Author: Foothill Montessori

How to Place a Scholastic Book Order Through MCS

Written by Foothill Montessori on September 26, 2018. Posted in Blog.

1. Check out the physical book order forms in the lobby and/or go to the website: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs.

2. Follow registration/ parent sign-up instructions.

3. Use MCS’ Class Activation Code: HDLWT

4. Browse and select the books you would like to order by the due date assigned.

5. The MCS Office will put the orders through on the deadline. Shipping is typically 7 to 14 days. We will email you when your book order arrives and is ready for pick-up.

Creating a Place for Peace

Written by Foothill Montessori on September 18, 2018. Posted in Blog.

“Find a time and place of solitude.

Look into the distance and into the future.

Visualize the tomorrow you are going to build;

and begin to build that tomorrow, today.”
Jonathan Lockwood Huie

As part of our Peace Curriculum that is incorporated into our monthly studies at MCS, this month each of the classes is engaged in a study of creating space for Peace as we prepare to celebrate International Peace Day on September 21st and in honor of Maria Montessori’s extensive work in the field of Peace Education. Studies show that a preventative curriculum that promotes communication, community and self-advocacy is more effective than a punishing approach to bullying in schools. Ours is a program that we expect will follow our students far beyond their structured educational experience. We hope for and assist children in the development of skills of peaceful conflict resolution, gaining respect for peers and incorporating communal advocacy, taking in to account the needs of a community and how one’s behavior affects another, and establishing a lifetime of self advocacy, self love and self respect.

Averting war is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of educators. ~Maria Montessori

Peace is a work rooted deeply in the approach in Montessori schools across the world and Maria Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on three different occasions as her passion for Peace Education led her to spread its good word in various countries. Her legacy lives on as she is now widely recognized as an advocate for peace and her educational philosophy is practiced throughout the world.

“Peace is a goal that can only be attained through common accord, and the means to achieve this unity for peace are twofold: first, an immediate effort to resolve conflicts without recourse to violence—in other words, to prevent war—and second, a long-term effort to establish a lasting peace among men”
(Education and Peace, Montessori, 1949, p. 27).

12th Annual MCS Fun Run

Written by Foothill Montessori on August 31, 2018. Posted in Announcements, Blog, Community News, Get Involved (P.S.A).

If salvation and help are to come, it is from the child, for the child is the constructor of man and so of society.
The child is endowed with an inner power which can guide us to a more enlightened future.

—Maria Montessori

The heart of our Service Learning curriculum at Montessori Community School is Maria Montessori’s mandate to empower children to become agents of change, and our personal mission to create global citizens. The goal of the service works we do at all levels is to promote the development of lifelong lessons in empathy, hard work, and cultural awareness, while giving students a sense of belonging to a community.

Raising for a Good Cause:

On Thursday, September 27th, your child will be participating in our 12th annual Montessori Community School Fun Run! Each year our students have the opportunity to raise pledges for two of our Service Learning projects, The Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, COEEF, and Adopt-a-Native Elder Program. Please learn about these wonderful causes and support our community and your students in their efforts!

Our Montessori students will have the opportunity to raise pledges for our two main Service Learning projects: The Children of Ethiopia Education Fund (COEEF), and the Navajo Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. Specifically, the COEEF program will give vital financial support the girls our MCS students sponsor can attend school in Ethiopia. Pledges will also help our adopted Navajo grandmothers purchase much-needed items, such as food, firewood, clothing, and gardening tools for themselves and their families, as well as yarn to weave the beautiful rugs they sell to earn a living.

Service learning is a wonderful element of our Montessori program, and teaches students about the joy and value of contributing to their community, society, and world. We encourage you to join with us in supporting your child in service learning. You can do this by:

· Helping your child tell family and friends about the Fun Run. You’d be surprised how many friends, neighbors and grandparents are eager to support such a worthwhile event.

· Helping your child actively participate by earning money to pledge in the Fun Run. (For example, maybe he or she could help sweep the floor or put away clothes.)

· Helping your child to set a goal to run a certain number of laps or to raise a certain amount of funds.

· Attending the event (see the upcoming schedule for when your child’s class will be running) and join with them as they run their laps or cheer them on from the sidelines.

· Volunteering to help at the event. Please email psa@mcsslc.com for details.

We look forward to this exciting service learning experience and hope you’ll participate with enthusiasm.

