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 builders. It has been said that the reason our founders named the school The New School is to keep a sense of “newness” alive in our culture – to encourage our staff and community to ask new questions, come up with new ideas, and to not get stuck in old routines. This is one of the reasons Professional Development days are so important. It is an opportunity for our staff to reflect, listen to new ways to approach our work, and learn from other Montessorians about how to meet the needs of each child.
Our (6-12) teachers took a workshop given by a recent recipient of the American Montessori Society’s Living Legacy Award, Biff Maier (former TNSM educator and leader). Biff has over 47 years in Montessori education and offers a workshop called, Making it Stick: The Anatomy of the Effective Lesson.
Our (3-6) staff took part in a teacher exchange with teachers from Summit Country Day’s Montessori program. They observed classrooms and held discussions around pedagogy, culture, and structure. We hosted Summit Montessori teachers at TNSM later in the week.
I will leave you with a wonderful photo that Robby Lewis, (3-6) teacher assistant, shared with me earlier. It’s of two friends who, 5 years ago, were kindergartners together in the West Room. Now, as TNSM 5th graders, they have returned as volunteers/mentors in the same environment. It is such a joy to see children grow and mature during their time at TNSM. As a side note, Robby made the table they sit at. In fact, he made almost all the furniture in that room! I’m telling ya, this community? Pinch me. 🙏