November Messenger

montessori MESSENGER

Woodland Hill Montessori School

This time of year, we often have the good fortune of gathering with those we love in celebration of the holidays. Recently on campus, we have held gatherings, both in individual classrooms and as a whole community; something we all missed during the past two years of pandemic restrictions. Whether it be a Primary classroom’s Stone Soup luncheon, the Middle School’s Inspiration Cafe, or FlockArt’s Sleepy Hollow evening, these events held something very special in common; the children were at the center of the planning, preparation, and execution of the event.

Though it may be easier in some ways to have the events orchestrated by the adults to be received by the children, the effect would be drastically different. Here at Woodland Hill, children are given the agency and opportunity to make meaningful contributions. As a Primary child chops the vegetables for the soup, they are thinking about how their guests will enjoy the hot bowl offered to them the following day. As Middle Schoolers set up the crafting table for children to make lanterns during the Sleepy Hollow event, they consider which decorations will delight their younger friends. Engagement and purpose matter. The children experience a deep sense of pride and fulfillment which is evidenced by the kind and gracious way they interact with the guests.

So as you make plans this holiday season perhaps find ways to involve your children in the process. You may be as delighted by the outcome as we have been.

May you find yourself in the company of those that bring you love and joy.

Sincerely, Michelle

Dear Woodland Hill Community,

The WHMS Fund

A message from Annual Fund Chairs Kristi Berner &

Geoff Gloak:

Hello fellow parents and WHMS community! We're hoping you'll join us in supporting the WHMS 2022-23 Annual Fund, which is vitally important to the success of many of our school's programs.

What we didn't realize when our daughter started at WHMS ten years ago, is that tuition covers just the basic operating costs of keeping the school open. That's because our Board of Trustees strives to keep tuition as low as possible.

It's the WHMS Fund that provides so much more of what we love for our community, including the financial aid that makes the school affordable for many of our families. Some of the programs, materials and other gifts supported by the fund in recent years include:

· Community Playthings for classrooms, including the tables for Primary outdoor space

· Montessori Pythagoras boards for Primary classrooms

· SMART Boards for the Elementary classrooms

· Upgraded Chromebooks for Elementary and Middle School

· Gear and tools to create the MS Ski Shop/Bike Shop

· Playground equipment for all levels

· Stage curtain, chairs, and lights for the Theatre Club productions

· Artist residencies, and much more.

This year the WHMS Fund goal is $65,000 and your contributions will be used to purchase Montessori materials, shelving and tables for classrooms, library books and more. We appreciate whatever you can contribute -- no matter how small or large. Please help us meet our goal of 100% community participation!

With gratitude, Kristi & Geoff

P.S. We're grateful to those of you who have already contributed! We are already 46% on the way to our goal!

Around Art and Makerspace...

Primary and LE students made landscape paintings with guest artist Blair Lambert. All the artwork is now hanging and can be viewed in the back lobby just outside of the gym.

MS students are weaving on small looms they built in the Makerspace and also giving the floor loom a try.

Jess Goodrich started at Woodland Hill in Fall of 2021. She currently works in Shania and Vinita's Upper El Classroom and worked in Sandy and Jodi's Classroom in 2021-2022. Jess has two children at Woodland Hill; Asher in Lower El and Ria in Upper El.

JT Rinker started in the Fall of 2022. He currently works in Sara and Hannah's Lower El Classroom. He has one child at WHMS; Matilda in Lower El.

Jess & JT Talking with

What is your background?

Jess: I completed my undergrad work at St. Rose in 2009 for English education grades 7-12. I finished my graduate degree for literacy specialist in 2012. After choosing to stay at home to raise my own two children for the beginning of their lives, I decided to persue my Montessori certification after substituting here at WHMS starting in 2019.

JT: My background is in music, media arts, education and arts administration, working primarily in academic domains. I have been a guest lecturer and adjunct instructor at the University at Buffalo, Medaille College, RPI, and The College of Saint Rose teaching courses in Music Technology, Media Robotics, and Design . I’m a composer and media artist working with a variety of media including computer music, kinetic sculpture, interactive art, experimental film, and video.

What inspired you to start your Montessori training?

Jess: Woodland Hill is actually the reason I decided to learn about Montessori philosophy. Kris took us on a tour of the primary room when we were deciding where to enroll our eldest child, and the magic hooked me immediately.

JT: When the COVID pandemic first started I began substitute teaching at my daughter’s primary Montessori school in Troy. After spending time with the children and through increased contact with the material and curriculum, I was inspired to pursue Montessori training at the Elementary level. I made a deep connection with Montessori philosophy and the cosmic education that is at the core of the curriculum.

What is your favorite pary of being in the classroom?