Sincerely,

MCS Parent School Alliance

Montessori Community School Tiles

Written by Foothill Montessori on August 31, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Last year, Montessori Community School’s Elementary Art Teacher designed and created a mural for the cement wall facing 1700 South. These tiles have been mounted and have really come together beautifully, enhancing the aesthetics of the space. If you have not had a chance to stop by and see this mural, please do! It makes a great place for back to school photos!

Also, tiles created last year by students and staff are in the works to be mounted on the remaining cement wall. Stay posted for when they have been mounted.

Birthday Wishes in Honor of Maria Montessori

Written by Foothill Montessori on August 29, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Maria Montessori – Her Life & Legacy

As we are so deeply indebted to the great work and legacy of Maria Montessori, and in light of her birthday on August 31st, we would like to honor Dr. Montessori by telling her story. Born in a small town of Italy to parents, Renilde Stoppani and Allessandro, Maria forged her own educational path, even in childhood. Throughout her youth, she acquired a very ambitious taste for science and mathematics, which was extraordinary for a girl during the time. After attending a tech school, Maria Montessori decided to study medicine. Throughout an intricate and complicated series of events (including a letter of recommendation for college acceptance by the Catholic Pope himself), Maria went on to Medical School to become the very first female Doctor in Italy.

During Maria’s residency, she spent time working with children in a psychiatric hospital. She had not been working there long, when a nurse who was watching the children in the ward said to her: ‘Look, I can’t believe that they are picking crumbs up off the floor to eat! How horrible.’ Maria said to the nurse: ‘They aren’t eating the crumbs, they are studying them.’ In a bare, sterile psychiatric hospital, where the walls were white and there was not a single toy or object for a child to engage with, Maria Montessori discovered her first realized observation: the necessity of environment.

Dr. Montessori was stirred by this, and a miraculous turn of events then followed. After some time, she redirected her research to completely service children. In time, Maria’s method became world-famous. She traveled to teach it, winning many hearts with her curriculum. In 1913, Maria published her first book on children “The Advanced Montessori Method”, selling 17,410 copies. She even attended the 1915 World Fair in San Francisco to share her research and teaching method. Maria continued to share her knowledge for many years in her own country, until her teachings were banned from Italy due to world conflicts with Fascism. She was forced to leave her home, but she continued her work in Amsterdam, and later in India, where Maria would stay for over 10 years. Even after World War II broke out, Maria stayed to complete her work of the early childhood years in her study of the “Absorbent Mind, “ and her extensive study of infancy and the development of the “Cosmic Curriculum.”

By 1946, over 1,000 people had been educated by Dr. Montessori. Maria continued to travel through Europe, Africa and Asia, lecturing until the age of 81. Maria Montessori has been nominated for two Nobel Peace Prizes for her contribution to education, but also for her overall effort to improve conditions for women and children around the world.

We owe so much to this extremely brave woman, who endured conflicts of career progression, family separation, gender bias and war to bring her teaching methods to light. Maria Montessori was a leader in every step she took, and her work produced amazing outcomes. Maria sought to educate children, but she also saw a magic in them. Within each child, she saw: the need, the power, the magic… to learn.

And so we, Montessori Community School, so inspired by Dr. Montessori send great wishes of peace, kindness and joy in her honor. May we each find a moment today to spread her message with a peaceful action to benefit our whole of mankind.

Illness Policy – When to Send a Sick Child to School

Written by Foothill Montessori on August 22, 2018. Posted in Blog.

The beginning of a new school year can bring many wonderful new things; new friends, new classroom works and new routines are just a few of our favorites. Unfortunately, new illnesses tend to make an exuberant appearance as well. While we understand that illness at home can impact schedules and routines (for both parents and children) we want to urge each of you to read up on and abide by our illness policy here at MCS.

We will do our part here at school to try to minimize the spread of illness by encouraging lots of hand washing and nose blowing (and then more hand washing) and by sending children and staff home when they are ill. We ask that you each support us by following the illness policy set forth in our parent handbooks and as listed below so that we might minimize the spread of illness to our students and our staff. It is so important that our staff remain healthy so that they can be here to help the children settle in and create effective classroom communities.

Should children become ill at school we will do our best to make them comfortable but please keep in mind that we are not staffed to care for ill children in our classrooms or in the office. We thank you, in advance, for allowing your child to stay home and rest when they are ill.

Warmly,
MCS Staff

Illness

Colds, flu and other contagious diseases are a serious issue in a school environment because they can spread so rapidly. Parents are asked to keep children home when they show symptoms of illness. If the child is ill, please call the school before 9:00am to report the absence. If your child exhibits any active symptoms of illness, he/she will not be admitted to the school, both for the child’s own comfort and to minimize the spread of illness to other children in the school. In the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, such as measles, MCS will follow the guidelines set forth for schools by the Utah Department of Health.

