Weekly Newsletters

The Self Driven Child “We really can’t control our kids—and doing so shouldn’t be our goal. Our role is to teach them to think and act independently, so that they will have the judgment to succeed in school and, most important, in life. Rather than pushing them to do things they resist, we should seek to help them find things they love and develop their inner motivation. Our aim is to move away from a model that depends on parental pressure to one that nurtures a child’s own drive. That is what we mean by the self-driven child.” - William Stixrud, The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives Our next CMS Parent Book Club meets this Thursday after drop off at 8:20 . Join us in the Clubhouse for a lively discussion of this amazing book. I'll be joined by both Cindy Ma, Children's House Level Coordinator & Guide, and Veronica Rodriguez, Elementary Level Coordinator & Coach. Bring your coffee and settle in for a great chat. A nice way to start the day! *Note that Part 1 covers the first half of the book and next week (March 13th) we'll discuss the second half of the book. RSVP so we know how many chairs to put out. If you haven't had a chance to get the book yet - still come! The conversation will still be meaningful for you!

Our Parent Book Club is back with a new recommended read! The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson. This book comes highly recommended by Kathy Minardi, a longtime leader in the AMI Montessori community, who has personally worked with the authors who are psychologists in the D.C. area. As we did for the Anxious Generation, we will talk about the book in 2 parts: March 6th - Part One covers Chapters 1 to 7 March 13th - Part Two will cover Chapters 8 to 14 We will meet right after morning drop off this time. Please RSVP and plan to join us in the Clubhouse from 8:30 to 9:30am. If you can only make one of the times, still come! And if you prefer podcasts, here's a LINK to the author's page for that. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

COLD WEATHER ALERT! There is a Cold Weather Advisory for our Georgetown area starting tonight and going thru Thursday. The lows the next couple of nights will be well below freezing - which means the morning will be very cold too. Please be sure you send adequate cold weather gear for your child! I have not heard any information about ice or precipitation being part of this weather alert - just very very cold temperatures so school will be on as usual. If anything changes, of course you'll receive a text message & email from us. Stay warm!

Registration for Spring Enrichment classes ends tomorrow! Be sure to register your child now. Classes get underway the week of February 18th.

Thanks so much to everyone who sent in some change last week. Our Kindness Challenge school -wide was to collect for California Wildfire Relief. Students are busy counting and will have a going out to the bank next week. We'll keep you posted on our final total. If you missed it, no worries! Send a donation in on your own.

Send us your coins! For our Kindness Challenge this year we are collecting coins to help children and families impacted by the California Wildfires. Students can bring coins to their classroom at morning drop off or families can bring them to the office anytime! All week students are taking part in Kindness Challenges both big and small in class and out. Here some Nova students brought a book called Kindness Grows to read with some Children's House friends. Ask your child how they are being kind today!

Every year CMS students take part in the Great Kindness Challenge put on by Kids for Peace. Schools all over the world join together for a special week filled with activities geared to instilling kindness and creating a more peaceful world.  Last year, CMS students collected coins to sponsor students at the Kids for Peace school in Kenya. We had such a great result we were able to help 35 children! This year, inspired by students in our Redbud classroom, we will be collecting coins to help children and families impacted by the California Wildfires. Take some time this weekend to start collecting! Students can begin bringing coins to class on Monday!

"Meaningful Work" looks different at different ages Last week we talked about the power of providing opportunities for children to engage in "meaningful work." Full engagement in such work is what brings out a focus or concentration that is similar to what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called FLOW. There's so much to say on that subject that he wrote an entire book about it! For our Montessori classrooms, we know that all those words describe a positive mental state experienced by a person who is completely absorbed in an activity. Time passes without being noticed and you emerge feeling refreshed, happy, and energized.

I hope you all had an excellent winter break - filled with relaxation and joyful times with family and friends. Yesterday the CMS staff returned to work with a full day of training and classroom preparations. We spent time reviewing social-emotional development across the ages and diving into effective tools to help children learn to navigate social conflict when it arises. It was a great way to refresh and prepare for the return of students today!

Final Day for Food Donations is Tomorrow! Our Season of Giving wraps up this week, as we head into our winter break. Class Ambassadors are collecting for Helping Hands of Georgetown for one more day. Please be sure to bring your donation by the end of the day tomorrow. Students can bring items to their classroom in the morning or families can drop off at the office any time up until 4pm. The most needed items are listed here but any non-perishable donation is welcome. Helping Hands runs a mobile food pantry that distributes food to those who need it Monday thru Thursday at 3pm, from the parking lot in front of the public library. Thank you for your donations!

