Hilltop Newsletter June 2nd, 2017

SummerFun Registration has started! Flyers are at the front desk and online ! Sign up now as camps fill quickly!

Please explore the Summer camps and activities offered by Brattleboro Recreation in their Summer Newsletter.

Last Day of School Schedule

Hi Folks,

This is just a reminder that Thursday, June 8th , is the last day of school, it is a full day . There is no aftercare this day, dismissal is at 3pm for all.

Field Day: 1-2pm, all programs take part in games and fun outside on the soccer field.

Bead Ceremony: 2pm - a celebration of olders in each program. This c elebration will take place by the pond.

Thank you!

SummerFun

SummerFun Camps: Painting Our Story for 9-12 year olds are in need of enrollment or will be cancelled. We'd really like these programs to run, so sign up today!

Painting Our Story: A Mural Project for ages 9-12. This is going to an awesome camp organized by Kegan who helped the Middle School students with the climbing wall mural. Don't miss out!

Middle School Baseball

The Dummerston Wildcats baseball team ended their season yesterday with an overall record of 11-1-1. The team consisted of students from Dummerston, Marlboro, Putney and five of our very own from Hilltop. The Wildcats faced teams from Chesterfield, Leland and Gray, Walpole, Westmoreland, and Kurn Hattin.

Bottom Row From Left to Right: Martin, Owen, Deshawn, Zinabu, Eliot (Hilltop), Rio, Max

Top Row From Left to Right: Coach Soren, Huxley (Hilltop), Alex (Hilltop), Reed, Aden, Noah, Henry (Hilltop), Coach Ben. Not present: Van (Hilltop)

Toddler Program

Throughout the school year, we've stressed the importance of children feeling a sense of belonging in a group and how Practical Life exercises help children to achieve this. When children take part in Practical Life activities like preparing food for snack, they know their contributions are important to the group. Everyone appreciates snack - especially toddlers!

Children also learn to cook and respect the tools used: a skillet can get very hot and a chopping knife has a sharp edge and both should only be touched on their handles.

In the last few weeks we've done quite a bit of cooking and food preparation: making scrambled eggs (8 toddlers ate 2 dozen eggs!), chopping cucumbers, and making pancakes (eaten with Hilltop's own fancy maple syrup made by Kegan). The rituals around preparing and sharing food with friends are exciting and enjoyable - even for toddlers!

Enjoy the weekend.

Ellie, Amanda & Marco

Birch Room

This week, we wanted to share a few quotes by Maria Montessori that we especially love!

"Joy is the evidence of inner growth"

"Play is the work of the child"

"The role of education is to interest the child profoundly in an external activity to which he will give all of his potential"

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Cheryl, Serina and Mariam

Willow Room

As we end our school year, we would like to thank all of the families of our school community for your support. We have been busy preparing each child for the coming year; the next stages of growth and development. As we depart for the summer, we wish all a lovely time playing, exploring and learning.

Our newsletters occasionally include a quote from Dr. Maria Montessori. She has shown through her life and work that children continue to develop into life long learners through their enjoyment in work and personal development. No quote, however, truly captures the wonder of each child's journey -- that is for your child alone to build and experience. I would like to offer one more quote this year that I find to be important for us as adults, in supporting the future for our children:

This is education, understood as a help to life; an education from birth, which feeds a peaceful revolution and unites all in a common aim... Mothers, Fathers, politicians all must combine in their respect and help for this delicate work.

Dr. Maria Montessori, from The Absorbent Mind

Thank you for all of your work, and have a wonderful summer -- See you in the fall!

-- The Willow Room

Lower Elementary

Upper Elementary

Pictures from the UE three day trip to Elmore State Park-good times!

Middle School

It has been a week of endings and planning. The Middle School conducts final exams in math and language arts as a way for students to improve their study skills, gain experience in test taking, and as a way to assess their learning. Exams were spread out over the week allowing students to spread their studying out over an extended period. Alongside final exams, both the seventh and eighth grades were busy preparing for next week's graduation. Final speeches have gone through a number of drafts with the goal of finessing and finely tuning each graduating student's final thoughts on their Hilltop experience. Friday brought a break in the rain and the opportunity for our annual end of the year softball game.

Next week, Monday thru Wednesday, we are heading to Upland to celebrate a powerful year of community and learning. Looks like it is going to be pretty wet and chilly, always a good time. Graduation is Friday, June 9. People are gathering beginning at 5:30 and the ceremony begins at 6:00. Dinner is being served afterwards. If you would like to attend (you are most welcome!) please contact Rebecca at the front desk.

Before and AfterCare

Hilltop Helpers

Where are Odin's Sunglasses? One of our students lost his sunglasses, please contact Rebecca at frontdesk@hilltopmontessori.org if you have seen them!

Are you looking for extra help around the house?

Childcare? Petsitter? House sitter...?

Hi, I'm Katie Reynolds, a Hilltop alumna (class of 2011!) and

a rising junior at Mount Holyoke College and I'm seeking: any type of helper's job! Petsitting, house-sitting, childcare, you name it! Get in contact and I'm certain we can work something out. As a counselor at SummerFun (both last year and this upcoming session) and a substitute in the Children's House, I am experienced in childcare for all ages up from 1.5 years old. I love animals and have been working as a volunteer farm hand at Farming Connections Inc. in Guilford since 2011. I am perfectly willing to mold my schedule to yours, as long as I can still keep my commitment to my work at Hilltop. Any time of the day, any amount of time, I can be there!

If you or someone you know is interested in my services as a house-sitter, childcare provider, or petsitter (and it doesn't matter what kind of animal!) please contact me, Katie or call 802-451-6822.