The following tips are to help you decide if your child should be kept home from school:

How does your child feel? Variations from normal behavior are the best indicators of illness. You know your child best; trust your instincts.
Fever. If your child has a fever at night, he/she must not attend school the next morning. Temperatures are lower in the morning and a fever may occur again in the afternoon. You are required to wait 24 hours after the fever breaks before sending your child back to school.

Upset stomach. If your child vomits during the night, do not send him/her to school the next day. You are required to wait 24 hours after a child vomits before sending your child back to school.

Diarrhea. Loose and frequent stools have many causes. Do not send a child to school until bowel movements are normal.

Cold. Be sure a child knows how to handle tissues for coughing, sneezing and nose blowing, and practice good hand washing techniques. Your child may go to school as long as he or she does not have a fever or discomfort. If symptoms are severe (e.g., persistent cough or severe runny nose with thick mucous that will consistently interrupt their work or rest time), please keep your child at home so he/she may rest and recover.

Earache. Never ignore an earache. Contact your physician and keep your child at home.

Strep Throat. A strep infection requires a doctor’s visit and medication. Strep can lead to a more serious illness if not properly treated. The child must be on medication at least 24 hours before returning to school.

Contagious Condition. Head lice (see below), scabies, impetigo, chicken pox, strep throat, measles, rubella, mumps, whooping cough, meningitis and some forms of conjunctivitis (pink eye) are contagious and must be properly treated and no longer contagious before your child may attend school. Please notify the school if your child has a contagious condition so that other parents can be alerted.

Head lice. Due to the arrangement of student work spaces in the Montessori classroom and the number of collaborative work spaces and projects, if we find signs of lice (nits/eggs), in order to contain the spread we may ask parents to pick up their student early to begin treatment. If parents detect lice at home, please let the Office know immediately so that we can check the rest of the students in the class. Prior to the student’s return to school, we will need to know the specific treatment that s/he will be undergoing and the date that the treatment began, so that we can follow up regarding the second application of the treatment (which typically needs to be applied 7-10 days after the first application). Upon returning to school, before the child enters the classroom, please bring her/him to the Office where he/she will be discreetly checked for nits, and where we can record treatment dates and methods. Students will be allowed to return to class when they are nit-free. Nit removal can take several comb throughs and we ask that parents check the child each day during their treatment. Thorough combing with an egg removal comb each day during the 10-day period following the first treatment is an essential part of eliminating the lice and helping to prevent a lice recurrence. We will follow up, checking students and classes as needed to ensure that all active lice and eggs have been removed.

If your child has been out of school due to illness, we ask that you consider whether he or she is well enough to be outdoors before you send him or her back to school. The outdoors is part of our program and we do not have the staff to supervise students indoors and outdoors simultaneously.

Illness or Injury at School
If a child becomes ill at school, he or she will be taken to the office sick area. A parent/guardian will be contacted and will be expected to pick up the child as soon as possible. If a child is injured at school, first aid will be administered if the injury is minor. An accident report will be filed for injuries which require medical attention, including first aid. Parents will be asked to sign the accident report when they pick up their child and will be notified immediately if there are any questions concerning the severity of the injury. The student’s emergency contacts and physicians will be called if the parents are unavailable. All classroom teachers are CPR/First Aid certified. Paramedics will be called when necessary.

The Society by Cohesion: Why Did We Have To Have All These Kids, Anyway?

Written by Foothill Montessori on August 22, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Below you will find a beautifully written article, written by Montessori advocate and author Catherine McTamaney, about how a Montessori classroom functions. She so concisely sums up some of the most basic and important tenants of a Montessori classroom (including why there are so many kids in a classroom) to describe their place in our environment and, most importantly, their outcome!

Enjoy!

Glance through some school brochures. You’ll notice quite a bit of language in common: whole child, child-centered, low student-teacher ratios, individualized attention. If so many school settings agree that fewer children per teacher is something to brag about, why are Montessori classrooms so large?

Remember the basic design principles of a Montessori classroom: multiage classrooms, specialized materials and extended time to explore them, professionally-prepared teachers and individualized curricula to match each child.

The curriculum not only complements the first three factors size: it relies on it. Because Montessori classrooms are multi-aged, with specialized materials and professionally-prepared teachers, the curricula can be truly individualized to the child.

