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On March 13th at 14th, Gemstones learners will share their interests and talents through their annual exhibition. Come at 6:00 pm to see a wide variety of interest-based research projects and art displays. Then, stick around for a musical theater production of "James and the Giant Peach" beginning at 7:00 p.m. Check out the trailer for the play here (or click this link): #Art #ProjectBasedLearning #Montessori

In our family emails this week, we had a theme of INVOLVED PARENTS. We boast some of the most amazing family involvement of any school! Here is information on two wonderful family opportunities we shared this week: SPRING 2019 ENRICHMENTS FLYER Enrichment Program registration is happening now! Spring Enrichment Flyer - Second Session - download here. Register by emailing the program provider listed. Programs begin after Spring break, so the deadline to register is Wednesday the 20th of March. There is one scholarship available per enrichment, which you can request when you email the provider of the program. There is also a great opportunity for an online parenting course from the Montessori Family Alliance, below. You can click this link to read the full email with all the details about the course from the Alliance, and check out the most pertinent info in this email. This online course would be a great way to build your parenting skills (YES, these are skills that you can learn) and learn how to link family life more closely with Montessori philosophy. We hope you will check it out! Give Yourselves the Gift of Montessori Parenting 101 The Parenting Puzzle - The Basics 5 week Online Course Ongoing Access Normal cost - $150/Family SPRING SALE: $49.95 Offer ends April 1 Use Code flash-pp at checkout Click this link to register!

Please find here the recording of this year's State of the School Address. From academics to financials to real life learning - view this video from February 5th, 2019 which will give you an overall picture of the health of our school. Please also follow along with the Powerpoint slides which you can download here.

Ashley Giles is the Health Services Consultant at Community Montessori. She is a family nurse practitioner and has been a parent at Community Montessori since 2016. She has presented the information below to share with you based on her experiences as a healthcare professional and parent. We hope you find this information helpful to your family! Why is a healthy school lunch, and any meal for that matter, important? The over consumption of sugar is increasingly being linked to brain-related health issues such as depression, learning disorders, memory problems and overeating. Research suggests consumption of sugar and sweets can trigger reward and craving states in your brain similar to addictive drugs. While these are serious health concerns in themselves, sugar impairs your brain’s ability to concentrate, assimilate and store information and inhibits the body’s ability to control impulsive behavior. Over consumption of sugar at any meal of the day, but especially breakfast or lunch does do well to set your child up for success in his behavior or learning. One of the biggest ways we can support our learners for a successful day is to give their bodies (and brains) the ‘food information’ it needs to function at their best. Children ages 4-8 with a daily caloric intake of 1,600 calories should consume no more than 130 calories, or about 3 teaspoons a day of ‘free sugars’. (Ages 8-11 4tsp and ages 11-18 5tsp) What are ‘free sugars’? Free sugars’ are any sugars that are added to food or drinks, or present naturally in unsweetened fruit juices, honey or syrups. It does not include natural sugar found in fruits, vegetables and milk. The average American consumes over 19tsp of sugar a day! Almost double the recommended amount. Hidden sources of sugars include cereals, sauces, packaged or dried fruits, jellies, sports drinks, gummie snacks, yogurts, and fruit juices. One serving of lucky charms (3/4c) contains 3tsp of sugar, which is over half of a young child’s daily allowance for the day! Most yogurts contain as much sugar as a candy bar and one sports drink a day easily doubles their daily sugar allowance. While providing a healthy lunch every day can be a challenge, it can be done. Having your learner help in preparation can make this easier yet. Start with having four categories to fill: One fruit, one vegetable, one healthy fat and one healthy protein. Sometimes these categories will overlap and that’s okay. Have options for each category listed out on the refrigerator and pack away! See below for some sample lists and recipes that have been successful in our house: Optional Fillers: (WHOLE grain carbohydrate options) Rice cakes, air popped popcorn, plantain chips, high fiber whole grain cereals (Add the fiber and protein and this should be double the sugar in grams to qualify). One small dessert: (Limit serving size to <12gms (4tsp) of sugar as this is the max intake for young children for the day) Dum dum sucker, fruit strips, Hersey’s kiss, Gold fish, fruit snacks, pea crisps, pirate puffs, mini candy bars, chocolate dipped nuts, candied nuts, honey grahams, higher sugar yogurts. Example meals: Hard boiled eggs, cheese slices, apple and snap peas Edamame, carrot slices with peanut butter, peach Lentil noodles with tomato sauce, olives, a banana Lunch meat and cheese cucumber rolls, hummus and tomatoes, applesauce packet. Trail mix (nuts, dried cherries/raisins, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, chocolate chips) Mixed with whole grain high fiber cereal (Kashi). Strawberries and sliced red pepper. Mashed potatoes with shredded cheese, apples and peanut butter. Low sugar full fat yogurt with berries and sweet potato with cinnamon and butter. Asparagus wrapped in bacon with peaches and rice cakes. Energy balls, snap peas and edamame. Olives, tomatoes, mozzarella with hummus and apple sauce pouch. Oat pancakes with yogurt and berries, snap peas. Helpful recipes: Oat pancakes: https://www.kimscravings.com/banana-oat-blender-pancakes/#_a5y_p=4708596 Sweet potato fries: http://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/sweet-and-spicy-sweet-potato-fries/ Cauliflower rice: https://kirbiecravings.com/2016/05/garlic-parmesan-cauliflower-rice.html Zucchini pizza: https://www.cookingclassy.com/zucchini-pizza-boats/ Energy Balls/Bars: https://cleanfoodcrush.com/no-bake-energy-bars/ Apple nachos: https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2014/08/loaded-apple-nachos.html and http://www.trialandeater.com/apple-nachos-with-peanut-butter-chocolate/

