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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Ellie passes the baton to Sarah: see below!
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Next Week
Saturday, February 29
- Curriculum Morning, 9am-12pm. All parents please attend - sign up at the front desk!
Monday, March 2
- Girls on the Run, 3-4:30pm
- Knitting, 3:15-4:30pm
Wednesday, March 4
- Girls on the Run, 3-4:30pm
- Knitting, 3:15-4:30pm
- Say HER Names film screening, 5-6:30
Thursday, March 5
- All School Gathering, 8:45am
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Upcoming
Monday, March 9
- Girls on the Run, 3-4:30pm
- Knitting, 3:15-4:30pm
Wednesday, March 11
- Girls on the Run, 3-4:30pm
- Knitting, 3:15-4:30pm
Thursday, March 12
- HALF DAY
- Parent-teacher conferences
Friday, March 13
- NO SCHOOL
- Parent-teacher conferences
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We are so incredibly grateful to have had the honor of Ellie Pennell being a tremendous part of Hilltop for the past 10 years. As some of you may know, during her time away from the school in the summers, she has worked at a girls sleep-away camp. She has increasingly strengthened her ties to both Hilltop and to the camp. An opportunity she couldn’t resist developed, and at the end of this school year Ellie will be transitioning into a new job as a senior administrator at the camp. We congratulate her and know this new transition will be a big shift and also a wonderful opportunity for Ellie to share all of her gifts with more children and counselors who can benefit from all she has to offer!
Ellie began her Hilltop career in the Willow Room, assisting the classroom and children on their path of responsible independence. She quickly demonstrated the wonderful balance of giving love and support, believing in each child’s abilities, and encouraging them to be their best, most independent selves.
In 2014, after four years in Children’s House, Ellie was offered the opportunity to design, build, and start Hilltop’s first Toddler Program. Ellie has fully implemented her vision for a premier, authentic, Montessori toddler environment that will continue to positively benefit our youngest learners for years to come. In the beginning stages to make sure that every component of the Toddler Room was carefully and thoughtfully created to give children the most successful experience, she commissioned her father and father-in-law to make custom shelving, cubbies, a washing table, and more. Ellie has demonstrated her love for every child and family in her program. Her belief in each young child’s abilities has strengthened the children’s development and helped families better understand and support their children. While Ellie will be moving away professionally, she will remain in the community as a parent to her rising Middle School student and be available to consult with the Toddler team.
Ellie has also been instrumental in developing staff through the years. Most recently, she identified Sarah Palacios during the hiring process as a candidate to take on the responsibilities of leading the toddler room. We have been so fortunate to have Sarah able and excited to take the Montessori Infancy and Toddler Teacher Training furthering her already incredible set of skills in the toddler program. A year ago Sarah was accepted into the
Montessori Training Center Northeast
for her AMI Montessori Infant and Toddler Training. She spent last summer in residence having classes in Hartford, Connecticut, and has spent this year doing the observations, practice teaching, and extensive assignments that obtaining the Montessori Credential entails. Sarah is excelling in all areas of the process. Having been in the classroom mentored by Ellie for two years, she is ready to take on the lead role and continue to bring love and light into our toddlers lives!
We celebrate Ellie’s accomplishments both at Hilltop and with this exciting new opportunity with camp. And, we are excited to have Sarah accept this next step in becoming the Toddler Program Director!
Françoise will be continuing in the Toddler Program next year, providing strong support with her Montessori training, years of experience, and beautiful interactions and activities with children and families, in French no less. We will be looking to add someone to the team for next year. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in being considered for
this position
, please contact
Tamara
.
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The Board of Trustees convened on Wednesday for our first full Board meeting after the announcement of Tamara’s departure. Naturally, much of our meeting was devoted to planning the process for the search for an
Interim Head of School
, which we intend to have finished by the end of March. A committee has been formed, and will start meeting regularly next week to review resumes, interview candidates, narrow the pool, and select a candidate. If you have ideas about candidates for Interim Head of School, please reach out to
Asher
or
Alix
as soon as possible.
We also laid the foundations for the search for a long term Head of School. You will be hearing more from us about the long term search soon, and we will be asking for ideas and committee members as that process unfolds.
While this is the most pressing Board activity, it is not the only thing we talked about! Here are some other highlights from our meeting:
- We reviewed financials, and authorized a draw from the endowment to cover operating expenses. This was a draw which we built into the budget at this time last year, and the good news is, due to the excellent financial management of Tamara and Deb, last night we authorized a draw of $50,000 less than we budgeted for! We feel fortunate that we even have this option available to us as a way to cover costs and provide more opportunities for families at Hilltop.
- We are planning our annual open Board meeting! It is scheduled for Friday, March 27, coinciding with a Kid’s Night Out. The theme is PIES! Come eat pie with us and learn more about the Board activities - maybe even consider joining the Board? Invites will be coming to you soon.
- Every spring Hilltop conducts surveys among parents and staff, and the board conducts surveys among staff and trustees, to understand what we do well at Hilltop, and what could be improved. We reviewed plans for these. We hope you will all take the time to answer your surveys when they arrive in your email.
The Board is fully engaged in our Head of School transition. If you have questions about this process, we want to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us, and join us on Friday, March 27th.
Stay in touch,
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ASEP and Spring Conferences!
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ASEP
There is still time to sign up for the new round of After School Enrichment Programs, including
Knitting, Girls on the Run, Dungeons and Dragons, and Horseback Riding
!! Please click
here
to view or print a PDF version of the sign up. Hard copies are also available at the front desk.
