Hilltop Montessori School's mission is for students to practice responsible independence in a caring community of curious, critical learners and thoughtful citizens.

Newsletter / Friday, September 14, 2018

Calendar Listings: Monday, September 17th 3:15-4:30 Soccer, 6th grade - MS Tuesday, September 18th 3:15-4:30 Soccer, K-3rd grade 3:15-4:30 Soccer, 3rd grade - 6th grade Wednesday, September 19th 3:15 - 4:30 Soccer, 6th grade - MS 6:00 Board Meeting Thursday, September 20th 3:15-4:30 Soccer, 3rd grade - 6th grade Friday, September 21st Peace Day Upcoming Dates: Thursday, September 27th First All School Gathering of the year! Picture Day for all students (raindate is Friday, 9/28) 

Thank You! We loved the participation and the enthusiasm at the Parent Meeting for this upcoming school year. Thank you for joining us.

Notes from the Head of School

Tamara and Becky hit “Send” for the AMS Accreditation Self-Study Report.

We submitted our American Montessori Society Accreditation Self-Study report this morning!!!  This is the culmination of more than forty years of growing our school into a solid, authentic Montessori school, and two years of data gathering, analysis, reflection, discussion, collaboration, writing, editing, and a bit of fundraising. The efforts of our staff, board members, parents and a few financial supporters have been tremendous. We are extremely proud of our submission. The American Montessori Society will have a panel of experienced Montessori educators review our 195 page report and, assuming we are accepted for consideration, they will send a panel to visit us in the spring. We will have a copy of the report available for your perusal in the front lobby. If anyone has any questions about this report or the accreditation process, please send me an email , catch me at drop-off, or stop by my office. I’d love to talk about this project that has truly been a process of self-study.

Grandparent and Special Friend Day

Grandparents & Special Friend Day invitations have just been sent out for Friday, October 5th 2018. See full schedule for the day below.

This is a very popular event that we host twice a year, fall and spring. Having two opportunities for Grandparents or Special Friends to visit our campus allows those traveling long distances to choose the time of year that works best for them.  We love visitors! But sometimes too many grown-ups in the classroom can be hard to manage for children and visitors alike. This year, we welcome all guests but ask that no more than 2 guests per child visit in the classroom at one time. We're hoping this alleviates some of the stress that little ones, especially, can experience on this very special day.

Kids Night Out - Friday, September 28th

Do you want to have a fun night out on the town? Are you having a hard time finding a babysitter? Do you want your children to have just as much fun as you do while you’re out? Drop your children off at our arts barn anywhere between 5:00-9:00 pm on Friday, September 28th to have a night of fun and games with our responsible middle school babysitters. There will be fun, games, crafts, and tons more! At least one adult and lots of fun middle schoolers will be there. We will provide snacks, and pizza is available! If you don’t want pizza, please pack a nutritious dinner or feed your child before you come. To attend KNO, your child must be in children's house or above and be able to use the bathroom independently. This fun night for you and your kids costs only $7.00 an hour and $5.00 for each additional child. Pizza is $5.00 more for two slices. All proceeds from Kids Night Out go to the Hilltop Montessori Middle School Odyssey fund. Our businesses are an important part of our fundraising, so your support really helps! To sign up or learn more, visit our new website . If you have any questions, email us at sponzio@hilltopmontessori.org We have only 30 spots, so don’t wait, sign up now!

Hilltop Montessori School Store

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.

Most of these items are available in different colors...check out the site for more information.

