Montessori Messenger | September 2023

montessori MESSENGER

Woodland Hill Montessori School Volume 2 | Issue 1 SEPTEMBER

Thank you to Amanda Bentley for always setting up a beautiful center-peace for the ceremony each year.

International Day of Peace Celebration

On the morning of Friday, September 29, the whole school gathered in the gym to celebrate the International Day of Peace. The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981. The day is devoted to strenghtening the ideas of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence. The theme this year was Actions for peace: Our ambition for the #GlobalGoals

Michelle Edwards began the ceremony by welcoming the community into the space and speaking about what the Internation Day of Peace represents. She passed on the microphone to the Primary team who shared the poem: May peace be before you, behind you, above you, below you, from your heart, to your lips, to everyone. Lower Elementary led the school with a rendition of PEACE to the tune of BINGO, Upper Elementary sang Building Bridges, a song written by the women of Greenham Common Peace Occupation in England, 1983. The Middle School shared this message:

"In regards to our decision marking, Oren Lyons, a Senca Faithkeeper from the Onondaga Nation once said, "The Peacemaker taught us about the Seven Generations. He said, when you sit in council for the welfare of the people, you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. He said, 'make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, to that they may enjoy what you have today." This is a good reminder to us all on this day of peace."

The ceremony concluded with a few rounds of Light a Candle for Peace before continuing on with our busy Friday at school. We offer you a reminder, that the work for peace is never finished. This assembly has become a Woodland Hill tradition, always finding new ways to share peace with one another.

You can read more about the International Day of Peace here.

Toddler

The children are adjusting to our classroom routines and expectations and both toddler classes are starting to have a nice flow to the day.

Food tasting has been a big hit and the children are eager to gather around the green rug and we have tasted three different types of apples: honey crisp, macintosh and gala.

Check out a glimpse into some of Woodland Hill's youngest curious minds!

Email Nicholle Gregor if you'd like to volunteer! ngregor@woodlandhill.org

Upper Elementary

"As we observe children, we see the vitality of their spirit, the maximum effort put forth in all they do, the intuition, attention and focus they bring to all life's events, and the sheer joy they experience in living."

Dr. Maria Montessori

Tuesday,

T h e M o n t e s s o r i m e t h o d a n d i t s p r i n c i p l e s a r e n o t j u s t f o r y o u r c h i l d ’ s t i m e a t

W H M S . T h e y c a n a l s o b e a p p l i e d a t h o m e t o h e l p c h i l d r e n c o n t i n u e t o c u l t i v a t e i n d e p e n d e n c e , c o n f i d e n c e , a n d a l o v e o f l e a r n i n g . J o i n e x p e r i e n c e d J e n n i f e r G r a h a m , l o n g t i m e t e a c h e r a t W o o d l a n d H i l l , f o r o u r P a r e n t E d u c a t i o n e v e n i n g f o c u s i n g o n M o n t e s s o r i i n t h e H o m e . J e n n i f e r w i l l d i s c u s s h o w to m a k e y o u r h o m e m o r e M o n t e s s o r i ” i n c l u d i n g . . .

I d e a s f o r e n a b l i n g y o u r c h i l d r e n t o b e a h e l p f u l m e m b e r o f t h e f a m i l y

c o m m u n i t y

M o n t e s s o r i - l i k e a c t i v i t i e s f o r y o u r c h i l d t o e n g a g e i n a t t h e h o m e

F a m i l y A c t i v i t y i d e a s a n d m o r e !

Meeting ID: 928 8322 7052

Passcode: Home

October 3 | 8

Join us on Zoom! in the Home

Parent Education Experience

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Montessori

Lower Elementary

Middle School

The Middle School had a wonderful time at Camp Chingachgook for their annual community building trip. Students were engaged in swimming, canoeing, archery, a high ropes course, and a wonderful campfire with stories and s'mores. The temperature dipped down into the 40’s at night, but for the most part, students stayed warm and we all had a good time.

