Dear MCS Parents, It has been a year of learning and growth as our administrative team have adjusted to new roles and responsibilities. Although many of us have taken on new responsibilities this year, we have been fortunate to make this transition as a committed and familiar team who have worked closely with one another for a number of years.  Robyn has provided a great deal of guidance and even more trust while sharing her vision with our students, staff and parents.  Our staff have continued to provide a quality education, with a deep commitment to the Montessori philosophy and a spirit of community, to ensure a year filled with the kind of success you have come to expect from our school.  We are indeed grateful (and lucky!) to have such a wonderful staff who are committed and trustworthy.  Over the past several years we have been working towards our IMC Accreditation...

Our Aspens and Willows classes had the opportunity to celebrate their wonderful mothers last week during their Mother's Day Tea Events.   Aspens invited their mothers to join them in their classroom to enjoy a breakfast snack; also a lovely chance for their mothers to see what classroom life is like for their children. They were treated to a lovely flower on their way out. Willows had a wonderful Mother’s Day Tea in the gym. The students prepared lovely little sandwiches for their mothers and the gym was decorated with care by the children. After sharing tea, fruit and baked goods, the students sang a song to their mothers. Other classes celebrate parents and families in a variety of ways and we look forward to hosting more parent events in the coming weeks. 

Looking for some great ways to create a positive summer schedule that requires movement, human interaction, and contribution to the family community before your child delves into the screens?   This is a great guide  for summer routines for kids of all ages!

MCS has been apart of safety meetings taking place at Hillside Middle School. Administrators from the SLC School District, Dilworth, Beacon Heights, Cosgriff Memorial, UDot, City Council, and other traffic control departments are taking an in-depth look into the ebb and flow of children in the surrounding neighborhoods. We are in the process of getting signage on 1700 South indicating to passers by, this is a school zoned area. We have installed flags to help those who are already crossing the street. As our school community is parking out front and on streets across from the front entrance, we encourage our families to utilize these flags and be vigilant about watching for students crossing this portion of road and then through our parking lot in the back to get to the other various schools in the immediate area.  Especially as the weather warms, we will see more students walking, scootering, and biking to school. Thank...

While mothers and fathers are often celebrated around the world, there is also a special day that celebrates children. El Día de los Niños (Children's Day) is a celebration of children that takes place annually on April 30 in Mexico. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Why celebrate Children's Day? In the struggle to provide for their kids, parents may sometimes forget that confidence and creativity isn't nurtured by fear and discipline. It's a happy childhood that helps kids really succeed in their adult lives. Where is Children's Day celebrated? Today, 86 countries - or most of world's nations - celebrate Children's Day to publicly promote the idea that "children are our future". In Mexico, Children's Day is celebrated on April 30. In Japan, May 5th is recognized as Children's Day. In Canada, Egypt and Finland, November 20 is National Children's Day....

Declutter Day Friday, April 26th 2019 9:00 am - 6:00 pm 595 Guardsman Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 University of Utah Tailgate Lot Free to the Public Shred documents safely Donate used clothing Recycle old computers and electronics Turn in expired medication to the University of Utah Police Department For a complete list of items accepted, please go to www.commerce.utah.gov/declutter 

What to expect when Toddlers transition to Early Childhood Classroom Transition to any new classroom requires change for children, parents and even teachers, who are eager to meet and learn the unique personality and gifts of each child. But the change can be slightly different for different age groups. Here are some things you may notice about the environment of your child’s new classroom; the group sizes and ratios, staff communication and new education opportunities. At Montessori Community School the transition from our Toddler Classroom to Early Childhood Classroom takes place at two different times. If the toddler is enrolled for summer, is three years old by June 1st and the teachers consider him/her to be ready to enter the Early Childhood program he/she would transition on the first day of Summer Camp. All other toddlers who are scheduled to move to Early Childhood for the next Academic Year would move...

Science is defined as the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. It is so important to motivate elementary-aged students with science. A Montessori philosophy advocates that children between the ages of six through eleven are in a sensitive period for learning and testing new academic skills. They are looking at the world by assessing their own abilities and accomplishments by making comparisons between themselves and others.They are also learning about social relationships beyond the family through interaction with friends and fellow students.  A Science Fair creates a model of this idea, process, and system beginning with instruction as to the what the scientific method is (a systematic process for experimentation that is used to explore observations). A science fair cues and peaks an elementary-aged student's hunger for testing and comparing in a social setting. At the beginning of...

Our Upper Elementary class have been studying poetry and in the process of searching for inspiration for a Haiku poem, one of our 5th year students wrote the below poem, free-verse style. Sevilla told us that Free-Verse is her favorite style of poetry because it doesn't put any limitations on the writer and allows for more creativity than other types of poetry.  Please enjoy. For more inspiring work by our Uinta students (9-12 year olds), be sure to visit the lower level east hallway (near the dance studio).  Earth Day Inspiration Our world will soon be ashes, So dreamers listen up. Our world will be a graveyard, As humans raise their cup. Our world will be a ghost town, Before you can even blink. Because even the sturdiest swimmer, Eventually will sink. So dreamers, find your wild side, So explorers find your earth, So workers find your forest, And wanderers find your...

