In Spanish classes, the highlight of this month was the end of the year holidays. The students learned about celebrations around the world and their influence on Latin-America.
Primary
by Yeny Hernandez [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
The excitement of the end of the year celebrations was present in the Primary classes. In Spanish, we discussed the different celebrations around the world which have the common theme of light. Apart from talking, drawing and singing, the kids worked with lights related vocabulary like Luz (light), estrella (star), luna (moon), and sol (sun).
Lower Elementary
by Susana D'Ruiz [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
In our lessons on the end of year holidays, we covered Fiestas Alrededor del Mundo (Festivities Around the World) most of which use lights symbolically in their celebrations. One of the activies we did to commemorate the holidays was to make different celebration cards to be delivered to Well Spring Residence. The students wrote them in Spanish and English.
Upper Elementary
by Susana D'Ruiz and Sandra O. Lee
Fourth Level
This month, the 4th level students have been busy working on parts of speech, vocabulary and phonetics. Our goal is to start working on sentence analysis in Spanish as soon as we return from Winter Break.
Fifth Level
The main contents in 5th level were Geography in Spanish, where the students learned about Central and South American countries, their capitals and borders, and reading comprehension and the use of the dictionary. The kids read "Nuestra Tierra" (Our Earth), and had to write questions and definitions related to the book.
Middle School
by Sandra O. Lee [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
This is a busy time of year for middle schoolers with several projects coming to fruition. Along with this, we maintained our daily focus on Spanish language and academics. The students continued working on the Realidades Program, and their customized review packages. They also had the opportunity to talk about and review the world lights celebrations and listen to Villancicos (traditional Christmas songs in Spanish).
At the Greensboro Montessori School we have a world cultural music curriculum in the Primary through Upper Elementary classes. Students watch, listen, and read about a culture’s music and and then work to present a world music concert where they perform cultural songs, dances, story-dramas and play instruments from specific cultures.
We are lucky to have a beautiful collection of functional world music instruments for the students to see and perform on, some of which are displayed in our school’s library showcase.The upcoming elementary winter world music concerts will feature instruments from Europe, such as the accordion, Irish bodhran, penny whistle, the celtic harp, xylophones and guitars. In preparation for the concert, Lower and Upper Elementary students have been delightedly bringing stories to life from Scotland and Wales called, “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lithy” and “Morgan’s Spell.”
Toddler and Primary music classes have been enjoying animal songs, playing hand percussion and singing songs about rain, vertebrates, kookaburras and singing in French. Favorite songs in toddler music classes have been, “Horsey, horsey” and “See the pony galloping”. In primary music classes there has been robust singing by students on the refrain of “Puff the Magic Dragon” as we follow the illustrated story-song and lots of expressive movement to the song, “Rhythms all Around.”
Andrew and David working on the cauldron.
Art and music classes have been working together to prepare for the upcoming winter concerts on December 3 and 10.
Upper and Lower Elementary students have been using their art time to create stage props for the concerts. Huge boxes have been transformed into many interesting things. A favorite of the boys has been a large cauldron made from chicken wire, newspaper and lots of tape. We made homemade paper mache' and had a messy good time creating the cauldron.
A collective display of winter.Lower elementary students have been creating winter scenes to add to this large piece of art that will be displayed at the winter concerts.
Lower elementary students have been creating winter scenes to add to this large piece of art that will be displayed at the winter concerts.
Other happenings in the Montessori art room include printmaking with leaves. Lower elementary students used leaves to create beautiful prints. They also painted the negative space with watercolors. In combination with their study of European culture and music, Lower El students were also introduced to the work of artist and architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He was from Austria and his artwork had a childlike, playful style. Take a look at the students' work that was inspired by Hundertwasser.
I look forward to seeing you at the winter concerts where you will see all of this fabulous artwork created by our talented Montessori art and music students.
Be inspired!
Katherine Gwynn
Sarah is working on a snowy house.
The snowy house is done!
Komei is drawing a cardinal for the winter scene.
Albert Smelzer's cardinal.
Lower elementary students working on a large apple
Leaf print with watercolor.
Griffin displaying his leaf print.
Inspired by Hundertwasser
Fun houses and trees inspired by Hundertwasser.
Elementary and Middle School students at Greensboro Montessori School work and play hard in their physical education classes. Lower Elementary works out 1 day a week for 55 minutes, Upper Elementary works out 2 days a week for 50 minutes and Middle School works out twice a week for 55 minutes. Early in the school year, each class starts off with a fitness evaluation. In this evaluation, we test each student's 1) resting heart rate, 2) muscle strength with push-ups and sit-ups, 3) cardiovascular levels with 1/2 mile or 1 mile walk/jog and 4) flexibility with the sit-n-reach test. The first test is a benchmark for the year; then each student will do a retest before Winter Break and again before summer break.
