Montessori Messenger

Volume 8 | January 22, 2021

A message from Michelle

Dear Woodland Hill Community,

As we wind down the month of January, we are looking forward to the Parent-Teacher Conferences coming up on February 4th and 5th. The education of a child is enhanced by a strong relationship between the teacher and their student’s parents. Our faculty have much to share with you about your child’s experience in the classroom and welcome the opportunity to hear from you. Through these conversations, we learn about the child, appreciating each other’s perspective, and collaborating with the common goal of nurturing each individual’s potential.

I hope you enjoy this time to pause, reflect upon the growth of your child, and marvel at the wonder of a child in the process of self-creation.

Sincerely,

Michelle

150 for 150

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.

This week's facts are from Upper El teacher Cindy Bishop.

I have been at Woodland Hill for 20 years but in education for over 25. My daughters are WHMS alumna; my youngest was born into Montessori, spending her first six months with me in the classroom.
I lived in Europe and worked as an au-pair for five years. I have lived in Paris, France, The Netherlands, and Germany. While there, I studied at La Sorbonne and the Schoever Instituut.
I am currently working my way through the ADK Fire Tower Challenge, which consists of summiting 18 mountains in the Adirondacks and five mountains in the Catskills. So far, I have made it to the top of at least 13 official fire towers, in addition to several unofficial ones.
I traveled three times to Tanzania, Africa on a humanitarian mission. I hope to return someday to continue this work.
I love road trips and will drive anywhere. Two years ago, I drove across the US and back in my Jeep and visited several national parks and many roadside oddities. Pre-pandemic, I often traveled to Montreal on the weekends just to get a bag of chocolate croissants. If you know, you know.
I enjoy the arts and expressing myself creatively. I am a Certified Zentangle Teacher and have taught credit-free classes at HVCC. I really enjoy photography; my quest is to capture the perfect sunset! I love all sorts of dance, from Austrian waltzes to Polish polkas. I absolutely love live concerts and, pre-pandemic, was an usher at the Troy Music Hall.

An Invitation

The Diversity Committee Caucus Conversations

Katina Hutton and Shayla Sawyer Armand will host a conversation with any parent that identifies with the Black experience including Black parents and parents raising Black children in the Woodland Hill community. It will be held on Wednesday, January 27 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Please contact Katina Hutton, Diversity Committee co-chair, to receive the Zoom invitation or to get more information.

What is a caucus?

A caucus is an opportunity for those who share a common identity to meet separately to gather, connect, and learn. It is a safe and confidential space for conversations about shared experiences that are often unspoken in mixed groups.

At Woodland Hill, these caucus conversations, led by members of the Diversity Committee, are focused on ways the collective experience of each affinity group may impact the entire learning community. They are intended to provide necessary feedback to WHMS faculty and staff as they seek to incorporate anti-bias and anti-racist practices into their work.

This is the first of a series of caucus conversations facilitated by the Diversity Committee.

__________________________

The Diversity Committee would like to spotlight terms used in discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion so we can share a common understanding of the vocabulary.

From the State of the Science Implicit Bias Review 2013, Cheryl Staats, Kirwan Institute, Ohio State University:

Implicit Bias

Also known as unconscious or hidden bias, implicit biases are negative associations that people unknowingly hold. They are expressed automatically, without conscious awareness. Many studies have indicated that implicit biases affect individuals’ attitudes and actions, thus creating real-world implications, even though individuals may not even be aware that those biases exist within themselves. Notably, implicit biases have been shown to trump individuals’ stated commitments to equality and fairness, thereby producing behavior that diverges from the explicit attitudes that many people profess. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is often used to measure implicit biases with regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, and other topics.

Thank you to all of the families who have purchased anti-biased and anti-racist books for the library from Sarah's wishlist. As part of the ABAR (Anti-Bias and Anti-Racism) education committee, Sarah compiled a list of 50 books on an Amazon wish list for families to purchase for the WHMS library. If you purchase a book from Amazon, or locally, for the school library, please note that the book is for the library.

WHMS student Ranna Payafamar was featured in a Times Union article this week for being the youngest artist in the Albany BID's Winter Wonderland public art project.

"The tween credits her art teacher Megan Stasi, who she calls "the best art teacher on earth," and her mother, Arzu Fallahi, for inspiring her."

WHMS Happenings

The Science Guys club is underway with their very first virtual session on Thursday, January 21. This week, students learned all about polymers and conducted their own experiments. The Science Guys will be holding a virtual session every Thursday for the next seven weeks.

Aftercare has been off to a great start this year. Children have been doing many different activities such as cooking, playing problem solving games, and crafting. If anyone would like to drop into aftercare please feel free to email Eraena! We would love to have you. Aftercare runs until 5:30 p.m. and the daily drop-in fee is $25.

A Primary aftercare cohort.

The Middle School aftercare.

____________________________________

Scenes from the viewing of the Inauguration

of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris

January 20, 2021

‌

Sorting is important work.

Developing concentration and fine motor skills.

Exploring the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. display curated by our librarian, Sarah Colwill

Michele and Kim's Upper El class wrote out quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. and posted them to their class door.

Jessa and Jeanne's Primary class created peace signs with the use of the metal insets.

Upper El Cultural Studies

As part of their cultural studies, the Upper El students have been studying Ancient Egypt. UE teacher Cindy Bishop says that, "Students learned about the significance of the Nile River and what it was like to have lived during this time. They discussed the different kingdoms and social hierarchies, and how each class of people contributed to society."

Today, the students presented a report on Egyptian gods and created headdresses to represent them.

Half of Michele's class presented today. The remainder will present their Egyptian god reports on Monday.

Patrick's class, including remote learners on the screen, with their headpieces on.

