Website    About    Curriculum    Admissions    Community    Giving    Contact
date
 March 1, 2015
Inside This Issue
Sign Up for Parent Conferences - March 5-6

Sign Up for Upcoming Parent Conferences

Thursday & Friday, March 5-6
 
Parent Conferences are an important time to communicate and collaborate with your child's teachers to ensure your child's success at school. 

 

Click on the Sign Up Genius link below to reserve your conference time!


 

4 Easy Steps


 

1. Go to www.signupgenius.com

2. At the top of the webpage, select "Find a Sign Up"

3. Under "Search by Email" type "[email protected]", then enter the randomized captcha code

4. Then select your child's classroom' page, and reserve a time slot (you can even download the appointment to your electronic calendar)


 

** If you have any difficulty, please contact Lindsay Jeffrey at the school reception desk and she will be glad to assist you!! 336-668-0119 x221


 

If your child is not attending CASA on those days, we will have someone available to supervise your child in the library so you can have a private conversation with the teachers. 


 

GMSCA Reschedules International Fair Due to Inclement Weather
NEW DATE  - Friday, March 27
 THE GMS INTERNATIONAL FAIR RESCHEDULED TO
FRIDAY, MARCH 27 @ 9AM-1PM IN THE GMS GYM




All GMS Students and Parents are welcome to tour the International Fair 
from 9am-1pm, stay for the student performances and games from 11am-12pm, and purchase lunch prepared by the Middle School between 12-1pm. 

Country sponsors are assembling beautiful displays. 
Many will have taste samples of foods from their country. 

EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO DRESS IN CLOTHING THAT REPRESENTS YOUR HOMELAND!

Special thanks to the GMSCA team that has been working hard 
to organize this event:
Mitie Ogura-Lundgren (chair), Su-en Lee, Tammy Tao, Maysi Hnin, Dian Rowan, 
 Andi Bogan, Charlene McKee, Erin Quinn-Rundberg
and to GMS staffers Jenny Kimmel, Matt Spencer and Eliza Hudson for coordinating 
the Middle School Culinary Arts program to offer an amazing lunch on Friday. 


Thank you to our local community contributors!!


GMS Summer Fun!!! Announcing Weekly Summer Camp Options

  

Summer Camp 2015 Offers Some Weekly Sessions 



Check out the Weekly Camp Offerings for children ages 3-15

Click Here for info and to access the Registration Form for Weekly Sessions

 

 OR

 

Register for the Montessori Al Fresco Summer Camp (all 9 weeks, except 6/29-7/3)!!

 

Click Here to access the Al Fresco Registration Form

 

Only Limited Spaces Available in Al Fresco Camp!!

 


The Great Lessons of the Montessori Elementary Curriculum
Montessori's Great Lessons Form an Amazing Context 
for young children to experience 
the awe of nature, 
the fascination of science, 
and the personal responsibility 
for creating the world of the future.

Mary Jacobson
Mary Jacobson
GMS Lower El Teacher
The Second Great Lesson: The Coming of Life
explained by Mary Jacobson
 

At the heart of the Montessori cosmic curriculum lies the Second Great Lesson entitled The Coming of Life.  While this lesson lays the foundation for further scientific studies, its main purpose is to awaken a sense of wonder. 

 

As the year progresses, this presentation directly correlates with our studies of history and biology. The students will use timelines, calendars, and other materials to mark the passage of time as they discover when mountain ranges formed or when giant dinosaurs roamed the earth.  Students will explore fossils to understand extinct species of plants and animals. They will also use biological taxonomy to sort living organisms onto categories according to characteristics.   All of this and much, much more is included in our vast cultural curriculum.

 

When we begin the presentation of the Second Great Lesson, first we recap of the First Great Lesson.  "Ah, yes.  Volcanoes erupted on the earth's surface, lava flowed, a crust formed, etc..."  Then we uncover just a tiny portion of the Timeline of Life (see below - an important visual aid that resides in the classroom environment most of the year) to reveal the picture of bacteria. This begins the story of The Coming of Life.

