Week of September 13 - 17, 2021

 All students worked hard this week at school .  We had presentations on polygons, grammar, punctuation and money word problems plus many other lessons.  Students have been vigilant about wearing masks.  Reminders are given during recess to keep masks over noses and mouth.  Students have adjusted wonderfully to our new schedule for enrichment activities.  Thank you for all your support at home reinforcing the importance of masks, social distancing and hand washing.  I hope you have a restful weekend in spite of all this rain.  May the sun shine soon!

Week of August 30 - September 3, 2021

We had a great week.  On Tuesday Lower Elementary students and teachers came together to celebrate Maria Montessori's 151st birthday.  Several teachers gave presentations including Ms. Tejal who wore a traditional sari in honor of Maria Montessori's seven year stay in India. We also continued our lessons on the Timeline of Life and the planets.  A lesson on the Rock Cycle was presented using many examples of igneous, sedimentary and igneous rocks. Students had the opportunity to practice descriptive writing by describing the shape, color and texture of their rock.  The excitement and focus in the room during the Rock Cycle lessons was inspiring.  Happy Labor Day Weekend!  Have a wonderful holiday.

The Week of August 23 - 27

This week Lower Elementary students were able to settle into the flow of the morning and afternoon work times.  The development of concentration is an important component of the Montessori learning environment.   The level of concentration is increasing daily.  We had another key Montessori lesson: Timeline of Life.  A beautiful timeline with artifacts was presented.  Students were able to follow up the lesson with research of a specific organism.  Students were given an introduction to the planets and the land and water forms. It was a productive and enjoyable week.  I hope each family is able to enjoy some rest and relaxation over the weekend. 

           

  

       

The Week of August 16 - 20, 2021

This week the Lower Elementary students had an important Montessori lesson called the Clock of Eras.  This lesson is a follow up to The Coming of the Universe lesson they had last week.  The passage of time  is presented both as a timeline and as a clock. We also had another key Montessori lesson called the Drama of the Archeozoic Ocean. Science experiments on solids, liquids and gases were conducted. In addition, we continue to start each day with a brief ceremony and class discussion focusing on important aspects of the Montessori learning environment such as freedom within limits, concentration and personal responsibility.  During both our morning and afternoon worktimes the students are given both individual and group lessons.  The lessons given in the Montessori classroom are cumulative; most lessons build on the previous lessons.  For this reason please schedule vacations, doctors appointments and family gatherings after the school day. It is a joy to have your child with us each day.

                          

First Week of School

We had a fantastic first week at school. It was wonderful to be back together again. We started each day with a classroom peace ceremony.  The Montessori First Great Lesson was presented and enjoyed by all.  Many beginning of the year lessons were given. On Friday India's Independence Day was presented. It was a busy and fun week. We are so glad the Lower Elementary students are conscientious and eager to learn.  We are looking forward to a fabulous school year.

 

May 21, 2021

 Can you believe it? This school year is coming to a close. It always seems so far away in August but then arrives suddenldly, and we wonder where the time went. The students are finishing jobs about biomes, peacemakers, and environmental scientists. All four math operations were practiced as an end of the year review. Grammar jobs have practiced parts of speech for all grades and parts of a sentences for third graders.  Probability was intoduced with words and ratios. It is "very likely" that the students are ready for vacations. Remember that school dismisses at 1:00 on Thursday, May 27th. We wish you all a safe and enjoyable summer. 

May 7, 2021

Happy May! If you celebrated May Day (May 1),  May the Fourth be with you (Star Wars fans), Cinco de Mayo (May 5), National Nurses Day (May 6), or you will be celebrating Mother's Day (May 9), this has been a full and busy week. Our classroom has also been busy researching another biome (tropical rainforest), more about Colonial times (famous people), and environmental science (conserving natural resources. The students are revisiting creative story writing using characters, setting, plot, and conclusion. We have enjoyed seeing them use their imaginations. New lessons have introduced probability, possessive nouns, and customary weight equivalences. Speaking of equivalences, we have also had extention jobs for congruency, similarity, and equivalence regarding geometric shapes. This was the last week for spelling tests and the last homework is due Friday, May 14. We thank you very much for your recognition and generosity during Teacher Apprecition Week. Hopefully we will have more nice weather to finish out the school year. Happy Mother's Day!