September is when the Magic Really Begins!

 Important Dates on the Horizon:

Sun., Sept. 29: AUTUMNFEST, Noon to 4 pm at MPS.

Thur.-Fri., Oct. 17-18: Teacher Workdays, No School.

Wed.-Fri., Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving Holidays, No School

Friday, Dec. 20: Early Release for Winter Holidays, Everyone picks up at 11:30

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CALENDAR

"I did it!"

Toddlers are Becoming Independent

Throughout the day sounds of proud accomplishments are ringing in the classroom. From activities of taking off/on shoes, washing hands, pulling up pants, pouring water, completing the cone puzzle to buttoning/unbuttoning the dressing loom. These toddlers are in a prepared environment with ample time to complete these new tasks and activities. Although the term toddler is used do not underestimate these students, many are verbally counting beyond 10, learning to write numbers on the chalk board and beginning to express stories to take home. All this in only the first month! Actions always speak louder than words so come by and see all the work the toddlers explore.

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Students in the 2-4 Class have been exploring all corners of the classroom in these first weeks of school.

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 3 to 6 Class is Practicing Grace & Courtesy

We are having a wonderful start to the year in the three to six class. The children have enjoyed coming outside first thing in the morning, and we have been lucky to have great weather. The children have all jumped right into work and are excited about new lessons.

We are practicing a lot of grace and courtesy, especially at lunch time. The children really enjoy having a placemat, napkin, and plate. We have introduced dishwashing so the kids can wash their plates after lunch (but we would encourage another wash when the plate comes home :)!). We have already celebrated two birthdays and had visitors for lunch. It is fun to share that time with parents.

Beginning the week of Sept. 30, we want to encourage parents to come observe. We will send out a schedule next week so that you can sign up to come and see what your child has been doing at school!

Thanks for sharing your amazing children with us!

 Congratulations to Sara and her new family!

 3 to 6 teacher Sara Drum and her husband Christian welcomed Miles Beckham & Luke Thompson on Saturday August 17th at 12:20p.m. Miles was 5lbs 13oz and 19" long. Luke was 4lbs 2oz and 17" long. Sara and the boys were sent home on Thursday the 22nd. The Drum family returned home to Boone on Saturday September 7th. Everyone is resting and doing well. The boys are back to their birth weight and steadily growing. Sara and Christian are not quite ready for visitors however we have set up a meal train if you would like to help provide them a meal.

http://www.mealtrain.com?id=mq2hg1px5h8t

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WHEN TURNING INTO THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE PARKING LOT, GO FAST ACROSS THE ONCOMING LANE, THEN SLOW DOWN WHEN YOU GET ONTO THE GRAVEL. PUT YOUR CAR IN PARK WHEN YOU STOP IN THE DROPOFF LANES FOR THE GREETER TO GET YOUR CHILD (SO YOUR FOOT DOESN'T COME OFF THE BRAKE AND KILL SOMEBODY)

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The 6-9ers have been channeling their inner savage as they study the origins of the Universe...

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9-12: All About Survival...

The 9-12 class has gotten off to a most epic start. We have been working our hardest, and we have added many interesting things that we didn’t do last year; such as Journal and World History Timeline. Our new students are adjusting very well to the environment of the 9-12 class thanks to excellent role modeling by the older students.

Last week we had a special presentation on simple survival skills such as how to make fire using a bow drill and how to make cordage out of natural fibers. Thanks to a team effort, we where everybody got a chance to help create a coal, we were successful at creating fire.

Stay tuned for more exciting 9-12 doings.  

 
 
The babies are also filling up the Norwood House as Ms. Kristy and Mr. Justin welcomed Ash, not long after Ms. Kristy's interim replacement Mr. Michael and his wife Jessica welcomed their first child, Lillian. Congratulations to all the new parents! 













Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to Parent Education Night. Here are the links to the videos we watched, and the list of ways to improve communication with your little ones. Have a great weekend. 

Montessori Madness Video

Mountain Pathways 25th Anniversary Video

DON’T TELL!

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CHILD.

1.   Acknowledge and identify feelings: “I notice that you are mad. Is that because Ben took the truck away from you?” – Lets the child know that his feelings have been heard by us. Recognizing and responding to needs and wants expressed through feelings can help guide a child’s behavior.

2.   Interpret the experience: “It looks like you both want the truck.” – Lets the child know that someone understands him, instead of saying “Your brother wants the truck,” offer an interpretation that is easily understandable.

3.   Report the observation: “You would like the truck, but Ben took it from you.” – Lets the child process the situation.

4.   Repeat the “complaint”: “You said the bike is not working”: Along the same lines as the above two, repeating the complaint not only makes the child feel heard, it also gives adult time to think about next steps.

5.   Ask questions: “How is it broken?” “Why won’t it go?” What would you like to happen now?” Asking a question stimulates thinking and reduces stress to the brain allowing for (better) problem solving and decision making. Don’t immediately suggest an option to solve the problem. Allow the child(ren) time to think about how to solve the problem, offer solutions, and feel capable.

6.   Wait for the Answer: Don’t ask a question and then let the child run away (or you or the child get distracted by something). Ask the question and wait for -- and expect -- an answer. If the child runs away, bring him back into the situation by saying, “I asked XYZ, what is your answer?”

7.   End a Question with a Question: If you ask the child “Would you like to share the truck with Ben?” and he says, “No”, continue by asking, “How do you think that makes Ben feel?” or “When can Ben play with the truck?”

8.   Model Thinking: We all sometimes talk to ourselves out loud. Modeling thinking is similar. Say something like, “I think Ben & Ethan will probably find a way to solve the problem.”

9.   Respect children’s wants and needs: Never force a child to share his things. If he is playing with a truck and his brother takes that truck away, instead of requesting that he share the truck, ask him and if he says, “no”, ask him when he might be ready to share his truck. Children can be very generous when given the opportunity to do so.

10.                     Facilitate peaceful decision-making: Keep the problem within the children. Guide them to solve the problem together. Don’t solve it for them.