All forms are due Monday, March 2,
so please take the weekend to look over the options!
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Spring Parent Teacher Conferences
are Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13
Noon dismissal Thursday // No school Friday
You should have received an email from the front desk this week directing you to
signupgenius.com
to sign up for Spring Conferences. This new online sign up platform we are using is easier on our end, and we hope it is easy for you as well.
Please
let the
front desk
know if you did not receive an email, were unable to navigate the website, or are unable to attend any of the slots given.
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Afternoon Position Open Immediately
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After Care is so popular we need more staff! Join the afternoon team - Jessica, Annie, Kathy, and Julia - to support our Children's House students through afternoon transitions including recess, lunch, nap, and after care.
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Annie, Kathy, Julia, Jessica
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We are looking for someone who is available from
11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday,
and could also potentially be on-call for work during the morning school hours (starting at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m.).
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“The first essential for the child's development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.” - M. Montessori
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“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” - M. Montessori
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“The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.” - M. Montessori
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“The satisfaction which they find in their work has given them a grace and ease like that which comes from music.” - M. Montessori
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Welcome to the Birch Room Josephine. We are so glad you have joined our class!
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Welcome to the Willow Room Maisie and Hibba! We are so excited to have you!
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Photos from Wednesday morning's Work Share:
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Arthur the geologist visits LE
to share fossils.
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Asha and Kennedy practice sentence writing during phonics.
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Cooper reads a just-right book.
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Dylan and Owen complete the natural resources layout as part of our
Economic Geography study.
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Harper observes a few fossils
from the Paleozoic Era.
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Lower El students learn
a new game at Morning Meeting.
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This was a week of renewed lessons, community games, the introduction of new literature and seminar group books, and student presentations of prior work.
The class got more acquainted with some of the pushes and pulls that spawned the westward movement of U.S. settlers in the 1800s. Students have started short research projects on related topics. We are thrilled to have installed a new map on campus, the “Tribal Nations Map,” which depicts original names and some of the later common names of people before colonization. The map is a stark reminder of the rich cultures that were present for centuries, and is a useful tool as we consider the impact and plight of these groups during the expansion of the United States. Check it out during curriculum morning! (It’s between the main hallway and elementary wing.)
In our chemistry/botany studies, the class heard about “stellar nucleosynthesis” - the way our diverse elements on earth were generated in a former star. Thank you, star and super-nova! Our literature group books this round include
One Crazy Summer
, by Rita Williams-Garcia, and
When You Reach Me
, by Rebecca Stead. The first book follows a trio of sisters who reunite with their mother, and learn about her involvement with the food bank, community service, and activism of the Black Panther Party in 1960’s Oakland. The second is a mystery that we can’t say more about without giving it away! The sixths are reading
Okay for Now
, by Gary Schmidt, the story of a boy whose love for Audobon bird prints helps him cope and transform in the midst of domestic and school turmoil during the Vietnam War era.
Finally, students before break wrote interviews and job listings to portray qualities of individual elements. These were presented to the group this week. See attached examples!
In short, we’re off to a great new term of studies! We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow for Curriculum Morning.
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Our Tribal Nations Map in the LE/UE Wing.
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Lucas and Max make an element cartoon.
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Mark works on building a drum with Marco.
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Upon returning from February break, the Middle School jumped right into our performance process. Performance is an opportunity for the class to express individually and collectively their thoughts and feelings about our study of climate change through the medium of theater. Students processed their approach to this complicated topic in community discussions and then separately and in groups began the process of writing scenes, songs, and music. The performances of this yet untitled play with music are
Monday, March 23 at 7pm, and Tuesday, March 24 at both 10am and 7pm
. The performances will undoubtedly be powerful and thought provoking.
Next, a family story: last September Django Grace came home from school and related Nora’s lesson about carbon sequestration and the carbon cycle to his parents. His mother, artist Jana Zeller, was instantaneously inspired to translate this key of all life into a Crankie (a hand cranked illustrated scroll) as a way to teach younger students the wonder of existence and the threat of climate change. Jana visited the classroom this week to preview this developing work to the class and received accolades along with concise and useful feedback. We’re hoping she’ll come back with the next iteration.
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Jana talks to the MS about her Crankie.
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Writing songs for the MS Performance.
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Jana Zeller shares her
Crankie on the Carbon Cycle.
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Work on Performance has begun.
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The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will begin their spring session with open rehearsals the first week of March. To celebrate the 100
th
anniversary of women’s right to vote, the theme of the songs will be of strength, solidary, and suffrage. Following the Chorus’s concerts in May, those who choose to can join a repeat performance of several songs at WomenSing100, a singing gathering in honor of women’s strength and voting rights to be held in Worcester, MA in August.
Open rehearsals are for any women or girls age 10 and older to check out with no obligation whether Chorus is right for them. The Chorus has been under the direction of Becky Graber since 1996 and is unique in that much of the music, even multiple and complicated parts, is taught by ear. Written music is available on occasion, but practice recordings and word sheets are always provided to help with learning.
Two rehearsal options are offered and will begin on Wednesday night, March 4 from 6:30-8:30 at All Souls Universalist Church in W. Brattleboro and on Thursday morning, March 5 from 10:00-noon at the Brattleboro Music School on Blanche Moyse Way across the Memorial Park. Can't make the first rehearsal? The rehearsals on March 11 & 12 are also open to new members.
The registration fee is $120 for individuals, $70 for students, and $190 for a family pair. Financial aid is available. Registration and more information can be found on our
website
or by
email
.
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