 

The Timeline of Life charts the evolution of plant and animal species
over millions of years. 


 

Next we share a vivid description of the acidic atmosphere that enveloped the earth after its formation. We open sample bottles of ammonia and sulphur and let the pungent aromas waft through the air in order to give the students an idea of how it might have smelled.  We explain how elements in the atmosphere along with minerals from the rocks, washed into the seas, filling it and creating a thick soupy ocean, unlike the one we know today. Though giant electrical storms created a simple food, it would be more than 500 million years before simple organisms were present to consume this food. 

 

The story continues in a dramatic fashion and we find out about microscopic creatures that can exist within a single drop of water, about ancient fish that protected themselves with armor, and how a simple worm can transform soil.  The story is full of interesting tidbits that whet the appetite for young inquisitive minds.  The children are able to observe examples of various forms of life, and the lesson ends with the unveiling of the very special animal that will be studied in the next lesson - a human. 

 

The stories within the Second Great Lesson seek to raise the children's consciousness about the multitude of tasks that have been performed to create the world we have today and the delicate balance that connects us all.  If we live our lives in awe of the wonders that surround us, nurture and care for the Earth that provides for us, and understand the web of life that exists,  then we help fulfill our cosmic tasks as human beings. 


 

 Stay tuned next week for the Third Great Lesson called "The Coming of Humans."

 


Alumni Highlight: Alexandria Wood-Suarez, Class of 2014

  

News & Record Features GMS Alum, Ali Wood-Suarez, Class of 2014 in "How Did a Triad Teen Get to Carnegie Hall? Practice"
 
Alexandria Wood-Suarez, GMS Class of 2014
Photo courtesy of Eileen Wood-Suarez
Last weekend, Alexandria (aka Ali) Wood-Suarez, a freshman at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts and a GMS graduate in the class of 2014, performed at Carnegie Hall in the Honors Performance Series. Ali was nominated for the program last year and was formally invited to perform in January. For the last several weeks she has been practicing non-stop. 

Alexandria plays for the Greensboro Youth Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the orchestra at Penn-Griffin. She also participated last year in Chamber Music on the Hill and the North Carolina Western Regional All-State Honors Orchestra.



  


Spring Art Show Registration Extended to March 10 

  

Calling All GMS Parents, Staff & Alumni Who are Visual Artists!! We want to feature your work in an upcoming art show.
 
"Art in the Montessori Family" Art Exhibit
May 2015


Registration Extended Due to Inclement Weather
Please Register by March 10

  


Raffle Tickets on Sale Now for a Chance to Win 50% Off Next Year's Tuition
Drawing on Saturday, April 25
Tuition Raffle Drawing to be held on Saturday, April 25
Purchase Your Ticket TODAY




 
GMS Green and White Bash
Saturday, April 25

Save the Date
for a fun night out with fellow parents and friends from the GMS community



Photos of the Week
We missed all of our photo opportunities last week due to the snow days! 
 Hope you enjoyed the brief winter wonderland as much as we did!








Upcoming Events
  • Click here to download a printable version of the 2014-15 school year events.
  • Click here to subscribe to the school calendar 
  •  
  • -
  • Basketball Game - Tuesday, March 3 @ 4:15pm - GMS @ B'Nai Shalom Day School
  • -
  • Basketball Game - Wednesday, March 4 @ 4:15pm - GMS vs. Noble @ GMS
  • -
  • School Closed for Parent/Teacher Conferences - Thursday, March 5 & Friday, March 6 -CASA Open
  • -
  • Basketball Game - Tuesday, March 10 @ 4:15 - GMS @ New Garden Friends School
  • -
  • GMSCA Steering Committee Meeting - Wednesday, Mar 11 @ 8:45-10:45am
  • -
  • Basketball Game - Thursday, March 12 @ 4:15pm - GMS vs. Piedmont School @ GMS
  • -
  • School Closed for Staff Professional Development - Friday, March 13 - CASA Open
  • -
  • Middle School at the Land Campus - March 17-20
  • -
  • Mommy/Daddy & Me Storytime - Friday, March 20 @ 9:30am
  • for prospective and current parents with young children
  • -
  • Upper El Medieval Fare Fare Performance - Wednesday, March 25
  • -
  • GMS International Fair - Friday, March 27 @ 9:00am-1:00pm in the Gym - 
  • ALL PARENTS WELCOME
  • visit cultural displays
  • Middle School multi-cultural lunch served at 12noon (cost $7.00)
  • sponsored by the GMSCA
  • -
  • Community Garden Workday at GMS - Saturday, March 28 @ 1:30-4:00pm
  • supported by the GMSCA
  • -
  • GMS Open House for Prospective Families - Sunday, March 29 @ 1:00-3:00pm
  • -
  • -Montessori Journey of Discovery - NEW DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
  • -
  • Back to the Top
  • GMSCA Steering Committee Spring Schedule
    GMSCA Steering Committee Sets Spring Schedule

