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Tag: Community Service

Fill-the-Pack Holiday Giving Project

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

This year, Montessori Community School particpated in a service learning opportunity that touched the lives of many by supporting a local charity.

This year, after looking into many areas of need in our community, we participated

in the Fill-the-Pack Project created by the Homeless Youth Resource Center. This relatively new program provides a way to get some basic survival necessities (toothbrushes, toiletries, hats, gloves, and blankets are just a few of the items in the packs) to teens that are living on the streets of Salt Lake City.

MCS provided two backpacks for each of our classrooms to fill with items from the Homeless Youth Resource Center needs list.There was such a wonderful response from our students and families! We were able to fill and deliver 24 backpacks plus many other various items that were brought in and donated. Imagining these teens out on the streets trying to make it- these backpacks were truly a heartfelt, supportive gift. We know our community felt the spirit of giving when one family filled two backbacks on their own and many students were talking about how grateful they are to have families supporting them and warm beds to sleep in at night. Our students kept trying to fit more and more into these packs. Their kind hearts and generosity was overwhelming.

Thank you to all the MCS families who helped with this tremendous project and learning opportunity. To find our more about the Homeless Youth Resource Center, please check out the following links:

 

 

Upcoming COEEF Event

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

Montessori Community School has been raising money for the COEEF and have supported several girls in the program for over 10 years.  We are currently supporting seven young girls.  It is a pleasure to share this opportunity to further support the COEEF program with our MCS community.

Trying to keep more mess out of their classroom

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Margaret and Laura trying to keep more mess out of their beloved Uinta classroom!
Ruby has been a most wonderful photographer and documenter!
Brandi feeling overjoyed about the set up of the temporary Lower El classroom at the church.
Laura in the new Uinta and Arches space.
Joshi displays some of the Arches work that survived the flood.
Look at the beautiful mural in the background! Bonnie has been hard at work.
An energetic and helpful MCS student cheers for the churches offer of space.
Kay and Lorena setting up the Magnolias temporary classroom in the Toddler Moons space.
Kate and Cinthya hard at working helping their fellow teachers set up and clean up.
Dear MCS Families and Interested Community Members,
WOW!  The outpouring of love and concern is truly incredible. A huge thank you to our enthusiastic staff who have assisted in the clean up, transport, and set up of new classroom space.  We are very excited to get back to it on Monday.  We miss the children very much.
As you can see from the photos above, we are making a lot of progress here at the school.  The teachers are working harder than ever and their love of the students is evident in their care and attention to setting up the classrooms. The teachers will be sending detailed emails so that you know what to expect for Monday. Thank you for your patience as we prepare.
A few recent updates:
  • The road is still not fixed at the school’s entrance.  We are hopeful that it will be fixed by the weekend.
  • At this time the building has no heat. (We are grateful for the warm weather!) We hope to have a temporary boiler in place by Monday. It will be a smaller unit that will heat our upstairs.  We will have to purchase a new boiler and hope that the transition will be as unobtrusive as possible.  We have some temporary heaters to supplement the heat from this smaller unit until the new boiler is in place.
  •  We are working on a list for volunteer opportunities.  So many of you have been so generous with your offers to help.  Up to this point we have not known areas where you can assist.  However, we anticipate that we will need assistance in the future.  Once we have created this list we will share it with you.
With thanks,
MCS Administration

Service-Learning

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

An Early Child student is read to by a Lower Elementary student.

“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

Service-Learning is built into a Montessori Education’s curriculum starting at the toddler age through adolescence. As per the National Service-Learning Partnership, Service-Learning is defined as a teaching method that engages young people in solving problems within their schools and communities as part of their academic studies or other type of intentional learning activity.

Montessori Community School starts this education with a simple question, “How may I help?” This simple question plants a seed within children early on in the toddler years. There, it is nurtured, and cultivated. As the years go by, this seed continues to grow. Soon a sensitivity of self-awareness and self-reflection emerge.  Not only do students begin to recognize and develop their personal talents, abilities, and interests but they are also able use them to meet the needs of others.

This academic understanding takes deeper root through our literature and writing curriculum, class meetings, informal and formal class discussions, and day-to-day interactions. Concepts such as empathy begin to intertwine and connect with not just, “How may I help?” but, “How do I recognize when another person’s fundamental needs are not being met, and how may I be of service?”

Montessori Service-Learning Education fosters respect for others, inspires children to build positive relationships and make contributions to the local community, and to the world. Emphasis is placed on taking care of the environment, self, and others.

FUN-RUN, WEDNESDAY MAY 7TH

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

ATTENTION MCS PARENTS
FUN-RUN
Wednesday, May 7th
Please find your child’s Fun-Run Pledge Envelope in their take-home file.

The purpose of the Fun Run is to raise funds for our two special Navajo grandmothers, Emma and Elvira, as well as our seven students from Ethiopia. Both of these programs are close to our hearts as we have seen the enormous difference our time and efforts can make for those involved in the programs. This week the students at MCS are learning more about both programs.  The Pledge Envelopes include instructions on collecting funds for the Fun Run. We are still looking for some parent volunteers and invite you to sign up in the office to assist on May 7th.

Our goal for this year is to raise at least $6500. As we have 219 students enrolled at this time this means that if each child could aim to raise $30 we would reach our goal. We are aware that this will be an easy target for some families and more difficult for others and want you to know that anything you can offer will be so gratefully received.

Last year with the same goal we were able to raise $6775 and the money went towards our COEEF students and our Navajo grandmothers.  The extra funds also allowed us to provide Christmas gifts for a local Navajo family.

The Adopt A Native Elder program has an excellent website that we invite you to view at this link- www.anelder.org. The website gives so much information about the work of the organization. We hear from our grandmothers on a regular basis and having spent time with each of them on the reservation Robyn and Bob know what great an impact our commitment and support has on their lives.

Recently we received new photos and thank you letters from our sponsored students in Ethiopia. These cards/letters have recently been featured on our Weekly Email Newsletter. We invite you to watch this link. On the video you will see that one of our students, Bethelhem Eyob, speaks about her experience at school and her gratitude for her sponsors (in this case, our school). Rick Egan at COEEF wrote, “Bethelhem Eyob is a brilliant student, and so I thought you may be interested in seeing a short video we put together from our last visit to Ethiopia. It includes a short interview with your student, Bethelhem Eyob, talking about Mr Solomon and St Michael’s School where she attends.”

Thank you to all our MCS families and friends for your support as we encourage our students in this opportunity for service.  Community service is an important part of the Montessori curriculum and our school’s goal to teach our students to be contributing members of society.