A big THANK YOU to Hazel for providing our students and staff with delicious pizza each week!

Julia Fedoruk in the Middle School, would like to thank all of you who have helped refugees through donations of clothing and funds to Carry Me Home, the Brattleboro-based 501c3 non-profit that sends clothing to refugees in Eastern Europe. We are currently shipping spring items, with special focus on items for refugee children who have begun attending schools in Greece. We are also beginning to stockpile fall/winter items to begin shipping in late summer. Please bring items from the list below to the collection box in the lobby. Carry Me Home is also in need of funds to pay for shipping. A 44 pound box costs $164 to ship. Please make donations via Indiegogo Generosity - they only need $850 to reach their $10,000 goal! or leave a check made out to Carry Me Home With Love in the collection box.

NEEDED ITEMS (In gently-used or better condition, washed, without stains, rips, or holes)

Clothing:

Adult (men's and women's small or medium, no L or XL please) and children's (all sizes) items:

-long pants, jeans, and leggings

-long skirts

-long or short sleeve tops

-sweaters and sweatshirts

-new underwear

-socks

-raincoats and winter coats

Shoes:

-rainboots and sturdy shoes, all sizes

-men's flip flops sizes 8-10.5

For shipping:

-Essentials brand vacuum storage bags, size large, 17.5 x 27.5 inches. These are intermittently available at the Dollar Tree Stores in Brattleboro and Keene, and fit our shipping boxes perfectly.

You can find more information about Carry Me Home on Facebook or via email. You may be interested in PBS Frontline's Exodus , a documentary on the refugee crisis that aired in December 2016 and is still available to watch on line.

Many thanks to Brattleboro Tire, 558 Putney Road in Brattleboro for donating

snow tires for our Hilltop van . Please visit Dan and the boys at Brattleboro Tire for your car's needs and be sure to say "Thanks" on Hilltop's behalf.

www.brattleborotire.com or call them at 802-254-5411.

Community News

Graduating Hilltop Eighth Graders, Marley Hathaway and Daniel Snyder are counselors for this upcoming camp! For more information email or call 802-257-0888.

River Gallery School of Art Presents...

In-Sight Photography Classes

Poetry, Bookmaking and Art Project Summer Program

Poetry Studio, 242 Piney Brook Way, Brattleboro

802- 257-8972

Attention is the Beginning of Devotion, Mary Oliver

Once again a summer workshop combining poetry, bookmaking and

art, will be held at Ann Gengarelly's Poetry Studio. As always,

young people will have the opportunity to write and draw in a natural

setting with woodlands and beautiful gardens. Each student will have

both a poetry and bookmaking class each day. This program offers a

rare opportunity to enjoy a community of kindred spirits, a community

of kindness that provides personal attention to each student.

Poetry classes will be taught by Ann Gengarelly who has been a

poet-in-the-schools for over twenty-five years. Bookmaking and Art

Design will be led by Tony Gengarelly who teaches Art History at

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

AUGUST 7, 8, 10, 11, AND/OR AUGUST 14, 15, 17, 18

We welcome students between the ages of 6-17 (with exceptions). Classes

will be kept small in order to maintain a one to six student-teacher ratio. Students

will be accepted on a "first-come, first-serve" basis. If interested call Ann

at 802-257-8972 or contact agengar@sover.net or a.gengarelly@mcla.edu .

Summer Language Camp August 7th-10th

Express Fluency is offering Spanish, French, and Latin classes August 7th-10th, at BUHS. The classes run from 9-12pm each morning (9-11:30 Thursday). They will engage and delight students ages 7-adult. World-class language teachers are coming to Brattleboro from OR, CO, LA, MN, ME and MI to teach these classes and teachers from all over the US are coming to observe them and participate in teacher workshops in the afternoons.

Offerings Include:

Elementary Spanish taught by Annabelle Allen (Ages 7-11)

Beginner Spanish taught by Grant Boulanger (Ages 12-adult)

Intermediate Spanish taught by Becca Lynch Nichols (High School to adult)

Beginner French with Tina Hargaden (Ages 12-adult)

Beginner Latin* with Justin Slocum Bailey (Ages 12- adult)

We expect these classes to fill up, so recommend registering early.

More info and registration can be found here:

http://expressfluency.com/product/camp/

Full time student price: $125 (before June 1st)

*A note about Latin from Elissa McLean: My daughter (Emmy, age 12) and I took Justin's Latin class together last summer and had the best time! Justin is a gifted teacher and he literally brings Latin to life in the class. Before the class I was honestly a little unsure of why anyone would want to take a Latin class, but now I recommend it to everyone. There are so many connections to English and all the Romance Languages. This would be a great class for someone facing PSATS or SATS, wanting a base from which to explore many other languages, interested in science and medicine, and so much more! Plus, it is a ton of fun. Emmy and I still remember the Latin from the class now 7 months later and its like we have our own secret language at home.

Creating with Clay Summer Camp 2017

Green Mountain Girls Camp

News Flash! Green Mt Camp for Girls, the beloved 100 year old summer camp in nearby Dummerston, has openings for girls ages 4-13 this summer! They are welcoming 4 year olds for Session #1 (June 19-23) for day camp from 8:30-4:30 and all other ages are welcome to come for the day or stay the night as this is a Try Me Camp week! Arts and Crafts, Drama and Dance, Nature, Music, Sports and Games, Swimming and so much more! They also have a pay by the day option that week if you have limited availability! Financial Aid is available if income eligible! This is a great chance for you to check out the camp during a time when our summer program hasn't started yet and there are still openings! Call Billie at 802-257-1751 today or go online to register at u nder the Come To Camp tab.