MMS Monthly E-Newsletter | February 2023 |
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Dear MMS Families,
Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Parent Education opportunities, starting with Lower Elementary sessions tonight! I have such fond memories of attending Parent Education sessions when my children were students at MMS. The sessions provide opportunities to connect with the Montessori curriculum, your child's guides, the classroom environment, and fellow parents.
Later this month, our Middle School will hose the annual MMS Talent Show - a fun family event showcasing the many varied talents of our students.
Finally, at the end of the month, we will celebrate Montessori Education Week. Our School Life Committee and MMS Staff are hard at work preparing a slate of special activities for students and families in celebration of all things Montessori.
It's also re-enrollment time this month. Current MMS families have until Wednesday, February 15th to secure their children's spots for the 2023-2024 school year. We do anticipate a full house, so I encourage you to complete your re-enrollment packet and enroll any new siblings by the deadline. If you have any questions about the enrollment/re-enrollment process, please call or email Beth at 304-342-7870/bgeorge@mountaineermontessori.org.
Warmly,
Jennifer
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MMS DIFFERENCE
This year, MMS added a new component to our social-emotional curriculum with introduction of the "Nautilus" team and implementation of the Restorative Cycle process. This expanded approach builds on our Positive Discipline work and focus on Education for Peace, a central element of Montessori education.
Unlike traditional discipline/behavior policies, the Restorative Cycle focuses on the whole child and maintaining connection to the classroom and school environment. Our expanded and structured process is informed by the work on social-emotional development and peace literacy conducted by the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector.
The Restorative Cycle is implemented when a child is experiencing a challenge at school. The goal of this process is to "restore the child to himself" and to build strategies and agency for students to resolve problems themselves. When additional supports are needed, our team of trained Nautilus staff works with children and classroom staff to reset and restore.
MMS is proud of this new addition to our social-emotional "toolbox" and capacity to empower, not punish, as we all work together to nurture a peaceful school, community and world. Learn more from the video from our Parent Education event introducing the Restorative Cycle.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
February 7 | 3:00-4:20 p.m. | MMS Talent Show Auditions. Contact Sarah Halstead for info.
February 7 | MMS Parent Education-Lower Elementary | 4:30-5:15 p.m.
February 8 | MMS Parent Education-Toddler | 1:45-2:30 p.m.
February 9 | MMS Parent Education-Primary | 5:30-6:15 p.m.
February 15 | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | MMS Talent Show
February 15 | Re-enrollment deadline for returning families
February 17-20 | No school-President's Day
February 22 | MMS Parent Education-Upper Elementary | 4:30-5:15 p.m.
Montessori Education Week | February 26-March 4
February 28 | Middle School Step Up Night | 6:30-7:15 p.m. | Rising seventh- and eighth-year students and their families are encouraged to attend
March 16-17 | Parent Conferences-no school
April 10-14 | Spring Break-school closed
May 22-26 | Standardized testing week
May 29 | Memorial Day-no school
June 3 | Annual Spring Gala | Edgewood Country Club
June 7 | Last day of school-noon dismissal
June 7 | Annual MMS picnic | Kanawha State Forest
Summer | Campessori 2023
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Spring 2023 Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on March 16-17.
Upper Elementary and Middle School students will attend conferences with parents. Primary and Lower Elementary students and MMS siblings may join the Plus program free of charge during their conference time. Please sign in and out with our Plus staff. You may use the link below to reserve your conference slot. Sign-Up Here
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MMS Board members met January 21 to review our past, assess the present and prepare for the future as we begin the final steps towards full AMS accreditation. It's been a long, rigorous and time-intensive process, but is already making an impact on our programs and operations. MMS is the only AMS Pathways to Continuous School Improvement in the state. Thank you to our directors and staff for your dedication to ensuring strong, informed and visionary guidance for our school! |
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MONTESSORI EDUCATION WEEK |
MMS will join with schools around the country in celebrating all things Montessori on February 26-March 4. Students, teachers and the School Life Committee are planning a wonderful range of educational, social and service opportunities to highlight Montessori education and share what makes MMS special to them. Please watch for details! |
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Congratulations to Finn Corelli, John Edward Auville and Grayson Gosselink, who represented MMS in the 2023 Kanawha County Math Field Days.
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Like these photos? Then you'll love MMS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Photos, school updates and Montessori news are posted nearly every day!
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Upper Elementary I fourth-years present a favorite Montessori lesson... the volanco! |
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CURRICULUM CORNER: PEACE EDUCATION
The MMS School Life Committee organized a January drive to benefit the Bream Memorial Shower Program, Food Pantry and Clothing Closet. While delivering donations, MMS volunteers and student Arlo Bastress, who inspired the project, toured the facility and learned about the vital services provided there from Derek Hudson, Bream Facilities and Outreach Coordinator. “If we want to be here in 50 years, things need to change,” he said.
Thank you to everyone who supported this project to serve our neighbors (including veterans and children) experiencing homelessness and other life challenges. The MMS Amazon Gift Registry remains open. Donations are distributed as soon as they are delivered. The items are "so needed," says Derek, "especially handwarmers."
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Did you spot the Mothman and Flatwoods Monster? Middle School students sparked the imagination of the entire school with their incredible wood prints of cryptids, Yokai, mythical creatures and more. Working with Elea Paybins, MMS Art Teacher, the works were made by carving linoleum blocks/sheets and printing with black on either rice paper or watercolor paper. Students chose the subjects themselves, but the assignment required that they feature a cryptid or folklore monster of some sort. They spent a short time researching creatures before deciding on the final subject and taking notes on important details and characteristics. Students printed several of each lino and together chose their favorites before mounting them on construction paper.
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SCHOOL LIFE: ANNUAL ICE SKATING MEET-UP
A big crowd of students, parents and staff gathered at the South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena for the annual MMS Ice Skating Meet-Up. Thank you to the School Life Committee for organizing this wonderful event!
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The MMS Chess Team is back in action! |
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MIDDLE SCHOOL TIME TRAVELERS |
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What if you could travel to the past to fix today's problems? Middle School students did just that to prevent 9/11, create safer tackling techniques in football, design cleaner car engines, and more in "Back to the Past," an original play they wrote, staged, produced and performer under the direction of Dan Kehde, who has been called the "Shakespeare of Charleston." What an incredible creative expression opportunity for our students!
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Thank you for reading your "M" News!
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Mountaineer Montessori School
4801 Staunton Avenue SE and 308 20th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304
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