There are many "gifts" we can give this season, this year, and throughout our school day that are meaningful and bring joy to others. Here's a few of ours: Elementary students at CMS are giving the gift of song tonight at the Elementary Winter Concert. Join us at the Georgetown Library at 5:30pm . CMS Class Ambassadors have organized a school-wide food drive, through Wednesday, December 18th . Info can be found on our website or Facebook page. Last but definitely not least - the gift of time, friendship, attention, support, and sharing! Here are some examples:

Season of Giving The holiday season is a time of giving, and Community Montessori School is excited to partner with Helping Hands of Georgetown for a school-wide food drive. This is a wonderful way to support those in need. Here are the details: Kickoff Date : Wednesday, December 4th Final Collection Date : Wednesday, December 18th Drop-off Locations : Collection boxes will be in every classroom & the school office. Students can bring items to class during morning drop-off or parents can drop off anytime to the CMS office. Here is a list of the pantry's most needed items. Let’s make this season brighter for everyone in our local community. Together, we can show the true spirit of giving & make a meaningful impact! Thank you for your generosity and support.

As we look ahead to Thanksgiving break, we want to take a minute and say thank you for the joy, support, and collaboration we experience on a daily basis at CMS with our staff, families, and of course with our students. We are grateful to be part of this wonderful community. Wishing you all a fun-filled break and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sometimes Montessori is criticized for not allowing children to be creative and sometimes for allowing too much creative freedom. Perhaps that contradiction comes from how we think of creativity. What exactly is it and what does it look like when children are creative in our CMS classrooms? The loose definition that comes up in a google search is "the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work". Dr. Montessori differentiated between imagination and imitation. Imitation is very visible in the first plane of development, as young children try out things they are seeing around them. Imagination truly kicks in during the second plane when the child becomes capable of imagining things that aren't around them or don't actually exist in the current time. This is reflected in the big work of the elementary level. What is most apparent in our Montessori classrooms every day is the second part of the definition - original ideas. When children have the freedom to explore and try things out, they often find a path less traveled which is quite wonderful to see!

Reflecting & Taking Stock Last Friday was Conference day - an important event on our school calendar. I'm happy to report that we met our goal of 100% participation ! That is a strong statement from our parent community regarding the high value you have all placed on education. We are truly grateful to have such a committed and supportive parent body at CMS. Conferences are a good time to pause and reflect on things your child has done and also to look ahead at what is next to come. In the business of our day-to-day activities, we don't always take the time to marvel at the amazing capacity kids have to learn and to take stock of what they've accomplished and the progress they've made and continue to make. We're glad to collectively take a moment for this!

What a Great Festival! While the temp stayed a bit on the warm side, we had a great time at last Saturday's International Festival. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this event outstanding! It's wonderful to have our whole community come together for a fun celebration. One of the most important things, I think, is the way this event highlights student work. From the amazing table displays and reports to the creative items made by Nova students, it was a great example of what Montessori students spend their days doing!

See you Saturday! Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday morning for our annual International Festival. We'll gather in the Courtyard starting at 10am to see the cultural displays, shop at the Nova Microeconomy sale, and enjoy some music with Marshal. Every child attending gets a passport and collects stickers as they visit each classroom's table. We have a prize for them after they get their stickers! CMS Board members will be joining us at the passport table so please stop by and say hello to them. Friendly reminder that dogs need to stay home Saturday - just humans please! Bathrooms will be available in the new Library in the yellow building.

"All children are by nature antifragile. Just as the immune system must be exposed to germs, and trees must be exposed to wind, children require exposure to setbacks, failures, shocks, and stumbles in order to develop strength and self-reliance." Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation , p. 93

"The children of today will make all the discoveries of tomorrow. All the discoveries of mankind will be known to them and they will improve what has been done and make fresh discoveries...The future generation must not only know how to do what we can teach them, they must be able to go a step further." The 1946 London Lectures, p. 137 Maria Montessori passed away in 1952, well before the advent of anything "digital" in the world. However, she did speak quite eloquently to preparing the child for the future. Here are a few key points in the Montessori approach to consider: Montessori is development based and focused on giving children what is appropriate for their developmental stage. The child's work is purposeful and the Montessori materials give the clearest visual representation possible for the concept, without alot of extraneous stuff. Real world hands-on experiences are still the best foundation for learning. To be creative thinkers and innovators, children need freedom to explore, experiment, and make connections. When we consider the above factors we can see about where in the child's educational development it is appropriate for them to begin to use digital tools. At CMS, as with most AMI Montessori schools, this is around the upper elementary age - but with scaffolded access and guidance. We continue to ask...Is this the best tool for this purpose? Are there other resources available that could provide a better experience? Is use of digital technology supporting their development in a positive way? I hope you will consider reading or listening to Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation (and joining our discussion group tomorrow!). This is an important topic that all educators and parents should be considering.

