A joyful experience

Hello Friends, We hope everyone had a restorative Thanksgiving break. It was a joy to receive a few emails and texts from families who shared pictures of homemade menus or centerpieces designed by their children. I know I say it all the time, but this community is amazing! This week, in almost perfect timing, the weather has moved past Thanksgiving and definitely turned toward wintery temperatures. Be sure your child dresses appropriately and that you label everything! We could open a small second-hand store with all the lost and found items we will accumulate over the next few months. 🙂  …

May You Be Happy!

Hello Friends, The New School Montessori hopes everyone has a Thanksgiving break filled with peace, gestures of kindness, moments to reflect, and intentions to slow down and be present. This time can also be busy as some of us prepare for family visits and big dinners. If you are interested in a few ways to incorporate Montessori into your Thanksgiving celebration consider the following: Allow your child to help you with meal preparation. Maybe it’s using their math skills to help with measuring ingredients or just learning some valuable practical life skills, but including your child(ren) deepens their understanding and …

A Deep Respect for the Child

Dear Friends, I had the pleasure of visiting Hershey Montessori in Huntsburg, OH this past Monday. Hershey Montessori is a middle school/high school program near Cleveland. I was interested in visiting because it serves as a national model for Dr. Maria Montessori’s intentions for an adolescent program. It sits on 97 acres, and the students participate in caring for the land and animals (goats, chickens, bees, pigs). It was inspiring to see Maria Montessori’s vision for an adolescent program come to life. While I was there, it made me reflect on our own elementary program and how closely it aligns …

We Need You

Dear Friends. Thank you SO much for your generous gifts to our Annual Giving campaign.  We are off to a great start and have raised $27,000, with  25% of our families having already given.  This year, I know we can make it to 100% participation. There is no community like TNSM.  The parent/teacher partnership, the teacher/student relationship, the size of classrooms, the campus, the lunches, the culture, the Montessori excellence; all of this sets us apart. But we need your support. Our model is unique. Our tuition does not cover the cost of our operating budget. We rely on fundraising …

“Never Seen Anything Like It”

Hello Friends, Every day I am reminded of how unique and loving The New School Montessori community is.  One day it could be a parent who took the time to come up to school to refresh and beautify the stone planters  with flowers that beautifully frame our entryway to the Mitchell Mansion.  Another day it could be a student who accidentally dropped a plate of lunch on the floor, and immediately 2-3 students come over to help clean it up. It could be the 3-hour tour and discussion Ceara (Assistant Director) provides for an inquiring family that ends with Ceara …

Pinch me!

Hello Friends, Last week, our teachers were treated to Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck. A group of parents organized this kind gesture of appreciation and it brought a lot of smiles to our staff! In fact, one teacher, who had the day off, specifically came to school for the complimentary coffee and early-morning conversations. A HUGE thank you to the families who made this possible. It means a lot! This past Monday, we had a Professional Development Day for our staff. It is such an important value at The New School Montessori – to continue to grow as educators and community …

Naturally, Nature Nurtures Us

Hello Friends, What a glorious week of weather!  We hope you had plenty of opportunities to be outside, enjoying the perfect balance of bright sun, blue skies, and a little chill in the air. Being outside with your children allows nature to quietly work her magic with helping your child foster independence while also, unconsciously, deepening an awareness of our interconnectedness. A cornerstone to Maria Montessori’s philosophy is how teachers (and adults in general) can get in the way of fostering independence. We (adults) are torn between helping our children become independent while also loving them so fiercely that we …

A life measured in what we have done for others.

This fall’s Harvest Moon Festival was a true delight!  We hope everyone had a great time making new friends and celebrating this remarkable community. A big THANK YOU to Lydia, the Diversity Committee, and all of the volunteers who made it possible! If you have two minutes, enjoy this short video of the evening at Harvest Moon.   I want to recognize our (9-12) students this week.  I have been so impressed with their leadership, acts of kindness, and demonstrations of character.  On Sept. 15 and 16, our (9-12) community went to Camp Ernst to build community, exercise courage, and foster …

Cosmic Education

Hello Friends, I love the change of seasons and the way the children find new ways to interact with nature. Leaves are piled. Pumpkins are carved. Our fresh foods shift to fall produce. Our children play through all of it: adapting, switching from baseballs to snowballs, swapping magic sticks for magic icicles, bicycles for bobsleds. Seasons and children are a reminder that change is constant. Tiny transformations are always in motion. As I watch the seasons change, I think of Maria Montessori’s ideas on what she called Cosmic Education. This philosophy and curriculum creates a path through which children develop …

Looking back on our history in the Mitchell Mansion

As we prepare for our Harvest Moon Festival on Sept 24, and look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones, it’s fun to look at our history and to take in the charm of our beautiful Mitchell Mansion. I was recently going through some historical archives and found an early TNSM newsletter that shared the following: The rehabilitation of the New School building is presently underway, a project that combines the careful restoration of the stone exterior with internal changes to some of the rooms to better accommodate the students and teachers.   Originally, the Richard Mitchell Residence was …