Upper Elementary News - May 18

Though our school year is coming to a close, we are still working hard in the Upper Elementary classroom. Science students are constructing their model houses and adding electrical wiring; culture students are presenting their research findings; math and Wordly Wise assignments continue, and farm chores never cease. A highlight of this week was our trip to Montessori Academy in Brentwood to see their performance of Maria Montessori, the Musical! 3rd-8th level students from their school performed in the production. It was written and directed by their Music Director, Mark Woodward. The following is a report written by Noah and Bob.

On Wednesday, we saw a production of Maria Montessori's life at another Montessori school called Montessori Academy. In the musical, they showed how she wanted to be a doctor, but it was a man's job. She became a doctor anyway and helped mentally challenged kids to learn. She made materials to train their senses. Maria's way of teaching inspired the kids to learn more. Olive commented, "It was awesome. I was really amazed at how talented the performers were. The girl who played Maria Montessori was really good!" Maddie said, "The singing was really good and they seemed like professionals." Lillie C. said, "The musical was amazing. The students had a high level of skill, especially the girl who played Maria towards the end." 

The guides have two books they would like to recommend for parents to read over the summer. The first is Parenting From the Inside Out by child psychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and early childhood expert Mary Hartzell, M.Ed. While this is not a " how to " manual for solving problems step-by-step with our children, it helps the reader to self-examine and become the kind of parent they want to be. The second is No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls by Katie Hurley, who is an activist for empowering girls and helping them to find confidence in themselves.

Some students have recognized that their math facts are not yet automatic. We can recommend the online math fluency program Reflex. Several of our students have used it in the past, and have found it to be helpful and fun! You can try it for free for 30 days.