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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Next Week:
April 3 - 10
- Middle School Alabama Odyssey Trip
April 4
- All School Gathering, 8:45 am, LE hosts
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Important Future Dates:
April 11
- UE annual play, 1 pm and 5 pm
April 14 - April 22
- Spring Break, no school. School resumes Tuesday, April 23.
April 26
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Save the Date - Spring Events
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April
- April is the Month of the Young Child. All CH and TP parents should have received a program listing all of the free and wonderful events for children that will be in our community this month. (Here is a link to a PDF version of the program.) Check out the art exhibit at the River Garden opening on 4/7 that will feature art from our CH, and the few events occurring at Hilltop as well!
May
- 5/4 Mister G Family Concert - 11:00 am
- 5/24 Grandparent and Special Friend Day - 8:30-11:45 am
- 5/25 Hilltop Community Tag Sale & Craft Fair - 7:30-noon
June
- 6/6 Last Day of School / Field Day & Bead Ceremony
- 6/7 Middle School Graduation
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Help with Spring and Summer Projects
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We have crossed the spring equinox and the sun has been shining. Hooray! I am deep in the preparations for spring and summer projects and would love to have parents and families participate in the co-creation of our beautiful campus. Below is a list of projects. If any of them pique your interest stop by my office or send me an email at
krefalo@hilltopmontessori.org.
Projects for Parents/Families to assist with:
- Confidence Course
- Spring Planting
- Soil preparation for “Peace Garden” outdoor learning area
- CH and Elementary playground work party
- Garden Watering throughout summer
- Community Garden Space available for families
- Excavator work
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We have various small excavator projects to accomplish our summer projects. Do you have a small excavator with a front loader and bucket? Does your neighbor? Your cousin? Your uncle? The excavator can come with or without an operator for 1-3 days of work. Please let me know soon, as I am actively seeking a rental or an outside contractor.
—Kegan
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Notes from the Business Manager
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Everyone who has turned in a signed contract is set up in QuickBooks for the 2019-2020 school year. If you chose to be invoiced for your tuition, the first invoice will be generated and emailed on April 1, 2019 and payment will be due by May 1, 2019. If you chose to pay by ACH or Credit Card your payment will be processed on the date you chose, either May 1st or May 10th. You will be e-mailed your receipt on the respective date.
Happy Spring,
Deb
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Position Available: Cleaning Staff
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There is a position open as part of the Hilltop Facilities Team. Join the crew of folks that keep this school a safe, clean, and inviting learning environment for our students, staff, and families.
This weekday cleaning shift is a 2-hour team clean on Monday-Thursday evenings starting after 5pm. The position is year-round with a flexible start date. Additionally, the position requires availability to assist weekend cleaning, event setup/clean up or to perform occasional 4-hour solo weekday cleaning shifts. Candidates should be thorough, efficient, and reliable. The position involves vacuuming, mopping, disinfecting surfaces, and removing trash. Ideally the candidate lives locally.
Contact
Kegan Refalo
, the Facilities Manager, if you are interested.
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Former toddler, Sophie, gets current toddler love.
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Sarah reads a story outside.
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The sandbox is thawed and the buckets and shovels are out again.
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Jody is a helpful friend to Cyrus.
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David spies a spring robin.
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“How do I help support Montessori learning at home?”
This was a question that came up more than once in our recent family survey, so we wanted to offer some ideas on how to start to bring the Montessori philosophy into your home. This week, we’ll start with some thoughts on preparing ourselves as guides to children. Over the next 2 weeks, we’ll move on to some environment and activity ideas.
The Prepared Adult:
Supporting Children starts with us. Try making a commitment to the following 3 practices when you are with your child.
Observe
. This can be tricky, especially when a child is upset, but deciding whether to help and how best to support them is critically dependent on this skill. Before intervening, take a moment and assess things. Does a child need assistance right now, or are they going through the normal and necessary struggle of learning a new skill? Why is the child engaged or disorganized in this moment? What about the environment and setting is contributing to the situation? For example, is a child more likely to be engaged in art if only a few materials are out, or if tape is a component? Does a child always fall apart at 3:00 right before snack? Your careful observations will inform your planning.
Follow the child
. This absolutely does not mean “let the child do whatever they want!” It does mean watching their behavior to see what skills they need opportunities to practice. For example, a child who is struggling with a zipper may need a sweatshirt or a dressing frame to practice with. Following the child also means knowing what interests children want to pursue, and what they need to accomplish that. For example, if a child seems overwhelmed with many art materials out, but deeply engaged when only tape, scissors, and pencils are available, you might choose to hold off on opening that great new 30-piece art kit a while longer.
