Montessori night for all our families. October 28th from 4pm-9pm, you can bring your family to the Farmstead for a discounted entrance rate of $6.99. This family fun, outdoor venue offers games for the kids, pumpkins for sale, food, corn mazes, and much more! Just mention “Montessori Academy” at the gate to receive your discounted rate.
Parent-teacher conferences will be in zoom again this year. Please make sure you reserve some time to talk with your child’s teacher. This is an opportunity to get a glimpse into your child’s progress. Signups will go out by the 8th. We appreciate every effort to attend conferences, our teachers have spent time preparing to share information with you regarding your child. We will be sending home reports in November that will outline discussions that occur and future learning in November. If you choose to make other plans and are unable to attend conferences, please respect that our teachers may not have the ability to make up conferences.
Individual pictures will be on October 6th and 7th. Uniforms will not be mandatory on those days. Finally, just a reminder that children need to be dressed in layers for all the weather patterns we can see in one day during this time of year! The mornings are brisk, and they will likely need a light jacket, as we will be taking walks and observing the changing colors around us. Please also make sure to check cubbies as these tend to accumulate the layers of clothing.
Thanks for all the support as I have transitioned into this role. I am looking forward to a successful year for the students.
Warmly,
Randi
WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD?
What is the Montessori Method?
The Montessori Method is a style of education that turns away from traditional practices of homework, tests, and quizzes and instead invites students to choose what they want to learn. One of the principal fundamental beliefs of Montessori teaching is that learning should be self-motivated. Classrooms and curriculum are crafted in such a way that students are free to learn without the stresses and pressures of things like quizzes, grades, and lengthy homework projects. Montessori schools invite the children to learn more of what they want to learn.
In a Montessori Early Childhood classroom, highly trained teachers create a customized environment crafted to her unique abilities, interests, and learning style. This approach to learning is “hands-on.” Dr. Maria Montessori believed (and modern science has affirmed) that moving, and learning are inseparable. In the prepared classroom, children work with specially designed manipulative materials that invite exploration and engage the senses in the process of learning. All learning activities support children in choosing meaningful and challenging work at their own interest and ability level. This child-directed engagement strengthens motivation, supports attention, and encourages responsibility.
Uninterrupted blocks of work time (typically 2+ hours in length) allow children to work at their own pace and fully immerse themselves in an activity without interruption. Your child’s work cycle involves selecting an activity, performing it for as long it remains interesting, cleaning up the activity and returning it to the shelf, and making another work choice. This cycle respects individual variations in the learning process, facilitates the development of coordination, concentration, independence, and a sense of order while facilitating your child’s assimilation of information.
What sets Montessori apart in the Elementary years—ages 6 – 12—is the individually paced curriculum that challenges children academically and safeguards their well-being and sense of self. Engaging as contributing members of a respectful community, they learn to question, think critically, and take responsibility for their own learning—skills that will support them in later education and in life. As at all Montessori levels, the Elementary program is based on the belief that children learn best through movement and work with their hands, and provides cognitive, social, and emotional support to help them reach their full potential.
Overall, the trait that sets Montessori methodology apart from traditional schools is the emphasis on self-motivation in students. Traditional schools use different forms of incentives (grades, for example) to motivate all the children to participate and to learn the material. They set common standards for all the students of a specific age level to reach, with tests and quizzes to mark their progress. Montessori schools, on the other hand, do not give their students grades. Instead, the teachers track a student’s progress and development to provide the support that the child needs. Without homework, tests, and grades to provide a student with accountability and opportunities to manage themselves, Montessori schools instead create an environment where students must take responsibility for their own learning. The students work independently or in small groups on their different tasks in an environment where everything is geared towards creating independence and a love of learning in the student.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES:
October 6th – Afterschool Ballet will begin
October 6th- Picture day for Ms. Ashley, Ms. Erin, and Ms. Kristi
October 7th-Picture day for Ms. Laura, Ms. Aryn, Ms. Maddie, and Ms. Nicole
October 8th- Wear glasses day! Real, fake, or even sun. (world sight day)
October 21-22 No School (parent-teacher conferences via Zoom), no childcare
October 27- Wax Museum- Room 7 @ 10 am via Zoom
October 28- Wax Museum- Room 8 @ 10 am via Zoom
October 29- Wax Museum- Room 9 @ 10 am via Zoom
October 29-Primary parade @ 9:15am (Park your car in the church parking lot and join us as our students will walk around the school parking lot in their costumes)
Newsletter – Rm 2 Ms. Ashley
Newsletter – Rm 3 Ms. Erin
Newsletter -Rm 4 Ms. Kristi
Newsletter – Rm 6 Ms. Laura
Newsletter – Rm 7 Ms. Aryn
Newsletter – Rm 8 Ms. Maddie
Newsletter – Rm 9 Ms. Nicole
October Newsletter
HELLO FALL!