Jess: My favorite part of being in the classroom is the children themselves. During training, all the lessons are presented under ideal conditions, but being in the classroom makes it much more real. The children have their own personalities, and those unique dispositions and combinations thereof make each classroom environment what it is.

JT: The children are my favorite part of the classroom. In particular, I love giving lessons and working with children as they discover and begin to master materials. While I love being asked for help from children, my favorite moments are when I’m dismissed (or dismiss myself) from working with a child because they have the confidence to do work on their own and independently. Constantly witnessing children’s “aha” Montessori moments is a privilege, and I love to see it.

What is something you learned from the teachers you have observed or worked with?

Jess: The teachers here have been invaluable in sharing their wisdom, from the intricacies of the lessons themselves to helpful tips about managing groups or individual children. I'm grateful for their guidance.

JT: I’m continuously learning and am inspired by Sara and Hannah. The training courses I’m taking provide plenty of philosophy and theory regarding the curriculum and Montessori materials (and how they should be presented), but classroom leadership and management skills can only be learned by being in the classroom and observing effective techniques. I’ve been learning (through Sara and Hannah’s example) how to schedule and include as much of the vast cosmic curriculum into the school year as possible while being flexible, gracious, and courteous. Sara and Hannah are incredible models for how to teach/guide between the Montessori Dream and the Montessori Reality.

How would you describe the students at WHMS?

Jess: The students here at WHMS are wonderful young people. I am honored to work with them.

JT: The students in Sara and Hannah’s classroom have been so gracious and inviting in including me in their classroom community. I’ve enjoyed learning about them, as they have started to learn about me. For many LE students (in Sara’s classroom and from other classrooms), the realization/ revelation that Matilda is my daughter (or that I am her father) has been a surprise and an affirmation that I’m connected to their world.

The Lantern Walk

The Lantern Walk took place on the evening of Friday, Novemeber 18 in collaboration with The Curator Club and FLOCKart with a Sleepy Hollow theme though the event started earlier in the week with a special performance of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by the Will Kempe's Players for the Lower Elementary to Middle School students.

The event consisted of lantern making, wool spinning and weaving, WHMS Alumni running a shake your own butter bar and playing violin. Jesse Roberts constructed a cider press which was a hit, and Woodland Hill parent Andres Merger of the Bread Butler sold loaves of fresh baked bread. The Middle School students with Toni Roland ran a very successful bake sale which raised over $500 to donate to the South End Children's Cafe. Blair Lambert's artwork was showcased in the FLOCKart Gallery alongside intricate stick weaving created in her landart elective with Upper Elementary and Middle School students.

The night ended with a walk through the woods of WHMS, guided by the light of our lanterns and glow stick path to a gathering around the bonfires at the soccer field with rounds of singing led by Jessa Pelizari.

We thank everyone who volunteered their time and resources to make this such a successful creative community event for Woodland Hill. The efforts from the students of Curator Club to the coordination from Megan Stasi and Susan Thomas do not go unnoticed. Please share your photos with us!

From the Library

November is National Native American History Month and Sarah Colwill has set up a display in the library and a book list for teachers who are interested in sharing materials with their classrooms.

The library also has a display for Thanksgiving that includes many new books with a more updated frame for celebrating the holiday. Some of the items include:

Keepunumuk: Weechuman’s Thanksgiving Story

If You Lived During the Time of the Plimoth Plantation 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving

Harvest Days: Giving Thanks Around the World

Many of our favorite Thanksgiving books may no longer be appropriate when examined with a JEDI lens. Learn more about this perspective here.

The WHMS Book Fair took place from November 4-10 with parent volunteers and a diverse selection of books from Sarah's thoughtful choice process. The students were excited to examine the bookshelves as their passed through the hallways and have been talking about books following the fair. Sarah focused on areas that students really engage in by having an expansive graphic novel selection, a spread of books by all grade levels, and books in spanish.

Overall, we have received $4,261 Scholastic dollars which is already being spent for new books in the library and classrooms!

The Middle School held a Geology themed feast on Tuesday, November 22. Students showed their creativity in the kitchen by making earth layered dip, candy geodes, rock fudge, layers of the earth parfait, periodic table of cookies and so many more delicious delights!

Around the Halls...

In Upper Elementary, the students have been exploring new math curriculum and learning about biomes through animal research projects.

To celebrate community this Thanksgiving, the children have been cooking items to share with the other classrooms in their level by baking cornbread muffins and serving up cranberry applesauce. The students also wrote words of affirmation for their classmates!

On Thursday November 10, the Upper El raised just over $140 for the Albany Stratton VA Hospital by selling paper poppies at carline.

In Primary, several classes hosted their own family-style meal of Stone Soup. The story is telling of how we all come together, offering something to share, to feed one another in our community - even if it's just in the classroom!