Montessori Messenger | May + June 2023

montessori MESSENGER

Class Plays

The students in both Lower and Upper Elementary shined through in their classroom performances this Spring. Memorizing lines, creating costumes, and standing up in front of a crowd filled with their loved ones and peers is no easy task!

The Shakespeare plays performed by level this year were Shakespeare on Trial (4th Grade), Comedy of Errors (5th Grade), and The Tempest (6th Grade).

DAYS FIELD

This year all students participated in an on-campus field day during the last week of school! Students enjoyed two water slides thanks to Jump 'n Shout. Students had a blast in playing games, enjoying the outdoors, and a tasty BBQ or picnic! Thank you to Ben Kelts, the teachers, and parent volunteers for coordinating these special days for the children!

Before graduation - there was a fun-filled experiential trip to New York City for the 8th grade class. The students commuted on the Amtrak train to Moynihan Hall (some as early as 5 am!) to enjoy a day of the arts in a city so full of history and culture!

Several students participated in a private tour of the Tenement Museum with Megan Stasi and members of FlockArt followed by a lunch in Bryant Park with their classmates. The journeys continued (not without a ride on the carousel!) and the group split to their next locations of The MOMA and Platinum Sound Recording Studios for meetings with a curator and studio recorder!

At the music studio, the students learned about the history the building holds in history. The students were then encouraged to "drop a few bars" in the recording studio, creating a song of their own - We're still waiting for the single drop!

Students who headed to MOMA met with a museum curator where they learned about her career path and selection process at the museum. Other stops included the Lego Store, Nintendo Store, and MOOD Fabrics.

The students united once again at Bryant Park to enjoy gelato and the beautiful sunshine, games of chess, and buzz of the city. Our evening ended with dinner in Moynihan Hall and a smooth ride back to Rensselaer.

Since the cancellation of the Global Citizens Action Project, a four day trip to NYC in the Fall for Montessori Students all over the country in 2020, WHMS has founded new opportunities for our graduates to establish their bonds as a united class with team building, an 8th grade trip each year, and the creation of Project Inspiration.

SPORTS BANQUET

The first Annual Woodland Hill Sports Banquet was held at the Red Barn in East Greenbush - the venue felt like the perfect extension of our campus. The young athletes were recognized for their participation, perseverance, and kindness towards their teammates. We heard from Alumni Bashir Praileau, who spoke about his athletic success after starting his Track and Field Career with Ben Kelts at WHMS. His encouraging words left the students with the mindset that if they set their minds to it, they can accomplish anything. We look forward to this new WHMS Tradition.

Around Upper El

Aside from producing Shakespeare plays, the Upper Elementary had a busy spring. Sixth grade students completed their Capstone projects, presenting to their peers and their families in a conference-style evening event. The Fifth Graders completed and presented their Autobiographies detailing their journeys into who they are today.

Each student was also able to head on a field trip to Dyken Pond to spend some time outdoors learning about biodiversity.

Grandparents

Grandparents

& Special Friends Day & Special Friends Day

On the afternoon of May 12, students traveled back to campus with their Grandparents and Special Friends to offer tours of their classrooms, enjoy activities, share a snack, and teach about what they are learning. The day is full of such love, joy, and excitement!

A special thank you to the Friends of Woodland Hill for their efforts in planning and setting up the day!

On Saturday, May 20, WHMS held its annual fundraising event. The Starry Night Soiree brought together more than 200 parents, friends and supporters to celebrate our school and raise funds for our music curriculum.

Thanks to our generous community, we raised $68,000 to support WHMS, including $36,000 designated for music programming.

You can see photographs from the evening in the Times Union's Were You Seen gallery: View Photos in the Times Union

Milky Way

Orion

Canopus

Global Partners

Key Bank

LB Foods

Marathon Strategies

The Pilates Principle Polaris

Albany Marble, Inc.

Bethlehem Podiatry

Cadence Creative

Capezza Hill LLP

CDPHP

Dwight Plumbing & Heating

Global NEP

Greenwood Realty of NY

Krum Marketing*

New Leaf Tree Services

Repeat Business Systems

Sciocchetti & Taber

Siena Private Wealth

Hillary Zio*

*Denotes in-kind donation

FLOCKart it ' s a wrap on

FLOCKart hosted its final event for the 2022-2023 school year with an open mic, local chef with delicious crunch wraps and homemade gummy worms, and showcase of Victoria van der Laan's quilted artwork.

Students, alumni, and families all gathered to cheer each other on as they sang their favorite songs in front of the crowd at this parking lot party.

FLOCKart is now partnered with Collar Works in Troy and will continue their partnership into next school year. A special thank you to all of those involved in making these community events happen this school year.

See you in the Fall!

RUN RUN COLOR COLOR

The Friends of Woodland Hill hosted the first Color Run on Saturday, June 3 with student participants from every level! Parents volunteered to throw the color throughout the duration of the friendly race and the smiles are clear that the children had an amazing time!

Thank you for another successful event!

Holi: The Festival of Colors

The June 3 Color Run at WHMS gives us an opportunity to reflect on the origins of “color runs,” which actually borrow from the cultural tradition of Holi. Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is a spring festival celebrated across India and globally by people of all faiths and backgrounds. Events such as the Color Run are inspired by Holi; but in fact it has a rich, multifaceted, and long history that dates back to ancient India and the Hindu faith. It is a beloved and joyful holiday that celebrates community, love, and welcoming goodness into life The "colors" that are thrown are meant to represent the interconnectedness of all people across differences. Each color has its own significance, such as happiness, serenity, and sunshine. Holi also marks the transition of the seasons and an end to a long winter. It is celebrated at the beginning of Spring, traditionally on a full moon. Here are a few books about Holi that are great for children and families to learn more:

Festival of Colors

Holi Hai

WHMS PRIDE WHMS PRIDE

Woodland Hill once again participated in the Albany Pride Parade on June 11. Over 60+ students, families, and staff were in attendance to enjoy the day! Thank you to the Diversity Committee for coordinating the event.

June is the Pride Month, an annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and their contributions to history, society, and cultures. June is chosen to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of June 1969. The Stonewall Inn, where the riot started, is a bar in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The NYPD raided the inn on June 28, 1969, that resulted in a confrontation that lasted for six days. The event raised the gay rights movement from a fringe movement to front-page news worldwide. One year later the first Gay Pride Parade was organized. In June 2000 President Bill Clinton officially designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month; a more inclusive name of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month was chosen in 2009 by President Barak Obama.

Here is a very, very select list of historical LGBT people who changed the world : Alexander the Great, Sir Francis Bacon, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Florence Nightingale, Tchaikovsky, George Frideric Handel, Alan Turing, Sally Ride, Harvey Milk, James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Franz Schubert … the list goes on and on and on!

More sources here:

During the last days of school, students participated in the Spring Concert and Moving Up Ceremonies for their levels. Congratulations to our rising students! And best of luck to the Woodland Hill Class of 2023 in High School!

Videos for the concerts can be seen here:

Primary and Violin

Elementary - Middle School

Moving Up and Graduation