HMS NEWSLETTER | May 8, 2020

Hilltop Montessori School's mission is for students to
practice responsible independence in a caring community
of curious, critical learners and thoughtful citizens.
Roxanne's illustration of a "Sense of Place"
Next Week:

Thursday, May 14
  • All School Gathering, 9-9:30am
  • HMS Parent Connections, 7-8pm

Friday, May 15
  • Abenaki Storytelling, 10-10:45am
Upcoming:

Thursday, May 21
  • All School Gathering, 9-9:30am
  • HMS Parent Connections, 7-8pm
Parent Connections Meeting - The Future!
Please join us on Thursday at 7pm. (ZOOM invite will come in a separate email.) This week’s Parent Connections Meeting will be an opportunity for parents to share ideas and hear our considerations for scenarios for the end of the year, summer, and next school year, given all the variables that COVID-19 brings. We welcome your input and suggestions, and we want to share what we are currently thinking of regarding:

  • End of year closure and milestones - How do we do a remote “Bead Ceremony”?
  • SummerFun - Could we possibly have summer camps for Children’s House and Toddlers this summer?
  • Start of the school year - How can we build community in the fall in acknowledgement of the long, strange period of isolation?
  • Options for schooling next year - In-person with heightened sanitizing? Smaller groups? Remote again?

While we certainly won’t have all the answers, we welcome you to be part of the discussion. We are making general plans for a couple of scenarios, but will be waiting to have concrete information (does that exist these days?) before spending a great deal of time with details. 

We realize the 7pm time on Thursday evenings does not work for everyone, and appreciate how several of you have reached out to share and discuss through email or phone calls. We also know that there was a great level of participation in the Parent Survey that went out last month. We are looking forward to going over those results with the company who supported us with that project. Please keep the communication going both ways - we love hearing from you!

Stay well,
Transition in the Business Office
We are excited to announce that Barb Beckwith (mother to Reine in Lower Elementary) will be joining the Admin Team starting next week by taking over the Business Office role. Barb had been hoping to work at Hilltop since before relocating to Brattleboro last summer, and when there was suddenly an opening in the Business Office, it seemed like a great fit! 
Barb with her husband, Nester, and their daughter, Reine.
Barb has experience providing administrative support in municipal offices of the towns of Naples and Gray in Maine for 11 years before moving to the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. There she and her husband Nester ran a very successful small business where she took care of all of the office responsibilities. She will be putting that QuickBooks experience to good use as she fulfills our “payables and receivables” duties, along with all the other responsibilities of the Business Office. Fortunately, Barb and Deb are able to overlap and work together to make for a smooth transition.

Many of you might have seen Barb’s friendly face dropping off her daughter, or painting the whole Lower Elementary classroom at last year’s work party! We are pleased to be able to welcome her to the Admin Team! She is excited to join us and notes, “Hilltop Montessori School is such a special place! It is an incredible honor to be part of such a dynamic team! I am eager to contribute my experience and enthusiasm to the Business Office and look forward to getting to know the Hilltop community online and in person.”
Toddler Program
Hello Toddler Families!

This week we have an exciting bag for you all to come pick up. Inside you will find:

  • A book
  • Watercolor paints
  • A set of pages with designs and a bag of pebbles and sea glass to trace the designs 
  • A small bead stringing exercise
  • A beautiful handmade face washing set containing a hand mitt for washing and scrubbing your face, a towel to dry your face and a tissue holder. All sewn by our very own Françoise!
  • Magnets to play the “Bring Me” game 

The “Bring Me” game is a well-loved activity to do with your child. It enriches language and cognitive development. To play, have your child place all the magnets on the refrigerator or some other magnetic surface. You sit down in a chair and hold a basket or tray to collect the magnets in. Your magnets may be colored shapes, animals, or vehicles. Have your child come over to you and say “[Your child’s name], bring me the pig.” or “Bring me the green star” or “Bring me the front end loader.” Try to be as specific as possible when naming what you would like your child to bring to you. To make the game a bit more challenging, ask the child to bring you two things at once (i.e. “bring me the orangutan and the tiger” or “bring me the steamroller and the cement mixer”). Continue this way until you have gotten all the magnets. This is also a fun game for toddlers to play with an older sibling! 

Thinking of you all,
The Toddler team
Maple's family helps her celebrate her third birthday - Happy Birthday Maple!
Children's House
Hello Everyone! We hope all is well with you and your families.

