Weekly Newsletters

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.

THE MONTESSORI TOOL BOX - OBSERVATION One of the most important tools that Montessori Guides have in their tool box is observation. I'm sure all of you have heard how we "follow the child" and perhaps you've wondered exactly how we go about doing that. It's a good question! Observation is the key. In the classroom, Guides are continually observing the children throughout the day, usually informally but on ocasion, they will sit in a chair (as I do) and just watch. There's so much to be learned through this that I would call observation the MVP for Montessori classroom staff.

WINTER DAYS - EMBRACING THE SEASON If you've been in Texas while, you are probably used to the variety of weather we can experience in any given month. January had days that were super cold, some that were sunny and nice, and some that were rainy and gray. Movement and fresh air are so important to human health and well being. Whatever the weather, our CMS students find ways to move their bodies and enjoy the season. It's also important for children to have opportunities to experience the world in a variety of ways. The Casita backyard on a wet chilly day is a different experience from what it's like on a warm and sunny day. When Elementary students have PE inside on a rainy day, they're challenged to use and think about the space (and their body) differently. It's an opportunity to be creative and develop resilience. That being said - we sure are enjoying the sunshine today!

As quickly as January has flown by, believe me it won't be long before summer is here! Summer Camp at CMS will run this year from June 3rd to July 26th so sign up now and start making your summer plans! CMS will host the Casita and Children's House camps. The YMCA will be back to host the Elementary camp - it was so fun last year! Sign up for Elementary camp is thru the YMCA and will be available soon. In addition, our Adolescent Guides will offer some weekly camps for students in Upper Elementary and Adolescent classes. Check the sign up for more info!

KINDNESS WEEK IS HERE This week is the Great Kindness Challenge, which is put on by the Kids for Peace organization. CMS students and staff have discussed ideas and all week long we will be focused on kindness - to ourselves, to others, and to our world. How can you help? Ask your child what their class is doing for kindness week Read Guide emails about projects the class is doing and participate if you can Gather your coins! Send them to class with your student, if their room is doing that, and if not bring them in the car line on Friday when Nova students will be collecting  What are those coins for? CMS is participating in the " Kind Coins for Kenyan Kids " campaign. For every $50 we collect, we sponsor a child to attend to the Kids for Peace School in Mikei Kenya. Let's challenge our community to see how many kids we can sponsor!

We are happy to be back and to see the sun today! It was a relief to get through the seriously cold temps we had the past few days without any major mishaps or building issues. I hope all of you fared equally well at home. For those dealing with broken pipes or power outages, please let us know if we can do anything to help! Students were well bundled today and had a brief time outside. Looks like tonight will be another hard freeze but the rest of the week looks to be very pleasant!

For many of us, the start of the new year is a time to set new goals around health and wellness. Losing a few pounds, eating better, exercising more...sound familiar? There's a lot of research on the effects of physical activity, including better sleep, stress reduction, less risk of heart disease and more. For children, physical activity is also linked to improved focus and cognitive performance. Lucky for us, Dr. Maria Montessori intuited the link between movement and the brain in her earliest observations of children. She wrote "Children develop their brains as well as their bodies through movement, and in the process of concentration, self-discipline, and perseverance with an active interest, the foundations of character are laid." For most adults, physical activity means exercise and we have to schedule it and have the right gear. But for children, physical activity is woven into all aspects of their daily life (although the right gear sometimes helps!)

Happy New Year! Happy New Year to you all and welcome back! Hopefully everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled break and are ready to get back to learning. Our CMS staff members had a positive and productive work day today and are eager to see students on campus tomorrow. We're excited to hear all the stories...

Wishing you all a lovely holiday season! CMS will be closed for Winter Break from December 16th thru January 2nd. Classes resume on Wednesday, January 3rd.

It's hard to believe its the last month of 2023 - time sure flies by! We have been lucky to enjoy some really lovely weather these past few weeks and CMS students have been taking full advantage of the sunny days and pleasant temperatures. It's a joy to see our students taking learning outdoors!

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving break. It was so nice to see all our students on Monday, and they must have eaten well too as many seemed to return much grown! We have just three short weeks before Winter Break begins and there's alot to pack in so buckle up and enjoy the bustle!

