Grace and courtesy are foundational themes in a Montessori classroom.  Grace refers to how a child moves in the space, how they handle the materials and how they function overall in the room.  Courtesy refers to the manner in which students speak and act with their peers and towards their teachers.  

There are continuous opportunities to practice grace and courtesy throughout the day, such as lining up to wash hands before lunch, lining up for recess, and  sitting attentively with the whole group during circle time.

Courtesy is also modeled when the children have differences among themselves.  Learning how to interact with others and to engage in conflict resolution when things are not “going your way” are some of the key concepts that we work on daily.  

We’ve also spent some time talking about “tattling” to a teacher with the underlying intent of getting the other person in trouble.  Instead, we encourage our students to get out the peace rose and talk through their feelings directly with each other.  The peace rose gives each child the opportunity to speak, while the other child is listening.

When using the peace rose, we have taught the children to begin their dialogue with “I feel.”  This instruction helps each child to identify their own feelings and to quickly recognize the feelings in the other child. Communication about how to solve the problem then takes place, with assistance from teachers if needed.

 When resolution is achieved, the children each hold the rose and declare “friends” or “peace.”

We enjoyed our first classroom field trip to the Nevada State Museum and greatly appreciate the parents who chaperoned the event.  We also thank our parents who are helping us during our Kindergarten field trip to Red Rock Canyon.

Keith Goldman shared his wonderful professional experience with our class and may have inspired several of our students to walk in his shoes.  Thanks Keith for showing us some of the magic and thought that goes into designing Lego models!

Thank you also for all our families who donated clothing for Project Homeless Connect, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

COOKING PROJECT

Delicious apple tarts were made by our students with the help of Kristina (Jonny’s mom) and Laura (Skye’s mom).  Thank you!

A recent assembly on wild animals brought amazement and delight to our students.

Thanks also to all of the Kindergarten students and their families who attended STEM night.

REMINDERS:

No school 11/22-11/24: Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!

P1 Holiday Sing-Along is on Friday, 12/15 at 9:15am in the classroom.

THANKS:

Thanks to Helen, Ryndon, and their families for supplying healthy and beautiful snacks, and flowers for our classroom.