New Montessori Goodie Bags (distance learning kits) are ready for pick-up Friday afternoon. They are located in the Greenhouse and are sorted by classroom. The theme this week is Mammals with a few other fun creatures in the mix. Please check Google Classroom for more on mammals, project lessons, and directions.
Mariam and Cheryl load up the greenhouse with this week's Montessori Goodie Bags.
On Wednesday, May 6, Cheryl and Mariam attended a Webinar from the Let’s Grow Kids organization. The main topic of interest from many attendees focused on how to support parents, children, and families around their emotional health and well being. Their suggestions were:

  • Provide a visual daily schedule with routines in place. Draw a simple picture list of the day's events that the child can cross off as the day progresses. This gives them focus and a feeling of control and progress. Include things like nap, snack, meals, worktime, and bedtime. This provides a feeling of safety and mimics routines that happen in the child’s classroom to some extent.
  • Be as consistent as you can. Again, this feels comforting to your children. Routine helps!
  • Remain calm...breathe… have strategies in place that you know work for your child. You know them best in your home setting.
  • Productivity will go down… things ARE different!!!
  • Provide the place and space for both play and work.

Another presenter spoke of four main areas to focus on:
  • Take care of yourself.
  • Find your groove: routines, visuals, lists etc.
  • Embrace boredom: explore, let go of expectations, play. Remember that you can incorporate language and math into your exploration and play...draw letters in the dirt, count flowers in the garden etc.
  • LOVE them and give them space to have their feelings.

The Let’s Grow Kids website has loads of helpful information, people to contact for support and updates on Covid-19.

Until next week….Hang in there; spring IS coming…..We think!

CH Teachers
Sid builds a birdhouse from a previous Montessori Goodie Bag!
Cheryl, Mariam, and Leo practicing reading.
Lower Elementary
Rich Enuol, garden enthusiast and seed collector, had a large ZOOM audience on Monday. He showed us slides of plants he’s regrowing, and of the squash seeds his sisters sent from Vietnam. Unsure of whether they would grow well in Massachusetts, he planted them anyway, and they tried to overtake his yard! One squash was as long as his wife’s arm. It was from this green giant that Rich harvested seeds to plant in future years. Some LE audience members brought their vegetables to morning meeting, ready to put the regrowing process into action right away. Cooper showed us his “scrap garden,” which is already flourishing. As always with this inquisitive group of students, there were many excellent questions. Rich kindly gave us his email address, so we can send him more questions about gardening and seed saving as they come to us. Thank you, Rich! Thank you, too, to Kegan, who brought Rich and Lower Elementary together for this interesting presentation.
Cooper's "scrap garden"
Moving Up Parent Night was different this year, of course, with everyone in their own separate rectangles, but we were happy to see every family of a Children’s House student represented. Thank you to all who attended! We are looking forward to seeing your children - and ALL the children - in the near future. 

Have a wonderful weekend!
The LE Team
Reine bakes banana bread.
Elementary Art
During remote learning, the Elementary Artists have taken their strong artistic muscles and created studios right in their homes. Video lessons are posted each week that artists can choose to try, but most make art of their own inspiration – just as they would in their school studio!
LE draws frogs from observation.
I have been so impressed by their creative tenacity! Artists have been exploring deeply using a variety of media, like building trains from recycled materials, drawing richly-detailed characters, building dioramas, and crafting animations – to name just a few! Upper Elementary is currently adding their artwork to a virtual gallery.
UE shares crazy creatures made after drawing an object.
LE shares their crazy creature drawings.
Each week, Upper and Lower Elementary meet for Live Art sessions. In these classes, we play art games together that stretch our creativity, try new art techniques, make art together, and share the work we’ve been doing.

Artists are eager to share and dive right into the lesson, often running off-screen to find bits of cardboard for a stencil or an old toothbrush to experiment with a new painting technique.
UE Artists work hard to peacefully draw a digital picture together.
I’ve been blown away by the grace and courtesy they bring to their virtual classroom. Students wait patiently for one another to speak, ask thoughtful questions, and don’t get distracted by the computer. They even offer to give impromptu lessons to one another! 

