Message From the Director
Dear Families,
Oh my! There is so much going on as we head towards the end of the school year. After spring break always seems like a whirlwind and this year, as I experience things for the first time here at WRM, is no different.
Please mark Monday, April 1 at 8:45 on your calendar for our next Coffee with Brenda. We will be discussing parent education and what parents feel they need moving into the 2024-25 school year. In other words, what can our knowledgeable faculty and staff do to help you better connect with your child's Montessori education. I hope to see you there!
Have a great weekend,
Brenda
Parent Education Event
I hope you marked your calendar for March 28 from 6:15-7:30.
Do you want to work with the beautiful Montessori cultural materials? Our amazing faculty will be offering a parent education event!
Here are the details:
When:
Thursday, March 28 from 6:15-7:30
Where:
Toddler Parents meet in the Art Room (upstairs)
Primary Parents meet in P2
Lower Elementary Parents meet in LE1
Upper Elementary Parents meet in the UE environment
MS Parents meet in the MS environment
Who:
Toddler; Ms. Yazmin and Ms. Fernanda
Primary; Miss Lisa and Mr. Hagen
Lower Elementary; Ms. Bell and Mrs. Glenister
Upper Elementary; Mrs. Brass and Miss Ginger
Middle School; Our 7th Year Students and 8th Year Mentor Students
What:
Practical Life at School and at Home for the Toddler
Cultural Subjects at all other levels...one of the most misunderstood areas of the Montessori environment.
While Language and Math are major and essential components of the Montessori environment, cultural lessons remain an equally important and vital part of the student’s day. Incorporating Cultural lessons into a student’s educational experience enables them to enrich their understanding of the world and begin to understand their place within a global society. Often times Montessorians refer to this understanding as "Cosmic Education." Dr. Montessori wrote, “The child will develop a kind of philosophy which teaches this unity of the universe; this is the very thing to motivate his interest and to give him a better insight into his own place and task in the world and at the same time presenting a chance for the development of his creative energy.”
The Cultural curriculum refers to an integrated study that includes History, Biology, Geography, Physical Science, and the Arts.
Giving students the Cultural lessons and skills needed to make discoveries about our world is responsive to developmental curiosity. By introducing lessons about the intricacies of our world early and throughout their education, students are exposed to concepts like political geography, Earth science, physical science, biology, zoology, physics, and engineering, and are able to speak to these concepts at a young age.
Cultural materials are designed for each developmental level and become more complex as the grades progress, so that a student revisits a concept many times, but through materials and lessons most appropriate to their current cognitive ability. This process, known as scaffolding, is a form of learning where students are provided with the necessary support and guidance to progress from one level to the next.
Please join us and expeirence, first hand, the beautiful Cultural materials.
Childcare:
If you are in need of childcare for the parent education event, please email Toni at toni@whiterockmontessori.org and let her know number and ages of your children that will be attending. Remember childcare is ONLY for WRM enrolled students. Toddler children will be cared for in the Toddler environment and all other children will be in the before/after school care environment. Thank you!
I hope to see you there!
Walkathon!
Rain Date April 5, 2024
Book Study
Please remember our book study of the book, The Gift of Failure,
continues Monday, March 25. Please read Chapters 3 and 4 and come with two "ah-ha's" and two essential questions.
Thank you for a great first week!
Animal Care!
I wanted to share this article written by Frankie Gervais, one of our Upper Elementary 5th Years about the importance of animal care as practical life for our older students. This leads me to our problem...we NEED more parent participation in animal care! As part of the WRM community, families are asked to do 10 hours of volunteer work. Can you give an hour or so, on a weekend or over a break, to ensure our animals are safe and cared for? If we are going to have animals, we need to care for them! If you are animal care trained, please use this link
to sign up. If you haven't had the training, never fear...Scott will be doing more trainings for the 2024-25 school year and I would love to see more participation. Thank you!
Next Week is Spirit Week!
Next week is our
first ever
Spirit Week at we lead up to Founder's Day. I hope everyone joins in on the fun!
AMS Family Connections
Access the March AMS Family Connections
here. This month the articles are about the Reasoning Mind of the Elementary Student and Music Education in the Montessori Early Childhood Classroom.
Founder's Day!
The three founders of our beautiful school will be joining us on Friday, March 29 for first ever Founder's Day. We won't be able to accommodate parents, but please don't worry. Katie, WRM Technology guru, will capture video and share on a closed You Tube Channel. What will we be doing?
- Dedicating the Buddy Bench that was gifted to WRM by the Peggs Family!
- Dedicating the new International Peace Plaque and Peace Flag! WRM is now an International Peace Site.
- Dedicating the new Founder's Fountain.
- Gifting our founders beautiful gifts made by the children.
- Listening to the research our UE students have conducted on the history and founding of our school.
- Dedicating the Founder's Quilt that will hang in the main entrance of our school. Thank you to Yvette LaCroix for making the quilt a reality!
Eclipse!
The faculty is currently planning for the upcoming historical eclipse that will happen on April 8. Mrs. Connery was proactive and ordered CE and ISO certified safe shades for direct sun viewing. The glasses are made while adhering to stringent safety and quality regulations set by the American Astronomical Society. So look for an "All Things Eclipse" newsletter to come home soon outlining what our plan is for each level. I hear Dallas will be abuzz with Eclipse watchers!
TPC News!
DON'T MISS IT!
TPC is offering a
WRM Shirt Flash Sale
NOW -- but orders are due
tomorrow (Friday) by 12:00 noon!
All shirts are $20 (including a donation to TPC), and are available in sizes all the way from 18M to Adult 4XL! Shirts will be sent home from school next Thursday, March 28th (just in time for our Founders' Day celebration!), only if payment has been received.
Get yours now! Every Friday for me is WRM Spirit Day (that way I don't have to think about what to wear on a Friday). It would be nice to see students in their WRM swag!
Alumni News!
Check out
this article
about Campbell, WRM alumni, in the White Rock Lake Weekly! Congratulations!
Earth Day!
Mark your calendars for April 22. It's Earth Day! This year's Earth Day Theme is Planet vs. Plastics. You can check out learning activities and information on the official Earth Day website.
Here at WRM we will be engaging in many Earth Day activities. Look for more information to come home soon!
Montessori Roundtable Education Event
Tuesday, April 16 from 6:15-8:00. Come and learn about optimal schedules and systems that work for the entire family. There is childcare available. Please see the evite
to register.
DAA (Diversity Awareness & Advocacy)
Link to the DAA Curriculum on our WRM website:
https://www.whiterockmontessori.org/diversity
White Rock Montessori’s Diversity, Advocacy and Awareness curriculum is proud to recognize March as activism month.
White Rock Montessori is proud to recognize the inherent and meaningful activism built into Montessori education and the commitment to being a champion for advocacy at our school. By definition, activism leads us to bring change to our community through policy or action. In the month of March, we acknowledge that every day is an opportunity to show up for each other and our surroundings to create the safest and most equitable environment for us all. We invite you to engage your children in conversation about the importance of activism and the ways in which we all benefit from a community that supports and honors the lived experiences and needs of one another. Check out these resources with tips to support your current activist adolescent
, tips on ways to engage your children in activism
, and Empowering the Next Generation through Civic Engagement.
"Peace cannot exist without justice." -Dr. Maria Monessori.
Join us for March DAA Coffee Chat on Thursday, March 28 at 8:45. See you there!