The multi-aged classroom allows children to look to and rely on each other to get their needs met independently of an adult. Older children can offer guidance and direction to younger children. Younger children can provide practice and new questions to their older peers. Children across the age spectrum develop independent skills, learning to rely on the tools they have available to them and coming, through practice, to regulate their choices on their own. Children’s natural curiosity and intrinsic motivation to learn are protected when their reliance on adults is limited. There’s simply no space for helicopter adults in a classroom with so many children. Instead, children learn to look to each other or to find their own agency in solving problems, what Montessori called, “The Society by Cohesion.”

The materials, too, help to support the individualized development of each child. Because each lesson is self-correcting, learners need not wait for a teacher to “check their work,” or look to an adult to know whether they’ve mastered a concept. The ability to assess their own learning is fostered by the design of the materials. Meanwhile, their resilience to struggle through challenges also grows, as children work to make sure the box lid closes or to integrate the extra pieces left over while they’re first practicing new lessons. Adults are able to serve the role of facilitator instead of assessor, supporting children’s mastery of the material without devoted hours to checking their work. When materials require an adult’s expertise to “know if they got it right,” the group size necessarily has to be small enough for the adult to assess each child. Self-correcting materials mean that Montessori teachers spend most of their time observing individual children to make sure the materials available are precisely the ones they need and preparing the classrooms that best serve those needs, rather than allotting time every day to respond to children’s work as a human answer-key.

The three-hour work cycle, too, allows for a more individualized curriculum. Learners don’t have to segment their interest into predetermined content areas. They can read whenever they choose, not just during the fifty minutes or so allowed for “Reading” on a traditional classroom’s daily schedule. Extended time means children can spend as much time as they want working on the lessons that motivate them most, delving more deeply into content that’s challenging for them and having sufficient time to figure it out. The extended work cycle also allows teachers to offer lessons to multiple children over the course of a day. A shorter window of time would require fewer children, because the teacher would need to make sure each one had mastered the content she intended for that day before moving on.

None of this could happen without professionally-prepared teachers who know how to observe children, who know their materials well enough to know when to provide them, and who know children’s development well enough to make the connections between what they see and what they prepare. Understanding that the child must know how to learn and not just how to listen, Montessori teachers don’t choose a particular subject area to master; instead, they are generalists among all the areas of the curriculum, and focus their mastery on child development across the social, emotional, intellectual, academic and physical domains. Montessori teachers are not conduits of a prepackaged curriculum. Instead, they serve as scientists in the classroom. Their area of research is the individualized development of each child in the room, prepared for within a context of a larger understanding of children in general and developed to respond to the distinct development of each specific child.

While a Montessori classroom with twenty-four children and two adults in it may have a 12:1 ratio, in practice, they’re 1:1. Children are either working directly with a teacher, one at a time, or they are pursuing their own individual interests and meeting their own individual needs. A teacher’s attention isn’t given in 1/24 servings to each child, but in its entirety to one child at a time. As one teacher is focused without distraction on any one child, the other teacher is available as a resource to the rest of the classroom. The balance results in environments that serve larger groups of children with more individual attention than would be possible in a classroom in which we expected every child to be doing the same thing all day long. The systems of the Montessori classroom support the diversity of learning authentically expressed by individual children who are each unique contributors, no matter how many there are.

August 13, 2018
Catherine McTamaney

A Welcome Letter from School Director, Britney Peterson

Written by Foothill Montessori on August 22, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Dear MCS Parents,

With open arms and hearts, we welcome you to the 2018 – 2019 Academic year. I always love the energy of the new year and this one is no different. Our hallways are filled with excited students, parents and teachers greeting old friends or meeting new ones. Each material, even down to each individual pencil, has been intentionally placed with care. The floors, walls, materials, etc. are clean and ready to begin a collection of new memories of the year; filled with new adventures, friendships and accomplishments.

For most of us, a new school year signifies creating and refreshing goals. We appreciate the support from our parent community as our administration has undergone some changes. We are hopeful the structure of our revised administrative team will bring about opportunity for growth as a school while we still each strive to protect Robyn and Bob’s (MCS Founders and Owners) vision of an authentic Montessori school founded deeply in community.

Each year we choose a theme for our staff to practice and this year our administration chose the theme “Trust.” We recognize the importance of building trust with our parents, our teams, and most importantly, our students. We invite you to join us in our efforts to develop relationships of trust to ensure the success of each and every one of our students.