They are truly continuing to stretch and grow! 
-Jade
Upper Elementary
It almost felt like a “normal” week for our new normal. Spelling and math lessons continued, with geometry now in the mix as well. Below are some of the line designs we’ll be using to talk about types of angles, and angles within polygons. We continued with cultural strands in botany, birding, and history, in works that we are now reviewing with the group during designated Morning Meetings.
Esmé's line design
based on a 45 degree angle.
Finn's Line Design based on a circle.
On Wednesday, we reviewed economic and cultural differences between the north and south prior to the Civil War, as described in a class reading. On Thursday, students shared some of their recent bird drawings and observations. We are relying heavily on Kathy Leone here, who brings a wealth of personal experience and expertise in this realm. On Friday, the group went over work around gymnosperms - the portion of vascular plants that have “naked” seeds (as opposed to ferns which reproduce with spores, and flowering plants whose seeds grow within fruit). Students had also spent time outdoors looking for different species of pine cones, and even some male vs. female cones.
Resident birding expert Kathy introduces common bird species
and answer questions related to our bird study.
This week the lit group for Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler explored a math connection: When the kids run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they hide their clothes in a trumpet and violin case. We measured a modern trumpet case and found that it was approximately 20” x 10” x 6”. How could one describe and measure the space inside? Using cubes! We looked at a box of nearly 1” cubes we have in the classroom, and figured out that with ten levels of a 10” x 6” floor of cubes, they could store 1,200 cubic inches worth of pajamas and other items. For our next assignment, we’re traveling to NYC for a third tour of the Met’s Great Hall and the Charles Englehard Court! Feel free to join us, compliments of the Met 360° Project.

Meanwhile, sixth grade students continue chugging away on their Independent Study Projects, and will soon be presenting them to the class. The group also began discussions around some of our end of year rituals. Stay tuned for more on that in the coming weeks!
Please enjoy a reprint of an item Kaiya put on our Community Share stream this week:

Yesterday I hiked up Putney mountain at 4:00 in the morning. I did it to Morris dance on the top. Morris Dancing is a type of old English folk dancing. The tradition is that if the Morris Dancers don't dance, then the sun won't rise. It is also supposed to welcome in the summer. There is a song called Hal and Toe about that. We went to Putney mountain because there is usually a big festivity, where lots of Morris teams come to dance and people come to watch. Me and my sister are part of a Morris team called the Johnny Jump'ups. We practice in Leveret. Here is picture of me Morris dancing yesterday.
Kaiya, atop Putney Mountain, Morris dances - as featured in The Washington Post!
Onna and Esmé work on school assessments.
Middle School
Mohandas Gandhi once said: “It is the sacred duty of every individual to have an appreciative understanding of other religions.” Harvard Professor Diane Eck, the founder of the Pluralism Project, explains why it is so important we go beyond mere tolerance of different people and religions and why it is imperative we fulfill Gandhi’s mandate: “Tolerance is a necessary public virtue, but it does not require Christians and Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and ardent secularists to know anything about one another. Tolerance is too thin a foundation for a world of religious difference and proximity. It does nothing to remove our ignorance of one another, and leaves in place the stereotype, the half-truth, the fears that underlie old patterns of division and violence. In the world in which we live today, our ignorance of one another will be increasingly costly.”

In a time of officially declared half truths, slander, and blame against other people and nations, this mandate becomes even more clear and essential. We began our “River of Spirit” study just as we entered quarantine. There is an irony in all of this in that religion is synonymous with community and gathering (as is a Montessori school), and as we have struggled with isolation so have the many faithful around the world. During this time of social distancing billions of people have had to approach the holiest days of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan separated from each other furthering the distance between peoples. One of the many activities planned for the since cancelled “River of Spirit Odyssey” was to attend evening prayer at the great mosque in Roxbury and then join the Islamic community in their iftar, the breaking of the daily fast. These connections have been invaluable in our efforts to break down the walls of difference and indifference, explore our commonalities, and to realize that “appreciative understanding”.
Dr. Amer Latif speaks to us about Islam.
Reverend Lise Sparrow speaks to us
about Christianity.
Sadly, the odyssey cannot happen this year, but the work continues on. In our studies, we have explored five of the world’s largest religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and hosted guests from each of these faiths: Shital Kinkhabwala, Gary Keiser (former Buddhist monk), Rabbi Lee Moore, Reverend Lise Sparrow, and Dr. Amer Latif, and read and discussed scripture from each faith. Students are currently engaged in a collaborative project, The Pluralism Project, studying one of the many other religions of the world. In a week or so they will be presenting about such religions as Taoism, Humanism, and Santeria. As we explore the world communities of faith, we explore ourselves and our own connection to community. We look forward to that glorious day when we too can once again “gather at the river”.
Illustrations below by students from "A Sense of Place" art project:
Community at Large
Welcome to the lovely month of May!
We know that times are still uncertain, but we are taking solace from seeing so many of you in our online classes. Due to demand, we've added a few more drop-in classes, plus a bunch more one time 'mini workshops'. All activities can be viewed  HERE  and are by donation.
Here are some of the new classes, that will run at least until the end of May:
  • Early Bird Fitness w/ Katie (Mondays or Thursdays, 7:45 am)
  • Learn to Juggle w/ Tony (new time Fridays, 5 pm)
Plus these one time mini-workshop:
  • Backbending for Everyone (Tues May 12, 2:30 pm)
  • Find your Abs (Wed May 13, 1 pm)
  • Proprioception Exercises for Hypermibile Humans (Wed May 27, 1 pm)
  • Building a Strong Toe Point (Tues June 2, 12 pm)
We're also excited to plan ahead into the summer as best we can. For example, our  Summer Intensive  is working on beginning June 15 with lots of physical distancing and other protocols added in for safety, and our  Performance Boot Camp  starts on July 19.  BREAKING NEWS: we now have scholarships available for our  Performance Boot Camp  through a grant from the NEA!  
We miss seeing you all in person, and hope we'll continue to see you in our online classes.
Best,
Elsie and the NECCA Team
Free breakfast sandwiches are available to kids
on Saturdays and Sundays starting in May 