Cindy's class also presented their reports on Egyptian gods today.

News from the Art Room by

Megan Stasi

Primary students practiced scissors skills while making shape pizza collages in art class.

LE students learned about public art and drew colorful hand tracings that were used to create a community mural that brightens the hallway.

MS students discussed Abstract Expressionism and the paintings of Mark Rothko before experimenting with color to make this modern art exhibit.

News from the Middle School

The Middle School has a tradition of dedicating the final community meeting of December to celebrating the gifts that each student brings to the MS community. The students were randomly assigned a classmate and spent a week ‘secretly’ observing that student at school. The students then wrote a “gift letter” to their classmate, sharing the classmate’s positive attributes and contributions. This beloved tradition was moved to January 13 because of the snow days in December. Many students keep their gift letters for years to come.

The Middle School's next Coffee House takes place on Monday, January 25. While they prefer pre-orders, the MS students will be selling items the day of the event from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m.

Upcoming Events

Monday, January 25

WHMS Board meeting, 6 p.m.

Friday, January 29

Staff Development Day

No School

No Enrichment

Thursday, February 4

Parent-Teacher Virtual Conferences

No School

No Enrichment

Friday, February 5

Parent-Teacher Virtual Conferences

No School

No Enrichment

Monday, February 15- Friday, February 19

Winter Break

No School

No Enrichment

Thank you to our corporate sponsors!

Diamond Level

Wainchaf Associates, Inc.

Silver Level

Global NEP, LLC

Repeat Business Systems

To join these businesses, please contact Moira Rienzo for more information for sponsorship of our eGala.

Donate to the WHMS Fund

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.

Thank you to everybody who has donated so far. We have raised over $46,500!

Make a gift to the WHMS Fund

in honor of Dr. Maria Montessori

Woodland Hill Montessori School gratefully acknowledges all of the donors to the WHMS Fund to date, listed in alphabetical order.

Kevin and Julie Adams

The Agrawal Family

Albany Electrical Inc. - Gary & Mimi Drizos

Gemma and Jason Allen

Amazon Smile

Ms. Leslie Amberger-Wood and Mr. Lyman Wood

American Clothing Recycling Co. Inc.

Liz Angell

Christopher and Shayla Armand

The Armstrong Family

Ann and Adam Ayers

James and Donna Baccei

Kishor and Gita Bagul

Dr. Michael and Madeline Baltrush

William and Clare Barkovic

Collins Bennett, Hank Bennett, and Shelby Stauffer Bennett

James Besha, Jr. and Susan Thomas

Kevin and Monica Brady

Charlotte and Charles Buchanan

Liz and Tim Cahrenger

Anna and Joe Calabria

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Chiplock

Tina and Bernhard Claus

Katie and Ryan Coakley

Coca-Cola GIVE

David and Allison DeLong

Vicki Dillon

Mustafa and Isil Dokucu

Danielle and Jason Dow

Allegra Edelman and Peter Sinclair

Michelle and Ashley Edwards

The Endryck Family

Kelli Flansburg and Patrick Cartwright

Spencer Freedman and Sophia Conroy

Marcus, Sabiha, and Hannah Friedrich

Frederick and Laura Galt

Bob and Tamara Gatchell

The Gernert-Dott Family

Christine and David Gibson

Wendy and Charles Gilman

Jennifer and Niles Gold

Jeremy Goldberg and Vanessa Bilanceri

Mr. Stuart Goodrich

Bob Green and Nina Loewenstein

Christopher Griffith and Rebecca O'Donnell

Hannaford Supermarkets

The Senior Harris Family

Sima Patel-Harris and Michael Harris

Cora and Scott Heiser

Marion and Chris Heller

The Holland Family

Sara Howard

Huron Consulting Group

Ariel Jaitovich and Maria Moran

Patrick and Laura Jordan

Susan and Jim Kambrich

The Kenning Family

Julie and James Knox

Drs. Derek and Kimberly Lane

Jeffrey Lang and Andrea Tinio

Susan LaVigne

Deborah J. Lee

Conor and Doni Lillis

Shannon and Michael Logan

Nicole and Brendan Longcore

The Mail Works, Christina and Timothy Dillon

Drs. Jim and Jenny Malatras

Steven and Tara Manierre

Mia Martinez Family

Jessica, Chris, and Michael Mascolo

Liliana Garcia and Dan Massey

Dan Massey and Liliana Garcia

Andrew McClain and Sandy Blakeman

Tami Meek

Neelam Mehta

The Mergil Family

Erin and Fernando Mergil

Mathieu Moulin & Naomi Wimberley-Hartman

Vanessa and Adam Murphy

Vincent Nastasi and Heather Buehl-Nastasi

Steve O'Malley and Nancy Lucas

Farzin Payamfar and Arzu Fallahi

Stephanie and Tom Puchner

Pamela and Michael Rabbia

Ms. Michelle Rader

Dr. Shaheen Rahman and Kanika Johar

Michele L. Richens

Moira K. Rienzo

Mr. & Mrs. Cyril and Lydia Rodriguez

The Russell Family

Drs. Tobi and Gary Saulnier

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sawyer

Edward Schwarzschild and Elisa Albert

Silver Graphics

The Slingerland Family Foundation

Erika and Chris Solomon

Sara and Jess Stevens

Stewart's/Dake Family

Target - Colonie*

Tien Family Foundation

Wilfrido and Nellie Tinio

The Wan Family

Mrs. Elie Ward

Dr. Susan Weaver, Lindsey Weissman, and Jeremy Weissman

Aaron Wey and Jodi Novak Wey

Mrs. Ann Wheeler

Allison White and Brian Delaney

*Designates in-kind donation

Please contact Moira Rienzo with any corrections or questions.