Tomorrow is our last day of school! Montessori Kindergarten graduates, please dress in Sunday best. Parents, Mass begins at 9 am, if you would like to sit with your child. Kindergarten graduation is directly after Mass. The children, along with the traditional Kindergarten class, will sing a song and then be announced to receive their diplomas. It is a short ceremony. Afterward, the Montessori class will return to the classroom. Graduates may leave or stay. If your child leaves with you, please tell a teacher. It is a full day for those who stay.
It has been such a privilege to teach your children. Every year, I have been amazed by the welcoming and generous spirit of the St. Mary's community. You all are an important part of the teaching team for the children, and for that, I thank you. Now, enjoy some memories from this year!
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Thank you to all families who attended our Spring Concert! The Montessori students worked hard with Mr. D to learn their song. It was a beautiful, enthusiastic performance!
I wanted to explain a bit about our report cards. They will be going home during the week of June 11. As many of you are aware, the primary Montessori education consists of three consecutive years in the same classroom, from 3 to 6 years old. Our report card is meant to cover the skills expected to be learned once a student has completed those three years of Montessori education. The same report card template is used for all primary Montessori students. Therefore, it is very common that a three-year-old's report card will not show Mastery of many skills listed. However, they will be Introduced to the vast majority of those skills. Each successive year, students revisit the same concepts, but with a greater degree of mastery expected. For example, when it comes to Science topics, a three-year-old will be introduced to topics such as the parts of a plant. They would observe living plants, learn to what distinguishes a plant from an animal, sprout seeds with help, and food taste different vegetables. A four-year-old would be expected, after those introductory lessons, to draw and label the parts of plants in their journal, remember their names and, begin to recognize their functions. A five-year-old may do teacher-assisted reading and research about plants, make an illustrated book about plants, identify the function of each part, and name vegetables that are roots, seeds, stems, leaves, and fruits. The learning moves from a very concrete to a more abstract understanding of the topic. These examples show the difference between an "I", "L", and "M" on the report card. As always, once report cards are sent out, please feel free to contact us if you'd like to have a sit-down conference with Ms. Krista and me. We hope to see our families at the Montessori End of the Year picnic on June 8 at 10 am! It's a fun and informal event that is fast becoming a tradition! |
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Ms. Teresa is just one of the three fantastic teachers in St. Mary's Montessori Children's House! |