Slow down
. One of the hallmarks of a Montessori classroom is the unhurried, quiet way the teachers interact with children. This attitude helps to foster the children’s own development of peace and concentration. It’s a tall order in our busy society, but just slowing things down and giving your child a chance to deeply explore something, whether it’s a complicated art project or the difficult work of fastening a zipper. The confidence and independence children gain from these tasks is well worth the time — and, in the case of the zipper, even make things faster next time!
Have a great weekend!
— The Children’s House teachers
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Oliver, Asha, Amir, and Leo use the last of the ice to build a gathering place.
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Annabel illustrates "sad" as part of a lesson on feelings.
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Mariam and Skylar take a break from writing to pose for a picture.
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All kinds of emotions on display outside the Willow Room
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Thank you to all who were able to attend our Wednesday work share. The second half of the afternoon focused on the writing process in Lower El, specific to the nonfiction picture books that the students are currently working on. This process calls upon many skills, all of which have been introduced and practiced over the course of the school year. Using fine motor skills to produce legible handwriting, "telling" on paper what one is thinking, and writing in such a way that others can understand, are all a necessary part of the process. There are more expectations placed upon the Olders, as they are the most experienced writers in the class. Each student, however, is asked to stretch themselves to the best of their ability, and to an appropriate degree. Here are the steps each writer takes in this process:
- The "matchmaking" step: students are paired with books that match their interest and reading level. Our topics this year include Oceania, fundamental needs, space, and prehistoric creatures.
- Reading, and then re-reading, the book: asking oneself "Do I understand what I read?" If not, seek help!
- Collecting notes in a graphic organizer: we are using the more common bubble map, or choosing an organizer called the "T.I.D.E." form (Topic, Interesting Detail, Ending). To do this, children will read a page or two, then close the book and recall what they can before taking their notes. We introduce the word "plagiarism" during this project, and how it is so important that the writing in your book is your own. Using someone else's words in your book is a form of stealing. Learning what is important enough to include in the organizer, and what can be left out, is a lesson in itself.
- Figuring out which notes go first, ordering them, and then transforming them into sentences: our word study and grammar lessons are recalled here, as students ponder the difference between a phrase and a sentence. A sentence is a complete thought, and must include a verb!
- Re-reading one's writing, and asking oneself, Have I introduced my topic? Does this make sense? Could I add more detail or linking words ("also," "another thing about..." "because....") Do I have a conclusion? Will my reader understand this?
- Revising and editing, with peers and teachers.
- The last step: writing and illustrating the final copy! After all that work, this is the stage at which the writers see the finish line.
Come celebrate the Lower El students' efforts with an Author's Tea on
Friday, April 26th, at 8:45
! Please bring a breakfast/brunch item to share for the potluck afterward.
Have a wonderful, muddy weekend!
— Kerstin, Patrick, and Amelia
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Eleanor reads over her bubble maps as she writes her first draft of her Nonfiction Picture Book.
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Leo reads his report on JFK to the class during morning meeting.
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Harper completes a shelter layout as part of our study of Fundamental Needs.
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We've had a busy week in UE! See the pictures below for some highlights.
Also, the class has now begun work on the upcoming play. Stay tuned, and keep those calendars marked for
April 11, 5:00 p.m. (school show at 1:00 p.m.)
.
Finally,
UE is seeking cribbage boards
. If you have one lying around, possibly collecting dust on a shelf, please send it our way!
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Budding programmers collaborate in the elective offered by Pete and Luke.
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Luke reviews a visual map depicting the spread of different world religions.
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Marco has been visiting the Upper El recently. Here he works with Talia and Gabe on comparing fractions.
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Cara works on vocabulary related to the early Islamic empire.
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Students using "Hands-On Equations" to do beginning algebra
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Students delve into a study of algebra, one of many contributions of early Islamic society.
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By the time you receive next week’s newsletter we’ll have just arrived in Selma, Alabama after spending two very full days in Birmingham. You can follow the progress of our Alabama Odyssey by reading the daily blog that will be found on the
School in Action
section under
News and Events
on
the Hilltop website
. The postings will be composed of photographs, the day’s itinerary, short videos, and excerpts from the nightly journaling of the students. We hope you take the time to look.
This has been a busy week of preparation: finalizing speeches, poems, and songs, building journals, collecting maple syrup as a way of expressing our gratitude to the many who work with us in Alabama, project presentations, and completing the Science of Race study with a carefully prepared and engaged debate. Nora explains:
The culminating event of this year's Science of Race study took place this Wednesday. Students participated in two debates related to genetic testing and engineering in humans, with half the class presenting affirmative and negative arguments in each debate. This came at the end of a two month dive into the evolutionary and genetic evidence for both human diversity and similarity, with a focus on how science has often been misused to justify racism and the practice of eugenics. The two statements debated were, "Modifying human embryos using CRISPR (a gene editing tool) is ethically sound science," and "Genetic prenatal testing in human fetuses should be restricted." The project provided an opportunity to dive deeply into current scientific endeavors related to human diversity and health, and a mandate to look at complex issues from multiple perspectives. Some students found themselves presenting arguments for viewpoints they did not personally hold, and others discovered that the merits of both sides made choosing sides impossible. Rather than declaring winners and losers, as in traditional debating, each team received audience feedback on their preparedness, argumentative clarity, and collaboration.