Arrival is at 8am. To get the most out of the school day, its important that your child arrive on time. Greeting friends and walking to class together starts their day with a smile and helps children feel like a valued part of the community. Arriving late, conversely, feels like walking into a party that is already underway. Especially for our younger students, whose whole day can be disrupted by arriving late. On a more practical note, the car line ends at or before 8:20. Since Guides are on their own in class while Assistants help with the car line, it is important that they return to their classroom as soon as possible. If you arrive at 8:20 or later, expect to wait in your car in front of the office until administrative staff is able to receive your child. If you have a scheduled appointment and know you will arrive late, please email the office at attendance@community-montessori.org and let us know when you expect to arrive. Thanks!

LAST CALL FOR ENRICHMENTS Sign Up for Fall Enrichment classes closes tomorrow Sept. 25th so be sure to register now! Classes begin next week. We have a great selection for students in Children's House and Elementary levels, including science, chess, sports, and art. Sign up HERE and call us in the office if you have any questions.

FALL ENRICHMENT SIGN UP IS HERE ! Children's House and Elementary students can sign up now for After School Enrichment classes. We have a great selection this fall. From science to art to lego robotics, there's something for everyone! Registration is open now through September 25th. Classes start the week of September 30th. The registration form has more details for each of the specific classes offered so please read and sign up today. Call the office if you have any questions.

Last Call Everyone! Placemat orders close this Friday at 4pm so order yours now! Our Community Placemats are a great way to kickstart dinner conversations about your child's day at school! Order a placemat (or two!) and see all the children that make up your child's Community at CMS. Our placemats are custom made and personalized, with a photo and first name of every classmate. It's a great way to help your child learn everyone's names and get to know them yourself too.

September is here and students are beginning to settle in. Having consistent rules and predictable routines helps children feel secure and enables them to make independent choices throughout their day. Equally important is establishing the bonds of community within our classrooms and across the school as a whole. To help with this, we are offering our first ever Community Placemats!

Maria Montessori was born on August 31st, 1870 in a small town in Italy. It's thanks to her work that we have Montessori schools today. Students this week have been hearing about her life story. It's a fun math challenge to subtract 1870 from 2024 and discover how long ago she lived. Cheers to Maria!

We're off to a great start! Students came back ready to go and we've jumped right in to lessons and Montessori work. For most, its a mixture of new presentations alongside past favorities with perhaps a little refreshing and reminding also in the mix.

Welcome back CMS families! We have been busy preparing for the start of the school year and are super excited to have students back on campus. We had a great turnout last night for CMS 101 and the Casita and Children's House Orientations. Tonight, elementary and adolescent families have their turn. As you know, we have returning and upper level students starting Thursday. New students in lower levels have staggered starts over the next two weeks. Some fast facts about CMS for all our quantitative types.... We are starting the year with 229 enrolled students Our students range in age from 1 year up to 15 years We have 11 Montessori classrooms and 3 rooms for extended hours programs on our 18 acre campus We have 41 school-year employees + 4 dedicated substitutes This is our 43rd year providing authentic Montessori education in Georgetown!

SUMMER CAMP IS A WRAP! Today is our final day of Summer Camp. It's been a fun time with many memorable moments. A big THANK YOU to all our summer staff. You guys have been awesome! It's always fun to have Montessori alumni students bring their energy and enthusiasm to camp. Our Camp Coordinators did an amazing job thinking up creative and fun activities for the kids to enjoy. That's a wrap! 

THANKS FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR! We are wrapping up the school year this week with a flurry of activity, community, and fun! From the Nova trip to elementary field day to moving up gatherings in Children's House, students at CMS have been making the most of our last month of school. Can you believe Thursday is our last day? It's been a great year and we are so grateful for getting to spend this time with the amazing students we have in our school community.

THE BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY The Montessori approach considers the whole child and at CMS we look for student engagement cognitively, physically, and socially. The circles of connection, which start of course at home with the family, extend to individual students, the class group, and throughout the whole school. There's many ways every day that students at CMS benefit from the supportive community we work hard to establish at school.

This is Teacher Appreciation week at CMS and we are so happy to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the amazing people who work with students on our campus every day! A big thank you to the Class Ambassadors group for organizing a week-long celebration for our staff, with daily treats, breakfasts, and lunch. An even bigger THANK YOU to our incredible CMS staff!

MONTESSORI'S PLANES OF DEVELOPMENT If you've been at CMS awhile you've definitely heard us talk about the planes of development. I know - but they are so important! They are top of mind right now, as we head into our last month of the school year. Some of our CMS students will be "moving up" - which is our way of saying they're transitioning from their current plane of development into the next one. Let's review!

