The Montessori Messenger

Message Board

 -5/21 - 5/22 The Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood
 (5/21 at 6:30 and 5/22 at 1:30)
 
-5/22 MCS Rummage Sale

-5/24 Class Pictures (Stepping Stones East, Stepping Stones West, and Elementary) Student Attire is Denim and White

-5/26 - 5/27 Upper Elementary Class Trip

-5/27 Class Pictures (Stepping Stones East and all Primary classes) Student Attire is Denim and White

-5/27 Lower Elementary Soiree

-6/4 Bridge Ceremony (Primary at 2pm, Elementary at 2:30pm, and Ground Breaking at 3pm) 

-6/9 Last Day of School

-6/15 Board Meeting (6:30pm)
 

A Letter from the Head of School

 
Dear Parents,

     We are in the last weeks of a very successful school year.

     The students in the third year of the Primary Class and the students in the third year of Lower Elementary or Upper Elementary will be participating in graduation exercises on June 4th. We call these ceremonies "Bridge Ceremonies" because they note the movement from one developmental level to a new developmental period. Crossing the bridge marks a successful completion of Montessori concepts. Montessori education is a way of life. The education is not only for the student but for those around the student who have supported the Montessori approach to life and learning.
    
     The act of crossing the bridge brings the student and their family to a new place where they can continue to explore, discover, learn and investigate at a pace that matches the energy of the new developmental period. We celebrate this continuing journey.
    
     Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that there are four planes of development broken down as follows: birth to six years old, six to 12, 12 to 18, and 18 to 24. At each plane there is a distinct path that a person takes to reach clearly defined goals and he has particular sensitivities unique to that plane.

The First Plane/Primary
   
     Montessori described the first plane of development from birth to three as the "unconscious Absorbent Mind," because the child possesses a tremendous ability to unconsciously absorb her environment. During this time, the child is like a sponge, registering innumerable sensorial impressions from her surroundings. These children participate in our Stepping Stones classes at Montessori.
    
     In the second stage of the first plane of development, from three to six, the child experiences more of a conscious Absorbent Mind phase. These are our Primary students. For these children, life is concrete. The sensory impressions gained in the first stage are categorized. The hand and the brain are working in unison to develop the personality.  According to Maria Montessori, since one plane builds upon the last, "The more fully the needs of one period are met, the greater will be the success of the next."
    
      Our students who have completed this first plane of development will be crossing the bridge to a new place. We will use this ceremony on June 4th to recognize the growth of these students and to let them know that we realize they are in a new place. They are Elementary students.

Second Plane of Development/Elementary

     The second plane of development is often referred to as the "Intellectual Period." During this time the child has a tremendous intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge. The goal of this period is for the child to develop his power of reason. Dr. Montessori said, "All other factors sink into insignificance beside the importance of feeding the hungry intelligence and opening vast fields of knowledge to eager celebration." Montessori called these students, "reasoning explorers," The imagination that was developed through the sensory work in the Primary classrooms comes into full bloom. The children develop a moral sense with new standards of conduct with which to judge each other. Montessori reported, " It is at six years that one may note the beginning of an orientation toward moral questions toward the judgment of acts. The child is conscious of right and wrong. In general the child under six asks, "Why." What he really means, however, is "what" or "what is it called." When the child becomes a "reasoning explorer" he is ready for detailed explanations - the "why" and the "how."
    
     So with our Elementary students who will be crossing the bridge from Lower Elementary to Upper Elementary or from Upper Elementary to the next plane of development, we will be celebrating the child becoming a social being. We celebrate their imagination, their intellectual curiosity, their developing concentration and their extraordinary sense of adventure.
    
     Please join us on June 4th at two o'clock for the Bridge Ceremonies followed by the groundbreaking for our new Elementary Classroom building. We congratulate our students and their families and look forward to this opportunity to recognize them.

Many thanks,

Peggy Higgins

 A Reminder from the Office

May is the last monthly installment for the 2009/2010 School Year!

Are you returning for the 2010/11 School Year or planning to attend Summer Classes? If so, the Annual Fee for 2010/11 and the Summer Class fees will be due in June.

Thank you,
The Office

 A Message from your PTO

A special thank you to our parents and teachers! As the year winds down we reflect on how much our parents have done to help the teachers.  The money that was raised provided supplies for mothers day gifts, supplies for the outdoor classroom, and supplies for every classroom and many of the gifts our children have made for us.  The Dyal photography and the Silohettes fundraiser raised over $500!!! With that the PTO will give the teachers and staff an appreciation luncheon and also sponsor the bridge ceremony at the end of year get together! We could not do this without all of your support!!!
Our last fundraiser is this Saturday at the Jacksonville High School from 7:00-11:00 am. The PTO is sponsoring a yard sale and have had so many wonderful items donated, once again thank you to the parents!
We hope to see you there Friday night or Saturday morning helping with this final event! We are still taking items until Friday morning! Enjoy your day!

Thank you,
Valerie Tuton
Board of Directors News
 
Do you want to be involved with the inter-workings of the School? We will have our elections in September for next school year and we would like to invite all parents to the summer meetings to see what the board is all about!  This will give you the opportunity to get your feet wet and see if volunteering for the board is for you. 

Thank you,
The Board of Directors

Upper Bakery News

The first year of business for the Upper Bakery was an incredible success! Our Upper Elementary students learned the fine art of baking, small business operations, and team work. Through the bakery the Upper Elementary was able to pay for over half of their end of the year trip to Camp Don Lee.  Along with paying for half the trip the students also donated part of the proceeds to Onslow County Animal Rescue. Thank you to all of the customers for your support. 

Thank you,
The Upper Bakery

 The Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood 

The Jacksonville School of the Performing Arts Presents: The Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood!            

 
The Show will be at the USO of Jacksonville (9 Tallman Street)
 
May 21st at 6:30pm and May 22nd at 1:30pm
Admission: $1.00 donation to the USO or one canned good per person
 
Come see many of our MCS students perform!!!! 

"Quote of the Week" 

 "The unknown energy that can help humanity is that which lies hidden in the child."
 
 -Maria Montessori-