All around the world little free libraries are popping up. These libraries are helping to bring communities together by providing a peaceful meeting place where everyone is welcome to share in the joy of reading, imagination, education, sharing, and creativity. Maria Montessori defined joy by saying, "Joy, feeling one's own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul." She taught that the development of language is part of the development of the personality and that words are the natural means of expressing thoughts and establishing understanding between people. Montessori philosophy teaches that careful preparation of the space and materials is key to a successful classroom and learning environment.  It is our hope that by having a Little Free Library we will help bridge the gap between the development of language and personality, creating that space where...

A happy welcome to the new families entering Montessori Community School.  Parents, you will soon discover that being a part of a Montessori community is encompassing and the efforts you make towards supporting the Montessori approach will determine the success your child has in this environment. Below is an article by Edward Fidellow which will give you several tips to embracing your new role as a "Montessori Parent." And so begins your journey...... Becoming a Montessori Parent by Edward Fidellow There are seven simple steps to becoming a Montessori parent. When we say simple we don’t mean that they are not challenging. It is a lot like the definition of bull riding. “The object is to keep the bull between you and the ground.” Simple – but challenging. The first step to becoming a Montessori parent took place when you enrolled your child in a Montessori program. That in itself is...

There are many parts to a Montessori education. There certainly is the beautiful materials that add so much to the enjoyment of learning. There is the educational philosophy that goes along with the materials. There is also the part that looks at your child’s gifts and abilities but the most crucial part of  a Montessori education is the part that nurtures and helps transform your child into a successful adult. Ultimately, Montessori is a philosophy of life, of a way to approach the challenges and blessings. If you love what Montessori does for your child at school begin to implement at home those actions that will continue the transformation. We are not talking about red rods, alphabets or math but about the core value that makes Montessori dynamic and transformational. It is all about making wise choices. It is a simple formula – learn to make wise choices – but...

Last night's forecast promised rain (and snow!) for the weekend.  Today, I have noticed the forecast has shifted from snow to rain and back to snow in just a few short hours.  Ahhhh, Utah! While I love the weather and all it has to offer and am particularly pleased by how Utah weather can change on a dime, I feel fiercely protective of our children and their preparation for the weather.  Nature is a beautiful gift that is best enjoyed when it is respected.   Parents, please help your students develop a healthy respect for nature by encouraging them to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has to offer on any given day, especially here at school!  Children should come prepared to go outside in any circumstances.  Layers, good shoes, water resistant outer clothing, and extra options are a great start.  Montessori Community School has always made it a priority...

Welcome to November; it’s cold and dark early in the day. While there is really no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes, and we’d all benefit from spending a bit more time outside , the unfortunate reality is that many of us hibernate inside for much of the fall and winter. Along with this, we may also find ourselves filling more of our time with screens. While technology enhances our lives by connecting us with family, friends and information from around the world, it is also a worthy idea to set boundaries on its use. But technology is so deeply ingrained with most of our daily lives, do we really know just how much time we spend on screens. How do we know what is too much? How do we evaluate the content of what our children are viewing aside from general rating systems? Do we have...

Grandmother Anita Jackson Approximately 25  years ago, because of Bob and Robyn’s strong connection to some Navajo friends, our school registered with the Adopt A Native Elder program to adopt three Navajo grandmothers and two grandfathers. Our two grandfathers died a few years into our involvement with the program and then for most of 20 years we continued to help support our three grandmothers - Grandmother Emma Bahe, Grandmother Roseline Jackson and Grandmother Elvira Horseherder. For many years we have been so successful with our fundraising that we were not only able to  provide food on each of the two Food Runs that originate in Park City but also send yarn, gift certificates for them to buy additional food, clothing and household items, firewood, basic medical supplies and blankets but in the past few years two of our Grandmothers - Emma (aged 94) and Roseline (aged 92) have died and...

Our school is currently celebrating Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos. Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico on November 1st and 2nd, which coincides with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private alters honoring the deceased. The altars are adorned with sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. People often place the altars near graves of departed relatives. Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Día de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for...

Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up quickly!  Enjoy these helpful tips for making the most of your conference! Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Friday, November 9th. There will be no school that day. Sign-up sheets for the conferences are on a table in the lobby, arranged by class, from Toddlers to Upper Elementary (please check the top of each page for the name of the class).  As we do every year, we ask that you observe the following requests: · Please sign up for one meeting time per child. · Please be on time for your conference. · Please help the teachers to stay on time. · Please arrange for childcare during Parent/Teacher conferences. We have included some additional tips that might be useful in having a successful Parent Teacher Conference: Write down questions or things you would like to discuss and email the teacher(s) with your questions/comments before the conference. Ask your...

