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Hilltop Montessori School's mission is for students to practice responsible independence in a caring community of curious, critical learners and thoughtful citizens.
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Newsletter / Friday, September 28, 2018
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Calendar Listings:
Friday, September 28
Tonight!! Kid's Night Out!
Monday, October 1
4pm White Team @ The Grammar School
Tuesday, October 2
3:15-4:30 pm Soccer, K-3rd grade
4:30 pm Red Team vs Brattleboro Rec.
@ Home
Wednesday, October 3
3:15-4:30 pm White Team practice
Thursday, October 4
4:30 pm Red Team vs Brattleboro Rec. @ West River Park
Friday, October 5
Grandparent and Special Friend Day
- Noon Dismissal for all
5:15 pm Red Team vs Hinsdale @ Hinsdale
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Friday, October 5th
Grandparent and Special Friends Day
Thursday, October 11th
First All-School Gathering
Thursday, October 18th
Noon Dismissal, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 19th
No School, Parent / Teacher Conferences
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The first all-school gathering with parents invited will be on Thursday, October 11th. Here are some pictures from our "practice-run" this week.
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Upcoming Parent Teacher Conference Sign Up
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You should have gotten an email this past week inviting you to sign up for a parent teacher conference time during the week of October 15th. If you haven't signed up yet, please do so soon!
As usual for conference week, we will
have a half-day on Thursday and no school on Friday
. We will provide childcare for Lower Elementary students during their conferences and will have a few slots for Lower Elementary, Children’s House, or Toddler Program families who need “After Care” from noon on for that Thursday or for any portion of that Friday.
Our hope is to be providing enough advance notice that many of you can make alternate plans. If you will need childcare on the afternoon of Thursday, October 18th or on Friday, October 19th, please sign up at
the front desk
ASAP so we can plan appropriately for staffing and activities.
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As you might have heard, Jeff Bezos has announced his new philanthropic initiative to support Montessori “inspired” schools for low-income communities. This has brought new attention to Montessori. The goals of bringing Montessori to an "underserved communities” is not unlike our motives to broaden the economic diversity of the families that we serve at Hilltop Montessori School. The news from Bezos has stirred up lots of comments in the Montessori community. What do you think of this? Please stop by and chat
or email
to share your thoughts or questions. Here are some websites for more information:
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Additional Language Pilot Program
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We are in the final stages of putting together the Additional Language Pilot Program for after school! The feedback from the forms included in the back-to-school materials was very helpful to gauge current interest and priorities. We will offer a group meeting once a week after school to have a personal exchange with Spanish as the focus, followed by time online working with
Doulingo
in just about any language you can imagine. This After School program will start up just after Thanksgiving. Sign up forms will be available at the beginning of November. Stay tuned for more info.
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The first Kids Night Out is tonight! If you are signed up, we look forward to seeing you(r child) there! We'll let you know when the next KNO will be so you can sign up. In the meantime, please
visit our new website.
If you have any questions, email us at
sponzio@hilltopmontessori.org
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As part of our year-long study of anti-bias and diversity, we've begun critically looking at our classroom - thinking about the messages it sends to the students and noticing "holes" in its diversity. One of the first things we considered was the literature we share with the children. While we found a good number of books that represent a variety of ethnic groups, gender roles, places in the world, LGBTQ families, cognitive and physical abilities, multiracial families, and written in languages other than English, we knew we could do much better. So we ordered a slew of books to beef up our library.
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And they have been enthusiastically embraced by the children! There's been
even more
than usual interest in the book area and some children have actually proclaimed seeing themselves in the pictures of the books!
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This first exercise has been good feedback for us and a reminder than even what we'd consider baby steps can have a big impact on our young learners. Looking forward to our next steps...
Enjoy the weekend.
