HMS NEWSLETTER | December 6, 2019

Hilltop Montessori School's mission is for students to
practice responsible independence in a caring community
of curious, critical learners and thoughtful citizens.
Jane Goodall by Skyler, part of Upper Elementary's Hero project.
Next Week

Monday, December 9
  • EL Knitting, 3:15-4:30
  • MS Basketball, 3:15-4:30

Tuesday, December 10
  • UE Basketball, 3:15-4:30

Wednesday, December 11
  • EL Knitting, 3:15-4:30
  • MS Basketball, 3:15-4:30

Thursday, December 12
  • All School Gathering, 8:45am
  • K-LE Basketball, 3:15-4:15

Friday, December 13
  • LE Authors Tea, 8:45am
  • UE Basketball, 3:15-4:30
  • Equity & Anti-Bias Workgroup Meeting, 5:30-7:30
Upcoming

Sunday, December 15
  • Parenting for Racial Justice Workshop

Monday, December 16
  • EL Knitting, 3:15-4:30
  • MS Basketball, 3:15-4:30

Tuesday, December 17
  • UE Basketball, 3:15-4:30

Wednesday, December 18
  • EL Knitting, 3:15-4:30
  • MS Basketball, 3:15-4:30

Thursday, December 19
  • All School Gathering, 8:45am
  • UE Museum, 2:00-3:00
  • K-LE Basketball, 3:15-4:15

Friday, December 20
  • UE Museum, 8:30-9:15am
  • Elementary present making, 10:00-11:00
  • NOON DISMISSAL
  • Cookie Swap, 12:00-1:00
ANNUAL COOKIE SWAP & SNOWFLAKE RAFFLE
It's here...the most anticipated event of December!

We are currently accepting donations for our Annual Snowflake Raffle & getting ready for the cookie swap. If you would like to donate an item for the Snowflake Raffle, please contact Roselle.

All items are welcome. What a fun way to share the talent of all our friends and families in the area, and fund-raise for Hilltop!

If you have not attended this event, there is more information below. We look forward to seeing you!
Cookie Boxes: $10/box at the Swap
Raffle Tickets for sale at the front desk and at the Swap:
$2 each, 3 for $5, or 8 for $10;
Raffle drawing promptly at 12:30
Equity & Anti Bias Work Group
Greetings!
Our next Equity + Anti Bias Work Group meeting will be:
Friday, December 13 at 5:30pm (about 1.5-2hrs)
  • Please contact Josyln McIntyre if you think you might need childcare so she can try to make arrangements.
  • Theme this month: Food availability & ideas for a community garden and community lunch
  • Other topics you have in mind are always welcome. We open every meeting with an "open call for ideas."

Reminder that the E+ AB WG is open to all Hilltop parents and caregivers, as well as staff, and that we get together to offer suggestions and recommendations on how we can make Hilltop a safe and inclusive space for everyone. Feel free to invite others who you think might be interested!

Equity + Anti Bias Work Group..Whats that?

The Equity + Anti Bias Work Group is a group of Hilltop families, board members, students, and staff that meet monthly to vision, create, and brainstorm ways to make Hilltop safer, equitable, and just for everyone who makes up our community. In doing this we help to build a more vibrant school where everyone can truly be honored, heard, and seen.

What are some of our accomplishments so far?
  • Recommendations around non gender binary bathroom signage
  • Policy and Handbook feedback
  • More accessible pizza lunch options
  • Hilltop clothing swaps
  • Encouraging a transition to a fully equitable winter sports program

Ok, Ok, sounds cool the community building and change making and all...But what is Equity? don't you mean Equality? I still don't get it.
Some people use words like justice and liberation to describe the process of becoming equitable and removing systemic barriers that keep people in our community and schools from being able to access things we may never even think of as being an obstacle. Though we may not experience it, it can be very harmful to the people whom these obstacles effect. We are committed to not building higher boxes but actually removing the proverbial fences that keep some of us and the people in our community from safely and fully being able to participate and be seen in an equitable and just way. We welcome our Hilltop community to participate in the Equity + Anti Bias workgroup in any way that feels comfortable, safe, and doable and we are always open to suggestions on what that might look like for your family.
Lastly, Here is a key to help you understand a little bit more
of the Equality Vs. Equity distinction we are making here:
Equality

