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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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Newsletter / Friday, September 21, 2018
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Calendar Listings:
Monday, September 24
White Team @ Putney 4pm,
The Putney School
Tuesday, September 25
3:15-4:30 Soccer, K-3rd grade
3:15-4:30 Soccer, 3rd grade -
6th grade
Wednesday, September 26
White Team @ Twin Valley MS 4pm
Thursday, September 27
School Picture Day 9:15
Red Team @ Guilford 4pm
Friday, September 28
8:45-11:30 Lower Elementary Field Trip - Black Mountain Hike
Rain date for School Picture Day
5:00-9:00 p.m. Kids Night Out
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Friday, October 5th
Grandparent and Special Friends Day
Thursday, October 18th
Noon Dismissal, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 19th
No School, Parent / Teacher Conferences
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The Peace Dove flies again!
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Peace Buddies painted rocks together which will soon decorate our gardens.
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Peace Buddies are an important and wonderful part of the Hilltop community. This year we held our celebration, and the designation of the Peace Buddies, on the actual International Peace Day, September 21st! These buddies, from different programs, result in disparate height friends walking through the halls together, singing at All School Gathering, painting peace rocks, and developing lovely relationships across programs and ages. While the three year age range within the classrooms allows for friendships across different years, the wider range of these Peace Buddies builds the larger community of the school and engenders even more empathy for others even more different than ourselves. Parents are invited to see the Peace Buddies singing together in All School Gathering (ASG) starting on October 11th, when our regular ASG program starts. ASG is held every Thursday from mid-October through December from approximately 8:50 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. (It takes a hiatus during Winter Sports and then starts up again in March.) ASG is a lovely community event with sharing, singing, and sometimes performing. Please join us starting on October 11th for coffee between drop-off and ASG and then stay to see the community time.
This year, we will be helping families engage in the Peace Buddy relationship by sending home the name of your student’s Peace Buddy. (Look for the information coming next week.) The hope is that you can engage in more discussions with your student about their Peace Buddy, and maybe even be able to further the relationship outside of school. Please use those school directories to contact your child’s buddy! PEACE!
Note: If you haven’t picked up your school directory yet, you can do so at the front desk.
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Upcoming Conference Schedule
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We value Professional Development for staff as a means of enriching and furthering our teachers’ knowledge and experiences so they can do the same for your children. Two fantastic PD opportunities are coming up for our MS and Early Childhood staff. Both of these opportunities include Friday, October 19th, a day we were already closed for parent/teacher conferences. As such, we are arranging the conference schedule for Toddler Program, Children’s House, and Middle School to enable staff to attend these PD opportunities:
- Kurn Hattin is holding a conference on “Healing our Traumatized Children”. This conference will "offer new strategies for healing support to promote resilience and motivation to learn how to reach the children who need us the most.” And as Maria Montessori discovered 100 years ago, strategies that help vulnerable children can work well for all children.
- American Montessori International Adolescent Initiative Colloquia - This gathering in Denver, Colorado will enable teachers from Montessori Middle School programs around the country to share and compare and to develop a plan for teacher education programs in the future (a new area of concern with AMS credential requirements changing).
We plan to provide more afternoon/evening parent teacher conference slots earlier in that week, and to set more slots for Thursday, October 18th.
As usual for conference week, we will
have a half-day on Thursday and no school on Friday
. We will provide childcare for Lower Elementary students during their conferences and will have a few slots for Lower Elementary, Children’s House, or Toddler Program families who need “After-Care” from noon on for that Thursday or for any portion of that Friday.
Our hope is to be providing enough advance notice that many of you can make alternate plans. If you will need childcare on the afternoon of Thursday, October 18th or on Friday, October 19th, please sign up at
the front desk
ASAP so we can plan appropriately for staffing and activities. Please be on the lookout for an email notice next week to sign up online and set your 20 min conference slot during that same week.
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The Board kicked off its first meeting of the school year on Wednesday evening by thanking outgoing Board members John Barrengos and Rochelle Garfinkel for their exceptional service on the Hilltop Board. Thank you, John & Rochelle!
We are fortunate to have a great group of people lending their skills and knowledge to serve the Hilltop community. Check out the Hilltop website for their
bios
. Hilltop is always looking for new Board members! Talk with Tamara or any of the current Board members if you are interested in learning about the work the Board is engaged with at Hilltop, and keep reading!
Highlights of discussion in the Wednesday meeting included:
- Committee updates:
- Development Committee is busy with upcoming Annual Fund preparations, and is actively trying to create more avenues for building community among Hilltop families (eg, Parent Meeting last week - thanks to all who showed!)