CMS is closed next week, November 20 - 24th, for Thanksgiving break!

Thanks for a great festival this year! We had so much fun at the International Festival on Saturday! The weather was lovely and it was so nice to see everyone having fun in the Courtyard, kids and adults alike. Thanks so much to all the students, guides, and volunteers who helped with the festival and table displays - really nice job everyone!

The weather for Saturday looks great - 78 degrees and sunny! It's the perfect day for a festival and I hope to see everyone there. We will set up in the Courtyard, just behind the arrival and departure pavilion. The festival starts at 10am and wraps up around noon. Children collect a passport when they arrive and, as they are visiting and taking in each classroom's country display, they collect a flag stickers for every country. The Nova community will have a Microeconomy table with hand-crafted wares that are sure to be great holiday gifts. We are Paypal only this year, no cash please. The Book Fair will wrap up on Saturday so those who'd like to browse should stop in from 10 to 11am. Music with Marshal will wrap up the event with some global tunes. Looking forward to it!

The Montessori curriculum includes geography and the study of the world around us from a very early age. Young students in the Children's House adore working with puzzle maps. Initially they become familiar with the globe, continents, and oceans. They learn the names of countries and states and take pride in learning to read and write them. They enjoy working with flags and exploring land and water forms. As they move into their elementary years, students expand their understanding through science lessons related to the earth's rotation, tectonic plates, and biomes. All the while, we relate what we learn about the earth to the different people living there. This includes languages spoken, forms of housing, cultural traditions, and more.

In a lecture in 1946, Maria Montessori said "The children of today will make all the discoveries of tomorrow... The future generation must not only know how to do what we can teach them, they must be able to go a step further." Learning skills and information is important but learning how to learn unlocks even more doors!

Practical Life activities are a mainstay of Montessori education and present in every classroom. While these works are most popular with our younger age groups, all students benefit from these activities. Here's the scoop on practical life... Like many things in Montessori, there's the immediate result and then there's the longer view. The immediate benefits of practical life are real world skills which allow children to act independently in their daily activities.

It's not actual cool weather yet, I know but...it feels different and honestly its a lot more fun to be outside this week! Our CMS students think so too...

The equinox took place this past Saturday so officially it is fall. The equinox, as you know, is the day when there is equal hours of daylight and darkness. Following the fall equinox, the days for us will begin to get shorter and eventually cooler weather will come. Learning about the seasons and the passage of time is an interesting example of a core trait of the Montessori materials, which is making the abstract concrete. Here are some examples of student work that illustrate this more fully. In the first photo, a Children's House student is celebrating their birthday. Each year is a journey that the earth takes around the sun and so the child can get a concrete sense of the passage of time by walking around the sun one time for each year of their life. It's a fun way to acknowledge a birthday and also helps make real an abstract concept. The Montessori math materials are well known for their ability to make abstract concepts visible, such as in the second picture, where a student is counting multiples of six.

The Nova community enjoyed their fall trip earlier this month with 3 days of planned activities at Highland Lakes Camp. Now the Redbud upper elementary group will take their turn. You might be wondering - why are trips part of the Montessori curriculum for these age groups? Well, I'll tell ya! The Fall trip is a camp experience where activities are planned by camp staff, meals are provided, and facilities are in place and ready. Students experience a safe environment where taking some risks and challenging themselves is supported and encouraged. Individually, they come back with a new sense of confidence in themselves.

We have a great line up for Fall Enrichments this year, with a variety of activities for your student to try out! These after school and optional classes are a great way to discover new hobbies and interests or to dive deeper into existing ones. Classes are open to Children's House and Elementary students. Please note the age requirements for some classes! Fall offerings include Science with Daniel Benes, Bucketeers drumming group, Amazing Athletes, the Knight School chess group, art, music, and engineering. Click here to read more about the specific classes this fall.

D r. Montessori was born August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy. This week we celebrate the woman who developed the Montessori method we embrace! "Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities." Maria Montessori, Education for a New World

Show some pride and love for your school by wearing CMS Spirit wear on Fridays!  If you're looking for some comfortable, cool, and cute t-shirts, check out our store here .