As a busy summer comes to a close, it is so fun to review our Headteacher Joe’s weekly emails to revisit all of the wonderful things that the class has been up to over the past couple of months.

In May we visited the Seymour Center. Before we went we discussed field trip etiquette and what we might encounter during the visit. The class brainstormed many ideas about walking, being gentle with the animals, using a quiet voice, and listening to the Seymour Center staff. The preparation paid off and everyone had a great time!

Over a number of weeks the class has been working on a mural of the Earth (an Earth Day project that has been extended). After all, every day is a day to honor and care for the earth! We took turns painting parts of the continents and have plans to make more murals to hang along our fence as we continue to beautify our yard together.

As new friends joined over the summer the class practiced grace and courtesy lessons such as raising hands, walking around rugs, and observing a friend’s work. These are an important part of the Montessori curriculum and we review them throughout the year. The children love demonstrating how to be careful and kind.

Early on in the summer the class learned about the continent of North America and looked at a slideshow of the animals of North America. We listened to sounds of bison, humpback whales, howler monkeys, wolves, lynx, rattlesnakes, polar bears, and many more. Everyone also took a turn talking about the animals that we have seen in our area. Later on in the summer a parent came into school to talk about his home country of Australia. The class made dot paintings in the style of traditional aboriginal artwork, putting dots of paint with dowels on outlines of Australian animals.

In June we all went on a Fathers Day hike. It was great spending time together in the forest which provides an invaluable outdoor classroom for lessons on conservation and how to love and care for our local nature. Everyone was welcome on the hike and it was such a success that we plan to add it to our list of annual Midtown events.

As the summer continued we had many more wonderful visits from parents. We even learnt about the adventurous outdoor climbing trips that one of our families takes at weekends! We welcome any parents to come and share their work, passions and interests with the class.

Later in the month we talked about Juneteenth and the significance of this holiday. The class also discussed the summer solstice and sang ‘You Are My Sunshine’, to honor the longest day of the year. We even practiced yoga poses to celebrate international yoga day!

As always at our gatherings we sang songs which are educational as well as really fun! Whilst singing ‘Apples and Bananas’ we paid attention to the changing sounds as we switched out vowels in the words.

Face Paint Friday has been a very popular weekly event over the summer. We are so lucky to have such a talented artist on our staff in teacher Vanessa!

As the days warmed up heading into August the class made strawberry sorbet with fresh strawberries and lemons, taking turns to chop the fruit before mixing it in a blender and freezing it in an ice cream maker. We ate the sorbet to help cool us down on a hot day.

The class has helped to water the indoor and outdoor plants and worked to maintain the beauty of the classroom through flower arranging and polishing the leaves of the houseplants. We harvested our first snap peas from the garden this past week and had them for snack on Thursday afternoon!

As we leave Labor Day weekend behind, we look forward to Fall and sharing our annual celebrations with the new friends who have joined us for the start of the 2024/2025 school year.

Sarah

Ps. You are receiving this newsletter because you scheduled a tour or contacted us through our website. It is a snapshot of the weekly emails that our headteacher Joe sends out to all parents at school, keeping them updated on life in the classroom. Previous month’s newsletters can be found on our website. To unsubscribe please click the link at the bottom of this email.