Montessori Parents’ Guide to Snowbird Mountain School
February 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, & March 2nd, 2016

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This year's Halloween Carnival is sure to be the best yet. There will be games, activities and a lot of fun and laughter! Tickets can be purchased from the MCS office.

Ticket Price: $5 in advanced / $6 at the door

Some of the activities are:

Trunk or Treat
Spook Alley
Kim's Cold Blooded Creatures
Pumpkin Pick & Paint
Dancing

Costumes are most welcomed and encouraged!

Enjoy this beautiful timeline of Maria Montessori. The History of Montessori Education by Giraffe Childcare

On Thursday, November 5^th our Lower Elementary, 3^rd Year students will have the opportunity to learn about the Navajo way of life at the Deer Valley Navajo Rug Show. For more than fifteen years, the Montessori Community School has sponsored our Navajo grandmothers through the Adopt-a-Native-Elder Program.  

This last month our Toddler and Early Childhood students participated in an in-house field trip where a local Fire Department spoke to the children about fire safety.

The Montessori math curriculum is quite unlike the traditional approach that each of us experienced.  It is based on developing a strong foundation through concrete experience and manipulation until the time a child reaches the age of abstraction, typically around nine years old. As they engage in the Cosmic Curriculum, children are given a basis for the interconnectedness of all things and encouraged to engage in the wonder and magic of mathematical concepts.  Various activities and materials develop the mathematical mind, preparing the child for their inevitable explosion in to abstraction and connection to the power of relationships.  The following was written by Lower Elementary Spanish teacher, Diana Haro Reynolds. Mathematics is the study of quantity, form, and magnitude. We live among it. It is in the position of the sun and in the shell of a snail. We carry math in our pockets, in our devices. It is what makes...

I choose a Montessori school for my son almost as an act of faith. At that time my knowledge of the method was null, besides having heard of small chairs and colored beads. But seeing my son happy day after day encouraged me to study and deepen the Montessori’s ideas. What I had discovered astonished me as a father and as a scientist. As a father, I found how children are really respected and prepared for the future. As a scientist, I found solid scientific foundations for everything Maria Montessori proposed.

In a Montessori classroom, order and creativity coexist. Animated conversation and silent observation work together in the same space. In the best environments, children of all races and cultures learn side by side. The Montessori approach offers children intentionally prepared environments that are full of beauty and order. Materials in the classroom are appealing and designed to meet the developmental needs of each child. Montessori-trained teachers are the bridge between the environment and the student, first through careful observation of each child, and then by providing appropriate instruction and guidance. This video was created as part of the documentary film project, Building the Pink Tower .  "What if we were to set aside the noise of failing schools, teacher evaluations, test scores, achievement gaps, and funding issues — and ask, instead, what is the true goal of education?" 

Winter is just a season away. Please keep in mind that all students participating in the Winter Sports Program this year will be REQUIRED to have helmets and goggles and there will be no daily rentals at the resort. The PSA is working on potential discounts for MCS renters and will keep us updated. For now, please check out the list of Ski Swaps coming up. Click here  to see a list of upcoming ski swaps.

Food and meal times are an important and essential part of every day life.  In a Montessori classroom we work to create a peaceful and healthful meal experience for our children as we place great value on both the experience and the consumption of food.

MCS was "rocking" on Friday evening, May 29th, as two high school bands from The Wasatch Music Coaching Academy performed for attendees at the "End of Year Carnival."  The young performers impressed young and old alike with their performances and several children really showed off their moves during an outstanding rendition of Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk."

Early this month the Uinta class (Upper Elementary, 9-12 year olds) embarked on a great adventure to Fremont Indian State Park as part of their Great Outdoors Expedition.  The students have spent time in the classroom studying the Fremont Indians and on GO they have given attention to human interaction with nature and so this was a great way to culminate their studies as they walked the trails and read the stories of the Fremont Indians while eating and sleeping in the out of doors. Students, teachers and parent chaperones worked together to create a comfortable camp space and prepare delicious meals to be shared.  

  Montessori Community School's PSA is playing off the school's green initiative and will be hosting a huge yard sale Saturday, June 13th beginning at 8:00 am and running through 12:00 pm.  Proceeds from the sale will benefit a number of the school's special projects. For example, completing the fence around the Outdoor Classroom, funding a portion of the much needed school roof, new storage sheds, a new school van, and a number of other projects that are outside of the school's regular budget. If you have any items you are planning on donating or taking to other thrift stores, please bring them to the MCS gymnasium instead. You may drop off your items between June 1st and June 11th.  We are specifically looking for the following items: Furniture Bikes Sports Equipment Toys Household Items: dishes, working small appliances, lamps Books CDs/ DVDs Yard Equipment and Outdoor Gear Baby Items Unused/...