    Wednesday, March 11
    Wednesday, April 1
    Wednesday, May 13

    New Evening Meeting Added to the Spring Schedule
     Thursday, April 16 at 6:30pm at GMS

    ****************************************************************************************

    Monthly Steering Committee Meetings are held in the upstairs conference room 
    8:45am - 10:45am


    GMS Logo Items On Sale and Linked to the Website
    GMS Logo Apparel Available Through an On-Line Store

    Did you know that you can order GMS logo items through an on-line store?
     

     
     
    Or navigate to the link on the Community tab of the GMS website. 
     
     
     

    FUN FACTS & REMINDERS

    Did you know that you could be contributing to GMS by doing next to nothing?In fact there are three ways

      

    1. GMS Harris Teeter VIC Card # is 1849 - the year of the gold rush!

      

    Every time you grocery shop at Harris Teeter, you could be earning rewards for GMS.  Simply check that your VIC card is linked to GMS (#1849) next time you are at check out, or  log in to the Harris Teeter website 
     

      

    2. GMS Collects Box Tops for Education 

     

    Boxtops for Education are found on hundreds of products you buy every day: General Mills, Betty Crocker, Old ElPaso, Green Giant, Ziploc, Scott Tissue, Kleenex, Hanes Apparel...just to name a few.  When you see the Boxtops logo on packages of things you already buy, just clip them and drop them in the treasure chest on the front desk.

     

    Each Boxtop earns GMS 10 cents.

      

    3. Target Red Card - Take Charge of Education program

      

    If you use a Target Red Card (credit or debit), you could be contributing 1% of your purchase to GMS every time you shop!  Simply  go to  http://www.target.com/redcard/main, and click on the "Learn More" tab under "Take Charge of Education."  


     Y
    ou can register your card with our school by name "Greensboro Mont Sch" or number 24312.  So far, only 15 members of the GMS community have linked their cards.  If you shop at Target (who doesn't??)  and you use a Red Card, please take a minute to link to GMS!

      

      

      

    GMS Website School Directory: Find a neighbor or your child's classmates!

    The Community tab of the GMS website hosts the School Directory.  This feature is a password protected school directory.  After you have registered and been approved as an authorized user you can use the sort feature in the directory to find everyone who lives in your zip code or everyone in your child's class.  Simply enter the criteria in the search box on the left side of the directory.  The directory provides address, home and cell phones, as well as email addresses.  It is a simple way to build community by connecting families to the information they need quickly from any electronic device. 

      

     

    Get Fresh Local Produce from Faucette Farms CSA Every Wednesday
    Have you noticed the white delivery truck parked in our grassy lot on Wednesday afternoons? Or perhaps you have seen someone carrying a brown paper bag of produce across the parking lot on Wednesdays during 3:00 pick-up?  They are participating in the Faucette Farms Community Supported Agriculture program. GMS is proud to be a weekly drop site for local growers who partner with Faucette Farms. You can order specific seasonal produce or just get a mixed box of the best produce of the week.  Use the Faucette Farms CSA form to register.  You can use the Fresh Produce Order Form to customize your order. You can feel good about supporting local agriculture and feeding your family the freshest farm to table ingredients. 
     

      



    The Greensboro Montessori School | | [email protected] |