- The Committee on Trustees will be taking a look at the Board self-evaluation, and cleaning up Board policies and procedures, some of which are quite old.
- Finance Committee gave an in depth orientation to the Hilltop finances, immersing new trustees in the impact of the recent large endowment gift that Hilltop received, which enabled Hilltop to pay off its mortgage and had positive ripples through the entire budget.
- Building & Grounds, in conjunction with Kegan, is taking a big picture look at the Hilltop campus, developing a long term campus plan and more immediately addressing some invasive knotweed and dead trees.
- Last but not least, an ad hoc committee is being formed to help Hilltop develop a comprehensive set of risk management policies and procedures. This might sound dry, but it is leading to some exciting work towards Hilltop’s commitment to equity through the development of an indexed tuition structure.
- “Faces of Hilltop” project: This is a project in its nascent stages, and generated some excited conversation! The aim of this project is to demonstrate the diversity of the Hilltop community. We are looking for your input! How do you want to be represented in and by Hilltop? What does it mean for your family to be part of the Hilltop community, and how did you get here? Talk with Roselle for more information about this project, or if you would consider participating.
As you can see, there’s a little something for everybody!
Stay in touch!
Alix, Vanessa, Kim & Angela
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Kids Night Out - Friday, September 28th
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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!
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On September 21 we celebrate International Peace Day at Hilltop. There are lots of school traditions used to mark this day including the peace parade and the introduction of peace buddies. It's also a day I especially think of Dr. Maria Montessori, our school's namesake. Not only was she one of the first female physicians in Italy who spent years scientifically observing and developing the educational philosophy, she also firmly believed peace education was the key to a harmonious world. In fact, Dr. Montessori's work was so well respected that she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 3 times! So in honor of Dr. Montessori and her lasting legacy of peace education, here are some of her own words and some of our own toddlers!
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"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed." MM
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"The child is not an empty being who owes whatever he knows to us who have filled him up with it. No, the child is the builder of man. There is no man existing who has not been formed by the child he once was." MM
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"Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society." MM
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"Joy, feeling one's own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul." MM
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Have a peaceful weekend.
Ellie, Marco, Sarah and Amanda
P.S. WE NEED EXTRA CLOTHES! Many children have gone through their extra clothes and even our stock of Hilltop spares is empty. Please check to see if any Hilltop clothes have gotten into your laundry pile to return and please bring in more for your child if they have had wet clothes go home.
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This week in the Children’s House we have been learning some basic skills around taking care of ourselves and one another. These lessons are a part of the Montessori focus on “Grace and Courtesy,” or the ways in which we interact with ourselves, with others, and with our environment. They include simple self care tasks such as how to wash hands or blow one’s nose. They also include learning how to clean up after snack and how to water the classroom plants. Social lessons such as learning how to greet a friend or how to get someone’s attention in a polite way are also part of Grace and Courtesy. How to use the peace area to solve a conflict would be a more complex example of the same kind of learning.
In the Montessori curriculum, each new skill is broken down into its component parts, and very carefully and methodically shown to the children. For example, a teacher not only shows how to blow out a nose into a tissue, but actually teaches the whole process of how to get the tissue out of the box, how to hold it, how to push air out of the nose only, where to put the tissue next, and how to clean the hands afterwards. These lessons are given the same time, attention, and sense of importance as a math or a language lesson, because they are just as important as academic skills. They form the basis for how we get along in the world and with one another.
Socially, the children practice many of their Grace and Courtesy lessons simultaneously when they sit together in the Peace Place. In that space, the children learn to listen to one another without interrupting, to speak in a gentle tone, to use kind phrasing, and to work together to solve a conflict. This week, we have been giving lessons about what our peace area is and how it can be used so that all our students know how to “invite a friend” to talk about a problem. Watching how the use of that space grows as the children develop from Youngers to Olders is always an amazing thing to witness!
Look for more information on Grace and Courtesy and other aspects of the Montessori curriculum in future newsletters. Have a great weekend!
-The Children’s House Teachers
P.S. WE NEED EXTRA CLOTHES! Many children have gone through their extra clothes and even our stock of Hilltop spares is empty. Please check to see if any Hilltop clothes have gotten into your laundry pile to return and please bring in more for your child if they have had wet clothes go home.
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Welcome to Skylar, who joined the Birch Room this week, and her brother Conner, who joined the Willow Room.