  1. Equality refers to equal sharing and division, keeping everyone at the same level
  2. Equality= Sameness
  3. Equality is not affected by the need of the people or society
  4. It justifies things on the basis of quantity
  5. It gives same thing to all the people, irrespective of their need
  6. Equality does not look at what is needed for an individual
  7. Equality is the outcome/end result of the process
  8. Equality is measurable. It does not vary and neither matter whoever looks at it
  9. It is not concerned with the differences or gap between two or more groups
  10. Equality might give rise to negative discrimination
  11. People are treated equally but may be unfairly
  12. Here, people will only get what everyone else gets
  13. Equality can be achieved through equity
  14. Does not look everyone differently
  15. No such as analysis is needed is needed to practice equality
  16. Equality can only work if everyone starts from the same place
  17. Equality is mostly treating equally irrespective of being rationale or not
  18. Example: In a family, giving equal quantity of food to all the family members irrespective of their requirement and need is equality
Equity

  1. Equity refers to fairness, justice and impartiality
  2. Equity= Fairness and justice
  3. Equity is need based approach
  4. It justifies things on the basis of quality
  5. It focuses on need and requirement of an individual. Thus, known as need based approach
  6. Equity makes sure what is needed and in which quantity to an individual
  7. Equity is the means/process
  8. Equity is subjective. It differs from situation to situation and from person to person
  9. It identifies the differences and tries to reduce the gap between the groups
  10. Equity is positive discrimination
  11. People are treated fairly but differently
  12. Here, people can get what they need
  13. Equity cannot be achieved through equality
  14. It looks everyone differently
  15. Proper analysis of the existing situation is needed to practice equity
  16. Equity can work even if people do not start from the same point
  17. Equity is taking a rationale and logical decision
  18. Example: In a family, giving different quantity of food to all the family member as per their age, level of physical activity and dietary requirement of each of them is equity
For a copy of this list, click here
Parenting for Racial Justice Parent Event
We welcome everyone to join us on Sunday, December 15th from 1-4pm, at the Parenting for Racial Justice Workshop!
Toddler
Children's House
We hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful and abundant snow! We've loved building with snow, sledding, and making paths through our playground. 

As the weather fluctuates (it looks like some rain and ice in the beginning of next week) please remember to send in appropriate clothing and extra clothing.
We also are working through missing mitten problems as well. If your child comes home with mittens that do not belong to you, please send them back in. Also, if you are missing articles of clothing, check the cubby areas and lost and found. Thank you! 

Warm Regards, 

The Children's House 
Lower El
We have been exploring patterns with our new unifix cubes this week! In addition, students worked out all the ways to come to the sum of 6 with these colorful materials. We will continue our exploration of numeracy and patterns in these last weeks before our December vacation.

Everyone is busy writing opinions about various topics, and thinking of strong reasons to support these opinions, and we are getting excited to share our writing at next Friday’s Author’s Tea! We hope to see you there.

Have a great weekend!

Patrick, Amelia, and Kerstin
Uri and Layla recreate the Earth's annual journey around the sun.
Charlotte lays out the planets
of the solar system.
Eleanor and Harper R. identify the
seasons, equinoxes, and solstices.
Hazel and Eleanor begin to elaborate on their opinion pieces in Writers' Workshop.
Mazin records words from the Red Drawers in his Language Notebook.
Youngers work on recognizing and continuing patterns using Unifix Cubes.
Upper El
It has been a time of pulling together, wrapping up, and starting out in the Upper El. Small groups presented skits on the three branches of our government and how they exercise their power and check the powers of the others. What an interesting time to be studying the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the fifth graders presented their Hero projects, a rite-of-passage for the group. We learned that:

JFK became a symbol of hope and service for the American people. As a politician he developed the Peace Corps that would help send volunteers to other nations. Also his work on the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was important to the world and the United States. JFK also believed in civil rights. 


