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Tag: Elementary Private School

Lego Robotics – FIRST LEGO League Competition

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

Earlier this year parents Cheryl Baird and Stacy Bamberg created a LEGO Robotics team comprised of 11 Upper Elementary students.  This weekend the students, the self proclaimed Top Hat Team, competed in their first competition where their Robot earned them almost enough points to take them to the next competition.  They placed 8th out of 21 teams who competed, the first 7 teams qualifying for the next competition which will take place at Weber State University in February.  While they didn’t qualify to move on, the team had a great time working together and took away some valuable lessons.  They remained upbeat, positive and energetic throughout the day.

We want to congratulate the team and thank participating parents for time and energy supporting our students through this fun process.  We ar already talking about how to start preparing a team for next year.  If you have a child who is currently a third, fourth or fifth year elementary student and you are interested in coaching/mentoring the team next year, please contact us at info@mcsslc.com.

Students practice their missions between rounds.

Students must invent a solution to a problem they identify in their community. The team created a Trashinator; a machine which would decrease the trash left on the floors in the bathrooms.

Parents and students waiting to present round 2.

Round 2….here we go

Celebrating a fantastic round!

Our gratitude to those parents and students who participated in this fun process.

Goooooooo Team Top Hats!!!

2017 Uinta Adventure

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

Last week our Upper Elementary students, the Uinta class, set adrift for an amazing Adventure to Split Mountain, Vernal. They enjoyed three days of fun, learning, and life experiences. Despite the inclement weather they adventured to the max and had a blast. They are made of stern stuff!   Students, teachers and parent chaperones did a service learning project at Josie’s Cabin, rafted the Green River (in the snow!), enjoyed a beautiful hike in the area and visited the Dinosaur Quarry.

Students spent the year earning funds for their adventure through the Montessori Market and preparing for their rafting trip with their in-depth GO studies of the water shed. This adventure was a culmination of many important Upper Elementary lessons; from planning and executing a trip to in-depth follow up to their outdoor studies and many things in between.

Thank you to everyone who shopped the Market and supported their other business ventures for making this possible.   Below find some fun quotes from parent chaperones and a handful of photos documenting this amazing adventure!

The children were in full on camping mode. The cold rain and snow did not deter, or steer them off course from their planned itinerary. It was obvious that they worked hard to prepare before the trip, as many duties fell into place.
They braved the big, cold waters of the Green River, in winter conditions. They hiked the trails of Dinosaur Nation Park. They explored the quarry and represented The Montessori Community School at its best. Well done children!

Aaron Rashaw

The Ultimate Adventure!

With Jude graduating from the sixth grade, this will be my last opportunity to chaperone at MCS. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience! I’ve never been to Dinosaur National Monument; so to go with nineteen of the most adventurous ten to twelve year olds ever, made the outing that much more enjoyable. Believe me: they braved the elements that only a Utah spring can muster; and they did so with respect of nature and stoic resolve. There was nothing that could have dampened their enthusiasm. I know the students learned a great deal about the hydrologic system of the Green River, but I seemed to be their student as they embraced the desert and embraced life!

Thanks again for the wonderful opportunity!
Gregg Wood

The Story of the Universe – Adventures in Lower Elementary

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog.

There are a lot of things for our Lower Elementary students to get excited about this time of year!  The tall slide on the playground, the Native American flute, their upcoming trip to the Utah State Fair, and math exercises using materials that span CLEAR across the Lower Elementary hallway are just a few of them.  My personal favorite, though, are the Great Lessons that start the school year.  Great Lessons are aimed at the elementary students vivid use of imagination, one of their very best attributes -wouldn’t you say,  to get them thinking about some of the big questions in life. Where did humans come from?  Why does the earth rotate?  Who made up language?

There are a total of five Great Lessons and they are used to introduce the year’s studies of history, geography, botany, zoology, science, language and math in the LE program.  Not only are they important in inspiring the child’s imagination and investing them in the importance of various subjects they can look forward to studying, but they are memorable, too!  Having the opportunity to hear these stories three different times in their LE cycle allows students to consider them from various perspectives.

Today’s story is called The Story of the Universe and our very own Diana shared it with both the Wasatch and Oquirrh class.  The lights were low as she described a time before the children existed, before she herself existed…..before there was any life at all.  Through a series of beautifully described bangs, expansions, colors, gasses turning to liquids turning to solids, formations and temperatures and one auditorily memorable POP!, she described the story of our universe.  Oquirrh and Wasatch students will follow up this lovely story with a number of experiments including Colder than Cold, Chemical Combinations of Gas, Chemical Reactions, Crystillization, Law of Gravity and many more in the coming weeks.

If you get the chance, ask your Oquirrh or Wasatch student how they are related to the universe?  Their answer is sure to involve iron!

Great Summer Reading….Teaching Kids Empathy

Written by Montessori Admin on . Posted in Blog, Parent Education.

I happened upon this lovely little post from Tinybop this morning that shares the most wonderful list of children’s books that teach empathy.  These are hard times and an important time to teach our kids how to handle the world’s turmoil in a healthy way.  What a great summer read!

13 kids books to spark conversations about empathy

Lately, it seems like every other day, we turn on the news or open up our social media to find that another tragedy has occurred. Each time we’re faced with these events, we may be overcome with sadness, frustration, and hopelessness. But in these times, it’s important to have conversations with the children around us about inclusion and empathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s what helps us connect to other humans, and what makes us better humans. You may be surprised to learn that empathy isn’t an inborn trait, but rather one that must be learned – preferably during early childhood.

Keep reading…