As we head into fall, it is a busy month for the children at school. Please make sure you take a moment to read the classroom newsletters and mark the dates on your calendars. Elementary will begin researching their historical figures. They will find facts and highlight their contributions to our society. They will prepare and memorize a speech, dress up as their figure, and then they will present it on Zoom. We encourage everyone to log in and show them some support! Zoom numbers are listed below. Primary students will do their traditional costume parade on the 29th. Our classrooms will once again be decorating a class pumpkin to display! They were such a hit last year, be on the lookout for those out front toward the end of the month.
The Lowe Family Farmstead has offered a special Montessori night for all our families. October 28th from 4pm-9pm, you can bring your family to the Farmstead for a discounted entrance rate of $6.99. This family fun, outdoor venue offers games for the kids, pumpkins for sale, food, corn mazes, and much more! Just mention “Montessori Academy” at the gate to receive your discounted rate.
Parent-teacher conferences will be in zoom again this year. Please make sure you reserve some time to talk with your child’s teacher. This is an opportunity to get a glimpse into your child’s progress. Signups will go out by the 8th. We appreciate every effort to attend conferences, our teachers have spent time preparing to share information with you regarding your child. We will be sending home reports in November that will outline discussions that occur and future learning in November. If you choose to make other plans and are unable to attend conferences, please respect that our teachers may not have the ability to make up conferences.
Individual pictures will be on October 6th and 7th. Uniforms will not be mandatory on those days. Finally, just a reminder that children need to be dressed in layers for all the weather patterns we can see in one day during this time of year! The mornings are brisk, and they will likely need a light jacket, as we will be taking walks and observing the changing colors around us. Please also make sure to check cubbies as these tend to accumulate the layers of clothing.
Thanks for all the support as I have transitioned into this role. I am looking forward to a successful year for the students.
Warmly,
Randi
WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD?
What is the Montessori Method?
The Montessori Method is a style of education that turns away from traditional practices of homework, tests, and quizzes and instead invites students to choose what they want to learn. One of the principal fundamental beliefs of Montessori teaching is that learning should be self-motivated. Classrooms and curriculum are crafted in such a way that students are free to learn without the stresses and pressures of things like quizzes, grades, and lengthy homework projects. Montessori schools invite the children to learn more of what they want to learn.
In a Montessori Early Childhood classroom, highly trained teachers create a customized environment crafted to her unique abilities, interests, and learning style. This approach to learning is “hands-on.” Dr. Maria Montessori believed (and modern science has affirmed) that moving, and learning are inseparable. In the prepared classroom, children work with specially designed manipulative materials that invite exploration and engage the senses in the process of learning. All learning activities support children in choosing meaningful and challenging work at their own interest and ability level. This child-directed engagement strengthens motivation, supports attention, and encourages responsibility.
Uninterrupted blocks of work time (typically 2+ hours in length) allow children to work at their own pace and fully immerse themselves in an activity without interruption. Your child’s work cycle involves selecting an activity, performing it for as long it remains interesting, cleaning up the activity and returning it to the shelf, and making another work choice. This cycle respects individual variations in the learning process, facilitates the development of coordination, concentration, independence, and a sense of order while facilitating your child’s assimilation of information.
What sets Montessori apart in the Elementary years—ages 6 – 12—is the individually paced curriculum that challenges children academically and safeguards their well-being and sense of self. Engaging as contributing members of a respectful community, they learn to question, think critically, and take responsibility for their own learning—skills that will support them in later education and in life. As at all Montessori levels, the Elementary program is based on the belief that children learn best through movement and work with their hands, and provides cognitive, social, and emotional support to help them reach their full potential.
Overall, the trait that sets Montessori methodology apart from traditional schools is the emphasis on self-motivation in students. Traditional schools use different forms of incentives (grades, for example) to motivate all the children to participate and to learn the material. They set common standards for all the students of a specific age level to reach, with tests and quizzes to mark their progress. Montessori schools, on the other hand, do not give their students grades. Instead, the teachers track a student’s progress and development to provide the support that the child needs. Without homework, tests, and grades to provide a student with accountability and opportunities to manage themselves, Montessori schools instead create an environment where students must take responsibility for their own learning. The students work independently or in small groups on their different tasks in an environment where everything is geared towards creating independence and a love of learning in the student.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES:
October 6th – Afterschool Ballet will begin
October 6th- Picture day for Ms. Ashley, Ms. Erin, and Ms. Kristi
October 7th-Picture day for Ms. Laura, Ms. Aryn, Ms. Maddie, and Ms. Nicole
October 8th- Wear glasses day! Real, fake, or even sun. (world sight day)
October 21-22 No School (parent-teacher conferences via Zoom), no childcare
October 27- Wax Museum- Room 7 @ 10 am via Zoom
October 28- Wax Museum- Room 8 @ 10 am via Zoom
October 29- Wax Museum- Room 9 @ 10 am via Zoom
October 29-Primary parade @ 9:15am (Park your car in the church parking lot and join us as our students will walk around the school parking lot in their costumes)
Newsletter – Rm 2 Ms. Ashley
Newsletter – Rm 3 Ms. Erin
Newsletter -Rm 4 Ms. Kristi
Newsletter – Rm 6 Ms. Laura
Newsletter – Rm 7 Ms. Aryn
Newsletter – Rm 8 Ms. Maddie
Newsletter – Rm 9 Ms. Nicole