Please enjoy this beautiful newsletter about our Native Elders. Also, to learn more about the Adopt-A-Native Elder Program and how to get involved, please visit  http://anelder.org/ .    Download PDF File Here

https://www.netnanny.com/assets/giveaway/summerscreenrules.pdf

In March we had the pleasure of hosting Montessori parent of 3, Michelle Vo, MD, for our Parent Education Event.  Michelle presented on the subject of Positive Parenting; a method that focuses on developing a strong relationship between parent and child and which is based on mutual respect and communication.  It's purpose? To create strong emotional connections between parent and child.   Positive Parenting aligns beautifully with Montessori in that it meets a child where they are at developmentally and the adults are considered guides. This is different from some more traditional approaches where the parent is the disciplinarian.   Michelle spoke to us about parent self-regulation, with reminders to take care of our selves so that we could remain emotionally available and feel successful as parents.  As parents, we are our children's safe space and approaching this task mindfully and intentionally is crucial to creating a safe and secure space in which...

We received letters from our two girls we sponsor through the COEEF Program: Mariana Dereje, 1st Grade  and Bethehem Eyob Shenkute, 12th Grade. We also received cards from two of the young women whom we sponsored that graduated from 12th Grade and the COEEF Program last year! They hadn't had a chance to update us with photos and news of their final graduation year. It has been fun to follow these beautiful young women from the time of being young girls beginning the program. It is also so encouraging to read of their plans to continue their education and begin college. The letters are on display in the school entry way, available to admire. We hope that you will enjoy reading them! If you would like to write letters or draw pictures with your own students to send back to our girls, please feel free to do so! You may bring your letters...

In April, the Great Outdoor Program (GO) finishes their Nature Cards and sells them at the annual Nature Card Sale . This sale will take place Friday, April 19th before and after school.   Please mark your calendars for this special day in which students get to share their studies and art work as it relates to the students' In-Depth Studies based on the theme of the year, Utah Native Plants! Students have worked hard and taken their time to create unique and beautiful works of art to share with the community. The schedule for the sale will take place as follows in the lobby of the school: 8:15am-9:15am- Upper Elementary's Spruce Group 2:45pm - 3:45pm- Upper Elementary's Pine Group Please also note that we will only accept cash during this card sale, Thank you!

Due to the MEPI Conference dates and the changes made to the previous Academic calendar, please find the new 2018---2019-Academic-Year-Calendar  here. 

Our children are making a stand to put and hold todays leaders accountable. Last Friday, March 15th, 2019 children gathered at the Utah State Capitol to add pressure to their message: time is running out to protect our planet from a climate crisis. We hope the words from our youth will nudge leaders along to stop dragging their feet on such critical issues.  This event did not just take place in Utah but worldwide protests and strikes took place with the important message geared directly toward leaders and lawmakers. Their message is loud and clear, changes must be made. Our children are raising their voices and it is time adults start listening. 

Within this academic year our full staff has been offered the opportunity to attend two annual Montessori conferences that are hosted in Utah by the Utah Montessori Council. In addition, two weeks ago, twenty-two of our teachers and Administration team flew to Kiahwah Island, South Carolina to attend a national conference being hosted by M.E.P.I. (Montessori Educational Programs International). The conference offered many classes for all program levels as well as Administration. Some examples of classes were - Common Sense Parenting, Preparation of the Environment, Cosmic Education, Labyrinths for Beginners, Celebrating International Diversity through United Nations, and Peace off the Table. Please see details of the wonderful Keynote Speaker, Barbara Coloroso. Our staff always come away from the conferences inspired and excited to implement their new knowledge into their curriculum. We all stayed in two beautiful houses on Kiawah Island that were located beside each other overlooking a pond in which lived...

Yes! The first two weeks of MCS’ Winter Sports Ski and Snowboard lessons have gone well. Thank you to all those staff and parent volunteers who are making this program so successful and organized. Why skiing and snowboarding, you wonder? It has always been a goal to be able to give each elementary student the opportunity to explore the sports as part of our great Wasatch Front, and world-renowned mountain slopes. Transporting eighty plus students, with gear, snacks, and equipment is no small feat. There is a lot of preparation, practice, and patience involved. There is nothing quite like the panic of missing snow-pants, a broken clasp on a helmet, or the confusion of 4 sets of skis that all look alike and the label has rubbed off. However, and whatever the new challenge is, the buzz and nervous excitement of the students makes it all worth it. Our students are...

Schools should plan for the rare possibility of an intruder as part of a comprehensive crisis/emergency preparedness effort; however, the nature and extent of those preparedness activities should be based upon a risk assessment of the crisis events a given school is most likely to confront. A Lock Down Drill is scheduled for February 12, 2019 .  This emergency procedure at MCS involves staff - Sweeping and clearing hallways Turning off classroom lights Locking doors Sheltering with children in our agreed upon secure areas Taking roll Waiting for the all clear We recognize that this drill in particular can sometimes cause anxiety and concern for parents and guardians, students, and educators too. For the adults, being familiar the procedure and ones responsibilities within that process can bring assurance and comfort. Practicing can prepare and be of comfort to the children with the fact that their teachers, parents and guardians, and the...

We are already making plans for activities for Summer Camp 2019 for your children. We know that people's plans do change and this is a reminder of the withdrawal policy for Summer Camp.  It is as follows:   After January 31, 2019, you will be responsible for 100% of the school Summer Camp  tuition if you chose to withdraw your student. There is also a $75.00 schedule fee that is required for administrative costs to initiate the withdrawal from the program and FACTS management system.   Please respond to this email or contact the Business Manager no later than January 31st, by email request, should you need to withdraw from the Summer Camp 2019.   Please give a call so we can address any questions or concerns.