I would like to extend gratitude to the following for their time and efforts spent preparing our school for the new year:

Our custodial team; Lian, Betty, Felipe Sr. and Felipe Jr., who spent countless hours cleaning and sanitizing our entire school to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment. They also put in extra time and effort to help us rearrange our spaces to best meet the needs of our students and staff.
Our IT team; Jemmyn and Brandon, who ensure our systems are set up to support all things technology related.
Our office staff; Marisa and Sabine (with immense help from Ashlee) for preparing labels, master lists, schedules, calendars, and a number of other resources that are crucial to the smooth operation of our school. We thank Ashlee who ensures every detail necessary is given the attention it needs.
Our business team; Ramira, D’Anne and Kathy, for handling the on-boarding of new students and families with immense love and care.
Our Emergency Preparedness team; Ashlee and Margaret, for ensuring our staff were properly trained and for overseeing the proper care and maintenance of our building to ensure the safety of our students at all times.
Our entire teaching staff; classroom, specialty and extended day teachers included, for their meticulous preparation of the environment. Also, for those who have recently undergone new training of various kinds to expand upon their teaching skills.
Last but not least, Robyn, for sharing her vision and teaching us all to keep the needs and success of the students at the forefront of our minds! She has carefully guided us to this wonderful place and her vision inspires us to improve year after year!

I thank you for giving us the opportunity to educate your children. My door is always open and I feel confident that our administrative team is equipped to meet your needs this year. Please, do not hesitate to stop in to chat!

Warmly,

Britney Peterson
School Director

Letter from Head of School

Written by Foothill Montessori on May 31, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Dear 2017-2018 MCS Students,

Once again, we have reached a crossroads. Some of you will return to our school next year and continue your experience as a part of our community while some of you will move on to new adventures and experiences. Regardless of where the next year finds you, we are honored to have spent this valuable time with you. We congratulate you for your hard work and for being engaged in our community.

Montessori Community School’s mission is to provide a rich, individualized educational experience, which guides and nurtures the natural unfolding of the whole individual and inspires a lifetime love of learning and peace. Education is a great gift and we feel honored with the opportunity to make peace such an important part of the experience we offer here at MCS. By honoring each individual student and supporting children in becoming their most authentic, passionate, courageous and determined selves, we hope to provide the world with a powerful force for change for the better.

Our wish for you going forward is that you will find effective ways to bring peace into your work in the world. We hope that you will honor the great gift of education and share the work of peace as you move forward in life.

May the world be better because of you, as our school has been.

With great love,
Robyn

Peace is a goal that can only be attained through common accord, and the means to achieve this unity for peace are twofold; first, an immediate effort to resolve conflicts without recourse to violence – in other words, to prevent war – and second,

a long-term effort to establish a lasting peace among men.”

Maria Montessori

Uinta Adventure 2018 – Fremont Indian State Park

Written by Foothill Montessori on May 30, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Last week the Uinta class (Upper Elementary, 9-12 year olds) embarked on a great adventure to Fremont Indian State Park. There they enjoyed three days of outdoor fun, experiential learning, and life experiences.

This annual overnight camping adventure was the synthesis of their year’s studies. As part of their cultural curriculum the students had studied the Fremont Indians while on GO. They explored relationships within and with nature so at Fremont Indian State Park they were able to see and experience first hand much of what they had read and learned about.

Students, teachers and parent chaperones worked together to create a comfortable camp space and prepare delicious meals to be shared. While there they participated in a facilitated ropes course. Team challenges such as “The Wall of Integrity” and “Escape the Sharks” required collaboration and constant communication. Other activities such as crossing the river via the rickety bridge and the wire walk were of a more personal nature, and challenged and stretched all to step out of their comfort zone. Other time on the trip was spent hiking, viewing the petroglyphs and pictographs and playing in nature. At night, we gathered around the campfire and the students entertained with jokes, games and stories.

Thank you to everyone who shopped the Market and supported their other business ventures to make Adventure 2018 possible.

“I had the privilege of chaperoning this year’s Uinta Adventure. It is my daughter’s first year in Upper El, so the experience was new for both of us. I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly everything ran. The students took on a large portion of the responsibilities for keeping camp life running like a well-oiled machine, while still having time for free play and bonding with friends. We chaperones were there for support and guidance, along with having some of our own camp life responsibilities, but there was plenty of opportunity to step back and observe just how independent our 4th to 6th year students are. I felt it really captured the culmination of growth within the Montessori model and am so pleased I was allowed to participate in this unique experience. Thanks Uinta Class!”

-Melissa DeVries, Parent Chaperone