“To consider the school as a place where instruction is given is one point of view. But to consider the school as preparation for life is another.  In the latter case the school must satisfy all the needs of life.” –       Maria Montessori    The mission of the Montessori Community School is to provide a rich, educational experience that guides and nurtures the natural unfolding of the whole individual and inspires a lifetime passion for learning and peace. The Montessori Community School has been established to encourage and promote the intellectual, physical and social development of children. The Montessori philosophy emphasizes the development of the child in a carefully prepared environment.  A prepared environment is one in which the child is able to develop freely at his or her own pace, unhindered in the spontaneous unfolding of his or her natural capacities. This occurs through the manipulation of a graded...

  For the 2014 - 2015 school year Montessori Community School is excited to work with our students in a Service-Learning project to once again support our COEEF girls and our Grandmothers through the Adopt-A-Native Elder program. MCS has supported COEEF for more than seven years and the Native American Grandmothers of Adopt-A-Native Elder for over 20 years! We are happy to report that our girls in Ethiopia and our Native American Grandmothers are very grateful for the continued support from the MCS community of families and friends over the years.   In an effort to raise awareness about family preparedness, this year MCS is offering 72-  hour kits as a fundraiser to replace the Fun Run that has been “running” for the past several years.   Packets containing further information and order forms were sent home in every student's Take-Home File. Please share this information with your families and friends so they too, can be...

  Based on our ecosystem outings this year, the GO (Great Outdoors) students have spent a lot of time researching different ecosystems of their choice. These nature cards are the result of their hard work, time, knowledge, and talents. Each card features a drawing of a particular ecosystem, and inside the cards are some interesting facts derived from their studies. This is a great opportunity to support the students' studies, interests, and art. It is also a great way to share these talents throughout the year with your friends, family, and co-workers. You may purchase these beautiful cards for $3.00 each or you may purchase 5 cards for $12.00. Cards will go on sale in the MCS lobby this Friday, May 1st.  

"Eventually we gave up either punishing or rewarding the children." —Maria Montessori , The Secret of Childhood It's a new year and many of us make resolutions. As parents, in spite of our best intentions, we sometimes get stuck in patterns that are no longer working or may not be the most beneficial for our children. What are some new ways to deal with the normal day-to-day challenges of being a parent? Re-Thinking Some Common Practices No one is really taught how to parent. We do what our parents did, or the direct opposite. Some practices enter the mainstream and are implemented by parents without much thought. How often do you use the phrase "Good job"? Do you use a "time-out" when your child is challenging your patience? Changing some of these rote responses can make a huge difference for children and parents alike. We can communicate to children in ways...

        Montessori Community School loves the passion our students have toward caring for our earth. They help with keeping our grounds clear of trash, working in our gardens, composting, and planting raised garden beds. Our students also implement and are responsible for recycling throughout our school. We try very hard to make our school and community a greener place.

The holidays have come and gone and spring is just around the corner.  This might be a fine time to consider sorting through your children's possessions.  If you take a close look at the sheer volume of your child's books and toys, you may determine that just like adults he uses only a percentage of them. Thinning the herd, so to speak, offers much to recommed it; Its a lot easier to find things if there are fewer things to find.  A place for everything and everything in its place is a cliche' based on sound thinking.  Our brains seek order, harmony and beauty in the world, your child's brain seeks it out too.  Additionally, there's an essential developmental incentive to clear the clutter out of your child's life.  Providing external order for your child allows him to organize his thinking.  He's already taken in so many impressions of the world...

What do we mean when we say we want to raise “successful” children? Too often, especially around this time of year, that conversation centers on college or the kinds of academics and activities that lead to college. “Success” is hard to measure, and those external markers make for comforting milestones along the way. Comforting, but dangerous. Because when checking off the achievement box is what defines success, it’s too easy to forget that it’s the qualities in our children that might lead to those accomplishments that matter — not the goals themselves. Achievements, from the A on the science project to the letter of acceptance from Big U, can be the gold stars for parents. They’re the visible signs that we’re doing something right, and that makes it tempting to push our children forward, just a little (or maybe a lot) by stepping in when it looks as if they might...