Montessori Children's House of Nantucket

January 2016
The first phase of the child's development goes from birth to, let us say, six years of age. At this stage the child is partly at home, partly in school. The plane of education should take both the situations into consideration.
...

Successive levels of education must correspond to the successive personalities of the child. Our methods are oriented not to any pre-established principles but rather to the inherent characteristics of the different ages. 

-Dr. Montessori


Montessori Kindergarten: Empowering & Essential
Montessori Kindergarten: Empowering & Essential


Watch the video above, from the American Montessori Society, to learn more about the benefits of the Third Year of a Montessori program!


Ten (of the many!) Reasons for a Third Year 
at the Children's House 

1. The oldest students learn that with their Third Year status comes both privilege and responsibility, something in which they take great pride. The Third Year program inspires children to challenge themselves and to act as responsible community members. 

   
Some of our current Third Years when they were First Years!
   

2. As a Third Year student, your child has many opportunities to teach younger children lessons that he learned when he was their age. Research shows that this experience has powerful benefits. 

A Third Year student helping First Year Students to act out one of our favorite books, 
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

3. The Third Year is the time when many of the earlier lessons come together and become a permanent part of the young child's understanding. 


Third Years work on skip counting by tens and science research

4. Having spent two years together, your child's teachers know her very well. They know how to facilitate her learning and guide her toward work that will contribute to her development. Additionally, your child already knows many of her classmates and is comfortable in the safe, supportive Children's House environment. 


5. Your child can continue to learn and grow at his own pace through hands-on exploration, freedom of choice, research, and investigation. Also, Montessori education is child-centered and allows for a range of learning styles. 



6. In the Third Year, the program continues to emphasize academic, social, and emotional development. 

7. Third Year students are guided to challenging work in each area on a regular basis. This "special work" is both meaningful and challenging, and is often recorded in one of the Third Year journals. 


Examples of journal work: copy writing & story writing 
One emphasizes the mechanics of writing while the other emphasizes inventive spelling and encoding skills

8. Third Year students are given two journals, one for story writing and one for copy writing. Here, the learning and development that occurs throughout the year is recorded and preserved. 


Artwork done by Third Year students during Art Appreciation: 
Shades of Yellow, Shades of Red and Shades of Blue in oil pastel


9. Art Appreciation with Linda Zola provides an additional opportunity for Third Year students to experience in-depth, specific instruction on artistic styles, mediums, and principles. 


10. Your child will continue to cultivate self-assurance, inner discipline, a love of learning and care for his/her community in the enticing Montessori environment!

Montessori in the News:

Lately, media coverage of Montessori education has been on the rise. Attention from  Prince George's first day at his Montessori preschool and a mention at the Golden Globe Awards, in addition to several articles on NPR.org, CNN.com and People.com,  have all contributed to a growing public interest in the Montessori philosophy.  
 
 
 
While the field of education experiences trends similar to many other areas of our society, Montessori education has stood the test of time- over 100 years!  The first Montessori school in the United States opened in 1911 and today there are over 4,000 Montessori schools nationwide.
 
 
Students in Dr. Montessori's "Glass Classroom" at the World's Fair in 1905.  
At the Children's House we still use materials pictured here, such as the broad stair in the foreground.  We also work on mats like these to help define the student's work space.

As explained by the American Montessori Society,  "Countless books and articles about Montessori have been published in nearly every language.  Dr. Montessori first described her approach in Il Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica applicato all'educazione infantile nelle Case dei Bambini, published in 1909.  The book's English-language version, succinctly titled The Montessori Method, was a ringing success on both sides of the Atlantic." 

Forbes.com recently published an article as well, highlighting that even a century later, Montessori provides a relevant and useful approach that can be utilized in a number of settings.  Corporate Kindergarten: How A Montessori Mindset Can Transform Your Business by Justin Wasserman illustrates the many ways in which Montessori principles can be applied in order to enhance the modern work environment!
Parent Conferences

Over the course of the next few weeks the staff will be preparing for our next round of scheduled parent conferences, which will be held during the month of March.  

In the meantime, if you would like to meet with the teachers for any reason, please call or email the school to schedule a time!  



Thank you to all who participated in the Christmas Tree Removal program !

We are so grateful for MCHN's dedicated Development Committee members and parent volunteers who have made these events possible!

Up Next: Winter Warmer! 


                               
Enjoying the Snow and Sunshine!














 






Reminder:

Please check your child's extra clothes box & refresh with a seasonally appropriate change of clothes (long sleeve shirt, long pants, socks and underwear). 
Also, please check the sizes, as our students have grown significantly since the start of the school year!

Important Dates:
Please mark your calendar! 

 
February 1st
Re-enrollment Contracts Distributed
Due February 12th 
 
February 4th
Father's Night 6-7pm @ MCHN
For fathers and students!
 
February 5th 
Parent Coffee
Please join us from 8-8:30am!
 
February 7th
Winter Warmer Fundraiser
12-4pm @ the Boys & Girls Club
Games, crafts, food & live entertainment!  
 
February 15th
No School 
President's Day
 
February 22-26th
No School
Winter Break

Caring For Each Other and Our School

 
A Third Year student helps a First Year &
First, Second and Third Year students fold laundry together for the classroom

Lessons in Care of the Environment (folding laundry, watering plants, setting the table), Care of Self (buttoning, zipping, lacing) and Grace and Courtesy (tucking in chairs, offering help, taking turns) are all lessons that begin in the first year.  By the third year, students serve as role-models and teachers for the younger children, while they continue to practice these skills themselves.  

By simply using the MCHN link, Children's House families have earned
over $800.00 for our school since September! 
 
Please click the amazon button below and bookmark the page for future orders!

 
Thank you for your support!
Extension of Materials in the Third Year 


In the Third Year, students access materials that they have worked with for the past two years in new ways.  The Small Hexagonal Box is a traditional Montessori material comprised of various types of triangles.  It provides an introduction to geometry and illustrates how triangles can be used to construct other shapes.  

T hese Third Year students independently explore and compare shape, size and color.  They then record their work in their journal, incorporating a language element as well.  
In this type of self-guided investigation, typical of Montessori classrooms, the student's own curiosity and interest drives the direction of the work.  This allows for problem solving, collaboration and skill building in a way that is meaningful to the child. 
 





Visit us to learn more about
the Children's House & 
Montessori education!

We would love to have you for an observation visit during the school day! Please call the office to schedule-

(508) 228-5454

We look forward to seeing you here!