Tag: Now Enrolling Private School Salt Lake City

The Capstone Year…What Every Montessori Parent Deserves to Know

Written by Montessori Admin on January 21, 2020. Posted in Blog.

What is the Capstone Year and why does my child deserve to have one?

We often refer to the 3^rd Year a child is in a Montessori program as the Capstone Year. But, what is it really that makes that year so special/important? While the reasons to leave can be compelling and are worth every consideration, we believe the reasons to stay are worth your careful and thoughtful consideration.

Below is a list of 24 reasons we recommend keeping your child in Montessori for the Capstone Year:

Does your child look forward to attending school? If so, consider yourself lucky. Why tinker with a winning situation when so many other families are frustrated or disappointed with their child’s school experience.
Your child has waited for two years to be a leader in their class. The third year students are looked up to as role models for the younger students, and most children eagerly await their opportunity to play this role.
The third year is the time when many of the earlier lessons come together and become a permanent part of the child’s understanding. An excellent example is the early introduction to addition with large numbers through the Bank Game. When children leave Montessori at age five, many of the still forming concepts evaporate, just as a child living overseas will learn to speak two languages, but may quickly lose the second language if his family moves back home.
As a leader in the class, your child has many opportunities to teach the younger children lessons that he learned when he was their age. Research proves that this experience has powerful benefits for both tutor and tutoree.
Third Year Montessori children normally go on to still more fascinating lessons and more advanced Montessori materials. The natural process of abstraction or critical thinking around familiar concepts materializes naturally and gears the child up for more advanced skills.
The Montessori curriculum is more sophisticated than that found in traditional programs.
Having spent two years together, your child’s teachers know her very, very well. They know her strengths and areas that are presenting challenges. She can begin the year strong, without having to build a relationship of trust with her teacher.
Your child already knows most of her classmates. She has grown up in a safe, supportive classroom setting. She is learning appropriate social boundaries and interactions with a group of familiar peers.
If your child goes on to another school, he will spend the first half of the year just getting used to the new educational approach.
Montessori math is based on the European tradition of unified mathematics. Montessori introduces young children to basic geometry and other sophisticated concepts as early as kindergarten. Our spiraling curriculum means students will revisit these skills and build on them throughout their elementary experience.
Third Years have a real sense of running their classroom community, an important leadership skill that goes on with them.
In Montessori, your child can continue to progress at her own pace. In traditional education, she will have to wait while the other children begin to catch up or will be forced to move ahead before she is ready.
Beginning as early as kindergarten and continuing through elementary, Montessori children are studying cultural geography and beginning to grow into global citizens.
In Montessori, students work with intriguing learning materials instead of preprinted work books, allowing a student to work on a skill for the right amount of time for their own understanding and not by a predetermined timeline.
Emphasis is given to the arts, movement, and outdoor education. Exploration and creativity in these areas are continuously accessible and are encouraged.
In Montessori, your child has been treated with a deep respect as a unique individual. The school has been equally concerned for his intellectual, social, and emotional development.
Montessori schools are warm and supportive communities of students, teachers, and parents. Children can’t easily slip through the cracks!
Montessori consciously teaches children to be kind and peaceful.
In Montessori schools, learning is not focused on rote drill and memorization. Our goal is to develop students who really understand their schoolwork.
Montessori students learn through hands-on experience, investigation, and research. They become actively engaged in their studies, rather than passively waiting to be spoon-fed.
Montessori is consciously designed to recognize and address different learning styles, helping students learn to study most effectively.
Montessori challenges and set high expectations for all students not only a special few.
Montessori students develop self-discipline and an internal sense of purpose and motivation.
Three, six, nine and twelve years old are natural transitional ages for children. They are the best time for children to move to new classrooms or schools.

Third Year Upper Elementary students sale handmade items at the Montessori Market, a business that supports their end of year outdoor adventure.
This year they will use funds for a class wide river rafting trip to culminate their studies of the watershed.

This Third Year Upper Elementary student creates the square of 19
using a Montessori Math material, the Peg Board.

Creativity at its finest!

If you still have any doubt, spend a morning observing in your child’s class and compare it with a class in the other school you are considering. Sit quietly and take mental notes. The differences may be subtle, but most likely they will be significant. Then project your child into the future and ask yourself how the positive differences you observed in the Montessori classroom might help shape your child to become the teenager, and later the adult, you envisioned for your child’s future.