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The Science of Race Debate
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Solomon has a proud moment with the Law of Cosines.
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Hello all!
We had a great time at KNO last week! Here’s a short recap:
As a result of the chili cook-off, we had many more kids than anticipated. We'd love it if everyone came, but if we don't have enough babysitters it can be problematic.
Please remember to sign your child up in advance on
our website
and let us know if they can't make it by 3 PM the day of
.
The kids started off the evening in the gym or in the theater coloring. They shot hoops, colored birds (they're coming back!), and ate delicious snacks. Then, at six, we all ate dinner together. After that, we watched Hayao Miyazaki's wonderful animated film,
My Neighbor Totoro
. Once the movie was over, we went back to the gym and theater until parents came. If you’re interested, there will be
another KNO on May 17th
! We’d love to see your kids there!
To sign up or learn more, visit our
website
.
If you have any questions, just write us back. We have only 30 spots, so don’t wait. Sign up now!
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Save the Date: Concert at Hilltop!
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The online school store is open!!
A wonderful way to show your support of Hilltop!
This “Pop-up Shop” is only live from now through 5/15. Start shopping now!
Hilltop Montessori School themed items hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, bags and more are available for purchase.
Check it out!
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THANK YOU
to
Hazel Pizza
for providing delicious pizzas for the students and staff every week! Sccccrrrrumptious! We still and always will ♡ 🍕!!
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Greetings from Landmark College!
This is a friendly reminder we are once again offering our Expanded Learning Opportunities in STEM summer program for middle school students.
Now is the time to introduce your young students to the wonder of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. The U.S. Department of Education says jobs requiring these skills will continue to be the most plentiful and high-paying, yet only about 16 percent of high school students have interest in pursuing a STEM career.
We’d like to invite you to learn more at the
April 10 Information Session,
exclusively for the ELO STEM program.
Please join us on Wednesday evening for refreshments and information about
this year’s offerings
, “Creative Coding using Javascript” (June 24-28) and “Ecology of Field and Forest” (July 1-3,5).
WHAT:
Expanded Learning Opportunities in STEM Information Session
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 10, 6 p.m.
WHERE:
Landmark College
MacFarlane Science, Technology & Innovation Center
19 River Road South
Putney, VT 05346
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Join us for
a viewing and discussion
on
April 11, 6-8 pm
at the Winston Prouty Campus, in the Vermont Hall.
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"The child may not remember: But the body remembers."
Stress and Burnout are such common complaints in today’s society, too much to do, not enough to go around. We believe that this important film highlights the best of today’s science to describe why we may “do too much” at the cost of our own health and wellbeing. We want to share this film with our community to promote community awareness and wellness.
Resilience, a documentary that chronicles the dawn of a movement to understand how toxic stress childhood puts us at great risk in adulthood for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and some cancers.
Why resilience? The ability to thrive, adapt, cope despite tough and stressful times defines what it means to be resilient. It is a natural counter-weight to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) that create toxic stress. Resilience takes us on a journey to explore current research on the physiological effects of stress and suffering, and offers steps everyone can take to promote resilience in children (and adults!) impacted by ACEs.
Spiritual cultures have understood the relation between body and minds for eons and clinicians have observed and documented it for decades and now we have the science to back it up.
Thrive, LLC is a partner to many local businesses. Through our work providing Employee Counseling we have seen how severely individuals are impacted by toxic stress and we want to share this important information with our community. The evening will unfold with a brief introduction, the movie screening, review of community resources along with time for questions, and conclude with a personal guided experience of mindfulness.
RSVP preferred
but not required. Learn more about us at
www.thriveeap.com
.
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Bonjour! ¡Hola!
Express Fluency
has some exciting new classes coming up this spring. Our classes get students understanding and speaking a new language in record time. The current offerings are designed for adults but are also appropriate for students age 10+. They are great to take as a parent/child team. Please contact us if you have any questions. (
elissa@expressfluency.com
)
Weekly French classes:
Beginner
: April 11th-June 13th. 3:30-5:30pm
Instructor: Maggie Smith
Weekly Spanish Classes
Instructor: Becca Rice. Becca teaches middle and high school Spanish at the Four Rivers Charter school. She is great with kids and adults alike.
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