Mountain West Montessori Newsletter

Editor-in-Chief: Ms. Angie, Director

Author: Ms. Sheri, Assistant Director

Things that might feel awful right now are actually going to make you stronger in the long run.They're going to make you happier in an odd way and stronger on the other side. And you might not be able to see it yet, but having hope that that is the case...can be very powerful.

~Dr. Laurie Santos

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-VETERAN'S DAY: Wednesday, November 11th

-NO SCHOOL ,THANKSGIVING RECESS: Monday, November 23rd - Friday, November 27th

-NO SCHOOL, WINTER RECESS: Friday, December 18th - Friday, January 1st

-PICTURE RETAKES: Wednesday, November 4th

-MWMA/s 2020-2021 Calendar: https://www.mwmacademy.org/uploads/document/attachment/179/2020-2021_MWMA_AMENDED_School_Calendar__BOARD_APPROVED_7-23-20_.pdf

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The Silence Game

Did you know that the Montessori curriculum includes something called “The Silence Game”? It is exactly what it sounds like—an opportunity for the entire classroom community to be silent together. Students often play this “game” after morning circle time, sitting in silence for a few minutes and then getting individually dismissed by a whispered name, or carrying a bell so carefully that it doesn’t ring. Maria Montessori wrote that this game brings “little by little a discipline composed of calmness and inner beatitude”.

In today’s busy and frenetic world, a little silence can soothe and recenter. If you have seen either “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” or “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, you may know that Fred Rogers (of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood fame) spent his life fighting for childhood, slowing down, and silence. I enjoyed this quote (from Esquire magazine) about it:

“Mister Rogers is losing, as we all are losing. He is losing to it—to our twenty-four-hour-a-day pie fight, to the dizzying cut and the disorienting edit, to the message of fragmentation, to the flicker and pulse and shudder and strobe, to the constant, hivey drone of the electroculture…and yet still he fights, deathly afraid that the medium he chose is consuming the very things he tried to protect: childhood and silence. Yes, at seventy years old and 143 pounds, Mister Rogers still fights, and indeed, early this year, when television handed him its highest honor, he responded by telling television—gently, of course—to just shut up for once, and television listened. He had already won his third Daytime Emmy, and now he went onstage to accept Emmy's Lifetime Achievement Award, and there, in front of all the soap-opera stars and talk-show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are….Ten seconds of silence." And then he lifted his wrist, and looked at the audience, and looked at his watch, and said softly, "I'll watch the time."

~Ms. Angie

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Ms. Sheri, Assistant Director

Helping Others and Happiness

“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” ~Chinese Proverb

There appears to be a direct correlation with overall well-being and making meaningful contributions to a community. In the Montessori environment, we emphasize giving back to humanity and the earth. In essence, it’s learning to serve others. Community Service (also called Service Learning) projects integrate the academic and behavioral lessons. By teaching civic responsibility, children of all ages learn the value of being a contributing member of society. They see firsthand that they are able to strengthen the bonds within their own communities and experience personal satisfaction and happiness along the way.

At Mountain West Montessori Academy, quite often students step up on their own to provide help when they see it is needed. Teachers also encourage students to help others when needed and to take care of the school environment because it belongs to them. The following are just a few examples of MWMA students happily helping and serving.

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Ms. Marianne Noble

Being a teenager is filled with many challenges and many opportunities. These experiences change from day to day and at times even from moment to moment. Still, one thing remains consistent in our teen’s lives - friends are everything. Because friendship is such an important part of a teens' life, it is important that our teens become part of healthy friendships.

Signs of a healthy friendship include:

● Being honest with each other

● Disagreeing in a kind way

● Trusting each other

● Having several friends outside of one group or circle

● Respecting each other's boundaries

● A desire to put in the time for a real friendship

If you find yourself happy, striving to be better, and growing in a positive way with another person, you are probably in a healthy friendship. As your teen chooses their friends, help them to choose friends worth keeping and to recognize the friends that may be dragging them down.

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Ms. Melissa

As it cools off outside and holidays begin to pop up on our calendar I get to thinking about traditions. In fact, this weeks library visits have been all about traditions. I love learning all the different winter traditions celebrated at our school and have incorporated several ideas from your students into my own family traditions over the years (thank you to whomever celebrates New Year's Eve with s'mores!)

Below are some of my favorite stories for you to share with your families as the winter holidays approach. I'd love to hear about your favorite stories, too! Email me at mzuckerman@mwmacademy.org to share your favorite holiday (or wintertime) stories or your favorite holiday traditions.

The New Book of Family Traditions by Meg Cox - a thought-provoking book that helps you design your own special traditions.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblin, by Eric Kimmel - this wonderful story explains the origins of Hanukkah and the meaning behind the many traditions.

Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Shelf Medearis - this story of seven brothers highlights the 7 principles of Kwanzaa.

Sam and the Lucky Money, by Karen Chinn - a thoughtful story showing many of the traditions of Chinese New Year with the moral that it is better to give than to receive.

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice, by Wendy Pfeffer - this book explains what winter solstice is and how it has been observed by various cultures throughout history.

The Nutcracker in Harlem by T. E. McMorrow - this Harlem Jazz-inspired version of the Nutcracker will be a new favorite for those that love the tale.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell - A family enjoys activities and traditions that express gratitude and carry on Cherokee history and culture.

Every Month Is A New Year by Marilyn Singer - Every month of the year, somewhere in the world people celebrate with joy and good wishes for a happy new year.

The Legend of Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola - This Mexican legend tells how the poinsettia came to be.

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket - an irate latke is the star of this story which highlights the differences between Hanukkah and Christmas as only Lemony Snicket can.

Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien - For those who are sentimental about Christmas when they (or their children) were young... this is a collection of illustrated letters that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote (as Father Christmas) to his children.

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Ms. Melissa is excited to be the PE and Health teacher at Mountain West Montessori. Ms. Melissa has taught PE in all grade levels and she is happy to now be teaching middle school. Melissa received her Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology at the University of Utah, where she also received her Teaching License.

Melissa believes in providing students with the skills necessary to live a life-long physically active lifestyle beyond the realms of her classroom. She also believes that EVERY student loves some form of PE- they just might not have discovered it yet. Melissa spends a great deal of her time doing CrossFit, reading inspirational books, and getting ready for Halloween every year!

Ms. Marianne is a native Utahn and has worked in education since 2009. During this time Marianne has worked in regular education, special education, in an alternative education, and as a counselor in grades K-12.

Her students have taught her so much about education and about life. Daily, Ms. Marianne's students inspire her as they overcome and learn to manage the obstacles in their lives. Because of the resiliency of students, she truly believes that all students have the ability to succeed.

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Email: admin@mwmacademy.org
Website: https://www.mwmacademy.org/
Location: 4125 Foxview Drive, South Jordan, UT, USA
Phone: 801-566-6962

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