Ellie, Marco, Sarah & Amanda
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The “small” steps towards independence
The word “Busy” easily describes the hum and buzz of the Birch and Willow Rooms. In the beginning of the school year, we focus in on the routine and step-by-step process of learning how to take care of ourselves, our peers and our school environment. We often use the first few weeks to model basics. For new-to-CH children, this may include:
- Washing hands
- How to carry objects
- How to roll and unroll a work rug
- How to choose “works” independently
- How to use the bathroom
- How to sit and eat lunch (in the classroom setting)
We break each part of each routine down to digestible pieces. Lunchtime, for example, includes many big routine steps, as well as small routine steps. Some of the big routine steps include:
- Washing hands
- Finding lunchbox
- Getting napkins, water cup and opening containers
- How to appropriately ask for help
- How to eat without making a mess
- How to clean-up: (The small routine steps…)
- Closing containers and packing-up, zipping, or closing the lunchbox
- Getting a sponge to wipe table space
- Getting a dustpan and brush for crumbs
- Washing hands
- Using the bathroom
Each step gets much attention. Although one may believe that each step is intuitive, or only needs some narration, we notice that most children need much more attention to the more subtle nuances. When using a dustpan and brush, for example, we slowly show how to sweep the crumbs into a small floor space, and then carefully brush them into the dustpan, taking care to level the dustpan edge on the floor. This process has as many as 10 steps! We also take care to model how to eat. We do engage in conversation, but are careful not to talk when we have food in our mouths. We eat slowly and are sure to clean our own spaces in the same manner that the children are expected to. Every moment and interaction is an opportunity to model the care, grace and courtesy of an otherwise mundane task. This care, however, makes a big difference!
Naturally, in the hustle and bustle of the day, some wonderful opportunities go overlooked, or it is simply not possible to model the 10 steps it may take to clean-up some crumbs. But we certainly make note of when these tasks constantly are not thoroughly completed. Now, we ask you to think about any routine task that you expect your child to complete (however mundane it may be). During your home meals, does your child clean their own place? Do you model the eating habit that you wish your child to have? We know it is a lot to ask, but please consider the “big” and “small” routine steps at home. Apply this to other routines as well, such as toileting or getting ready for school. This consistency will help your child be more successful with their routine at home and at school. As always, we are here to help. We have many suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask!
Have a great weekend, and see you soon.
Warm Regards,
The Children’s House teachers
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Lower El has been testing their hardiness levels this week, choosing to live by the Norwegian saying, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." We spent one recess this week out in the rather heavy rain, and our hike to Black Mountain was a wet and beautiful trek. We noticed the vibrant mosses all around us, one of a series of plants we are studying right now.
This leads us to another reminder to make sure your child comes to school with all the right clothing to enjoy the outdoors: boots, jackets, rain pants if possible, and a change of clothes. Layering is a great thing, especially as the weather gets colder and possibly wetter. Lower El would like to have a collection of outdoor clothing items on hand for children who may not have certain things at home; if you have extra rain/snow pants, rain jackets, or boots, we will happily take them.
Thank you so much to all of our drivers: Andrea Burke, Amanda Rupard, Jade Harmon, Katie Flanagan, and Kegan Refalo. Without you, we wouldn't have the privilege of getting wet in the great outdoors!
Have a a wonderful weekend.
Kerstin, Patrick, and Amelia
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Harper and Dylan insulate their Haytown home, in preparation for cooler weather.
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Cartographers Max and Matai!
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The Haytown Buzz is back!
Pete interviews Sebastian about his new store.
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Dylan and Uri work on a Rainbow Drawer layout.
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Here are some pictures of our hike!
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In addition to their regular lessons this week, we had a salty treat. Today, Elizabeth Fisher, Cara’s mom, led the first and second year students (and some curious Olders) in an embalming investigation, building on the research some have done as part of our Ancient Egypt study. Instead of using human cadavers, the students made little apple people. The ‘people’ were weighed and then submerged in a salt solution - either pure table salt, a mixture of epson and baking soda, or a mixture of table salt and baking soda, where they will remain for a while. We will ‘reveal’ the mummies over the next 6 weeks - a few per week - to see how much water weight they have lost to the salt solution. Using our results, we will determine the optimal amount of time needed to successfully embalm an apple person, and compare the efficacy of the different solutions.
Reminder: as the weather is increasingly unpredictable, please make sure your child is dressed for the outdoors - for both PE and recess. This includes indoor shoes that are different from their outdoor shoes.
