The holidays are just around the corner, and family and friends are wondering about gift ideas. It’s a great time to remind ourselves that children first and foremost wish for connection and experiences with us, as opposed to material items in and of themselves.
With this in mind, there are many “experience” gifts that might be just as wonderful as a game or toy. Examples include a date to cook together, ride bikes, go on a picnic, play games, watercolor, read, or make a book. You might also make a coupon book that incorporates several of these activities to be redeemed throughout the year. Gift suggestions for young children here.
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We ask for your help in reaching our twin goals of $175,000 and 100% parent participation by making your gift or pledge by December 1. By making your annual fund commitment early, you are helping to ensure the behind-the-scenes operations of St. Catherine’s run smoothly, and paving the way for exciting plans throughout the year. Click here to read more.
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A LOOK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES |
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Practical Life activities are a big part of the Infant Community. Through these exercises the child gains confidence and mastery of the environment. These activities contribute to the control and coordination of movement, development of concentration, and the self-esteem that comes with making a real contribution to the group. In the infant community environment everything is designed to allow the child to arrive to the point where he can do it by himself; as Maria Montessori said “Help me to do it by myself.” Little by little the child gains trust in the world because his needs are being fulfilled and through repetition he will gain trust in himself. Click here to see students in the Infant Community doing Practical Life work.
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Lower Elementary is busy studying various ecosystems and plants. One important aspect in Montessori is exposure in nature as the outdoors are seen as an extension to the indoor classroom. Ms. Hannah’s Lower Elementary class took a field trip to Brazos Bend State Park. They were able to do some hiking and see lots of animals including alligators and two red-eared sliders. They ended their trip with a visit to the nature center where they learned more about three of the ecosystems in the park and got to pet some baby alligators. For photos, click here.
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The Adolescent Community students started their Bee Studies by learning what plants could be the most sustainable, easy to grow, and best for bees to make honey. We found that clover was very beneficial to bees and could grow in almost any condition. Next, we decided where to plant the clover, so it was easiest for the bees to reach and also would not be a distraction or concern for students. We decided the garden on top of the AC pavilion would be the perfect fit. We lined up in a row and threw clover seeds onto the roof, stepping back another foot after the first seeds had been thrown and continuing to plant more rows. After a week, we checked on the pavilion, and to our surprise, the clover had grown quite a lot already. Once we get our bees next trimester, the clover will provide a perfect haven for the bees to pollinate and make honey for the Adolescent Community. Click here to check out products available on The Hive.
Written by Francis Segovia and Katherine Lindsey
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Lower and Upper Elementary participated in Famous Person Day on the last Friday in October. Students wrote and presented research on a famous person they chose. Click here to see photos.
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REMEMBERING OUR FOUNDRESS |
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As a retirement gift, Sr. Edna Ann Hebert received an adult tricycle from SCM. She loved it! She smiled with joy as she rode it up and down the hallway, with children chasing after her as she rang the bell continuously. After taking a few laps in the parking lot in front of the school, she took her new bike to the Dominican Villa where she lived. In true Sr. Edna Ann fashion, she promptly gave the bike away to someone else. She was always thoughtful and generous to others. |
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PARENT SERVICE ORGANIZATION (PSO) |
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Education for a New World by Maria Montessori Dec 10th at 9am.
At less than 100 pages, this engaging book is easy to take in, containing fundamental principles of Montessori's theory of education. An important read for new parents to the school, or a reset for those of us that have been here for years.
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St. Catherine’s is thrilled to share with the community that on October 28, Brian Tucker successfully defended his doctoral dissertation and now holds a Doctorate of Education, Ed.D, from the University of Northern Colorado.
For his dissertation project, Dr. Tucker designed a Montessori math lesson and researched how the curriculum came to life. His lesson was taught outside over a period of six days. The students sketched what they were seeing outdoors, took the sketch and determined the mathematical equations for each aspect of their sketch, ranging from linear and quadratic equations to exponential and sinusoidal equations. The equations were then put into a graphing calculator program to recreate the sketch. On lessons learned, Dr. Tucker says, “really focusing in on the students' interests and using them to help guide where the instruction goes is super helpful and powerful. It allows for the class to be more engaging and meaningful for the students.”
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Tucker on his wonderful accomplishment!
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Volleyball season is over and what a blast it was. Over the past couple months both the Upper El and AC/HS have been working on fundamental drills and learning the game. Upper Elementary completed their season by playing in a month long in-house tournament consisting of four teams. All the games were very close and played with great team spirit all the way through.
AC/HS were put through their paces with Coach Mouton and Coach Sam before splitting into three teams to compete against each other. They wrapped up their season by competing against a SCM staff assembled team. It’s been a fun season and we are excited to move on to basketball next.
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For more calendar events please check our website.
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If you would like to submit something for the Globe, please send it for approval to [email protected] by the Wednesday before at noon.
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