Check out this link to visit The Floyd County Library Blog, which featured a post written by our teen learner Rey Spooner. #Internship

The teachers from Trapezoid Studio, Laura Bergstrom and Terri Raynor, recommend this article from the Montessori Doshi website. The teachers know many of you will be travelling over break or having family come to visit. Here is a blog post about how to support Montessori discipline (especially for those with learners in the 3-6 year old studios) as you go to parties, travel to relatives' homes, and deal with inconsistent schedules. Visit this link to see the article "Montessori in the Wild: How to handle children's discipline when you're not in a Montessori environment anymore." Blog link shared with permission under this linked licence with credit for the article to Catherine McTamaney, Ed.D.

In this video recording of the December 2018 PIP Workshop, Allen Frantz and Emily Ross lead a discussion on Montessori philosophy and facilitate brainstorming for logical and consistent parameters for your teen's use of phones, tv, video games, social media, and other technology. #PIPWorkshop #ParentEducation #Montessori

Please visit this link to see an article from the News and Tribune published today informing the community about the December 7th, 2018 Charter School lottery deadline. Visit this page on our website for the Kindergarten/Elementary application, and this page for our Teen Application. Remaining observation/tour times before the deadline are: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6 No RVSP required.

This is the story of "The Coming of Code" as interpreted by our Teen Studio Support Coordinator, Danielle Manzo: Modern science tells us, that billions of years before there was a concept of time there was a blossoming of a new universe filled with swirling helium and hydrogen. These swirls started to compound into bits of carbon that cooked in what could be termed as a little oven until it burst into the light of the stars we know today. It seems so very simple; just a few elements. However, that helium, hydrogen, and carbon transformed again and again to create magnificent planets that support atmospheres and life. This life began with one celled prokaryotes that eventually led to us, the modern human. Without that these elements we would not be here today, so it only seems appropriate that we start at the beginning when investigating what code is and how it launched us into the technology boom that we live in today. Remember, current scientists tell us that human history is very short in comparison to how long the universe has been in existence. That carbon spent an outstanding amount of time manipulating itself and being transformed into different parts of this universe. Maria Montessori was no stranger to this concept and passionately reflected on the idea of cosmic purpose for this very reason. She explains that each species, or life form has a specific purpose in its lifetime. This is why when we start an investigation as learners, we start back at the beginning of the cosmos exploring our progression of a species, discovering our purpose, and our potential on this earth. We are a very advanced species, seemingly never happy where we are, always wanting to find information, progressing to the next level of efficiency and discovery. Because of this it can be inferred that we are an extremely creative, manipulative species, constantly innovating what we already know. It is almost as if we are empowered by the question, what if? Sometimes our innovations move us forward as a community. After all, we created fire to stay warm, buildings for shelter, and ways to find, capture, and grow food. These innovations lead to communities, cities, and societies, countries, and governments. This progression is not always smooth and simple. History, changing territories, and populations gives us this clue. Some of these innovations lead to great conflicts and the ability to take one another’s life. We figured out how to kill not only each other, but also cause great damage to our earth and other species on this planet. During our short history as a species we have helped change not only how our planet looks, but also weather patterns and our atmosphere. We have brought great disease upon ourselves and ended up famished from lack of food and resources in some areas of the world. That brings about the question, are the changes and effects we have on this world positive? This question is not easy to answer, but as we look at the level of communication we have achieved, we will continually uncover evidence that helps us form evidence in hopes of coming to a conclusion. Our species’ story starts millions of years ago when our struggle to survive was very real. As we progressed we discovered the need to tell our story from generation to generation. At this point this story acted as documentation and instruction for how to successfully survive. Survival was our first goal at this time. At first our story was simply verbal, handed down from generation to generation through storytelling. Then, we discovered we could tell a more accurate story through pictures and paintings. Today we can see paintings of our ancestors hunting and gathering for survival along the walls of caves throughout modern Europe. Our search for further communication did not stop there, as our instinct for survival was too keen. We found that if we used a consistent set of images, symbols, and pictures we could tell a more complex story. This complex form of documentation lead to the ability to cultivate and settle down into civilizations that did not have to depend on roaming animals for nutrition. These civilizations grew as new responsibilities became clear and governments started to form. Some of these civilizations are ones we know by name thanks to archaeologists. One of these civilizations were the Ancient Sumerians. They began to make signs using a wedge shaped tool called a stylus. They pushed the tool into soft clay and it made an impression, then it baked in the sun and became hard. People used the signs they made to make books and they had whole libraries filled with this special script called ‘cuneiform’ writing. This progressed to the Egyptians who created hieroglyphics that we can actually translate into modern language thanks to the Napoleon's discovery of the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone contained hieroglyphics next to ancient greek allowing for connections to be made between two languages. Around the same time Ancient Greece and Egypt were coming about the the Phoenicians were making their presence known in the world of communication and thought hieroglyphics were useful, but sometimes difficult to understand. They simplified this letter system into a series of symbols that show the sounds made when a word is said. There were around 20 symbols. This is also where we get the word phonetics from today. As time went on, societies formed letters into alphabets with phonetic sounds that allowed for our speech and writing to meet as one. History was not only created by archaeologists at this point, it was created by our own hands. From here innovations of new tools for writing became more advanced as we created the printing press. This form of technology allowed us to create publications for the masses. Up to this point, only highly educated citizens, many monks, were able to write and read. This was a sign of power. Because of this press, the common person could now learn to read, write, and communicate with future generations. Over time, we progressed into fantastical fiction that entertained us by way of theater and novels. It is at this point that we begin to know great writers like Shakespeare and Jane Austen. We wrote down discoveries about our word, the universe around us, and our progression continued. Soon we figured out we could build mechanisms that delivered code, swiftly from one place to another. The invention of morse code allowed people over long distances to communicate clearly for the first time. Unfortunately, some of these machines also allowed us to work against our enemies, continuing a troubling tradition of human violence. Over time we found that we could build more sophisticated machines that communicated our writing to one another in the form of binary 1’s and 0’s. Today, we know this as the computer. The computer allowed us to process words differently. Written progress could be saved and added to in the future. The invention of the computer allowed us to travel to new distances, which included outer space; where we began. Soon after, we discovered a way to transport this writing, almost magically through email, and if you are a certain age your remember the haunting sounds of dial up and AOL’s chant, “You’ve got mail.” Computer languages were born to serve a variety of different purposes. Some allow for meticulous documentation. Others give us the ability to create completely new environments in a virtual reality, which expands to social media. Suddenly, our prepared environments could potentially expand to online tools such as the Google Suite we use throughout much of Community Montessori. The exciting thing about binary code is that it is a combination of language and math that has made the speed of communication almost instant. It has also fused the world of language and science that has helped us with such achievements as space travel as mentioned before and the internet. Now, we can communicate with someone in China quite casually. We can look through all of the collections that the Louvre in Paris, France has to offer. We can also create images that are almost as realistic as life itself. It could be argued that our advances in the area of writing and communication have sped up our entire way of life. Information is coming at us faster than ever, forcing us to innovate at a rate that is hard to describe, and in many ways, that could change the very lifestyles we lead. Our struggle for nutrition and civilization is a distant memory as we deal with current issues such as the potential for nuclear warfare or what so and so said about us on Twitter. Peace is not an impossibility, but a concept we must continue trying to achieve. How do we figure out the balance between the joy of updating our Twitter to the fear of nuclear war? This very question of balance brings us back to where we started. Are the changes and effects we have on this world positive? Can we truly find peace, when we have so much power? Fortunately, we have future generations of learners to continue analyzing these questions as we enter the unknown future. At Community Montessori, we try to prepare our learners for the unknown future while learning how to work through the ever changing present. Several years ago we started to recognize a boom in social media, which is when we created and Social Media Procedures and asked all of our CM Families to really THINK before they post. Is it TRUE? Is it HELPFUL? Is it INSPIRING? Is it NECESSARY? It is KIND? This procedure is one small step in the process of living in our ever changing present, but it is not the only step we are taking. In Early Education learners are learning to establish and understand patterns through the use of sensorial and practical life materials. Patterns are the foundation in which code is build upon. As learners move into Lower Elementary they see how these patterns turn into academic skills and simple programs. The ideas of functions, looping, and binary can be introduced. It is at this point where they can become familiar with how different technologies might work, even without being in front of a screen. This year, it this looked like one of our studies pulling apart an old computer and identifying the task of each different part. In Upper Elementary learners are introduced to email, word processing, and might get to experience a little social media as they start to really grow into their personalities. This might also be a time when they start tinkering code through programs like Scratch or Grasshopper. In the Teens Program teens are learning about their identity how they fit into society both in the real world through Internships, and online as they explore their virtual identities. Their social life is key and all of the aspects they learned throughout their time here come together as they prepare to enter adulthood. The exploration of coding, how video games work, and why media travels so quickly booms! All we have to do now is keep asking, what’s next? We will continue to help our learners make positive impacts on our world. We will help them to learn to promote peace. We will help them to become agents of change in our ever changing future.

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