Toddler Program

Many thanks to all of the Toddler families who were able to come to the Parent Night on Thursday! We appreciate your support and hope you found the evening informative. If you were not able to make it, here's a link to the short slideshow giving an overview of what we do in the Toddler Room. We also talked about the anti-bias work we are doing as a program this school year. In an effort to be better equipped to help children grow to be their best selves and to generally be more culturally relevant to the families we serve, we'll be using the book From Roots and Wings: Affirming Culture and Preventing Bias in Early Education by Stacey York , to guide our conversations, reflections and curriculum adjustments. The introduction of this book offers some good examples of common misconceptions about culturally relevant anti-bias education. Here are a few: Misconception: Children are too young to notice differences among people. Fact: Children notice differences and form attitudes about human diversity in the early years. Misconception: Pointing out or talking about human differences with children will only make cross-cultural relations worse. Fact: Including human diversity in the curriculum and giving children simple, accurate information helps them see differences as normal. It prevents them from developing negative or fearful attitudes toward diversity. Misconception: Multicultural education is necessary only if there are different cultures in the school. Fact: Culturally relevant anti-bias education is relevant for all children in all grades. Children in all-white (racially segregated) classrooms are at risk for growing up without the social skills and knowledge base needed to live in a diverse country and work in a global marketplace. We'll be sharing more about our work and how it's being used in the classroom throughout the year.  Finally, one of our parents mentioned a previous newsletter piece about how we talk to children that she found helpful as a new member of the Hilltop Community. Whether it's a repeat of what you already know or brand new, we hope it'll be helpful to you. Here are a few key phrases used in the toddler room that you may not use already at home. "Do you remember where that work came from?"  "Find your loop (on your jacket)."  These are prompts we use to encourage children to put their works and belongings away without nagging.  "Use your strong legs/arms to (walk up the hill/carry your bag/etc.)"  A way to instill the idea of power in the child and let them know you aren't going to do it for them. "I know you can do it; I have full confidence in you." When a child is struggling to persist and needs a little boost of encouragement to continue, we use this. Not often, but at just the right time this phrase can work wonders. "Give it a go!" Instead of try, use this phrase. Try connotes an expectation of failure. This means, "See what you can do!" Say nothing. One of the most valuable gifts we can offer children is silence. It honors their focus and concentration and it allows them to figure things out independently without an adult jumping in. On many occasion I have held back and been pleasantly surprised and/or thoroughly impressed by a child's creativity in solving a problem without my help. Inevitably they've learned a whole lot more from the experience, too! Enjoy the weekend. Ellie, Marco, Sarah and Amanda

Children's House

Thank you to everyone who came to our parent and family meeting last night! During the meeting, our teachers talked about our daily routines and our classrooms’ “prepared environment,” which consists of a variety of thoughtfully arranged areas in the room. While each area is clearly defined and centers on a certain group of skills such as “Practical Life,” or “Language,” the materials and learning within each are interconnected with the rest of the classroom. The Olders are actively involved in maintaining our environment by preparing it for the next morning before they leave each day. They are also responsible for giving simple lessons and assistance to our younger students as they learn to navigate the space. Last night, we were also excited to share about our ongoing anti-bias work. This was kicked off with a school-wide training during our in-service week, and is continuing throughout the year with both classroom work and monthly program level meetings. Our early work will include using classroom audits and self assessment tools to help us evaluate our current anti-bias practices. This will, in turn, help us to create goals for new curriculum and other work moving forward. At the child level, the first focus will be on our classroom and family communities. We will begin with an “All About Me” book for children to work on at home and then share with their classmates! Have a peaceful weekend! -The Children’s House Teachers

We are out a lot in all kinds of weather. Be prepared like Finley and Eliza! Annabel, Sage, and Ally at their doctor's office.

Caleb paints with watercolors. Coloring a work on the life cycle of the butterfly.

In Marco's Spanish class, older students learn about opposites "Pesado and Liviano" "Grande y Pequeño " while they prepare their own material!

Lower Elementary

Fun at recess!

Ask your child about: *the three states of matter *the six kingdoms of life *How many continents are there? Can you name them? *What are you reading in school? Our first field trip, a hike to Black Mountain, is coming up soon! We will leave from the parking lot at 8:45 on Friday, September 28th, and plan to return at 11:30.  Contact the front desk if you are interested in chaperoning to find out what is required, so that we can put you on our chaperone list. All are welcome on this field trip. Our rain date is the following Monday, October 1st.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Kerstin, Patrick, and Amelia

Caroline displays her History of Writing work. More fun at recess! Eko practices math facts using the ten frames.

Max, Addy, and Lydia pose with our two monarch chrysalises! Eleanor and Harper work together on the Europe Biome Mat. Ayla, hard at work on a map of the world.

Upper Elementary

Thank you so much for joining us last night to hear about the Upper Elementary activities and curriculum for this year. What a great turnout! We look forward to sharing more information about electives, upcoming field-trips, and our current studies in next week’s newsletter.

Middle School

As a way to process last week’s odyssey to Upland, students were asked to consider what skills of the hand, head, and heart they learned or practiced during our sojourn. The next step was to choose one of those skills and write a reflection on why it was particularly important to them. Many students focused on our night walks. The skills identified and practiced were not all the same but emanated from this traditional part of our Upland experience. We take a night walk every night we are staying in Upland, no matter the weather. Once dinner is completed and everything is cleaned up, we head down to the meadow in the dying light to play and relax. As night comes on, Finn gathers us up and we walk silently and in single file on a course Finn has previously decided upon. There are no flashlights (staff have them for those necessary special moments) and all one hears initially are feet shuffling, the occasional stumble, and the resulting giggle. Then, as the magic of the night descends, the crickets, frogs, and owls become unbelievably loud, the smell of hemlock surrounds us, and our own presence diminishes. Eventually we find ourselves back in circle, sitting on our benches with a hush, often times with a haiku composed on the walk ready to share in the dark. The silence is broken but the spell continues.

Toy steam engine

Rube Goldberg teamwork machine

Nora starts science class.