So far this fall we have completed units on soccer and football. In soccer, students, practiced all the foot skills associated with that sport. Soccer is still the favorite sport of every class - Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary and Middle School. We then moved into a unit about American football. To keep all the students interested, we changed it up and converted the game of ultimate frisbee to ultimate football. Students got plenty of practice with eye hand coordination skills, team work skills and had a fast moving game to play at the same time. This unit worked in conjunction with the Middle School after school sports program All of the age groups are getting to develop their skills towards the big goal of playing on the middle school flag football team.
Occasionally we take a break from the schedule and work on our teamwork skills with a good ol'game of floor hockey or kickball.
Duncan Page graduated from Greensboro Montessori School in 2011 after 11 years as a GMS student. He attended high school at the Early College at Guilford and this fall enrolled in the NC State University program for electrical and computer engineering. Visit the Early College at Guilford homepage.
Duncan and two classmates from NC State were top performers in a recent global online programming contest known as IEEEXtreme, ranking 2nd in the U.S. and 24th in the world. IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Student members compete in a 24-hour time span against each other to solve a set of programming problems. IEEE, the world's leading technical professional association for the advancement of technology, conducts the programming competition.
Click here to read more about the competition.
Duncan is the youngest three siblings all of whom are Montessori alumni. Duncan's older brother, Griffin, is a senior at NC State studying Computer Science, and his older sister, Courtney, completed her master's degree in Historical Archaeology from Eastern Carolina University and now works as the lab manager for Blackbeard's - Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck, which draws together some of the leading scientists around the nation to collaborate and use the latest techniques in the science or preservation. Duncan's parents, Judy and Brian Page, live in Greensboro.
This month, in which Latin America remembers the “Encounter of Two Worlds”, the students were busy in the classrooms learning, working, researching and presenting their work about our rich Hispanic culture and its people. Below is a glimpse of our activities.
Primary
by Yeny Hernandez [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
Children in Tracy's class learning different aspects of the Hispanic Heritage Month
This has been an active month in Primary in Spanish. The students worked with geometry, recognizing the different geometrical shapes and naming them as they created figures with them.
We also celebrated the Hispanic Heritage Month, talking about different aspects of it: history, geography and art among others.
We look forward to another month of exciting activities!
Lower Elementary
by Susana D'Ruiz [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
In cultural studies, we covered Mes de la Herencia Hispana (National Hispanic Month), songs and cultural content. As an end to cultural month, we read about one of the most renowned Mexican artists, Diego Rivera. In phonetics, the emphasis was on /m/ sound and syllable formation for first level students, and /d/ sounds and syllable formation for second and third levels.
Albert and Andrew listen attentively about Diego Rivera's life.
Students working on their phonetics books
Working on a Diego Rivera painting
Upper Elementary
by Susana D'Ruiz and Sandra O. Lee
Fourth Level
The fourth level students have transitioned well into Upper El. This past week the lessons focused on noun gender. In vocabulary the emphasis was on useful phrases for the Spanish class.
Fifth Level
This month the students have been busy working on vocabulary and sentence analysis. They compared the Spanish versus the English patterns using the Montessori Grammar Symbols. They continue working on vocabulary and phonetics.
David analyzes sentences in Spanish using Montessori grammar symbols.
Middle School
by Sandra O. Lee [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
Part of October has been marked for the visit of our friends from our sister school in Costa Rica. Our kids had the opportunity to make new friends, practice Spanish and get ready for their trip to Costa Rica in May. But we do not forget about academics during "Mes de la Hispanidad" in which we celebrate the "Encounter of Two Worlds". The students in Middle School researched and presented their work about different people, natural wonders and monuments from Spain and Latin America.
Sixth year girls work on their schedule in Spanish
Middle schoolers working with some of our new friends who visited from Costa Rica.
Collaborating with colleagues speaks of community and shows our students that we support each others work. Lower elementary art students have been helping our librarian Erin Carmola with her reading challenge called Reading is a Piece of Cake. Students are helping to promote the reading challenge by creating pieces of cake in art class. These will be displayed on the bulletin board outside the library. The element of art we are studying in October is line. Look for a variety of lines used in these delectable looking pieces of cake. Notice how each artist uniquely expresses their interpretation of a piece of cake.
