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The PATH Newsletter
Leading you to Montessori news, research, people, and voices.
The Parent Issue
May 2013
Greetings!
 

 

"Teaching creative writing to the students in the MASH program was an energizing and enriching experience for me.  Our weekly gatherings quickly became the highlight of my working week. The students were inventive and imaginative, and willing to try things that were outside their comfort zones. And where else will you find teenagers running to greet you and show you their homework, even before you've had time to take off your coat? In my experience, the MASH program is a wonderful place for students to transition from curious children to thoughtful young adults."

Miranda Hill - Creative Writing Specialist - Winner 2011 Journey Award for Fiction

 

 

"I would also like to say that I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to be a part of your school. The kids were amazing and the atmosphere you have created for the students is excellent. I would be thrilled to continue to be a part of your school and I look forward to the future with MASH."

David Warchuck - Kinesiologist/Fitness and Health Specialist

 

This month's articles are from our very own DVMS Montessori parents. They are inspiring, heart wrenching, and thoughtful. They include discouraged Moms, baby birds, and even feces.  Please take a minute to learn a little more about the DVMS community.  

 

I included the quotes above because I want to tell you about the highlight of my year, which has been watching my son Giulian embrace and celebrate his best self as a result of his experience in our adolescent program.

 

We hear these same type of comments from everyone who works with the adolescent students enrolled here in our Montessori Adolescent School of Hamilton (MASH) program. 

 

It is a long road to creating capable, contributing teenagers. You need a community of adolescents that work together in an 'adult' society. At MASH they cook meals, wash dishes, mop floors, and even clean toilets as a part of their contribution to their community. All the while, exceeding the academic expectations of most Middle Schoolers.  

 

Teenagers are drawn to real life challenges, just like Casa students are drawn to practical life. At first, many adolescents struggle against these new responsibilities, but in time they take pride in their new found 'adult' capabilities and eventually look to embrace more and more challenges and responsibilities.

 

Here at MASH, our children now have roles like finance, garden, kitchen, and shopping managers. We even have a bee manager. But what is most impressive about these children is how they engage with the world. They imbue the opposite of that surly, cool attitude that society ascribes to teenagers. Instead, they look adults in the eye and answer questions, all the while offering their own unique characters.

 

My involvement in the development and growth of this program has been both more challenging and more fulfilling than any project I have ever been a part of. Thanks to the staff here at MASH and DVMS for sharing this journey with me.  

 

My son and his classmates are leaving Friday for Mexico to "snorkel over coral reefs collecting data for vital research, swim with sea lions, kayak beneath the island cliffs of Espiritu Santo, and study ancient cultures."

 

Wish I was a kid!!!

 

Tony Evans
Director of Schools
Dundas Valley Montessori School
Montessori Adolescent School of Hamilton
May2013PATH ParentArticles
Mom and daughter feeding chickadees during a DVMS field trip
The Parent PATH
by Jason Phillips
 
This month, The PATH Newsletter focuses on parents. You will find articles by and about DVMS parents, including a beautiful story about a lesson taught on the playground, a feature on some of our innovative Montessori Dads, a summary of our recent Parent Education Night featuring Dr. Alex Russell, and, following on the heels of our Earth Day Week activities, some advice and support for pursuing litterless lunches courtesy of a DVMS Montessori Mom ecologist.
 
Parents are an integral part of our school community. As we continue to grow The PATH, we will continue to include parent voices, and provide opportunities for them to cut loose and get funky for a good cause every now and then. We hope you enjoy these articles, and please feel free to share them.

 

May2013PATH Crowson
Owen showing off his contagious smile while swimming in Jamaica.

Waiting for a Snowflake to Land on My Tongue

By Jennifer Crowson 

"I keep meaning to tell you this story of one of our lovely students and how she really (unknowingly) made Danielle and I smile and certainly taught a lesson. I have no idea who this little girl was, but she sure was (is) clever.

 

I write this blog 1x per month for the Down Syndrome Research Foundation and wrote about this story I keep meaning to tell you - so I thought I would just send you the link!"

 
May2013PATH Pernica
Dr. Jeff Pernica | Photo: Gary Yokoyama/The Hamilton Spectator
Our Montessori Dads Can Beat Up Out-Innovate Your Montessori Dads
by Jason Phillips

Montessori Dads are the best </ahem... humble tag>. Most of us are familiar with the Montessori Madmen, and about a month ago we shared this nice story about a Montessori Dad who improved a classroom material for his kids' school. Recently, some of DVMS's Montessori Dads  have been outdoing themselves when it comes to innovation and good work.

 

click here to find out how innovative our Montessori Dads are...

 

May2013PATH Cassimiri
Plastic used as nesting material.
Cheese String Wrappers Do Not Good Nesting Material Make...
By Giuliana Casimirri 


I'm an ecologist but I'm not much of a birder. When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I had a summer job that involved monitoring the nests of Herring Gulls and Caspian Terns in Hamilton Harbour. I had to wear a rain suit and a hard helmet because the Gulls, in order to defend their nests, would fire a stream of vomit at me, and the Terns would dive bomb me. That's why I've always preferred trees and plants.

 

click here to learn about making litterless lunches and being eco-awesome...

May 2013 PATH Russell Drop the Worry Ball: How to Parent in the Age of Entitlement
By Jason Phillips 

"Kids can smell our parental agendas," said Dr. Alex Russell during his talk at Dundas Valley Montessori School on Wednesday, April 17. "I was this close to being a crazed hockey dad," he confessed while explaining to parents and educators the importance of allowing children to grow up with appropriate amounts of anxiety.