Category Archives: Primary

Studying Italy

As part of their exploration of Europe, Primary has been studying Italy. To celebrate, they made gelato. Ingredients were poured for Italy’s tasty ice cream into the machine at morning meeting. By the time afternoon enrichment rolled around, their gelato was … Continue reading

Posted in cooking, Primary, social studies

Leaves

Thanks to friends in the Lower Elementary classroom, Primary students were gifted more leaves than usual. An entire day (and still going!) was spent in sensory play with the leaves. Sensory play is a crucial educational component promoting curiosity, problem … Continue reading

Posted in outside, preschool, Primary

Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day

Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day was a huge success! We estimate McGuffey had 65–70% participation, especially impressive for a slightly drizzly day. A lot of our staff walked or biked, too, including our head of school, Nancy! Students … Continue reading

Posted in community, Lower Elementary, Middle School, Primary, Staff, upper unit

2022 Egg Drop

At the Last Day of School Picnic, Wednesday, May 25, we will hold our annual Egg Drop. This is a tradition at McGuffey that goes back decades! Prior to the last day of school, students will spend time at home … Continue reading

Posted in announcements, community, Lower Elementary, McGuffey, Middle School, Primary, Upper Elementary

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