(Adapted from Tim Seldin’s 25 Reasons to Keep Your Child in Montessori Through the Kindergarten Year, Tomorrow’s Child.)

Specialty Classes at Montessori Community School

Written by Montessori Admin on January 16, 2020. Posted in Blog.

Early Childhood Specialties

Dance

In Dance Class, Early Childhood students are introduced to the main elements of dance: time, space, and energy, so that they can decipher and make choices in their movement. The students learn how to alter speeds, change levels, utilize space, play with quality, move with their whole bodies/being, mirror positive/negative space, as well as shaping and weaving.

Music

In Music Specialty classes, Early Childhood students are introduced to music and rhythm theory as well as vocal skills. They learn to sing and play instruments and to create, respond to, and understand music. In this class students are exposed to many different music styles as well as music from many cultures.

Outdoor Classroom

Early Childhood students participate each week in the Outdoor Classroom with our specialty teacher where they seasonally explore the plants, soil, invertebrates, birds, and weather through hands on activities. The students have many opportunities to practice and master essential developmental skills such as balance, control, independence, focus, and coordination through digging, building with logs, sticks and rocks, and interacting with nature in this class. The purpose of the Early Childhood Outdoor Program is to help students gain an understanding and love for the natural world around them.

Kindergarten Art Studio

The Third Year Early Childhood (Kindergarten) students attend Art Studio at scheduled times throughout the week. First and Second Year Early Childhood students follow an art curriculum in their classrooms. Early Childhood students focus on the technical fundamentals of color, shape, perspective, and shading. All of the students work with many different media, such as paint, pastels, pencil, collage, textiles, etc.

Kindergarten Winter Sports

Third Year Early Childhood (Kindergarten) students are invited to participate in skiing lessons at a local resort during school hours. This event provides students with an opportunity to develop their skiing or snowboarding skills and have outdoor fun in the “greatest snow on earth”. The Winter Sports Program takes place once a week and runs for 5 weeks during the second semester of the academic year.

Lower Elementary Specialties

Movement – Dance & Physical Education/Fitness

The Lower Elementary Movement curriculum includes both dance and physical education units. Students work on dance elements, such as shape, level, direction, size, focus, attack, weight, strength, pathway, locomotor skills, and flow with a specialty teacher in the dance studio. They also learn how to express themselves through dance, incorporate their own style, and how to integrate timing and choreography. The physical education units include learning about and playing a variety of team-oriented physical games, with an emphasis on endurance, coordination, flexibility, strength, agility, and sportsmanship as they work on general fitness.

Outdoor Classroom

Lower Elementary students participate weekly in the Outdoor Classroom with our outdoor specialty teacher where they explore and interact with the garden area throughout the changing seasons and learn about plant identification, functions, and uses, as well as earth history, animal adaptations, and paleo cultures. The purpose of the Lower Elementary Outdoor Program is to help students gain an understanding and love for the natural world around them while engaging in problem solving and creative application.

Art

In the Art Studio, Lower Elementary students practice the technical elements of art, such as line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space, as well as principles of design, including balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity.

Winter Sports

Lower Elementary students participate in a Winter Sports program each winter. The Winter Sports Program runs for five weeks during the second semester of the academic year. This event provides students with an opportunity to develop their skiing skills and have outdoor fun in the “greatest snow on earth”. This annual event also provides opportunities for the students to stretch and develop their social and emotional skills. Elementary students attend ski or snowboard lessons once a week at a local resort during school hours for the five-week span.

Music

Lower Elementary students attend Music Specialty classes with a specialty teacher, where they learn music and rhythm theory as well as vocal skills. The students are exposed to many different music styles as well as music from many other cultures. The students learn to sing and play instruments with a varied repertoire of music. They improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments. They also learn to analyze, describe, compose, arrange, read and notate music, and to understand music in relation to history and culture.

Spanish

An instructor for the Spanish language spends approximately eight (8) hours a week in each Lower Elementary classroom. The instructor incorporates Spanish into the students’ daily routine by providing lessons in vocabulary, grammar and many practical life experiences.

