Middle School students have been studying sound and light. Brittney Bones helped demonstrate the location of the mastoid process on her skull so students could do a sound lab. They also created codes with a flashlight and an optical fiber to send messages around a corner to a partner in another room!
Whether it’s inside, outside, or even on field trips, McGuffey students actively participate in keeping their spaces clean. Taking care of their environment fosters feelings of ownership and pride. These daily routines also provide opportunities to develop practical life skills, coordination, sequencing, independence and responsibility. A tidy classroom aligns with the Montessori philosophy of order and beauty that benefits us all.
Upper Elementary students have been finishing ELA essays on black changemakers in celebration of Black History Month. Students chose artists, activists and inventors and included artwork to go with their research. Students also worked on pin maps to learn geography, cleaned to welcome families to Celebration of Learning, and found time to rest with a good book in between.
Thank you to our students who cleaned, arranged flowers, prepared a snack, and created work plans for their families. We loved having families come celebrate all the growth and learning of McGuffey students!
Thank you Lower Elementary students for your hard work on the Handprint Quilt featured in our Spring Auction. The auction is live!
Just before Winter Break, Middle School students spent a cozy morning wrapping up their ELA studies. With popcorn and tea, they snuggled down to watch “Star Wars: Episode IV” and fill out a Star Wars: Hero’s Journey/Trop Bingo card created by our Middle School teacher. A hero’s journey is a common storytelling structure where a protagonist, often considered a hero, embarks on an adventure, faces challenges and trials, undergoes personal transformation, and ultimately returns home changed, usually with newfound wisdom or power, following a predictable pattern.
As we head into our Winter Break, what better time to share Upper Elementary’s new mission statement? Students in grades 4-6 created the statement as part of our Peace Curriculum. They worked as a group to write and then refine the statement that will define their values and goals as a classroom.
First and second grade Biomes is getting messy by learning about soil and exploring the elements that make up soil. This is the time of year that leaves drop and plants begin to decompose, making up leaf litter. Students found a few rocks and saw what happened when force is applied to them with a hammer. The stones broke into smaller and smaller bits, a process that happens in nature due to water, ice, and wind. The minerals from rocks combine with leaf litter, other organic matter, water, and air to make soil. A core sample of soil was taken and the changes that happen a we dig further into the ground could be observed. Layers of the soil, from bedrock to leaf litter and everything in between were observed.
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Primary students have been inside and out, exploring and learning as they go. A cold snap brought a lot of ice to discover and manipulate outdoors. Inside, they’re studying three holidays, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas, as well as math, language, science, and sensorial works.
