Author: Alejandro Malespin

Outdoor Classroom (OC)

Early Childhood students participate each week in the Outdoor Classroom where they explore the plants, soil, invertebrates, birds, and weather in all of the seasons through hands-on activities. The students have many opportunities to practice and master essential developmental skills such as balance, control, independence, focus, and coordination through digging, building with logs, sticks and rocks, and interacting with nature in this class. The purpose of the Early Childhood Outdoor Program is to help students gain an understanding and love for the natural world around them.

Lower Elementary students participate in the Outdoor Classroom where they explore and interact with the garden area throughout the changing seasons and learn about plant identification, functions, and uses, as well as earth history, animal adaptations, and paleo cultures. The purpose of the Lower Elementary Outdoor Program is to help students gain an understanding and love for the natural world around them while engaging in problem solving and creative application.

Great Outdoors (GO)

In Upper Elementary, the Great Outdoors program facilitates meaningful interaction with the environment through a three-year rotating cycle involving watershed, Utah native plants, as well as ecosystems and relationships in nature. Students explore habitats through hiking, lessons, activities, projects, observation, note taking, sketching, and researching. The purpose of these expeditions is to give the students a direct, personal connection with their natural world and, through that connection, a better understanding of the world around them as well as of themselves.

Donda Hartsfield

Kara Rasmussen

Spanish (Elementary)

In Lower Elementary the Spanish specialist incorporates Spanish into the students’ daily routine by providing lessons in vocabulary, grammar and many practical life experiences.

In Upper Elementary, Spanish instruction is provided under two main standards: Spanish language lessons and Rosetta Stone, an interactive computer program. Each week students have the opportunity to receive lessons from an instructor that furthers their understanding of the grammar of the language and supports their advancement through Rosetta Stone to practice vocabulary, writing and speaking.

Maria Reynosa

Parent Teacher Conferences are coming soon! Be sure to sign up for a conferencing time slot.

Helpful tips to make the most of your conference:

• Be prepared. Write down questions or things you would like to discuss and email the teachers with your questions before the conference.
• Confer with your child. Ask your child if there is anything they would like you to discuss with the teachers.
• Use your time carefully. Keep the conference focused on the child and the purpose of the conference.
• Listen and share. Be open to suggestions from the teacher and be prepared to share suggestions of your own. No one knows your child like you know them.
• Ask for clarification. If you are unclear about what the teacher is telling you about your child, ask for specific examples. Remember that you and the teachers are a team and your main focus is meeting the needs of your child.
• Write it down. Take notes so you can share information with your child after the meeting.
• Keep the teacher informed. Things happening at home often affect children’s behavior and performance at school.
• Summarize. At the end, make sure that everyone understands what was talked about and what they have committed to do.
• Follow up. If you have items that need to be followed up on, establish a check-in date.

Please note, the school and office are closed on all PTC days.

We are excited to be able to offer an online book fair, in addition to our in person book fair!

The Story Cupboard is providing our book fair with over 1300 titles to satisfy readers, artists and scientists of all ages.  There are great books, experiments and activities to enjoy all year long with titles across many genres, popular series, award winners, Beehive Book Award Nominees and Battle Books.  This is a great opportunity to stock your student’s library as well as the school’s while utilizing a local business.

Please feel free to invite your family and friends to participate in our book fair by sending them the Online Book Fair instructions.  The Story Cupboard is happy to ship to any United States address.  

Book Fair Dates

• October 24 – 27 Onsite in the school gym
• Mondays hours: 2:45 PM until 3:45 PM
• Tuesday through Thursdays hours : 8:15 AM – 9:15 AM and 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
• Be sure to check out the Classroom Wish Lists for books that you might gift to your class.

Alternatively books can be purchased online

Today – Oct 31 Online at The Story Cupboard

FMSL fundraiser code: MCSBooks

NOTE: This code must go in the “special instructions to the seller” box at checkout for our school to receive credit towards our fundraiser.

Order Pick Up and Delivery

All online orders will be delivered to the school unless you pay for shipping!

You may pick your online book orders up at Foothill Montessori of Salt Lake after the online book fair closes.  The book fair pickup day will be communicated via email.  

You may receive your books directly by paying for shipping when ordering.

Upper elementary teacher, Joshi, recently gave birth to baby boy Julian Osata Johnson. Joshi and her husband Zach are so excited to begin the journey of parenthood.

Early childhood teacher, Ruby, welcomed her latest grandchild into the family this past weekend. Andrei Stephan Chouldjian makes Ruby a three time grandmother.

Grandparents Ruby & Mike

What: Each class needs 1-2 community builders to plan a few class activities after school. Past examples include: meeting at a playground, ice skating, sledding, parent-only social…

Where: Community builders can choose the activity or meeting place.

When: Community Builders decide. Often activities are planned right after school, early evening or on a Saturday.

Why: It is an FMSL tradition that each class has 1-2 community builder(s) who can plan a few outside-of-school activities throughout the school year. Developing and being part of a school community is part of what makes FMSL special. This volunteer position satisfies volunteer hours asked for by FMSL.

How: If you are interested/able to sign up to be a community builder, your child’s teachers will send you the class email list and you can email families as needed. Please let Anna Martin know – anmartinslc@gmail.com – if you would like to be a community builder or have any questions.

Thank you for your support!

Anna Martin

PSA Community Builder Contact

One question that was posed to me by parents recently was, “What are your legacy and succession plans? How can the school best live on in perpetuity no matter who is in leadership?”

Over the past few years I have had three different parties, associated with the school, plus an outside company, who have expressed a serious interest in purchasing the school, so I will consider those options for the future.

One important factor regarding the sale of the school, if that was to happen, would be based on my opinion as to whether or not I believed that the new owners had the same or a similar vision for the school. Another important factor would be the opinions of the staff regarding the potential buyer/s. I truly value their input.

If I was to die, or be incapacitated suddenly, my daughter, KereAna, who lives in New Zealand, and like all other members of our family has been involved with the school in so many ways since she was a child, and who has worked in the business sector for many years, has indicated that she would return to oversee the running of the school until it could be sold. At this point my four children will inherit the school business as well as the building in equal shares. It would not be sold until there was a buyer who met my criteria.

On the 15th I will be flying home to New Zealand. My high school is celebrating its 75th Jubilee – the last one held was the 50th which I was able to attend. I was not sure if this was the ideal time to leave but most of my best friends will be attending, and in addition over the past month I have found out that one of my closest friends has been moved to Hospice care and another with Lewy Body dementia that appears to be progressing very quickly. It is important that I spend some time with them so I have chosen to go. At this point I am planning to be gone for 2-3 weeks. I will be able to be reached by email.

Best wishes,

Robyn