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Community

FREE Two nice organic crib mattresses; bought new and are now used but in excellent condition. Sealy Nature Cotton Bliss 2-Stage Infant/Toddler Crib Mattresses . Email Joslyn if interested! 

There are some additional opportunities this year at Bratt Rock..please read below for details:   1) We have some limited spots open in our workshop sessions for any musical Hilltop middle-schoolers. Workshops are free and taught by some of this area's best known musicians / music educators -- More info and registration form can be found at the Bratt Rock website . 2) We are looking for young artists or crafters who would like to have a table to sell their hand made goods -- jewelry / tie dyes / fabric arts / knitting / etc. Any interesting students can contact us at jaimie@brattrock.org or use this link to sign up under "VENDOR" on our online signup sheet . 3) All are invited to volunteer at BrattRock - we need plenty of helping hands and have opportunities for both youth and adults. Anyone interested in volunteering can view slots and sign up on our online signup sheet .

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!

Sandglass Theater of Putney, VT has assembled an international roster of performing companies for the 10th Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival: Opening the Doors . This  September 19–23 , puppet theater companies from around the globe will gather in venues throughout Brattleboro and Putney to offer performances that celebrate puppetry while exploring themes of Access and Inclusion. Several performances will be held at Hilltop Montessori School! Family shows offered are Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Stage Play by Rustwerk Refinery from Canada, Mr Ruraru’s Yard by Puppet and its Double from Taiwan and The Joshua Show by Joshua Holden from New York. Find out more and book tickets at  puppetsinthegreenmountains.com or call (802) 387 4051.

After-school language classes at Express Fluency (recommended for ages 12+) This fall Express Fluency is offering beginner French and Spanish classes in the late afternoons. These classes are a great opportunity for Hilltop students to experience a "crash course" in another language. Many Hilltop alum who have taken our classes report learning more in an Express Fluency class than they did in a whole year in high school! The classes are great to take with your child. Use the code "referral" to receive a family discount. Beginner French : Mondays, Sept 17- November 19th, 3:30-5:30pm Beginner Spanish : Tuesdays, September 18th- December 11th. 4pm-6pm. *The Spanish teacher, Becca Rice teaches middle and high school students at Four Rivers Charter School and is really great with that age group! To register, visit the links above or contact Elissa McLean ( elissa@expressfluency.com or 802-275-2694.)

Groundworks Shelter had a minor fire. They have had to relocate residents to the dormitory that houses the winter warming shelter. Read on to learn what happened and consider a number of ways that we could use your help! HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED: Just before noon on Monday, September 10th, a small fire broke out in a clothes dryer at Groundworks Shelter (formerly Morningside Shelter) on Royal Road in Brattleboro. No one was hurt, but the fire resulted in extensive smoke damage to the Shelter.  Staff mobilized quickly and have temporarily relocated residents of the Shelter to the dormitory that is used for the winter warming shelter - on the Winston Prouty (formerly Austine School) campus (see photo above). There is potential that the relocation will last for up to two weeks while a thorough cleaning of Groundworks Shelter occurs. ServPro is currently cleaning the entire Shelter and is working to contain the acrid smell as best they can. HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP: We are finding that we need some pretty immediate meal support. Residents of Groundworks Shelter typically store and prepare their own meals, but are unable to do so at the dormitory. If you’re able to mobilize quickly to help prepare one or more meals, please contact Jes Stolpp, Shelter Case Manager, directly at: jstolpp@GroundworksVT.org   If you'd like to help sometime in the next two weeks, but you need a bit more time to plan, please email: volunteer@GroundworksVT.org.  We will be compiling a WISH LIST for needed items and will post the list to the Groundworks Collaborative Facebook Page over the next few days. Currently, this list includes: Meals Blankets Dishes Anyone interested in volunteering to assist with overnight supervision of the Shelter can email volunteer@GroundworksVT.org.

Let's support Groundworks Collaborative!

Let's Hike for the Homeless! Saturday, October 13 Please come " Hike for the Homeless ", 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.

You are all warmly invited to attend this year's annual Greek Supper to benefit Carry Me Home, Saturday September 22nd, from 5-7pm at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 16 Bradley Avenue, Brattleboro. Proceeds support Carry Me Home's work collecting and shipping gently used clothes and other necessities for refugees in Greece, and now locally also. Please donate winter clothes in good condition, sizes small or medium ONLY for adults, and all sizes for children; and sturdy winter shoes and socks for all ages. Please place them in the box in the lobby. If you would like to help by donating ingredients for the supper, cooking, serving, setting up, or cleaning up, please sign up on the forms posted near the collection box, or contact Julia or Alix Fedoruk (Hilltop alum and board chair, respectively) at  alixf@mac.com