JFK by Aiden
In 1914, when the Great War started, [Marie] Curie turned away from her science studies and onto helping wounded soldiers. Curie convinced the French government to set up services for wounded soldiers. After that she was named director of the Red Cross Radiology Service.The Red Cross Radiology Service set up cars that carried x-ray equipment to help diagnose and treat the wounded soldiers. Many lives were saved because they were treated in the field. Curie also taught other women how to use x-ray machines on the field. In addition to being a great scientist, Marie also wanted to help other people. 


Marie Curie by Ciana
 [Greta Thunberg] started out [reversing climate change] with herself. Growing meat is very energy and fertilizer intensive, so she decided to be vegan, to help the environment. Her mother was an opera singer and Greta convinced her to give up her career. She had to travel a lot with her job. Greta also convinced her to stop flying on airplanes. She also persuaded her to stop eating meat. She was a big influence on her mother.


Greta Thunberg by Kaiya
On April 23, 1993, Cesar Chavez died in his sleep in San Luis, Arizona, when he was 66. For most of his life he was an activist fighting for the rights of farm workers. As a son of poor immigrants he knew how it felt to work on the farm in very difficult working and living conditions. He lead boycotts and marches to help get better pay and health care for his fellow workers. He was inspired by Martin Luther King jr. and Ghandi and is now an inspiration to others. “The truest act of courage is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice.”

Cesar Chavez by Lucas
[Wayne] Gretzky, in addition to being a super athlete, was generous and was known for his sportsmanship. Gretzky earned a lot of money in his career. When he tried to give some money to his parents, they refused the money. They were happy with their old car, living in their old modest house. He did not agree to fighting on the ice, normally a part of the game. People got hurt in fights and he thought the game would be better without it. He was generous and a good sport.


Wayne Gretzky By Talia
Finally, this week began the initial work for our upcoming museum. Students have chosen topics, begun the note taking process that will lead to writing, and next week will develop a project to help show their learning. Please be sure to join us on either Thursday, Dec 19, at 2PM or Friday, December 20th at 8:30AM.
Calling all crafters! Present Making Day is approaching! On Friday, Dec 20th, after the classroom museum, we set up the classroom and invite friends and parents to help lead small groups in making craft gifts from about 9:30-11:30. Please email Tom if you can help. 

On a purely practical note, please label your child’s snow pants and boots . Lots of this gear looks a lot alike.

-Tom, Jen, and Marco
Middle School
Eighth graders just concluded a social media and technology study in health class. They pondered how ethics are translated from real life into their digital lives, first addressing the questions “What makes an ethical person, in general?” and then “How does that translate to what makes an ethical digital citizen?” Students explored how gender stereotyping manifests online and what pressure exists in terms of how we present ourselves to our online communities. It is no coincidence that the word “image” can mean a picture (uploaded onto social media, perhaps?) and also how one’s physical characteristics are viewed by the world! After discussing and role playing how to be an upstander when witness to inappropriate or unkind activity and how to remain empathetic to others online, students were ready to reflect on the digital world they would like to live in. Individually and then as a class, students created recommendations that could help guide their online community, starting right here at HMMS. Tasks were divided and the class created a large-scale “smart phone” creatively displaying their guidelines. At All School Gathering this week, they shared their health project with the school. 
Community at Large
New England Youth Theatre proudly presents Matilda: The Musical, the final show of their celebratory 20th season. Dubbed as “Broadway’s Biggest Little Hero,” Matilda follows the story of an unlikely heroine who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Playing December 12 – 22 at 100 Flat Street in downtown Brattleboro 
Tickets are $11 – $15.
Tickets can be purchased at  www.neyt.org  or by phone at 802-246-6398.