Category Archives: primary unit

Farming

In January we were happy to host Scott Jasper with his farming equipment. Scott has designed special equipment for children to have hands-on experiences in the planting and harvesting process. Students in Kindergarten and Lower Elementary got to spend some … Continue reading

Posted in community, guest speakers, Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Montessori method, outside, practical life, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, sensorial, Uncategorized

Primary Social Studies

This week we learned about our second Asian country, India, with many unique characteristics. It’s a peninsula, just like Florida. Many people wear clothing made out of beautiful, decorative fabrics. The Bengal tiger, for which our local football team is … Continue reading

Posted in McGuffey, Montessori method, practical life, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, sensorial, Uncategorized

Ice Skating

This year we were able to return to the Goggin Ice Arena on Miami’s campus for our annual ice skating sessions. A good time was had by all and many of our students improved quite a bit over the three … Continue reading

Posted in community, field trip, High School, intermediate unit, Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Middle School, Montessori method, parents, physical education, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, Staff, Uncategorized, Upper Elementary, upper unit

France

We studied France in the Primary classroom for the past two weeks and ended this unit with an Art History lesson about ballet. We discussed how ballet was brought to France from Italy, where it developed into the performance art … Continue reading

Posted in art, community, guest speakers, language arts, McGuffey, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, sensorial, social studies, Uncategorized, upper unit

Election Day

Costume Day at McGuffey is always the day after Halloween, which happened to coincide with the day before Election Day. In Lower Elementary, we combined the two subjects and held an election about candy! Based on personal preference, the class … Continue reading

Posted in community, democratic process, language arts, Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Montessori method, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, social studies, Uncategorized

1800s Day

1800s Day is a McGuffey tradition where the Primary and Lower Elementary classrooms go back in time. All modern materials are put away, leaving only items they would have in the 1800s. Other than toilets, they do not have access … Continue reading

Posted in language arts, Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Montessori method, outside, practical life, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, social studies, Uncategorized

SOARing!

The yearly tradition of SOAR (Students Outside Active and Running) wrapped up last Friday. Students from each grade band had the opportunity to get out and run, or walk, for two weeks to rack up miles and score feet for … Continue reading

Posted in community, fundraising, McGuffey, Montessori method, outside, partners, physical education, pre-primary, preschool, Primary, primary unit, Uncategorized, Upper Elementary, upper unit

Taking care of our teeth

Primary continues to study the human body this week. This morning, Primary students  were treated to a visit by McGuffey mom, Jaimie Ross. Jaimie is a hygienist and told us she cleans and takes x-rays of other people’s teeth. She … Continue reading

Posted in guest speakers, primary unit, science

The Carnival of the Animals

The entire school is currently studying Camille Saint-Saëns beloved work, “The Carnival of the Animals.” We have discussed how Saint-Saëns wrote “The Carnival of the Animals” as a joke for his music students and only allowed it to be published … Continue reading

Posted in Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Middle School, music, primary unit, Upper Elementary

Last day of school

We celebrated the last day of school with our annual family gathering. Parents and friends brought amazing food to share, followed by the egg drop. Children from preschool on up crafted ingenious contraptions, hoping their egg would survive intact when … Continue reading

Posted in community, intermediate unit, McGuffey, music, outside, pre-primary, primary unit, science, upper unit