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Learners in the Diamond Studio at Community Montessori share how important water quality is to a reef aquarium and how to achieve this crucial goal. This video is also part of a series about reefing developed by Community Montessori Diamond learners. #ReefTank

“Child’s Work Night” was held for Elementary and Early Education families on Thursday, October 25th. This is an opportunity for parents, siblings and other family to come into the studio environments where children work and learn everyday. This event allows the children to share the activities that they have been working on during the school year. This opportunity is also important to the families' continuing learning about the method and philosophy of the school. Children are so excited to share what they have been doing with their families, and it is a special time of building community for the school. Thank you to all who attended and participated.

You wake up, yawn, stretch, and get yourself ready to start the day. You walk into your child’s bedroom and wake them up. Things begin to spin out of control; they are not happy, are cranky, and don’t want to get dressed. You fight over what they are going to wear; you are frustrated that they can’t find their shoes; and your tension builds as you watch the time on the clock slowly slip away. Now, breakfast is rushed or eaten in the car. Lunch...who has time to worry about that? You pack that while they finish eating and you all rush to your car. Does any of this sound familiar? Below are some ideas that might support a smoother morning at home! You’ve heard us talk about supporting independence before and the key in these situations is time management. Children at this age haven’t grasped the concept of time, as you may have noticed, and their speed as to get things accomplished is vastly different from the adults. The Early Ed staff at CM have created a table that may help facilitate your morning schedule. This process towards independence and self-regulation can look different for every child and every family. Use what works for you and your child. There may be push back from your child, but if you recognize that they are physically capable of doing something (i.e. putting their own shoes on), they just need the time to do so. You can say to them, “I will sit right here and support you. You can put your shoes on and I’ll talk to you.” Remember that consistency is key, as is a bit of flexibility while making these changes. Need more help or suggestions in these or any other areas? We are more than happy to support you in any way we can. Please feel free to send us an email. “In short the whole problem of education is to give the child the necessary help, excluding any unnecessary help, so that the child may be helped to develop himself. This means that the adult must re-orient himself in his understanding of the child and thus assist in the solution of a great problem. Self-activity thus becomes the basis for education.” -Maria Montessori *Click here: more information about the Guidelines for Sleep by the American Academy of Pediatrics *Click here: read more about positive phrasing without praise or punishments #ParentEducation #Montessori

Spectrum News visited Community Montessori over October Break, to find out more about Charter Schools in Indiana. This interview was part of a story on the lack of Charter Schools in Kentucky. http://spectrumlocalnews.com/ky/louisville/news/2018/10/17/kentucky-charter-schools #CommunityMontessori

The News and Tribune published an article about our school's Early Education program. The reporter who wrote the story was invited to the school to explore our program as a follow up to a recent article in the paper on the effects of the State of Indiana's "On My Way to Pre-K Program". Check out the story, below: Link to today's article: Community Montessori Works To Be Accessible; Stay True To Philosophy Link to the original "On My Way to Pre-K" article: On My Way Pre-K Off To Slow Start #CommunityMontessori

At Montessori schools, children are usually divided into 3-year age groupings. This makes Montessori classrooms diverse environments with a variety of ages, abilities, and interests. Younger children are able to observe and learn from older children doing more challenging work. Older children have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and be role models. Learners are allowed, and even encouraged, to work collaboratively (especially at the elementary age level when they are developing their sense of fairness and thrive on social activity). When you observe in Montessori environment you’ll witness a busy hum of activity--that means learning is happening! For now, enjoy this video from Montessori Guide showing collaboration in the elementary environment in action.

The foundation of everything we do as a Montessori school is observation. Maria Montessori was a doctor and a scientist before she was a teacher. She took a scientific approach to education, observing children’s natural tendencies and developing an educational pedagogy grounded in those observations. Today, we watch closely and modify our lessons and materials in the environment to best suit each child’s individual development and interests. We try to anticipate just what the children will need next and make sure it’s readily available for them. This observation-based approach is called “following the child.” Dr. Montessori said, “It is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him feel her presence too much, so that she may always be ready to supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the child and his experience.” Learn more in the video, below: "An exploration of the role Observation plays in our daily Montessori practice in both the Primary and Elementary setting. For more, go to montessoriguide.org."

Do you ever wish that your money would magically double? Well, your wish may be fulfilled. Our school is participating in Give for Good Louisville, a 24-hour, regional day of giving to support non-profit organizations in our community to be held on September 13th - and we have an alumni family that has committed to match any gift, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR, up to $2,500, given on that day through our online profile. If we exceed this amount, all contributions made by ANYONE to our school on September 13th through our profile linked here will also be MATCHED, on a proportionate basis with other Southern Indiana non-profits. As of this writing, THREE Southern Indiana Foundations are matching contributions made to southern Indiana non-profits, including our school! In addition to planning to make your financial gift, you can also view our giving day profile today and sign up there to share about our school and our project, and even set your own fundraising goal to share with your family and friends! Community Montessori is participating on September 13th to raise funds to support our many Expansion projects like the CASA dei Curiosity project - the first addition to our school in more than a DECADE! Check out this awesome video created by our staff and learners here to learn more about the CASA! Maybe you are a new family this year, and you are feeling grateful for a new school, and new opportunities for your family. Maybe you are a family who has been with us for many years, and our school has become part of the fabric of your lives. Or maybe you are a community member who is glad to have this school available to our young people. These expansion projects are one way to allow our school to continue to grow and serve our community with a unique environment for education, right here in New Albany. Aren’t we all so lucky? Join us on September 13th. Thank you! Melissa Weissinger Expansion Development Coordinator

Check out this short video to see how you can submit your Absence Waivers online, through our website.

This video is a recording of a presentation given on Tuesday, August 14th for CM families and teens, to share some exciting changes that have gone into effect for coursework and requirements for graduation that have been crafted by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and the State Board of Education (SBOE). We are very excited to share all of this information and partner with you to support the BEST transition for your teen from CM to college/career! Here is a link to the PowerPoint presentation to follow along, and here is a link to the informational form about dual credit options available for teens at CM.

Take a look at this video to see what was shared at our New Family Orientation meeting on Tuesday, August 14th. The link to the PowerPoint presentation to follow along can be found here. The video link below plays part one of the presentation, and you can visit this link to see both parts in one playlist.

Striving to create an authentic Montessori environment in a Charter school world like the one at Community Montessori is a balancing act. Families of 12-14 year old learners, and even the learners themselves, might begin to question why activities such as "occupations", "Big Projects", "individual inquiries", and even our kinesthetic approach to learning in a lot of our studies is necessary. This video of a presentation given by Emily Ross, a teacher in the Islands' Monsoon Studio, shows her explaining to the learners why the teaching and learning styles utilized at this age level have been developed at Community Montessori. It is our hope that this presentation explains to the learners and their families the role of "Noble Work" and the intentions of Montessori's Erdkinder vision combined with the modern requirements that our current world demands of schools in our state and local environments.