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Getting a lesson on blowing our noses
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Thank you to those who were able to attend our Parent Night last Thursday. We hope you found it informative. It was especially nice to see "veteran" Lower El parents alongside newcomers.
Math facts have been our focus in our biweekly math groups so far this year, using Montessori materials and homemade flash cards. Every day, children are using the colorful bead bars to record their addition doubles and other facts, like the +4s, that they may need to learn. Ten frames are used for addition and subtraction, and help strengthen "subitizing," the ability to see a group of objects and know how many there are, without counting. When we roll a pair of dice, for example, most of us do not need to count the dots to know what the number is; we just recognize it instantly. That's subitizing. Older students are working on multiplication facts and the commutative law with numerous materials or in their heads.
Grammar and word study lessons have included a review of all of the parts of speech and a lesson on contractions for older students, and the introduction of what a noun is for the younger ones.
In addition to working on learning the names of the seven continents, maps of Europe have been a work this week: coloring the map, and then labeling the countries, capitals, and bodies of water. Next: learning a handful of countries by heart, and where to find them on a map.
Dress for the Weather:
We do go outside in all kinds of weather, and having the right attire is essential. Please make sure your child comes to school with a jacket (when applicable-most of the year), a change of shoes and clothes, and boots for wet weather. This includes Olders, too! Children are not able to participate fully in recess if they don't have rain boots, as soggy socks and muddy shoes are a problem for the individual, as well as for our carpets. Thank you for helping your student be prepared to enjoy the fresh air!
Our hike to Black Mountain is still planned for Friday, September 28th, and we would love to have some more drivers. Please note that if picture day, now scheduled for 9/27, is postponed due to rain, the rain date will be that Friday and we will need to move our hike to Monday, October 1st. We will contact everyone as soon as possible if this occurs.
Enjoy your weekend!
Kerstin, Patrick, and Amelia
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Jay playing music with the students in the outdoor classroom.
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SO MANY monarch caterpillars!
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LE students enjoying S.S.R. (Sustained Silent Reading)
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Hazel practices addition using the small bead frame.
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Our butterfly emerged from its chrysalis!
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Here a spread of math materials, there a card layout about animal physiology, and further on an exploration of the inclined plane using spring scales. Elsewhere, students bend over their first literature or seminar book (the
Golden Goblet
,
Holes
, or
Seedfolk
)
. A pair of Youngers read aloud to one another, then quiz each other on math facts. Kids peruse books on ancient Egypt for clues on mummies, pyramids, the Egyptian number system, or one of the other topics they have chosen for their first research. Olders hone their map-reading skills to extract information on early immigration to colonial America. They follow this up by viewing videos and consulting books for information on the 13 colonies--especially regional differences that would come to bear on their stakes in a new government. The class addresses its own idea of ‘government’ by agreeing upon our own set of norms for the year. Another student has taken the initiative to create a first-ever sign-out sheet for those interested in hosting the class hamster over the weekend. Later, after meeting for advisory and taking stock on our planners of the day’s accomplishments, new works available, and a few goals for the next morning, we gather for our read aloud,
Because of Mr. Terupt,
sometimes with knitting in hand.
Virtually all areas of lessons are now underway, from geometry to grammar. For our first and second year students set, our cultural studies this fall began by reviewing the concept of civilization, and then diving into Egypt. The Olders have embarked on their journey towards the First and Second Continental Congresses, and what lay beyond. The whole class is studying “vital functions of animals” this year, looking at how different phyla and classes of animals fulfill their fundamental needs: respire, digest, reproduce, etc.
We are so happy to have this group of learners. If the camaraderie during the Pinnacle overnight was any indicator, we’re in for a great year in Upper El.
THANK YOU to all drivers for the Pinnacle Trip. THANK YOU to those volunteering time to teach our beloved Thursday afternoon electives (see pictures): Mac Oglesby (tilt-a-maze game making), and Ben Boyarko (soapstone carving), as well as Hilltop’s own teachers Jay (‘all things with voice’, Jade (deep dive into drawing, and outdoor art), Mace (Thai Chi), and Nora (knitting).
Reminders: Indoor and outdoor shoes. Water bottle here always. No gum, candy, or tic-tacs out during the school day.
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The experiences of our Thursday afternoon elective classes:
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In their singing elective, Shoshana, Mae, and Parker reenact “Hamilton” to karaoke while Jay looks on.
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Pete and Luke use the spring scale to explore the forces involved with an inclined plane.
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Mac O. helps Carmen saw fences for the tile-a-maze game.