Individual and class photos are available now! We were fortunate to have the wonderful photographers from TANJABUL out this Spring to capture our amazing students and staff! Order your favorites by clicking on the link sent to you via email! The Gallery closes on May 7th.

ALL KINDS OF GOING OUTS An important skill for children to develop is the ability to apply things they've learned to new situations. These "transferable skills" are key for critical thinking, problem solving, and so many of the soft skills that are valuable in our lives. In Montessori, one of the ways that students develop these skills is in "Going Outs" and those can happen in many different ways. Throughout the school year, students in Upper Elementary and Adolescent classes, venture off campus to extend their learning in exciting ways, such as visiting Southwestern University to learn about Chinese language. Other times, the Going Outs are for community service, such as when Nova students help out at Simple Sparrow farm.

THE POWER OF NATURE I hope all of you got to experience the total solar eclipse in some way yesterday! Despite the clouds, it was a pretty amazing event. A great reminder of how we are connected to nature and the world around us, even when we don't feel like it sometimes. Today may be an "inside day" at school with the rain and mud preventing outside play. Tomorrow, however, is another day! I hope you all have saved the date and are planning to attend the Good Earth Celebration on Friday, April 19th after school from 3:15 to 5:15. We'll have the ever popular petting zoo, tractor rides and will again be releasing ladybugs in the Courtyard. It's a great event for connecting with nature on our beautiful campus this Spring.

NO SCHOOL MONDAY SO WATCH THE SOLAR ECLIPSE! No doubt you've heard that central Texas is prime viewing for the total solar eclipse on Monday! CMS is actually closed on Monday for Conference Day but, given concerns about travel during the eclipse, Guides are offering alternate times for conferences so everyone can be home that afternoon. Please be sure and check with your Guide so you don't miss out on this important check-in for your child's progress this year. In Georgetown, the eclipse will begin at 12:18pm, with the time of totality from 1:36 to 1:39pm. The partial eclipse will continue until 2:58pm. f you are planning to view the eclipse with your child, please do so safely and make sure your child (and yourself) are wearing appropriate glasses! Join Southwestern to see the event through telescopes. If your child wants to learn more the NASA website has lots of info, including: The Solar Eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth. An eclipse can only happen at New Moon The eclipse comes during NASA's Heliophysics Big Year. Check out other sun-related activities on their website There won't be another eclipse until 2044 so figure out how old you will be then!

How do we measure progress? What does mastery actually look like? With Spring Conferences just around the corner, we are collectively taking a moment to consider these questions. For Guides in every classroom level, the job of assessing and tracking a child's progress and growth is deeply intertwined with their daily work of guiding children through the Montessori curriculum. In training programs for Montessori teaching certification, we learn to incorporate daily observation and the importance of record keeping. The Montessori materials are brilliantly designed so that they reveal the child's understanding and skill in their use and practice with materials in the classroom. Elementary and Adolescent students also add in student journaling and regular conferences with the guide as a way of assessing progress.

REMINDER - EARLY ENROLLMENT ENDS FRIDAY! Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now open for current families ONLY. This early enrollment opportunity allows our existing students first dibs on spaces for next year. Parents will need to create an account in School Cues to complete the process. The re-enrollment period ends March 22nd.

Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now open for current families. Parents will need to create an account in School Cues to complete the process. The re-enrollment period ends March 22nd.

MONTESSORI TOOLS - SCAFFOLDED LEARNING The Montessori approach is very much a sequential learning system. Skills are built over time through a variety of activities and experiences. Everything in the prepared environment has a purpose and in some way contributes towards our larger goals for the child. In the Children's House, for example, writing preparation begins with activities like painting and polishing that prepare the hand and help the child develop their grip. When they are introduced to writing numbers or letters, the first activity is on a chalboard which has a big open space. Next they work on paper, still open but a smaller space. Later, they will move to writing on lined paper, where the space is smaller and more defined. But when the child tackles that challenge, they are able to focus on touching the lines because the skill of forming the letter has already been developed.

THE MONTESSORI TOOL BOX - THREE PERIOD LESSON Last week we looked at the #1 tool in every Guides tool box, which is observation. I hope you took a minute at home to observe your child! Now let's take a peek at another tool Guides use every day in their work in the classroom - the three period lesson. Dr. Montessori developed this as a universal standard to guide how we present new information to children. The first period or stage is a brief demonstration of the concept. In a language lesson, for example, "this is a triangle". In math work, "this is how we do division". The second period is typically the longest of all. Here the child, with guidance as needed, works with materials to explore and gain understanding of what we introduced. The final or third period is a check of understanding. In the language lesson, we might ask "what is this?" When the child responds "a triangle" then we know they are ready to move on with the next lesson.