Upper Elementary Specialties

Movement – Dance & Physical Education/Fitness

The Upper Elementary movement curriculum includes both dance and physical education units with a specialty teacher. Advanced dance elements such as shape, level, direction, size, focus, attack, weight, strength, pathway, locomotor skills, and flow are introduced and taught to the students. They also learn how to express themselves through dance, incorporate their own style, and how to integrate timing and choreography. The physical education curriculum includes learning about and playing a variety of team-oriented physical games, with an emphasis on endurance, coordination, flexibility, strength, agility, and sportsmanship as they work on general fitness.

Music

Upper Elementary students receive formal instruction in music from a specialty teacher. Their curriculum includes music and rhythm theory as well as vocal skills. Using a variety of instruments, the students learn to keep a steady beat, play rhythm rounds with non-pitched instruments, and read music on the staff. They improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments. They also learn to analyze, describe, compose, arrange, read and notate music, and to understand music in relation to history and culture.

Great Outdoors (GO)

The Great Outdoors (GO) program with our specialty teachers facilitates meaningful interaction with the environment through a three-year rotating cycle involving watershed, Utah native plants, as well as ecosystems and relationships in nature. Students explore habitats through hiking, lessons, activities, projects, observation, note taking, sketching, and researching. The purpose of these expeditions is to give the students a direct, personal connection with their natural world and, through that connection, a better understanding of the world around them as well as of themselves.

Art

In the Art Studio, an art specialist provides the students with instruction and knowledge to refine basic art techniques such as pattern, design, texture, shape and line, and learn more advanced techniques such as perspective, medium, shading, dimension, transparency, overlapping, and printmaking. Art supplies are available in the classroom for students to select as part of their week’s work. In addition, each month, the students study the life and work of a famous artist.

Winter Sports

Upper Elementary students participate in a Winter Sports program each winter. The Winter Sports Program runs for five weeks during the second semester of the academic year. This event provides students with an opportunity to develop their skiing or snowboarding skills and have outdoor fun in the “greatest snow on earth”. This annual event also provides opportunities for the students to stretch and develop their social and emotional skills. Elementary students attend ski or snowboard lessons once a week at a local resort during school hours for the five-week span.

Community Theater

Our Upper Elementary students participate in theater workshops each fall, culminating in a Community Theater production. The purpose is not to produce a Broadway-worthy production, but to give students the opportunity to take part in all aspects of a play. Younger students learn how to memorize lines, follow acting cues, design props, and face the audience. Older students work on projecting their voices, expressing themselves through vocal tone, facial expression, and movement. They contribute to the script, direct the scenes, learn to give and receive constructive criticism, and cooperate with each other to produce a successful play. They also work on costume and set design and the creation of sound effects.

Spanish

The Upper Elementary Spanish Program provides instruction under two main standards: Spanish language lessons and Rosetta Stone, an interactive computer program. Each week students have the opportunity to receive lessons from an instructor that furthers their understanding of the grammar of the language and supports their advancement through Rosetta Stone to practice vocabulary, writing and speaking.

Introduction to GO

(Great Outdoors Expeditions Program)

In the Great Outdoors Expeditions Program, commonly known as G.O., the Upper Elementary students fulfill the goals of exploring our environment, learning from our environment, celebrating our environment, and protecting our environment through many ways. The students are responsible for participating in all lessons and activities within our outings as we visit the desert, riparian, urban, wetland, and montane ecosystems of our magnificent Salt Lake region. We also form mentorships with education centers and organizations such as the Red Butte Gardens, Swaner Eco-center, and others. In addition to participation, students are expected to be responsible for their preparedness, hiking skills development, safety, and trail etiquette. To bring mentorship opportunities back to our Montessori community, the Upper Elementary students will be working with the Third Year Lower Elementary students once in the Fall and once in the Spring.

Students can be properly prepared for class if they know where we are going! Checking the monthly calendar will let you know each week’s destination and then they can dress appropriately. When chilly weather hits, even if we are visiting the desert, elevations can vary as well as temperatures, even if it is not snowing. We will be posting clothing suggestions monthly, such as wool socks, thermal underwear, snow pants, water resistant gloves and boots. It is also suggested that the students learn to dress in layers. They can always “peel and pack”, but it is much more difficult to warm up once you get too cold!