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Cara and friends examine the digestive systems of different phyla in a layout.
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Knitting has remained a popular activity during electives, thanks to Nora.
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The students took so quickly to their ‘Andy Goldsworthy-inspired’ outside art:
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We spent the week talking, reading, building, and playing with the power of water. Our Industrial Revolution/water wheel project is well underway. Students have studied the mechanics of water wheels and the manner in which water’s potential energy was manipulated through the use of dams and races. They are currently building dams and chutes on their stretch of the river we created using the pond, a pump, and the drainage ditch. The next step is deciding which kind of wheel would make best use of their drop and controlled water flow (overshot, breast wheel, tub wheel), determine the dimensions, and begin building, Eventually each team will design and build a machine that connects to the drive shaft of their working water wheel.
As our busy industrialists mimic what was happening all over New England in the first half of the 19th century, they are also studying the social impacts of the manufacturing boom of the same time period. We are discovering how deeply connected the stories of women, slavery, class, and immigration are to the production of cloth and how closely related American slavery is to New England production. Through reading primary source documents from Lowell mill girls as well as the Declaration of Sentiments, discussing the status of American women in the 18th and 19th centuries, and exploring the history of the early industrial revolution and the expanding laboring class of Americans, students are putting together the beginnings of American thought and structure.
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Athletic Director's Corner
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The focus in Physical Education this week:
Running!
Students are learning about how running relates to “readiness” and how to prepare for and execute proper running mechanics. Utilizing the evolving Hilltop running loop/confidence course, UE and MS students prepare for the first of 2 yearly timed runs. Personal times are recorded and students are able to experience how practicing good running mechanics, and restoring the bodies natural movement patterns, can quickly improve their speed, endurance, and joy of running! Lower EL students participate in this running program as well, running their age in minutes around the track.
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Matt Armstrong, Mace Sebby, and Kevin Warzecha
team up to lead the soccer teams!
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Hilltop's After School Soccer Program has gone through some changes. Formerly, this program began at the Lower Elementary program level. This year, kindergarten students are also participating in the skill development program!
K-3rd Grade Clinic:
Matt Armstrong (father of Ellea in Birch Room) will be joining the coaching team. Matt brings years of experience at the high school, college, and club level to Hilltop. We are thrilled he has joined the program! This younger program is built to provide students with a fun, low pressure intro to Hilltop soccer: basic skill development, exposure to rules and teamwork, and of course Fun, Fun, Fun!
3rd-6th Grade:
Kevin Warzecha (father of Corbin in UE) returns for his second year in this program! Kevin is an important and valuable coaching asset to Hilltop soccer.
This group will form our “red team” (formerly UE) allowing 3rd grade students to participate in soccer matches, team cohesion and travel. This program builds on the skill foundation and commitment to sportsmanship and adds team play.
6th-Middle School:
Finally the “white team” (MS soccer) will add 6th grade students to participate. Mace is continuing as head coach for the MS team. They will be participating in matches with some new schools this season, maybe as many as eight matches this year!
We are thrilled to have such enthusiastic participation in our soccer programs this year. Many cleats will be able to run on the newly resurfaced field.
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A big thank you to Adrienne Ginter (mother to Natalia in the Toddler Program) who added the last piece to our "adult prepared environment” refurbished under Ellie's creative eye. Check out Adrienne's artwork
here.
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THANK YOU!
This is a big
THANK YOU to
Hazel Pizza
for providing delicious pizzas for the students and staff every week! Yum yum! We ♡ 🍕.
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Grandparent and Special Friend Day
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Hilltop Montessori School Store
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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.
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Most of these items are available in different colors...check out the site for more information.
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YOGA CLASS
Hilltop parent, Jennifer Morlock, is teaching a new yoga class, Thursdays at 9:15. Join Jennifer at
Bodhifit
, 22 High St., for a Gentle Kripalu Yoga class. Great for all levels and all bodies!
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RENTAL HOME WANTED
A new family joining Hilltop in November needs housing!
They are looking for a 3-4 bedroom house starting in November in or near Brattleboro within 15 minute drive of Hilltop Montessori School. Please contact Ted at
tedlefer@gmail.com
or 802-332-3029.
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SEEKING
Winter tires, size P215/45R17. Please email
Caitlin
if you have any available. Thank you!
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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.
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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
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Let's support Groundworks Collaborative!
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Let's Hike for the Homeless!
Saturday, October 13
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.
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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!
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Go to the Latchis and see our very own Upper Elementary student, Finnegan Pucciarello, sing in:
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