The first School-wide Service Project will take place later this fall, just in time for the holidays. The Middle School Service Crew is finalizing details to collect gifts for a local family in need. Watch for details in our RPMS newsletter.

First Graders are busy making planet books, working with Golden Beads to create numbers, and learning that nouns can be a person, a place, or a thing.  They’ve been helped by very caring second grade buddies to show them around the room, and to answer questions about Lower Elementary in general.  First Years continue to settle into our routines, and make balanced work choices. Keep up the great efforts!

Second Graders have been very kind to guide their younger buddies through the beginning of a new year and a new experience. They are also exploring the planets in more detail, creating books about plant and flower parts, and reading about our North American countries.  

Third Graders, now the leaders in our rooms, are doing bigger works with animal biomes, abstract math operations, and continent research. Each Third Year will participate as the Community Organizer throughout the year, as well as take on other leadership roles.  

What is the “Science of Reading”, and how do we support this in a Montessori classroom?

You may have heard in the news recently, the buzz around the “Science of Reading”. How is Montessori education addressing this? Dr. Maria Montessori was ahead of her time. She knew the importance of following the child, and creating materials that organically teach reading and language. In a Montessori classroom, print-rich materials are abundant through multiple representations of the same content. This allows for the child to naturally want to investigate and research, allowing deep dives into learning. Multi-sensory materials, such as the moveable alphabet, create a strong phonics foundation. In addition, we use the Waseca (based on Orton-Gillingham) reading program. This program is structured to provide a systematic and sequential presentation of the phonetic elements used in the English language. (Click here for more on Waseca.) In addition, we have small reading groups that provide time for additional, explicit reading instruction. These are just some of the ways Montessori education is supporting your child in their reading journey.