The first theme of the school year is Explorations and New Beginnings. The students are exploring this theme across the academic disciplines, creating direct intercurricular connections whenever possible. In Social Studies, the first unit of the school year explores Indigenous American cultures, currently focusing our studies on the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois) and the Mohicans from our local area. We welcomed Haudenosaunee speaker Glenn Bentz in the amphitheater this past week who captivated the students for two hours with artifacts and stories.

In Earth Science, students have been learning about the stars in our universe and the ways they form and change over time while in ELA, we are wrapping up our first unit based on summer reading and the creation of a 6 word memoir with artwork.

HIGH SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION

INDEPENDENT HIGH SCHOOL FAIR INDEPENDENT HIGH SCHOOL FAIR

Wednesday, October 18 | 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Interested in exploring independent high school as an option for your family? This information session will give you an overview of options, guide you in assessing the right fit, and share a timeline for applying. Admissions representatives from area independent schools will be available to answer your questions about admissions and financial aid.

TRANSITIONING TO HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITIONING TO HIGH SCHOOL

Tuesday, November 14 | 6 p.m. -

How to set yourself, parents and students, up for a successful transition to high school is the focus of this information session. A local high school counselor will cover important information on how to connect with your local public high school, course selection, scheduling, and other tips on making a successful transition for your family.

E R A E N A F R A I T E S - G O N Z A L E Z A s s o c i a t e D i r e c t o r o f A d m i s s i o n s

SESSIONS INFORMATION SESSIONS

7:30

W e i n v i t e y o u t o j o i n u s f o r t w o i n f o r m a t i o n s e s s i o n s d e s i g n e d t o h e l p y o u r f a m i l y n a v i g a t e t h e n e x t s t e p i n y o u r M i d d l e S c h o o l s t u d e n t ' s e d u c a t i o n .

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K R I S G E R N E R T - D O T T D i r e c t o r o f A d m i s s i o n s

New Faces at Woodland Hill

Meet our newest faculty at WHMS this school year!

Emily Whitby

Emily joins us in the Toddler program after working in aftercare, summer camp, and as a substitute at WHMS since 2021. She has a bachelor’s degree in childhood/special education and English from The College of St. Rose.

Michael Franklin

Michael joins us as an assistant teacher with John Slater. Michael has a bachelor's degree in physical education from Russell Sage College. He has worked at WHMS since 2020 in our aftercare, summer camp, and as a substitute.

Chloë Williams-Searle

Chloë graduated from Vassar College in 2021 with a double major in Art History and Film. She earned general and departmental honors and received the Frances Daly Ferguson Award for the top art history honors thesis and the Ken Robinson Prize for Excellence in Post-Production Filmmaking. Prior to joining WHMS, she worked at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan. Chloë is a 2013 graduate of Woodland Hill Montessori School and our first alumnus to join the WHMS faculty.

Linda Fennell

Linda joins the WHMS faculty as an assitant teacher with Michele Praileau. Linda earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from The College of Saint Rose. She is coming to Woodland Hill from her most recent position as a teaching assistant for Questar III BOCES at Maple Hill. Linda also has professional experience as a personal development coach with a focus on health education and resilience for youth ages 9-18.

Elyssa Connolly

Elysssa joins the Middle School team as our science teacher. Elyssa comes to WHMS from North Country School in Lake Placid where she taught 4th, 5th, and 8th graders and served as a house parent to adolescent boarding students. Elyssa has a bachelor’s degree in geology, religious studies, and public health from St. Lawrence University.

Primary

"I hope you are doing well! It has been too long — I hope all at WHMS are well.

Jason Eveleth, Aidan LaBella, Brian Shim, and I [Connor Chung] say hi to you all from Boston. Brian, Jason, and I just graduated this spring from undergrad at Northeastern, Brown, and Harvard. Jason is now doing a masters in Computer Science, Aidan is doing a PhD in Computer Science at Brown, Brian is starting a PhD in biology at Harvard Med, and I am about to start a Masters in Economic History at Cambridge.