Regardless of the destination, students will always need to come to class on time with the following supplies:

Appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather and expedition (sturdy hiking shoes are recommended)
GO backpack with a sack lunch and water bottle (backpacks should be lightweight, durable, waterproof, and large enough to carry all necessary items)
Students must also always have their GO journals (please provide your child with a blank paged notebook, approximately 8 ¾ x 11 ¼ for this purpose)

Students rely upon their GO journals (which we keep at school) for relevant notes, sketches, assignments, and projects; therefore, the GO journal is an essential part of class. Parents, if you ever see a GO journal at home or in a backpack, please encourage your student to promptly return it to school!

In the fall we focus on getting to as many different ecosystems and higher elevations as we can before the snow hits. In the winter we focus on our theme studies including research, writing, and art, which lead into the preparation of our annual Nature Card sale. Our card sale is in the Spring and becomes our contribution towards our over-night adventure at the end of the school year. We will also continue to visit the ecosystems throughout each season.

Considering that GO only takes place every other Friday (alternating between the two student groups) and many of our outings and agendas cannot be replicated or repeated, it is essential that students have a strong attendance record. Your support is welcomed and appreciated in advance!

Silent Journey & Discovery – An Invitation to MCS Parents to Enjoy the Magic of Montessori

Written by Montessori Admin on January 9, 2019. Posted in Blog.

The MCS Silent Journey and Discovery is an event dedicated to parents to provide the meaningful experience of visiting each of our programs, from Toddlers through Upper Elementary. We invite you to experience for yourself the magic of the Montessori materials and discover how the lessons learned in our early programs set the tone and lay an important foundation to prepare students for higher academics and critical thinking skills in the upper programs. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain a sense of how the Montessori Curriculum unfolds through the eyes of a child to guide and nurture the natural unfolding of the whole child to inspire a lifetime love of learning and peace.

Who: All MCS Parents Invited
When: Saturday, January 26, 2019 @ 9:00am – 1:00pm
Where: Meet in the MCS lobby
Cost: Attendance is free of charge
Child Care: Child care will be provided to those who sign up in advance

Lunch will be served.

Wondering what you might get out of attending this year’s Silent Journey and Discovery? Below are some experiences shared by attendees of the past…
We hope you can join us this year!!!

Thanks very much to the MCS staff who led us on our Silent Journey. When I walked into the lower and upper el classrooms in particular, I felt like a kid in a candy store. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on everything I could see. The kids are so lucky to be able to learn in such engaging, tactile, and visually stimulating ways that are tailor-made for their stage in life. I found myself pining for those days when I could explore just for the fun and education of it. Sitting at a computer 8 hours a day denies me that visceral interaction and electrifying feedback that comes with it. The contrast between their day and mine has helped me to realize how enriching their education has been over the years, and that there is a hole in my working life that needs to be filled. My hope is that the kids’ experiences are germinating a healthy, persistent hunger for knowledge and enrichment that will last them a lifetime. Congratulations on a well done journey.

Julie Kiefer, MCS parent

“I just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful silent journey and discovery on Saturday. When I originally chose Montessori for Luka at age 3, I read the book Understanding Montessori, but this was the first chance I’ve had to personally work with Montessori materials. Everything I saw on Saturday validated my choice for Luka’s education and in particular my choice of Montessori Community School. The environments are beautiful and so well-prepared and the teachers are well spoken advocates and role models for little people. Bravo!”

Karna Sacchi

“Our little girl started this October in one of the Toddler classes. We felt and understood how this would be a good environment for our daughter–we saw a difference in her after only a week! The only thing to say after experiencing Silent Journey is we THOUGHT we understood how good of an environment this is for our daughter. The progression through the classrooms and the works is absolutely brilliant. There is no way we would want anything different for our precious little girl. The system set in place is orderly, focusing on progression, growth, and learning pertaining to independence, reading, math, social skills, morals, ethics, and problem solving. We noticed how ‘hands on’ and multi faceted every work is designed to engage the children on their level with their own learning abilities and processes.

We were also so impressed with the educators- the individual time, care, and attention they put into their students. They truly know and understand each individual child they work with.