Just come down to the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro between 9 am - 12 pm for sausage and cheese egg sandwiches made fresh with local eggs and sausage. To honor the social distancing details you'll place your order at the drive up order area and then drive up to the pick up station. Socially distanced walk ups are welcome also. 

Sausage donation and catering by CherryRail Farm with additional donations and support from Pete and Gerry's Eggs, Against the Grain, Brown and Roberts, Leader Home Center, and Wendy's.

For more information email Jim at  CherryRailFarm@gmail.com
Saturday, May 16th
Virtual Tour of Abbe Museum 2-8pm
and
Film Screening of Dear Gorgina 8-9pm

Join the Emmy winning team behind DAWNLAND
for a special digital screening of  DEAR GEORGINA.

We are extremely excited abo ut Digital AMIM . The Abbe Museum's mission is ‘Inspiring new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit.’ The health crisis created a situation where the public can't come to visit us, so with Digital AMIM we're bringing our mission into your homes. We invite you to join us throughout the event both to support the AMIM artists and engage in the opportunity to learn about Native arts from the artists themselves.
Relief Funds for Undocumented Immigrants in NYC
Dear Hilltop families,
COVID-19 is affecting everyone, but I have been really feeling the injustice and unfairness of the fact that because I have a social security number I will get a stimulus check, while so many undocumented immigrants, many of whom are considered essential workers and who are in extremely vulnerable situations, will not get a penny of help. Many of them have families in their home countries that depend on their income and they do not have savings to fall back on. They cannot apply for unemployment and often have landlords that are not flexible with payments. We have decided to send part of our stimulus check to undocumented loved ones in New York. A lot of us really need this check right now, and if you do, please don't feel pressure. This message is not for you. Please keep your check and know that there are other ways you can help. But, if you are in a position that you can share some or all of your check, please contribute to this campaign and share it. We will be sending all of the money contributed to undocumented folks we know in NYC who are needing help right now and not getting it because their immigration status. If you are able to contribute, thank you. And if you know people who might be able, please share this with them. ❤️
Thanks so much, 
Allison and Marco
Here is the link:
Relief funds for Undocumented Immigrants in NYC organized by Allison Korn
We have already sent money to 25 undocumented immigrants in NYC who are in financial need and who are not receiving any relief funding from the government. We could not have done this without your generosity. We know more people who are in need and would gratefully accept financial assistance.  We also know not everyone has received their stimulus check yet and we wanted to assure folks that we will keep this campaign open to receiving donations as long as people are still receiving their stimulus checks. If you haven't yet received your check and would like to donate some or all of it when you do receive it, you will still be able to. Thanks so much! Please share this fundraiser with those you know and if you are able to do so, consider donating some or all of your stimulus check. Thank you!!!

This is a living document with mutual aid resource signups in response to COVID-19 impacts for the rural New England Region maintained by Out in the Open. If you have mutual aid resources to add, please email  to get them added.


The Farmer Emergency Fund provides farmers with the needed cash flow in times of an emergency, to help them recover and ultimately become more resilient farmers. Currently, we are planning to use the fund to support farms with challenges related to the COVID-19 crisis.



Fortunately, many local, regional, and statewide networks for mutual aid have been taking shape and we encourage accessing or contributing to networks in your local communities whenever possible. With that being said, to the best of our knowledge, we are currently one of the only mutual aid networks that have centered the needs, resources, abilities, and work of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in Vermont. As we know, these are (and have historically been) the most negatively impacted members of our society; supporting this population is critical.