MCS Parents, Did you know that you can check on your child’s weekly progress through Montessori Compass?  Compass is where your child’s teacher records lessons, uploads pictures, and writes anecdotes about what’s happening in the classroom.  This is an excellent way to stay connected to your child and their experience!  Compass includes some excellent parent resources.  We encourage each parent to access and read your child’s weekly reports and their Fall Evaluation, coming in October, in preparation for Parent Teacher Conferences in November.  If you are unable to log in to Compass or do not receive weekly updates to your email, please contact Britney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Thank you for your ongoing support of both your child and your child's teachers!

Screen Free Sundays have become quite popular at our house.  Admittedly, when we began SFS there was a concern that the adults would feel more punished than the kids.  As it turns out, my dreams of us coming together spontaneously as a family have finally come true! Sundays at home are now spent adventuring, resting, and playing together.  Some of the best conversations I have with my kids each week now take place after a few hours of together time and I find that my children are more well rested and prepared for the new week than ever before! Lasso the Moon suggests these 75 Screen Free Activities .  

I believe wholeheartedly that our children require a great deal of practice at becoming empathetic, compassionate, contributing members of society and that they deserve a great deal of support along the way.  Feelings can be SO BIG for kids and, in a world that thrives on immediate gratification, it can be hard to work through the “stuff” that comes with those big feelings. This wonderful article from Montessori Nature discusses the elements a child needs to learn to regulate their emotions at a young age.  

Last Friday, October 5th, Montessori Community School had a Teacher Work and Professional Development Day. Feel free to scroll through some of the highlights from our training and meeting that took place Friday.

Substitute Teaching Position Substitute Position at Montessori School 2416 E 1700 S Salt Lake City, UT 84108 A well-established Montessori school in the Salt Lake City area is looking to hire substitute teachers for our Toddler, Early Childhood and Elementary classrooms. Experience working with children is necessary and familiarity with Montessori philosophy is a plus. You should be flexible and able to adapt to each classrooms’ expectations, and be able to process information and directions quickly. General safety knowledge, courtesy, and ethics are required. It would be ideal that you have a flexible schedule to be on call.  School hours are 7:30 am - 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday. First Aid and CPR Certification is required or must be acquired within 60 days after hire. Please send a resume, letter of interest, and a brief description of your availability to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Wow! What a fantastic event. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this year's Fun Run such a wonderful, exciting event.  The morning was beautiful. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The students were buzzing with excitement.  Students began with some warm-up exercises then the clock was started and they were off. Students ran laps through a 65 foot inflatable obstacle course then climbed a 24 foot inflatable slide to complete the course loop.  High fives were given, wrist bands marked per lap, and much cheering and encouragement from teachers, staff, parents, and peers.  After their timed run was up, students enjoyed some fruit slices and water to cool down and chat about their experience with the course amongst all those milling about. Our Toddler friends were able to walk, run, and toddle their way through a small obstacle course around their own playground. With the help...

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.

Speech, language, and hearing screenings will be taking place Wednesday, September 26th.  Let's Talk Speech  will be coming in to implement those screenings.    Download PDF File Here If your student is a kindergartener, they can be screened for free as long as the proper form (above) is filled out and turned into the office by the morning of the 26th.    Download PDF File Here If you would like your student screened and they are NOT a kindergartener, it will be $20 for a speech and language screening and $35 for a speech, language, and hearing screening.  Dear Parents, Montessori Community School will be holding speech, language, and hearing screenings on Wednesday, September 26th. All Kindergarteners will have the opportunity to participate in the screenings. If your child is in another grade and you have concerns, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter. The screenings will be a general,...

On Thursday, September 27th, MCS students will be participating in our 12th annual Montessori Community School Fun Run! All Early Childhood through Elementary students will run laps for 10 minutes making their way through an inflatable obstacle course and up and down a giant inflatable slide. Students will be wearing wrist bands that will be marked and tallied each time a lap is completed. Our Toddler students will run laps through a mini obstacle course on their own playground.  Parents are encouraged to volunteer via the sign-up board in the lobby. This is our main event encompassing the fundraising for our Service Learning program through our Montessori Education Foundation.  If your student has turned in any pledge money, please stop by the office and your student can write their name on a runner and post it on our road to our goal.  Each year our students have the opportunity to raise...

  “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...

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.

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...