We discovered how the works build. The one that stuck out to us the most was the math. Starting early with dimensions, and stacking blocks moving toward cubes and counting- and onto multiplying enormous numbers by using a mat and beads- Absolutely incredible.

Math was a subject I struggled with and I can remember the exact time (2nd grade) when I got left behind. We had to pass off times tables with the teacher in front of the whole class. I was too shy and embarrassed to perform those simple times tables in front of the class for fear of getting them wrong or not being able to have them memorized the way all the other kids seemed to be able to do. I struggled the rest of my life with the ominous subject. During Silent Journey, when I reached Lower Elementary, I got it. I actually got a little emotional watching and doing the hands on mathematics. Both my husband and I just kept saying that we wished we would have had this type of learning environment available to us as kids.

We know the school is expensive; however, we walked away from Silent Journey thinking it is worth every penny and we would pay it twice over to have our children here. In our minds, there is no other way that can hone in on every aspect of learning for each individual child and still be able to provide loving, passionate, engaging teachers to foster a child’s learning and progression. Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity and for this incredible school. You really do ‘get it’ here. “

Anonymous

“The Silent Journey and Discovery was a very emotional and powerful experience for me. I did not attend a Montessori school as a child so I am only familiar with the Montessori philosophy through what I have read and observed in the last two years. It gave me a great appreciation and understanding of the different developmental levels of the works. I loved seeing the progression and advancement of the works through Toddler, Early Childhood and up through Middle School. The grammar and math works were thrilling to learn and experience. The focus on the sensorial aspects of each work creates a love of learning. In addition to receiving an amazing education the students are also learning how to be independent, respectful and loving human beings. I think every MCS parent should participate in the Silent Journey and Discovery to really understand and appreciate the experience and education we are giving our children. I know that it made me realize that I will do everything in my power to continue my daughter’s Montessori education.”

Tonia Hashimoto

“Having not grown up in a Montessori environment, it has been difficult for me to understand what exactly a day in the life of my Montessori students is like. I try to take in as much as I can at pick-up and drop-off, with the occasional visit and guided lesson by my children, but there is no way to fully understand without an experience like the Silent Journey and Discovery. It was an eye-opening voyage that I would recommend for every parent, and prospective parent. I want to do it again.

Going through a classroom from each cycle really makes the whole Montessori experience come full circle from seeing how the Toddlers get their first understanding of space and shape, to Early Childhood and their practical life lessons, to Lower Elementary and their grammar materials which encourage socialization, to the Upper Elementary complex math problems, to a Middle School student-led Socratic discussion. We only saw the tip of the iceberg, but the hands-on learning experience helped personify the school life of our children. I was struck by the thoughtful organization of each room; how comfortable and serene a small space can feel.

I also enjoyed the roundtable discussion following our classroom journeys. We were able to get some insight from teachers, staff, students and other parents. Because Montessori isn’t the “traditional” schooling for kids in our country, there are obvious concerns and hesitations with going outside the “norm”. Many of my concerns were put to ease and I feel my children are on the correct path for them at this time. I appreciated the book recommendations and feel they will help in understanding the Montessori Method and perhaps assist me with decisions for my family down the road.

My kids have been at MCS for three/four years now and I feel like I have finally been able to look beyond the curtain of their daily journey, something that every parent should see and experience. Now, when my kids and I have our chats at the end of the day, I can ask even more detailed questions and have a bit more understanding as to how their day went. That is priceless.

Thanks again to all who helped facilitate the Silent Journey and Discovery.”

Carrie Christensen

“I think it should be mandatory that every parent go through silent journey! Even though Aria has been here for 7 years, Azur 3 years, and I have taught art on and off during all of that time, I never really got it as I did Saturday. Suddenly, all that I had read about Montessori or observed in the classrooms made sense. It builds on itself in a beautiful way as the student moves from one phase to another. I loved seeing how things made sense in a concrete way and then transitioned towards abstraction. I’m so honored to provide my children with this opportunity.”

Kindra Fehr

Examining the Pink Tower in an Early Childhood Classroom

Land, Air, Water in an Early Childhood classroom

A group of parents explore an Early Childhood classroom

Elementary teachers, Bonnie and Margaret, teach a lesson on Test Tube Division – a material used to teach long division

Two parents explore math in Elementary