Montessori Radmoor

Montessori Radmoor

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a peaceful holiday season.

As we embark upon the second half of our school year, it is time to start thinking about what the future holds. This is the time of year when we start planning for the next school year. Some of our children will be graduating from the Primary Community into bigger adventures. At the same time another group of children will be preparing to take their place as community elders. Through the winter and spring, it is wonderful to observe the change and growth in the children as they get ready for the next step in their journey. So, what does this change look like for your child and what do they have to look forward to in their new adventure? Some of these questions will be answered when you come to observe our afternoon and see what the work of the Kindergartener looks like. You will also get the opportunity to experience some of that work and the joy it brings when you visit us for the Looking Ahead meeting on January 19th.

For a child in the primary community, this change is nothing new. Through their three or four years in the primary environment, they are constant witnesses and participants in this circle of growth. When they come in as a 2½ or 3 year old, they look up to the older children to make sense of the expectations and guidelines of the environment. They are observers who are taking in all aspects of the rich culture of the classroom through their senses. Not only do they understand how to conduct themselves but they are watching the work that the older children are doing. As they begin to work on their own lessons and connect with the material, they begin to internalize what they have been observing and are looking forward to future lessons, setting the foundation for a love of learning.

As they come into their second and third years, they slowly begin to move from being an observer to an explorer as they jump head first into their lessons and learning as much as they can from the environment. They now begin to aspire towards those large lessons they observed from the older children, working tirelessly to get ready for those works.

The kindergarten year brings everything from the past two or three years to fruition. The lessons in math, language, science, geography and even practical life and sensorial are larger and more involved, utilizing, unifying and solidifying in their minds everything they have learned so far. Not only are they applying academically everything they have learned thus far in the primary environment, but they are also stepping up as responsible leaders and positive helpers. It is now their turn to be the mentors, assisting the younger children with their lessons and in the process and confirming what they have learned. Their self-esteem and confidence grows as they take on responsibilities beyond themselves.

Observing this growth really highlights the wisdom of completing the three or four year cycle.

I look forward to seeing many of you at observations and at the looking ahead meeting. But more than that I am excited to see all the children after a long break and hear all of their fun stories.  As we all get back into the school rhythm, please remember to send them with snow pants, boots, jackets, hats (and scarves) and waterproof mittens or gloves!

Sincerely,

Archana

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