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As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Maria Montessori's birth this year, we also want to highlight our own Montessorians. Throughout the school year, we will highlight a WHMS teacher in each Messenger with five facts about them, totaling 150 facts throughout the year.
We start with Michelle Edwards, our Head of School.
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Michelle in 2012, her first year at WHMS, teaching the inaugural Toddler class. |
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- I grew up wanting to be a teacher like my dad. Thankfully, my stuffed animals were always willing to play “school” even when my sisters grew tired of the assignments.
- I drove across the country with three friends after college, camping along the way.
- One of my favorite pastimes is watching my children, Emma and Will, compete in swimming and diving
- I love to dance and have very eclectic taste in music. My Spotify playlists are very dear to me.
- Favorite Montessori quote: “The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”
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As your child grows into an adolescent, you may wonder, where did my kid go? Who is this kid?
Join us for Being and Becoming –
Jocelyn Bell Swanson is the director of the Secondary Program at the Center for Guided Montessori Studies.
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Montessori birthday walk: Toddler edition |
The Toddler classroom has celebrated two birthday walks so far this year.
Teacher Marion Heller describes the Montessori birthday walk as a concrete representation of what it means to have a birthday.
It starts with the Story of the Child, told with dolls representing members of the child's family. Then the teachers talk about the sun being the center of our solar system, with a beautiful wooden sun and a candle in the middle representing the light from the sun.
A large, squishy ball represents the earth, and wooden cards list the months of the year that it takes for the earth to go around the sun once. Then the child carries the Earth around the sun as the class sings The Earth Goes Round the Sun (to the tune of Farmer in the Dell). Each verse of the song represents one year of the child's life. Then they sing Happy Birthday and the class enjoys a treat.
Every toddler will get a chance to celebrate their birthday in this fashion. Summer birthdays are celebrated toward the end of the school year. This year they are streaming the celebrations via Google Meet so that families can enjoy them as well.
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Patrick and Vinita's class commemorated Veterans Day by painting poppies from each student's palmprints. The class also lit a candle and held a moment of silence for veterans. |
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Cindy and Toni's class also painted poppies. The use of poppies as a symbol of Veterans Day was inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields, written by John McCrae in 1915.
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The Upper El has enjoyed being outside during this unseasonably warm weather. |
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UE teacher Vinita Shekhar and students Izzy Stewart and Ruya Dokucu created a Diwali display in the front lobby.
Diwali is the celebration of lights in Hindu culture, and is the biggest festival in India.
The five-day long festival symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance."
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Jennifer's Primary class learned how to build a fire during PE class with Ben Kelts. |
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Scenes from our Remote Learners |
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There are 31 WHMS students who are learning from home. We wanted to feature some of them in this Messenger. If your child is learning at home, please send us some pictures!
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The WHMS faculty and staff wish to thank the Board of Trustees for providing boxed lunches for all of the teachers and administrative staff on parent-teacher conference day. Board members also wrote personal notes to each faculty and staff member. The note on the right was painted by board member Sara Stevens.
The board wanted to show their appreciation to the teachers for the work that they've been doing during this unusual year. The teachers enjoyed the lunch and the cards.
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News from the Middle School |
Once again this year, the MS is selling Holiday Greens. There are limited numbers of each item, and we are looking for all orders to placed by Monday, November 23. All items will be delivered and available for pick-up on Friday, December 4. Items available are 4” poinsettias, wreaths (16” and 26”), and centerpieces. Orders should be placed on this website.
The next MS Drive-Thru Coffee House will be held on Monday, November 23.
Thank you for your support of the WHMS MS. The micro-economy, or student-run business, is an essential component to a Secondary Montessori program. MS teacher Cora Heiser says that while making money is an important component of any business, in the Middle School program the values of teamwork, working towards a goal, authentic lessons in budgeting, marketing, advertising, and making and executing a business plan take precedent. As the MS continues to reimagine what their business will look like this year, the students are engaged in real-world, authentic problem solving, and innovation. Students are also brainstorming how they can support other small businesses in our community.
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Andrew Gatchell, WHMS Class of 2016, is joining the Army National Guard and leaves for basic training in Oklahoma this month.
Andrew graduated from Columbia High School in June. He has also been serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Best-Luther Fire Dept.
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Haylie Gernert-Dott, WHMS Class of 2010, recently began a new job with the Berkshire Humane Society as the Canine Behaviorist for the shelter, as well as an Instructor for the Family Dog School. Haylie graduated from the University of Vermont in December 2017, with a bachelor's degree with honors in Animal Science. Haylie says that Wren (shown above) "comes to work with me and helps with dog introductions and socialization, and provides cuddles and cuteness to myself and the BHS staff on tough days." |
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Upcoming Events
Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27
Thanksgiving Break. No school and no Enrichment.
Monday, December 7
The State of Our School: The WHMS Annual Meeting, 6 p.m.
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This school year, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Dr. Maria Montessori’s birth.
We ask you to consider a donation to The WHMS Fund: 150 for Montessori in celebration of Maria Montessori and her lasting influence. Your commitment and generosity will provide assistance with ongoing expenditures related to the pandemic, such as PPE and disinfecting and purifying equipment; reimagined learning spaces to accommodate social distancing; new Chromebooks for our students; enhanced internet speeds to ensure live streaming of daily activities; and supplemental financial aid for those enduring hardship due to COVID-19. Your gift ensures a safe and nurturing environment for all our children.
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