Reading is a Piece of Cake
Three -dimensional line work
Collaborating with Upper Elementary Teachers
5th level upper elementary students are studying about Rome and we have been making mosaics in art. This has been a valuable learning experience. Students have learned that art is a process that evolves over time. They have used problem solving skills when realizing their design was too detailed for the mosaic pieces to work in their image. Reworking the design became a natural part of this learning process. This process has been grueling at times but upper elementary students are very proud of their finished pieces!
Mosaics Designed By Upper Elementary Students
Grouting is the next step in this mosaic.
All this fabulous art work will be coming home at the end of this first trimester.
Art and music will be working together to create scenery and costumes for upcoming winter concerts. Students love when their classes overlap and there is continuity in their day. It is such a blessing to work with such talented colleagues and to come alongside such eager learners.
From September 15th to October 15th is the National Hispanic Heritage Month. As part of this celebration in our classrooms, the students will be working on different activities related to Latin American countries and Spain, their culture, artists and landmarks.
Primary [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
We started the month reviewing greetings and learning the Buenos Días song. The students have enthusiastically practiced the song, as well as greetings, colors and numbers inside and outside the classroom. When we finish our lessons, we also sing the "Roll, roll, roll your mat" song in Spanish - "Enrolla, enrolla, enrolla tu alfombra."
During this month, we will be learning and practicing colors in Spanish through the painting “The Flower Carrier” by the Mexican artist, Diego Rivera.
Lower Elementary[dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
Susana working with small groups in Lower Elementary
This month, Yeny, a native from El Salvador, will be talking with the Lower El students about her country and its culture.
A, B, C, Ch, D, E, F, .... Gee what a lot of fun we had these past weeks. Our names have been very important this week. We are looking for letters that are the same in each other’s names, counting letters, comparing the length as well as looking for letters that we have learned. We also reviewed greetings in Spanish and vowel sounds. In addition, the students are working on a tongue-twister in Spanish: El hipopótamo Hipo.
Upper Elementary
by Sandra O. Lee and Susana D'Ruiz
Fourth Level
We used the first weeks of school helping students to get to know one another and become comfortable with various classroom routines. One of our goals is to help students become independent workers, so students are currently learning how to organize work in their Spanish notebook, folder and on index cards.
Fifth Level
This month we started our writer’s workshop. The students are very excited, working on constructing and connecting sentences with the final goal of writing paragraphs in Spanish. To do this, they are working on vocabulary lists, spelling exercises and analyzing sentences. Looking forward to share their writing with you!
Middle School [dt_sc_email emailid="[email protected]"/]
Alex explains to Robbie how to use the Spanish textbook
September has been a busy month in Spanish. Sixth level students have transitioned well. They are getting familiar with the different components of the Spanish 1 program, and I must add they are doing a great job!!!
Evan listens and practices vocabulary
Seventh and Eighth levels are working on their projects and presentations about a Hispanic – American landmark or people. The projects will be presented the last week of September. I look forward to see the result of their research work!
In early August, GMS music teacher, Betsy Bevan, attended a week-long workshop titled “Music Makers Around the World” taught by a Musikgarten teacher trainer from New York. The workshop was held in Greensboro and people attended from as far away as California and Canada. It was a wonderful week of learning new songs, children’s dances to classical music, activities that teach young children about the world of music, music note reading and instrument playing. Betsy is now certified as a Musikgarten teacher.
The Musikgarten program uses the Montessori teaching style and is based on a combination of prominent music traditions such as Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, Ed Gordan, classical and folk music literature and studies in neuroscience about brain development by Dee Coulter.
"I found it to be a fun, active and in depth curriculum that suits Montessori education very well. I’m looking forward to presenting some new music material to my students!" said Betsy. This year she will facilitate a music class once a week in each toddler and primary classroom. The toddler music program is called Sing with Me, Dance with Me and Primary music class will use the Cycle of Seasons Musikgarten curriculum of singing, movement, song games, note reading and a variety of other activities which match with their class studies. Lower Elementary will be following the Home Place, Woodlands, Marshlands and world Musikgarten program and Upper Elementary will draw on the world music curriculum.
At Back to School night on August 17, our families celebrated the opening of two beautiful and newly renovated Lower Elementary classrooms with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
We had a tight window of time for the renovation this summer and wanted everything ready and in place for the children on the first day of school. Construction started the Monday after the last day of school in June. With everyone working together, the project came in on schedule and within budget. The new configuration showcases two large and airy classrooms that lead out to the gardens, have maximum natural light, brand new bathrooms and kitchenettes, and flexible floor plans for open circulation. We achieved our goal of using environmentally friendly materials in the construction, and selected fixtures and fittings with high standards for energy and water efficiency.