Finally - breaking news! T
he Upper El 4th and 5th graders will visit the MFA in Boston on November 7, a Wednesday. Due to the distances involved, we will need to leave HMS at 8 AM and will not return until 5 PM.
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Carmen makes the colony
resources map.
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Elizabeth (Cara's mom) leads a class discussion on the mummification process.
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Talia shows off her
pre-mummified person.
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Abby prepares the mummy sarcofagi.
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Skyler helps Mac Oglesby paint the numerals on the sundial.
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Mae chats with her peace buddy.
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Mark helps his peace buddy with some heavy lifting.
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The week has been full with the construction of water wheels, lots of math, the first Animal Farm seminar, an introduction to science based essential questions, variables and constants, and a Friday trip to the American Precision Museum.
The American Precision Museum, located in Windsor, VT, is an excellent destination to continue our exploration of the Industrial Revolution, the work of water, and innovation. The mission of the museum is: “To capture the imaginations of young and old with the spirit of innovation, problem solving and design demonstrated through the dynamic story of the machines and people which form the foundation and future of the manufacturing industry in America.”
Our plan is to share the working wheels and machines in process next Friday at Grandparents and Special Friends Day.
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THANK YOU!
This is a big
THANK YOU to
Hazel Pizza
for providing delicious pizzas for the students and staff every week! Yum yum! We ♡
🍕.
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Grandparent and Special Friend Day
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Hilltop Montessori School Store
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We are excited for the Fall 2018 online school store! A wonderful way to show your support of Hilltop! Check out the site
here
.
Please share with family members and friends that love to support Hilltop as well.
This "Pop-up Shop" is live now through
October 1st.
Hilltop Montessori School themed items ball caps, winter hats, sweatshirts, bags, t-shirts, and more are available for purchase. These fun Hilltop items also make wonderful holiday gifts! Check it out now, there are new items for colder weather....time is limited.
Orders will be completed within 2-4 weeks of the order deadline. All orders will be bagged and delivered directly to the Hilltop main office for pickup or choose to have your order shipped directly to you.
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Most of these items are available in different colors...check out the site for more information.
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ART EXHIBIT
Also, on that note - a big thank you to Emily Mason and Wolf Kahn for the prints that brighten up the Corner Room!!
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YOGA CLASS
Hilltop parent, Jennifer Morlock, is teaching a new yoga class, Thursdays at 9:15. Join Jennifer at
Bodhifit
, 22 High St., for a Gentle Kripalu Yoga class. Great for all levels and all bodies!
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RENTAL HOME WANTED
A new family joining Hilltop in November needs housing!
They are looking for a 3-4 bedroom house starting in November in or near Brattleboro within 15 minute drive of Hilltop Montessori School. Please contact Ted at
tedlefer@gmail.com
or 802-332-3029.
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Let's support Groundworks Collaborative!
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Let's Hike for the Homeless!
Saturday, October 13
a benefit for Groundworks Collective, our local homeless shelter and drop-in center.
Contact
Roselle
if you'd like more info.
The hike is family friendly up Mount Wantastiquet, in Hinsdale.
Let's show our support with a gaggle of Hilltop Friends!
Registration opens at 9:30am.
All proceeds benefit Groundworks Collaborative and are tax deductible.
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Jen, Christian, Talia and Matai are looking for bike riders to join their group, “Ratu’s Riders” with an ambitious goal of raising $2,500 to combat food insecurity. This five mile ride travels by two farms with mostly pavement and has an incredible downhill, all in Whitingham! After the ride, which takes only about an hour, join the Lions club for an awesome BBQ and music from our very own music teacher, Jay and his band!
- Raise $25, get a water bottle!
- Raise $75 get your water bottle PLUS a bike tour t’shirt!
- Raise $100 get your water bottle, t’shirt AND a bag with a bike tour sticker and fun accessories for your bike!
- Raise $250 get all of the previous PLUS a professional, limited edition cycling jersey!!
Register today!!!
If the $45 to register is stopping you from riding, let our business sponsor you! Contact Jen 802-275-8372!
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Go to the Latchis and see our very own Upper Elementary student, Finnegan Pucciarello, sing in:
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